Author: Don

Dear Friends,

A few days ago, Bonnie and I viewed the Lionsgate film The Shack. If you have seen the film, we’d love to hear what you thought of it. If you haven’t, be warned:
This movie is not for everyone; it deals with a horrific tragedy, and forces the viewer to grapple with the question, “How do you forgive the unforgiveable?”

In an interview, the author, Paul Young, explained that “The Shack is a metaphor for the house we build out of our own pain.” The positive message we took away from The Shack is that we don’t have to be trapped in that house of pain. God is in the business of rebuilding.

Anyone who has read the 2007 novel The Shack will appreciate how faithfully the film follows the original story line. Mack Phillips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted, and evidence found in an abandoned shack indicated that she had been brutally murdered by a serial killer. Four years later, his life covered by a Great Sadness, Mack discovers in his mailbox a suspicious invitation to return to the shack. What follows is a miraculous, but painful, spiritual journey, during which Mack struggles to understand just where God is in a world filled with such unspeakable pain.

The Shack is not a theological treatise, it is a story. But it is a story that explores the struggle people who suffer great injustice must face. Will they turn their back on God and slip into an ever-deepening despair, or will they seek God and find the grace to forgive and live again?

Mack’s story gives us a fresh view of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. By using very untraditional characters to represent the Trinity, the book and the film allow us to cast aside our stereotypes to find the God of love—who cares about each and every one of his children—to find the God who is “especially fond” of each one of us.

“There are not ‘many’ ways to heaven—only one, and that’s found in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  But when all the world can see, looking through the knothole of their pain, is a disfigured caricature of God, how (the authors wondered) might we … catch a glimpse of the God who really is?”

If you decide to read the book or see the film, you may appreciate the biblical thread that runs through the story. These are a few verses of Scripture that came to mind as we discussed the film:

Mack’s wife affectionately refers to God as Papa. Abba is the equivalent of daddy or papa. ^“And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 (NLT)

Even though Mack voices his anger with God, God repeatedly shows him how much he loves him. “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:39 (NLT)

Sarayu, the character that represents the Holy Spirit collects Mack’s tears in a bottle. “You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book.” Psalm 56:8 (TLB)

Mack actually questions God when God tells Mack that there was a journey he’d have to take alone. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

Judgement is a recurring theme throughout the film. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” Matthew 7:1-2 (NLT)

Mack’s encounter with Jesus at the lake is delightful. “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.” Matthew 14:25 NLT

As in Proverbs, Wisdom is presented as a woman. “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;” Proverbs 1:20 (NIV)

Only someone who has known deep pain can offer the comfort that Mack is eventually able to offer to his family. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

God’s love for Missy shows God’s heart for children. “These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy.” Luke 18:17a MSG

The limitlessness of God’s love is seen in the way the character representing God hates the crime, but grieves over the soul of the killer. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Mack is truly comforted in the end. “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4  (NLT)

This is the hardest verse to accept when you are blinded by your pain: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Verse for the Week: “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:4

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

“Life is made up of moments. Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.” – Author unknown.

This weekend, our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate the joyous holiday of Purim. You can read the story of Purim in the Book of Ester, but here is our “Cliff Notes” version.

King Ahaserus (Xerxes) ruled the Persian Empire, whose boundaries ranged from India to Ethiopia, from 486 BC until his assassination in 465 BC.  When his wife Queen Vashti refused the king’s request that she “display her beauty before the people and the officials … the king became very angry.”

When the king asked his advisors what should be done to the queen for her disobedience, the advisors warned that if she wasn’t punished, the queen’s conduct will be known to all women, causing them to look on their husbands with disrespect.

For the sake of “domestic tranquility,” Queen Vashti was dethroned and a replacement was sought. The king decreed, “Every man should be the master and rule in his own home.”  Esther 1:22 (NIV)

[Writer’s comment to married women: If your husband tries to use this verse on you, suggest he read 1 Corinthians 13.]

Back to the story … In a search for a new queen, beautiful virgins were brought to the king’s palace from all over the empire. One of those who was chosen was the niece of Mordecai, who was an attendant in the king’s court. Esther was beautiful of form and face. Like all of the other’s chosen, she went through an extensive 12-month beautification program.

Each of the candidates went before the king, but it was Esther who found favor and kindness with him more than all the other virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

[Here the plot thickens. Following the instructions of her Uncle, Esther had not revealed her Jewish background.]

When Mordecai learned that two of the king’s guards were plotting to kill the king, Mordecai informed Esther, who told the king in Mordecai’s name. Both conspirators were hanged when the plot was investigated and found to be true.

A while later, the King promoted Haman [one of his top advisors] and established his authority over all the officials who were with him. All the kings servants … bowed down and honored and paid homage to Haman; for this is what the king had commanded in regard to him. But Mordecai [a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin neither bowed down or paid homage to him.”

The others who served at the gate tried to convince Mordecai to obey the king’s command to honor Haman, but when he refused to listen, they told Haman that Mordecai’s reason for not bowing down was that he was a Jew. [Writer’s note: Mordecai believed that bowing down to Haman would violate God’s commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

Haman was furious. But punishing Mordecai was not enough; Haman was determined to destroy all the Jews, who throughout the kingdom. Looking for an auspicious day to approach the king with his plan, Haman cast Pur, that is the lot, … day after day, month after month, until the month of Adar (Feb-Mar).

“There is a certain people scattered throughout the kingdom,” Haman explained to the king, “whose laws are different from those of all other people; and they do not observe the king’s laws. If it pleases the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out the business …”

The king sent out a decree to kill and to annihilate all of the Jews, in one day, (March 7, 473 B.C.) and to seize their belongings as plunder. Throughout the kingdom, Jews began fasting and mourning. When Esther heard of the decree, she sent Hathach, one of her attendants, to Mordecai, to learn what had happened. Mordecai told Hathach everything that had happened and gave him a copy of the decree which had been issued for the destruction of the Jews, so he might explain it to her and order her to go to the king to seek his favor and plead with him for the lives of her people.

Esther sent Hathach to Mordecai with a message that she had not been summoned by the king for 30 days and “Any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court without being summoned, he has but one law, that he is to be put to death.”

Mordecai sent a message back to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in your palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise from and another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if you attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose.]

Esther told Mordecai to declare a three-day fast, after which she would go to the king.

Fast forward … Esther approached the king and found favor in his sight. “What is your request, he asked, “It shall be given to you, up to half the kingdom.” 

Esther’s request: Invite Haman to supper! When Haman received the invite, he went around boasting of his success to all of his friends, but he told them he would not be happy as long as he saw Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate. His wife and all of his friends told him to build a gallows and ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. So, Haman had the gallows made.

“That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had been the one who had exposed the plot to kill him. When he learned that nothing had been done to honor Mordecai, the king asked if there was anyone available whom he could consult. As perhaps God had planned it, Haman was waiting to see the king in order to request that the king hang Mordecai.

When the king asked Haman, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?  Thinking the king was speaking of him, Haman suggested that he be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials, who should dress him in a royal robe and lead him on horseback through the city, proclaiming, “This is what shall be done for the man the king desires to honor.”

Imagine the look on Haman’s face when the king said, “Do this for Mordecai.”

After carrying out the king’s order, Haman returned home to tell his wife and his friends what had befallen him. While they were speaking to him, the king’s carriage arrived to bring him to the banquet Esther had preferred.

[Haman just ate crow, and now he’s heading to a banquet with a sour stomach.]

At the banquet, the king repeated the offer he had made to Esther to “grant her request, to give her up to half his kingdom.

Esther replied, “Let my life be spared as my petition, and my people be spared as my request,” When she explained that it was her people that Haman had singled out for extinction, the king became enraged and went to the courtyard to decide what to do. When he returned he found Haman, who had been pleading for mercy, on the couch with the queen. “Will he even attempt to assault the queen with me in the palace?” Ironically, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

The king gave the House of Haman to Esther, and when he learned Mordecai’s relationship to her, the king put him in charge of the House of Haman with all its authority.

Again, Esther pleaded before the king, asking that the decree for the destruction of the Jews be rescinded. The king authorized Mordecai to send out an edict that granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies.

On the day that had been assigned for the destruction of the Jews, it was their enemies who were destroyed — 500 in the capital city of Susa alone. But nothing was plundered.

The story of Esther’s heroism became the inspiration for the holiday of Purim.

“Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” Esther 9:20-22

Perhaps this is the day YOU were created for. Praise God.

Verse for the Week: Genesis 12:3
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

This Sunday we celebrate the First Sunday in Lent. The forty days (not including Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to Easter is a spiritual season during which we prepare ourselves for the joy of the coming Easter. The forty days of Lent are symbolic of the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:1-4, 10 (NIV)

“Following Church traditions, many choose prayer and fasting as a way to come to a deeper appreciation of the sacrifices Jesus made to pave the way for our salvation. Fasting is biblical, being mentioned in the following verses:

Exodus 34:28                       Jeremiah 36:6-9                  Matthew 4:2
Numbers 29:7                      Daniel 9:3                             Matthew 6:17-18
1 Samuel 7:6                        Joel 1:14                                Matthew 9:14-15
Psalm 35:13                         Joel 2:12-15                         Luke 2:37
Psalm 69:10                         Jonah 3:1-5                          Luke 5:33-35
Psalm 109:24                       Zechariah 7:5                       Luke 18:12
Isaiah 58:3-6                        Zechariah 8:19                    Acts 13:2-3
Jeremiah 14:12                                                                    Acts 14:23

The only time that fasting is commanded is in Numbers 29:7, where fasting is one of the offerings listed for the Day of Atonement.

In the Scriptures, fasting is closely tied with prayer and repentance. When we voluntarily give up something for Lent, the goal is to switch our focus from earthly pleasures to the joy that we will inherit because of Jesus sacrifice on the cross.

As far back as I can remember, my mother made it a habit of giving up ice cream for Lent. As a young boy that seemed pretty extreme — giving up brussel sprouts was more like it.

Over the years, I’ve heard of people giving up certain foods, their favorite television or radio program, or even taking a hiatus from playing a favorite game or sport. One friend shared how she gave up Starbucks and used the money she saved as a special offering for the homeless.

Others, as an act of repentance and renewal, choose to give up bad habits. They concentrate on not doing the “Do Nots.”

““Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.” Exodus 23:2

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,” Ephesians 4:26

“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices”
Colossians 3:9

“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” Colossians 3:19

Unfortunately, a lot of what passes for fasting is actually more of a physical or mental fitness exercise. If our goal in fasting is to lose weight or save money, we may have missed the point. The focus in fasting should be on God, not on ourselves.

In Isaiah, we learn that the Israelites earned God’s displeasure by doing the “right thing” for the “wrong reasons”.

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ (The Israelites expected a quid pro quo.)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Isaiah 58:3-4, 5b

Continuing in Isaiah, we see that God responds to hearts that are lovong and compassionate.

“’Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.’”
Isaiah 58:6

When we fast, we humble ourselves and show God that we love him. It’s not what we say that matters, it’s what we do. “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

This year, I won’t be giving up brussel sprouts. Instead, I will be praying that God will show me what he desires from me. After all, it’s not what we give up that matters; it’s that we are willing to humble ourselves and give over control of our lives to God.

Scripture for the Week: “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”  Joel 2:12

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

The word apologetics is taken from a Greek word that denotes a defense of the faith. It is the religious discipline that gives clear, truthful answers to questions about the Christian faith.

The Apostle Peter was speaking of apologetics when he wrote, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

You may not have thought about it, but you are an apologist. C.S. Lewis said, “It is not a question of whether we engage in apologetics or not, but what kind of apologetic we are giving when the opportunity comes by.”

It’s a sad truth that many students who have been raised in Christian homes arrive at college poorly equipped to face an inevitable onslaught of cynicism. Since one’s beliefs about the origins of life are at the very core of a Christian worldview, secular humanists do everything they can to erode faith in the authority of the Bible.

Faced with immense peer pressure and “authorities” that regurgitate scientific theories and anecdotal evidence as if they are gospel, how can impressionable youth hope to defend the Gospel? As parents and grandparents, we have the opportunity to better equip our loved ones for the challenges they will face in school.

 A few years ago I volunteered with Reasons to Believe — a ministry devoted to integrating science and faith and to demonstrating how the latest science affirms our faith in the God of the Bible. Rather than being intimidated by the arguments of the “intelligentsia,” Dr. Hugh Ross and his associates develop responses that ultimately lead to the conclusion, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

I must confess; I feel grossly inadequate when I try to understand, let alone discuss, some of the concepts I was exposed to at RTB. However, since our beliefs about the origins of life form the foundation of our Christian worldview, I want to share a few thoughts about the “anthropic principle.”

The anthropic principle states that, rather than being a product of random chance, the universe appears “designed” for the sake of human life. The prophet Isaiah put it this way, “It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.” Isaiah 45:12

If there is proof that the universe was designed, it follows that there must be a designer. We read about that designer in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

So where’s the proof? What follows on the next page is a summary of some of the evidence for design that I found on the Reasons to Believe website. If you don’t want to read the entire article, I suggest you focus on one incontrovertible fact — based on the scientific evidence, “the odds that any given planet in the universe would possess the necessary conditions to support intelligent physical life are less than one in a number so large it might as well be infinity (10¹⁷³⁾“

“If he is able to place the stars in their sockets and spread the sky like a curtain, do you think it is remotely possible that God is able to guide your life?”—Max Lucado

A century of research confirms what the Psalmist knew in his heart, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1

Verse for the week:
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 2 Timothy 2:24-25(NLT)

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

Meet the Designer

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”  John 1:1-3

In 1961, astronomers acknowledged just two characteristics of the universe as “fine-tuned” to make physical life possible. The more obvious one was the ratio of the gravitational force constant to the electromagnetic force constant. It cannot differ from its value by any more than one part in 10⁴⁰ (one part in ten thousand trillion trillion trillion) without eliminating the possibility for life. Today, the number of known cosmic characteristics recognized as fine-tuned for life—any conceivable kind of physical life—stands at thirty-eight. Of these, the most sensitive is the space energy density (the self-stretching property of the universe). Its value cannot vary by more than one part in 10¹²⁰ and still allow for the kinds of stars and planets physical life requires.

Evidence of specific preparation for human existence shows up in the characteristics of the solar system, as well. In the early 1960s astronomers could identify just a few solar system characteristics that required fine-tuning for human life to be possible. By the end of 2001, astronomers had identified more than 150 finely-tuned characteristics. In the 1960s the odds that any given planet in the universe would possess the necessary conditions to support intelligent physical life were shown to be less than one in ten thousand. In 2001 those odds shrank to less than one in a number so large it might as well be infinity (10¹⁷³).

An account of scientific evidence in support of the anthropic principle fills several books. The authors’ religious beliefs run the gamut from agnosticism to deism to theism, but virtually every research astronomer alive today agrees that the universe manifests exquisite fine-tuning for life.

This devotional was inspired by a message Christian apologist
Ravi Zacharias presented at Saddleback Church.

Dear Friends,

Do you ever have times when you feel like something is missing from your life? Maybe it’s better health or wealth, or something or someone that you think will make you feel complete —a missing piece that stands between you and a heart at peace.

Speaking in John 14:27a (NIV), Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” Jesus was telling his disciples that he was offering a blessing that went far beyond anything the world could offer.

How do we make the peace that Jesus offers an essential piece in this puzzle we call life? Try as we might, there are times when it’s hard to follow the Apostle Paul’s advice as paraphrased in the message Bible:

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:6-7

Life happens, and when our petitions and praises don’t yield the outcome we desire, the last thing we want to hear is someone quoting Romans 8:28 (NIV): “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^] have been called according to his purpose.”

How can we offer comfort to someone who feels that the peace Jesus offers is somehow slipping away? What can we say when their world is in pieces?

In Second Corinthians 1:3-4 we read, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

Sometimes the best way to offer comfort is to just listen. If we must speak, we can speak to God and let others listen in as we offer our prayers for them. We may not be able to supply the piece that is missing from their life, but with God’s help we can share the peace that we have known in the Lord.

“The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of the pain, thanking God during the trials, trusting Him when we are tempted to lose hope, and loving Him when he seems so distant and far away. At my lowest, God is my hope. At my darkest, God is my light. At my weakest, God is my strength. At my saddest, God is my comforter.” — Author unknown

Verse for the Week: Ephesians 3:16-17 (NLT)
“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ