No bull fighting in Barcelona

Barcelona is a beautiful city, I so enjoyed it. We lived there when they hosted the 92 Olympics and it was awesome. I also loved the food - Los Caracoles (The Snails) is such an enjoyable restaurant. The people were fantastic and I always enjoyed a main walkway called the Ramblas. After 5 years in Barcelona we moved to the far south, about 90 minutes south of Sevilla and we found a completely different culture.

It was while I was in the south that I learned to love bull fighting. The first time I saw a bullfight on TV I was sitting in my in--laws' house just outside of Barcelona. I was appalled! Killing animals like that was so cruel, and since there aren't any bull rings in Barcelona, I know that shared my opinion. But I'd only been watching about 10 minutes when I started to enjoy it. And when we moved to the south of Spain where bull fighting reigns, I gained a whole new appreciation for the sport. I was hooked.

Towards the end of our time in Spain, we went to a bull fight with an older couple. Dave was retired Navy and Maria was a feisty lovely Spanish lady through and through. She explained to us how bull fighting works. The bull represents the man. He's big, powerful, macho. The matador represents the woman (which is why he's dressed in those, well, what am I going to call them? feminine apparel). The bull fight shows how the woman ends up conquering the man.

Now, before you get too offended at bull fighting, please understand that the people of Barcelona wouldn't want anything to do with killing a deer and mounting its' head on their wall either. When I showed them the home of a dentist who had been stationed in Alaska, they were aghast. He had trophies all over the place. It appalled them, hunting was horrible. Cutting down a tree is just destructive. Those are their opinions.

You know, a lot of people say the same thing about religion or about Jesus. You've got your opinion and I've got mine. "Jesus was a good man", some say. "They killed him, he's dead." But Jesus didn't die because He was a good man. They killed Him for two reasons. First, they were outrageously jealous of Him. He didn't follow their ways. He outsmarted them, He out talked them and the crowds loved Him while the leaders absolutely hated Him, By the way, did I mention that He performed miracles? But the big one that really bothered them was that He claimed to be God. At this they tore their clothes and had Him hung on a cross. That's what got Him crucified.

So here's the deal, what if God really did come to this planet as a man and die for you? What if He's waiting on a response from you, right now? You've probably already formed an opinion about bull fighting and hunting but your opinion about Jesus is so much more important.

Most people respect the Bible as a great literary work, so let's just look at one phrase. This is a quote from Jesus. "I solemnly assure you that the man who hears what I have to say and BELIEVES in the One who has sent me HAS eternal life. He does not have to face judgment (i.e. hell); he has already passed from death into life." Friend, your eternal future rides on what you do with Jesus. A jailor was on his knees and he asked two prisoners how to be saved. Their response? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your house. To be honest with you, I believe. That's why I asked Him to forgive me for all my sins. He did, and He'll do the same for you. That's my opinion. So what's God's opinion and what's yours?

I'm Bob Schneider, Paul's youngest son. I now live in Puerto Rico.

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