No one wants to go to hell

Well, that's certainly an attention-grabbing title, isn't it? That was kind of my goal. Actually, my goal was to introduce in a very blunt way what I'm now going to write about...

During a small group earlier tonight, someone said (and I'm taking it out of context for the sake of anonymity) "No one wants to go to hell." Instantly, my overly pop-cultured brain began singing that song that says I'm on a highway to hell. And so, for the briefest of moments, I considered why someone would say that. It hit me that we sensationalize hell, just as much as we sensationalize tons of other bad things.

Think about it: all the "joys" of sin and no apparent consequences. I'm pretty sure that's what most people think of when they think of hell. It's a place where you can do no wrong because everything is wrong and there is no right. I have to admit, when I was a lot younger, I played out a story in my mind (I'm a writer...I often think in the form of stories) in which someone was rescuing a loved one from hell, and hell was essentially just a very R-rated party with some ghoulish-looking creatures among all the "bad" people. Just looking at that last sentence alone, I can't say I'd want to attend a party like that, but I know that there are people in this world who would find something like that to be pretty cool.

But that's not what hell is. At least, not the Biblical hell. Just looking at my concordance, it defines hell as a "place of dead." In Matthew 5, Jesus calls hell "the fiery hell" (v. 22). Mark 9 is warning about sin and talks of cutting off limbs to avoid sin (an extreme example to show the extreme consequences of sin - at least, that's what I think it means) and hell is spoken of with the terms "unquenchable fire" (v. 43) and "where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (v. 48). Revelation 20:10 drives home where I'm going with this: "And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (emphasis added). Tormented day and night for all eternity does not a consequence-free, R-rated party make.

This Scripture shows me, and hopefully you as well, some humbling facts: 1. We need to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Christ to our loved ones who are currently on the "highway to hell" and pray that God might take them to the nearest exit ramp. 2. We need to make sure we speak the truth about hell, and other topics addressed in the Bible, so as not to make light of them. Hell is not a party. It's not some place you should want to go (or want anyone else to go). If I sit long enough and think hard enough about it, I find myself feeling like I'm going to vomit with how terrifying of a place it is, and how horrified I am to know people who are going there. (They don't have to, though, which is the hope I cling to!)

I think this idea of hell as a fun place is a good example of how we, as Christians, need to rise above the worldly, sensationalized, dumbed-down version of the truth and compare it to the stark, absolute truth of the Word of God. We can't live in a haze forever. The truth needs to be revealed, and pretty soon too.

Oh, and by the way, don't let that deceiving devil trick you into coming with him for the torture. TRUST ME when I say that God's way is the ONLY way to life.

Back in Action

So I'm back at school. Yes, it is early to be back. And no, classes have not started yet. I'm part of the student leadership team on my hall this year, so I had to come a little early for training/orientation stuff. So far, so good.

I left straight from camp. Like, literally STRAIGHT from camp without stopping at my house or anything. It was a bit insane. Here's what happened: I was in the back seat of the car, trying to read something, while my dad was driving over the bumps and hills that are PA back roads. This is a classic formula for motion sickness. So, my tummy got all stupid and probably five or ten minutes into the drive, I asked my parents to pull over at a grocery store so I could go potty and they could buy me Dramamine. They were game for that.

Around this same time, I started having, like, an emotional breakdown about the fact that I was going back to school. As excited as I had been about it for weeks, I couldn't think about it at camp. It was a distraction. So I blocked it out of my thoughts and then was very suddenly forced to climb into a car and drive all the way down to Virginia, with almost no mental or emotional preparation. My parents gave me some very practical advice that I think I'll actually take: Don't ever do this again. Give yourself time before leaving. Yep. Agreed. No arguments there.

So I relieved myself and started to calm down in the bathroom. But climbing back into that car, even with ginger ale and Dramamine to sooth my stomach, didn't really calm me down. My parents let me cry for like an hour, and I held a plastic bag on my lap the whole time, occasionally feeling my stomach threaten to heave ho. Finally, the lack of sleep and the drowsiness from the Dramamine kicked in, and I was out for basically the rest of the ride.

By the time I got on campus, I was pretty psyched to be back. My tummy was still a little unsettled yesterday at breakfast, but I also know I'm not a huge breakfast eater when I'm not at camp (something about not using my body as hard and not waking up as early and being able to eat more when I want instead of during scheduled times...that's my guess). I'm pretty much fine now.

However, I do happen to know my tank is sort of empty. It's not as empty was it was when I left camp. But it's also not as full as it was when I left campus last spring. It's in a weird, half-empty, not quite half-full state. I think I'm in probably one of the best environments to help fill me back up, but I'm still trying to be sort of cautious. Complacency at a time where I need to step into a new leadership role (I say 'new' meaning I'm coming out of one at camp and coming into a different one here at school) is not good. So that's a time from my life right now. YAY POINTLESS STORIES!