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What is Christianity? Some say it is a philosophy, others say it is an ethical stance, while still others claim it is actually an experience. None of these things really gets to the heart of the matter, however. Each is something a Christian has, but not one of them serves as a definition of what a Christian is. Christianity has at its core a transaction between a person and God. A person who becomes a Christian moves from knowing about God distantly to knowing about him directly and intimately. Christianity is knowing God. "Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." --John 17:3

I'm sorry, but I just had to get this off my chest. Thankfully somebody has opened up about this; and this coming from people from the opposite sex, as well. These shows, to my mind, are absolutely horrendous. I see it as demeaning, not just to women, but to men as well. This is no longer about fashion; this is no longer about clothes - intimate apparel or otherwise. This is just plain idolatry. I will even go as far as saying that events like The Naked Truth is the modern day version of heathen worship. We have now gone back to the days when people would flock around a golden calf and romp and carouse in ecstasy to a god that does not exist. This time, however, the golden calf has been replaced by these celebrities and models. To see these people go as far as to torture themselves, just for the sake of being popular, for the sake of being glorified time and again by the so-called masses, for the sake of being worshiped like gods, to earn enough money so they could go and afford to torture themselves again and again in a never-ending cycle of pain and wanton debauchery is just wrong. What message are they giving to everyone who sees them and worships them? I have seen this message come to fruition in the lives of people I love and care about. It is not about fitness anymore. It is not about being healthy. It is not about being fit. It has become a message of HATE - yes, you heard me right, HATE. Hate yourself because you are ugly. Hate yourself because you are fat. Hate yourself because you are not tall enough. Hate yourself because you do not have flawless skin. Hate yourself because of your waistline. Hate yourself because of your BMI. Hate yourself because of the size of clothes that you wear. Hate yourself because you have more chances to get hit by a UFO than to be invited to these events by these people. Hate yourself because you are who you are...and what you are can be summed up in six words: YOU DO NOT LOOK LIKE THEM.

The amazing this about this is that it was only when they woke up to the truth that they started loving themselves, and in so doing, started glowing from the inside. It was only then that they became truly beautiful, absolutely amazing, and irresistibly lovable. So, do you want the naked truth? The naked truth is this, we are all of us special in the eyes of the Lord. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made. The truth is that God looks at our heart, not at our skin. He does not look at the way we are built, our height, or our BMI. He looks at our hearts. The truth is that God has commanded us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and so it follows that if these people are willing to torture themselves just to look good, then what does that say about their hearts? Yet we continue allowing our friends and loved ones to look at them as idols. Does this make any sense to you, at this time? Speaking of idols, the truth is that these events are nothing but glorified idolatry, for anything that we place above God in our list of priorities - be it self, popularity, fame, fortune, and yes even family and loved ones - become idols in our hearts and our minds. Why? Because that means that we are willing to turn our backs on God for these idols. In the very secret place of our hearts, we are whispering that it is these idols that we worship above anything else, not God. We can pretend that this is not true. We can even wrap it all up in philosophies and principles and other seemingly plausible reasons and excuses; but in the end, when the day is done and all the pretensions are put aside, we know that it is true. The still, small voice at the back of our minds will still tell us the same thing: they are idols.

Last, the way I see it, the people behind events like this, as well as the celebrities who a lot of people idolize - and yes, I am using this word in a very negative way - did not in the very least earn God's 'well done, good and faithful servant' just because this event turned out to be a huge success. The way I see it, all of them will be held accountable for every single person that had been, and will be, bought and dragged into this false-idol worship and debauchery that they have engaged in. Every single person who will hurt and demean his/herself and who will turn their backs on God's promises because they have been lured by the false-idol worship and nonsensical debauchery that their event promoted will one day be held accountable to them as well. This is why I would rather be burned alive than to see one more person I love and care about fall for their lies again. That's the naked truth.

"When you feel you have lost control of the problems life has handed you, do not give up on the faith once instilled in you. Instead, look for the signs God has put in your path."

Something to think about: "Although Christianity is flourishing, many of us who are Christians have gotten caught up in this increasingly bankrupt culture. We have adopted many of the values of the world around us. Maybe it's the new sexual ethics of cohabitation or pornography, rampant greed and materialism, or winking at the needs of the poor. Gal. 5:9 explains why adopting these values is a problem: "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." So when we try to have the best of both worlds, we exchange the truth of God for a lie and the glory of God for idols, we do what seems right in our own eyes, we get engrossed in the secular world, and we worship created things instead of the Creator."

So you have decided to give your heart to Christ and follow Him with all your heart. You made a solid commitment to spend time with Him everyday, but weeks later, you find yourself going back to your old habits and spending less time with God. Whatever your reason may be, you wake up one day and realize that you have backslid. "Backsliding is often subtle. This is why every Christian needs to regularly use the following steps to make sure they are not backsliding from their Christian walk. Remember that God is always with you no matter how many times you backslide, but you must do your part too."

When you doubt that God exists, does that mean that you are headed to hell? Can our doubt be a sign of our faith?

"You wonder why it's so hard to find some peace of mind? Well, peace is hard to come by when you live in a warzone. And like it or not you are in a war - a very serious one. This war is cosmic in its proportions. It involves God, humans, angels, demons, principalities, powers, nations, and antichrists. And do you know where the front of the battle is? It's in your head."

A lesson on Christian contentment. Why having little is better than having the riches of the world.

Many Christians find it difficult to get into a daily habit of Bible reading . So this week John Piper addressed four common causes of Bible neglect in the Christian life, like: "I don't read my Bible because . . . . . . it seems so irrelevant to my life." . . . I don't have time." . . . I go to church every Sunday [or Saturday, or whatever day it may be -Leo]." . . . I find it confusing." What follows is a slightly edited (and abridged) transcript of his answers."

"Hopefully you find these statements to be characteristic of your life. If not, ask yourself, Why not? "

"Is it our place to judge our fellow man? No. Never. Our place as fellow human beings and compassionate individuals is to listen, offer support, encouragement, and a safe place to for our brothers and sisters to be who they are. Here's a collection of heart-breaking stories about people who were judged when they should have been loved."