The Gospel

The Gospel. What is that and why is it important?

It’s important for the Christian and the non Christian. The non Chrisian because they need it and the Christian because they need it. You can go to I would say the majority of churches in America and you won’t find it. Even though the bible focuses on it.

All religions are the same except Christianity because of this very Gospel we have abondoned.

 So what is it? We all die someday. And no matter what you do you are going to face it whether it’s tomorrow or in fifty years. And whatever is out there after is going to be where you spend for eternity. When you think of the infinite amount of years that we are in eternity compared to the average life span, our life is truly just a vapor. So isn’t the most important thing we can do in this life to figure out and be certain of what’s on the other side.

The bible that has been proven true so many times speaks of heaven and a hell. Many people don’t believe in Hell but do believe that a criminal will be punished. And how would heaven be if someone like Hitler could be in it? God is a perfectly just judge and has to punish sinners. We would call a judge who didn’t punish someone a corrupt judge.

 The ten commandments. They are the standard for which God judges the world. If there were not a standard everyone would compare themselves to someone else and you can always find someone worse. Our court system has a standard. We have all lied, stolen, lusted in our hearts which is adultry, been angry with someone which God see’s as murder since He looks at our hearts. We are guilty.

So if we were to all die today by that standard we have to end up in Hell or God would not be just. Many say God would just forgive us. But how would that work in a court of law. Hey judge I know I commited a crime but can you just forgive me. What would he say? I am just, and because of that I a criminal has to be punished. Some say good works get you there. How would that look? Hey judge I know i am guilty and deserve life but I have done many good things since then. You still have to be punished for that crime.

 Here is where the good news of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ comes in. He came and died because God loves us that much to send His one and only Son to die for us. Think about that God who sits on His throne that is set above the heaven we cant even comprehend, came to the world as a mere human. How much did God humble himself?

Here is where God died as a propitiation for our sins. Which is God took the wrath that we deserve upon Himself so that we can be forgiven and not recieve it.

No other religion does that. All other religions say that good works get you to wherever they call heaven. Islam, Judaism, Buddism, Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovas Witness, Scientology, and the rest.

But we know that we are sinful. The ten commandments are just like a mirror. We are already sinners but the ten commandments show us our sin. It isn’t only written in the bible but on our hearts. We all know its wrong when we lie, and steal, and all of the commandments. No other religion provides the cleansing of our sin.

So what do we do. Do we just believe in God. Well the demons do. Are they going to heaven. If we were on an airplane that was going to crash how good would it do to just believe in a parachute. You have to but it on and put your trust in it for it to save you. In the same way the bible tells us to put on the Lord Jesus Chrsit. And to repent which is a turning away from our sins. And then you will be born again.

Matthew 13 tells us this. That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9He who has ears, let him hear.”

Most churches will tell you God has a wonderful plan for your life. And people will commit their life to Jesus but it is like a seek falling on rocky ground. That is why 90 percent of people that at one time “put their faith in Jesus” fall away.

The Gospel is the good soil.

Most churches will say things like i accepted Christ. Like Christ died and thats all God did to save us and it is up to us to save ourself. Is that what the bible teaches? Is that grace? Grace with works is not grace at all it’s dead. It is God that saves us. The bible says in John 6 that no one can come to God unless the Father draws him. But God is a God of regeneration not condemnation. Cry out for God to save you. It is the most important decision in your life.

How do you know you are saved? You will and others will. When you have been born again which John 3 talks about you will be a new creature and this is a real thing. I am not some lunatic. Your desires will began to change from sin to serving God. 1 John taks about that if we say we are a Christian but continue to walk in the darkness we are a liar and the truth is not with us.

Christians, Paul tells us to examine our faith, so this is for everyone. I want to see everyone in heaven some day. That day is getting closer.

One thing You Can’t do in heaven

Revival.  Billy Graham let many revival crusades all around the world.  I have always heard of the word but didnt find out what it means until recently.

I recently read about a man who memorized the entire new testment and then gave his life to Jesus months later.  How is this possible?!?!  Memorize the  whole new testament and not know Jesus?!?!  This is where the term revival comes into play.  Most people who grew up in church are the same way.  And when I say most, I mean most.  Jesus said the road is narrow. 

Revival is when all the things you have learned in church or what you have read in scripture finally becomes real to you. It finally all makes sense.  This doesn’t involve your mind, it envolves God placing it on your heart.

In John 3 Nicodemus told Jesus He believed in Him.  Most of us do that.  We call ourselves Christians because we really do “believe” with our minds that Jesus in God.  Jesus responds to Nicodemus by saying verily verily aka cut the crap, you will not see the kingdom of God unless you have been born again.  You have became dead to you sins and now I, Jesus, take residency in you and you are made alive in Me.  Thats my little paraphrase. 

We cannot be born again unless God initially revives us and makes His truth real to us.  I personally believe this can only happen once.  I do not believe God would nail us and are sins and make us alive in Him and then take us off of the cross and make us dead only to come to God and ask Him to make us alive again.

But I do believe that revival in the sense of God working out things in our hearts during our walk can happen.  That didn’t make sense so ill try to explain a little.  When I first thought of the idea of tithing, giving ten percent to God, I thought it was just the church wants your money or maybe even God does.  It wasn’t untill I started tithing that God showed me that when He said He will pour out the flood gates of heaven and bless us did I finally get it.

This has happened many times but more recently with this one verse.  To live is Christ and to die is gain-philipians 1:21.  I always read it and I understood what it meant, but it wasn’t on my heart.  This verse that can sum up the Christian walk was just another verse to me.  Well God began to work out this verse in me.

To die is gain.  Of course it is.  To be with Jesus is the goal of anyone who believes in God!  Heaven is going to be so much better than earth and the Christian walk is constantly about trying to get closer to Jesus only to find out that you are so far away.

To live is Christ.  This is the most important statement about our life here on earth.  God put this kid in my life who now I call a friend that I looked at Him and originally became jelious.  I found someone who lived out what the bible says more than anyone I have ever met.  He was someone who took what I read everyday and puts it into practice in every aspect of His life.  God kept working in me.  Then I was given this book.  One thing you can’t do in heaven by Mark Cahill. 

The one thing you can’t do in heaven is share your faith with lost people.  What could do live is Christ be defined as in any other way?  Our purpose in life in to make Christ well known and to make Him look good.  Every aspect of our life should revolve around that.  We worship God because we love Him.  We share our faith because we love His word.  And isn’t that what the bible says.

Jesus was walking up to a few men, who would later be His disciples, and said “Come, follow me”.  Now many Christians in America have taking this verse as, come follow me and I will allow you to get fed in my church multiple times a week.  Come follow me and I will make you rich and healthy.  Come follow me and I will be your servant.  Come follow me and I will be your ticket into heaven, now go do what you want.

But what does Jesus say?  Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  Out of all the things Jesus could have said He approached them with that sentence.  I think Jesus meant it.  I think He meant that our purpose here on earth is to lead lost people to Him.  So what does that mean?

We do it!  When the God of the heavens says that every interaction we have should be about Him, it should be.  When He was nailed to a cross to take our punishment for sin and says follow me and become fishers of men, we do it.  Isaiah 26:8 “Lord we love to obey your laws; our hearts desire is to bring glory to your name.”

We have defined Christianity as going to church and getting filled up.  Two of God’s children die every second.  Do we care?  Tougher question, do we care enough to do anything about it?  Do we care enough to get into a conversation with someone?  Check out www.markcahill.org or www.wayofthemaster.com  to find out how to equip yourself in sharing your faith.

Haiti

http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/special/32-hours-the-church-in-haiti

I watched this video in Haiti and literally didn’t sleep all night.  After watching the video I walked into the kitchen to get a glass a water, and opened the fridge just to see if anything looked appealing.  I opened a fridge full of food thinking that “theres nothing to eat”, when I reflected on the video.

Haiti.  There is no food.  There is no water.  There is no stores.  Riots are breaking out frequently.  Kids are walking around naked because they don’t have clothes.  All churches are completely destroyed.  There is no hope.  I don’t have any food that looks appealing in my air conditioned home with clothes completely scattered all over my room.

This isn’t only Haiti, though Haiti is probably one of the worst.  The majority of the world lives on a dollar or two a day.

We cannot fathom what it would be like to be homeless in America.  A homeless man in America could not fathom what it would be like to live in many countries in the world.

I’ll watch this video and most likely at some point even during this week,  complain about some type of problem I am facing.  Our economy is down and jobs and unemployment in America is horrible.  Where in Haiti 2/3 of people do not have any form of a job.

When Pastor Mark Driscoll arrived in Haiti he first saw a soldier who made the comment, “This is the end times the bible is talking about.”

God has a planned layed out for your life.  My prayer is for everyone to know Jesus, and be able to live a life of worth.  But our calling does not start in the future.  It does not start after college or after we form a family.  It does not start once the troubles we are facing now cease.  Our calling has little to do with us.

It starts now.  It starts once you are able to look at the universe and say, “God rid me of myself.”  It starts when you look at God and his splender and say, “I am not worthy.”  It starts when you see the life of Christ and the cross and say, “My life is yours.”

Lord thank you for my friends.  I lift them up God and pray that anyone that does not live for you will see the world as it is and realize it has nothing to offer.  I pray that you reign your presense in their life and allow them to give up their life, a mere vapor, to the cause of Christ.  I pray that you strengthen my friends that are believers and allow them to be witnesses to the world.  I lift up Haiti, knowing that you are a God that can rid the tragity with a lift of your finger.  I pray that your will be done in that place.  In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Jesus loves the prideful

I don’t know about you, but I hate compliments.  Don’t get me wrong they are very flattering, but I know as a human being I can let compliments soak in and become very prideful.  But my Mema (grandmother) commented on one of my blogs with a compliment that I was able to soak in, and glorify God with.

She said, “Aaron, you have a good heart.”  That is exactly right. 

The normal comments you will give someone or receive from someone is “Wow, he/she/you are a good person.”  There is a big difference between being a good person and having a good heart.

The bible tells us that not one person is good, not even one.  If we sin just one time in our life we have fallen short of the only one who is good. 

Here is the Gospel.  God created us in His image and for the first three chapters of the bible, everything and everyone was good.  We sinned against God, and chose to have a separation from Him.  You can’t say we are sinful yet have a connection with God, because sin by definition is a separation.  God showed us that our sin leads to death, in instances like “If you curse your mother or father you shall be put to death” , but He offers a way out.  Many Hebrew prophets like Moses and Isaiah prophesied about the coming of a Messiah and what He would be like and how he would change the nation and close that gap between us and God.  Then 2010 years ago Jesus Christ came and fulfilled all of those prophecies and was nailed to a cross so that we didn’t have to reek the punishment for our sins, death.

So here is the thing, God knew we could not make it to heaven by our own works.  He created us for good and we failed, and continue to fail everytime we sin.  So God says that you can ask Jesus to come into your heart and have a brand new heart, the heart of Christ.  So that when you die and reach judgment day, God doesn’t have to look at you with all of your sin, but He can see His Son, who is perfect. 

You can believe that Jesus is the Son of God and rose from the dead, even the demons do.  But Paul says that in order to make it to heaven you MUST be born again.  You must have God come into your heart and replace your heart with the heart of Christ and be changed from the inside out.

You can go up to heaven and believe that Jesus is God, but if your heart is still your own and full of sin, God still see’s your sin, and not His Son.

So by agreeing with my Mema’s comment that “I have a good heart” is agreeing that I have been born again and my heart is not my own, but the heart of Jesus.

God loves the prideful who can look at God and say they are “good enough”, and He wants them to be born again, and made alive in Him.

Jesus loves the homeless

The Lord has blessed me with a relationship with my buddies Rick and Leonard and I truly love them dearly.  You may refer to it as the street, or concrete, or an ally, but they consider it home.

Any sterotype I had about homeless people, God struck it down. 

Homeless people are not lazy, Rick got out of the hospital not long ago and is incapable of work while leonard is always searching for a job and goes on interview all the time.

Homeless people do not spend all your money on drugs or alchohol.  While some may, Rick and Leonard do not drink or smoke and they don’t even spend their money on cigarettes. They go around picking up the used cigarrets and put the left over tobacco in a bag to roll up later.

It has truly been a blessing to be able to have some part in their life.  They are amazing and intelligent people.  Rick once owned two restaurants and another business at the same time, I doubt he thought he would ever end up homeless.

One thing I know is that Jesus loves the rich and the poor.  He loves the people who are hungry or homeless as well as people who are to greedy to help them out.  He loves the people who think they are the no good/outcasts of society as well as the proud who think they are better than them. 

God takes all the glory.  And good deed you do, its because Christ did it through you.  And sin you commit its because you turned your back on God.  Though that may not seem very pleasing to you, when you die, Christ covers over the millions of sin you have committed and God sees His son, and He is well pleased. 

Lets celebrate this Christmas with Christ in it.  You could buy a ton of gifts or use a the money you got to spend on more clothes, or you could help Jesus change the lives of a couple people who may not go hungry, but sleep on the street each in every night. 

God Bless everyone and have a wonderful Christmas.

Be the Church

Imagine you’re at a football game.  What’s your favorite part?  Some people like a good run while some love a good hit.  Whatever your favorite part is, I bet it’s not the huddle.  Imagine if you went to a football game and the team is in a huddle.  The quarterback, who is fired up gets his play from the coach, tells the team what they are going to do, and then the whole team breaks and runs back to the bench.  Then moments later the team, fired up, gets back on the field, huddles up and the quarterback yells “breaks!”, then they sprint back to the bench.  After a while you’re probably thinking, “This is lame!”

I have been reading Acts and looking at the church today.  Something is not right.  In the midst of all this I have been coming across sermons where pastors are speaking on whats wrong with the church.

The church today and the church of Acts look nothing alike. 

In Acts no one took hold of their processions.  They understood that it was all God’s.  People were selling all of their land and giving it to the church to disperse to the less fortunate.  Today we can’t even give the 10%.

In Acts people showed love to everyone.  Thousands were being saved daily.  Today we camp on street corners with megaphones and shout out to people reasons their going to hell.  Or we present the gospel as a message of hate.

In Acts people gave their life to Christ knowing that they would either be killed or put in jail, and there was no other option.  Today we don’t attend church if it’s raining or if we were up to late the night before.

Christianity today looks like the football illustration I mentioned early, who I heard from Francis Chan.  We get in our churches that are made for “church people” every Sunday.  Then yell break, and get back to our worldly lives.   Then on Sunday we huddle up again and get fired up about what we should be doing.

The world is tired of watching Christians huddle up. Why would they want to give their life to Christ when they look at us.  All Christianity looks like today is another world religion.  To the world Christianity is just things you won’t be able to do, or things that you have to give up to follow God.

That is not in the bible I read.  Christianity today what the bible states it should be.  Christianity in the bible isn’t even a religion; it’s a relationship with your creator. 

Anyone could do their research and have enough evidence to prove that there is a creator.  You cannot logically look at the world and say that we all happened by some random chance.  It should be a lot harder to believe there is no God, but we have made it to where it is.

Let’s be the church what God intended.  Let this generation change the world. 

As the church we separate ourselves from the world.  I have heard many sermons on how we should only associate with our Christ following friends and peers. 

Is this what Jesus would have wanted?  The man who spent the majority of his time with tax collectors, prostitutes and drunks.

The only way you can lead someone to Christ is through love.  If you are truly a Christian you have been born again, and Christ lives in you through the Holy Spirit. 

We must get back into the world and be the church.  We must get back into the world, with our new mindsets and new hearts and show God’s love. 

No one would look at the majority of today’s Christians and say “that’s what I want”.  Let’s be who Christ intended us to be and spread the gospel through our actions and not just through words.

I am the worst at this and need this message myself. 

May we allow the Holy Spirit to rain in our lives, and be the church that was written out in scripture years before us. 

May this generation build a church that is full of Christ centered individuals, and get rid of the lukewarmness.

May we love others, the very way that Jesus Christ loves us.

I’m an idiot

Sometimes I stop and take an outsiders perspective of my life since my rebirth.  Its amazing how God can answer prayers in unbelievable ways, but then at times even in the midst of all that, the world can make you question His existence.

God really has answered each and every one of my prayers recently and sometimes I have to even say to myself, “Dang why did I just pray that, look what I got myself into.” 

All of these circumstances have no reasonable explanation to the timing or the way/extent that they have been answer.  But as days go by I get talked out of them being answered prayers to just unbelievable circumstances that just happened by chance.

I find myself crazy sometimes that I can even questioning God’s existence.  Either we are a creation made by a heavenly Father that loves us, or the universe went against  1/1×10^17 odds and the big bang happened, followed by dirt forming into a caterpillar which later became a sea turtle which then decided it wanted to turn into a monkey, and we are just developed monkeys.  I know it seems stupid to me too, but sometimes I question if maybe that is how everything happened.  (By the way that is the theory of evolution, you can research it)

What brings me comfort is some of the people God has placed in my life.  Probably one of the most influential people would have to be Molly and Joe Bail.  Molly and Joe sold all of their possessions and moved to Kenya to start an orphanage upon hearing God’s call. You may hear, “Well yes, but they receive plenty of personal reward for doing that.”

Molly and Joe moved from America, where if you make the average income you are 100 times richer than 53% of the world, to move to Kenya, where most people live on a dollar or two a day.  Has it been easy?  They face more hardships than anyone I have ever heard of.  They have both caught malaria countless times, not to mention helping people that are in circumstances we could not even imagine.

What would provoke someone to do this?  There is no way it is for personal benefit.  If you spoke to them, things that happened could not have happened by random chance.  They receive no reward, that unless there is a God you would receive.  If we are merely just primates waiting to die, why risk you life and wealth to help others?

I do in fact know the answer as to why a married couple would put themselves through so much pain. 

They are idiots!

The bible says that Jesus called upon ordinary people.  If you break down what ordinary people means in the Greek translation, it means ignoramus.

IDIOTS!

If you live your life as the scripture tells us to, the whole world is going to view you as an idiot.  But that’s ok because that’s who Jesus called upon, idiots.

When I take an outsiders perspective of some of the things I do, I think to myself how much of an idiot I am.  Living my life for belief in something unseen, making words in a book my only reason of existence.  To me these seem 100% real, but to others I look like an idiot.

Do you feel like an idiot?  If so join the club, and together we can make some “dumb” decisions.

Check Molly and Joe out, and help save lives:  www.springsofhopekenya.org

Facebook

Facebook is tempting.  Everytime I want to do homework, I feel like a couple hours goes by and all I was doing was facebook for the last couple of hours.  I know that one day I am going to have to take certain tests that will acquire the knowledge I learned while studying various subjects. 

Believe it or not I can relate this to my walk with God recently.

Getting good grades in school is my deepest desire.  An A on a test will fulfill me way more than two hours of non productive facebook time.  In the moment though, facebook is addicting.  I can’t seem to pull myself away because sometime it appears more valuable than studying. 

Recently in my life I have felt a distance from God because of my doing.  The “facebooks” of my life looked good for a shortwhile.  But they only leave you with a feeling of discontent from God. 

When I am on the literal facebook I am not thinking about the day I am going to have to take a test.  I am sure that there is someone out there who has figured out every hour or so spent on facebook, and the percentage it lowers your grade.  Every time I am on facebook I am lowering my grade, and I know that one day I am going to have to sit before a teacher who will grade me on everything I have learned.

The same thing happens in life.  Some of my sins appear really good right now.  But I know that one day I will have to stand before The Judge.  And He is going to go over with me everything that I did to fall short of a perfect score.

I don’t have time to live my life on facebook.  I will drop out of college and work at a fast food restaurant the rest of my life, maybe not that bad but my family would be pretty upset and my future would get harder. 

I don’t have time to live for the “facebooks” in my life.  One day I am going to stand before a judge.  And if I don’t pass this test it isn’t going to be a class’s grade on the line, it will be my eternity.

The good thing is there is a pre test.  My seventh grade language arts teacher you to give us pre tests for spellings b’s and if we passed it we get a 100% on the real test.

What my teacher didn’t do was give us a cheat sheet for that pre test.

How incredible is that!  We have a cheat sheet for the most important test anyone can ever take in their lives!  It is called the bible.

The bible gives us the answer to the pretest and the test.  For the pretest we will be asked one question.  And it is a pass or a fail question.  Do we fully believe that Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins?

Most of the time I didn’t ace the pretest, so I would have to take the real think.  That test will be in account for all the “facebooks” or any sins you have had in your life.  This also, is a pass or fail.  You either get 100%, which has only happened once, or you spend an eternity away from God. 

Are you planning for the test to come?

Unconditional Love

I hurt some people I love by the blog last week so I ended up taking it down.  What I did was make a comment about God loving Hitler and didn’t emphasize the fact that God hates sin.  Without a doubt Hitler sinned more than anyone I can imagine.  I cannot fathom the holocaust.  I have grown up learning about it and have spent my time weeping at museums because of the horror that went on at that time.

My problem is that I am a new Christian and sometimes have a hard time figuring this whole thing out.  Sometimes God will light me on fire and I have this message of unconditional love I want to share with everyone because it has been so real in my life, but instead of doing that I can sometimes make it sound like a message of hate.

I am not the only one to do this.  Many people when Christian comes to mind don’t have very good thoughts.  There are pastors molesting kids, preachers who give false testimony, and lukewarm Christians who will make it seem like because they prayed a prayer when they were little they can do whatever they want but they are better than you.

I have sinned just as much if not more the most.  I fully believe I am undeserving of this gift God has given me.  But man have I messed up when my pride gets the best of me.

If you were to say one word that would sum up the bible it would be love.  It is all about this unconditional love God has shown us.  The one thing God hates is sin.  He made attempts to free us from that.  He wiped out all of mankind except Noah because of the sin that corrupted the world.  We continue to sin so in the torah he told us about a Messiah that would come and salvation will come to this world. 

Finally, a “man” by the name of Jesus came and lived free of sin.  He also fulfilled every prophecy at the acquired time and will continue the rest upon his second coming.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” –John 3:16.

What I have found is that you can look at anyone, definitely including myself, and end up disappointed.  We all sin and when that sin is brought to the table it makes question marks arise on what Christianity it.  I have learned to keep my eyes on Jesus, one who the closer you look, the more overwhelmed you will be. 

I am trying to work out this “bible thumper” thing I have going on.  But I will never stop sharing the good news of grace that God brought to this earth a little over 2009 years ago.  The news that there is nothing you can do that will make God love you any less, and he wants better for every person in this world.  Christianity has not been Christianity as intended, but God has always been and will always be God. 

I am still trying to figure this out, and I got knocked down by my actions, but I will get back up and continue to persevere spreading the gospel until the day comes where this vapor of a life on earth I have  is gone.  Will you join me?

Thoughts for the day part 1

So I had some thoughts the last couple of days and I thought I would just write them down.

1)  I just got done speaking to someone I know who had dodged a life sentence and has now accepted Christ and is doing full time ministry work for the gospel.  Also I always get, “Aaron, you never go out anymore!”  Which if you don’t speak high school/college it means you don’t go to bars or parties, and you know there is nothing else in this world that can be more fulfilling than those two things.  So anyways to my thought, you always here of people giving their life to Christ.  “Dead to sin, but now alive in Christ Jesus.”  What you don’t hear is, “You know I really surrendered my life to the Lord and gave him everything, but it just wasn’t for me.  I think I will go back to my old self now.”  Now you may here people who went to church and tried out the whole lukewarmity thing for a while say that.  But I think the church, and me often, has focused a lot on that we shouldn’t sin because it is against God.  That certainly is part of it, but thats not really the main reason of letting go of your sin.  When I surrendered my life to the Lord and got into an intimate relationship with him, I didn’t care about drinking or any of that stuff anymore!  I have God!  What can be better than this!  Accepting Christ isn’t about giving up things, its about what you get!  An intimate relationship with your creator!  So am I missing out on life because I don’t live like I used to?  I have never been this alive in my life.  I will tell you first hand, you may be having the time of your life right now.  Many people who read this are in high school or college, and I understand how much fun it is to go out and get messed up every weekend.  But when you put an intimate relationship with God into the equation, it doesn’t even compare! 

And that was a little longer than I thought it would be so I guess I will have a thought of the day tomorrow too!