For the last few days, I've been reading one of Peter's letters that he wrote to Christians in what's now the country of Turkey. Now, I still have one chapter to go, but the main point of the first four chapters is something that we kind of shy away from in the church, but which I thought was so important to keep in mind that I thought I'd write about it a little bit.

Now, 1 Peter is chock full of awesome stuff as it is (I've got at least a page of notes per chapter), but the main story of the first four chapters is what appears to be a Biblical Principle: it is good to suffer for doing what is right.

That's so important that I'll say it again: it is good to suffer for doing what is right. Peter thinks it's so crucial that he spends four chapters talking about it. Even Christ Himself had something to say about it:

Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound that exciting. I mean, Jesus said that we should suffer just like the prophets did? Have you read about Jeremiah? They threw him in a well! You know about Hosea? His wife constantly cheated on him. That kind of suffering is supposed to be good? Why in the world would I want to be like them?

But that's the kind of thinking that we hear every day:

Why would we want to do those things? Isn't it just easier to do what's wrong, instead of getting knocked-around for doing what's right? Why would we want to do that? Well, Peter has things to say about that. Peter uses several different examples, ranging from a husband and wife to a slave and his slave-owner, to get across his point: you underestimate the power you have been given. See, you make impressions on people all the time, no matter what you do. So if you do what's right, even when it's hard and causes you pain, that affects people. If you do what's right, even when it causes you pain, it makes people think to themselves, "Why would they do that?" What Peter says throughout these first four chapters is that having the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard, can bring people to God. You can bring people to God. And yes, it's hard. You might have to endure some pain. But look what your faith and resilience can do! It can bring people closer to God. Christ said that's worth it.

In fact, He said this:

"...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

People will see you doing what's right, even when it's hard, and praise God. That's pretty awesome.

Embarrassing Story #1

Keeping with the facts that last Sunday was Easter and that I promised to put some embarrassing stories about myself up here, I am about to share a story which not too many people know.

It takes place when I was about five or six or so and was living in Chittenango, NY, right next to the Erie Canal. It was a smallish house, and my brother and I shared a room decorated with Disney characters (jeez, how many embarrassing things am I really giving away here?).

Anyway. When I was little, I apparently was easily scared/bothered by things that didn't look like mom or dad or, you know, normal people. So around Easter, you hear of this "bunny" that comes to leave you candy, right? The Easter Bunny. The bane of my existence. So this one year, when I was five or six (seven? eight? twenty?), I think I refused to sit on his lap at the mall and subsequently cried when my parents attempted to get my picture taken with him anyway. Back at home, I was so scared of the Easter Bunny that the night before Easter I was crying and telling my parents that I didn't want him coming in our house. I wouldn't go to sleep until my parents had written a note to the Easter Bunny and taped it up on the front door for him. It said something along the lines of: "Dear Easter Bunny, please don't come in our house. I'm scared of you. Please just leave the Easter baskets out on the porch." (I'm sure my mother could quote it word for word). My parents, being great and humoring their stupid, crying kid, dutifully taped up the note and, sure enough, when I woke up the next morning the Easter baskets were out on the front porch just as I asked. Kevin: 1, Easter Bunny: 0.

....now, my memory fails me as to if this was the only time this happened or not. I can only remember one year when I asked them to put the note up, but maybe it happened for a few years. I don't remember. My mom still has the note tucked away in some box somewhere, and occasionally brings it out to embarrass me.

I know, I know... scared of the Easter Bunny? Who's scared of the Easter Bunny? ....well, I was. And I still kind of am. I mean, just look at that picture above. Bunnies are supposed to be small... how would you feel if you really saw a 6' rabbit? That's right, you'd freak out and call the cops. And who, in their right mind, lets a 6' rabbit roam around in their home? Not me, that's who. It's not that I'm ungrateful or anything; just drop the candy on the porch and get off my property before I get my dad's gun.



Keep checking back here for the next embarrassing story: "Dreams Don't Have To Make You Cry"