Jesus, Lord BEFORE Thy Birth

The third stanza of the favorite Christmas hymn "Silent Night" repeats the line, "Jesus Lord, at thy birth."  

[Verse 3]
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

The phrase, "Jesus Lord, at thy birth," comes from the angelic good-news proclamation to shepherds on the night of Jesus' birth:

"for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:11 (NASB)

While it is certainly true that Jesus was Lord at his birth, that is not the whole truth!

When Mary had her angelic encounter, the angel told her a rather curious fact - that her cousin, Elizabeth, who was barren, was in her 6th month with a child - John the Baptist, the herald of Jesus. 
Perhaps the mention of this fact was to assure Mary of the power of God to do the impossible.  Regardless, when Mary soon found herself pregnant as the angel had said, she went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.  Pick up the story in Luke 1:39-45

39  Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,
40  and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42  And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43  “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?
44  “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.
45  “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” (NASB)

Note in verse 43 that Elizabeth does not say "the mother-to-be of my Lord" but acknowledges that Mary already is the mother of her Lord.  If John the Baptist is still unborn and is 6 months older than Jesus, then Mary is probably only in her first trimester ... and the unborn Jesus is already Lord!

Also, the unborn John the Baptist leapt at the sound of Mary's voice!  Here is an acknowledgement of Jesus as Lord even from another unborn child!

So, the whole truth of "Jesus Lord, at thy birth" really is:  "Jesus Lord, BEFORE thy birth."

Here's a good Christmas party question:  Who, besides Mary and Joseph, was the first human to recognize Jesus as Lord?  Perhaps the case could be made for Elizabeth as the answer, but give extra credit to the one who says it's the unborn John the Baptist. 
Some say the unborn are not persons.  I think the Bible clearly shows otherwise.

p.s.  Of course Christians believe Jesus existed before creation as part of the Holy Trinity unity of God.  "Jesus" in this song refers to the incarnate (100% God and 100% man) Jesus. 

Would I Miss the Miracle?

"If angels filled the skies tonight, would I hear them sing?
 Would tomorrow find me saying it was all a dream?
 Would I leave my bed and go outside to hear their song?
 Would I go on sleeping until the morning dawned?
 Would I miss the miracle? Would I see the King, or would my life be so consumed with ordinary things?
 Would I miss the wonder, the hope that Christmas brings?
 Would I miss the miracle? would I see the King?
 If a stranger knocked upon my door tonight in deepest need, in my life would there be room for anyone but me?
 Would I hear the voice of God within a Baby's cry?
 Would I open up my heart and welcome Him inside?
 Would I miss the miracle, would I see the King?
 Would I miss the wonder, the hope that Christmas brings?
 Would I miss the miracle, would I see the King?"

Would I Miss the Miracle?

Abortion - "I Don't Know"

I posted the below response to an honest "I don't know" comment regarding whether abortion is right or wrong.

I appreciate the honesty of your, "I don't know" on abortion  However, there are times the gravity of a situation compels us to act on the best evidence we have.  Consider this story:

You are the foreman on a demolition crew about to collapse a ten story parking garage. It also happens to be "Bring your kids to work day", so you brought your 8 year-old daughter, Suzie, and 6 year-old son, Mike, to work so they can see what you do.

You've just completed a bottom to top walkthrough of the structure and are about to give the "Blow it" command when you realize your daughter and son are missing.  You last saw them when they were walking with you through the structure. 

Would you go ahead and give the "Blow it" command given the uncertainty of the location of your children and the possibility they might be playing in the structure?  Of course not.  You know the explosions and the collapse of the building on them would be certain death if they are in there.  You would hold the demo and go look for your children.


What would you call the person who would give the "Blow it" command not knowing where their children were?  I would call that person, "Harry Blackmun".

There is a lot negative to be said legally about the Rowe vs Wade decision, but here's just one aspect related to the above story.  Justice Harry Blackmun, who authored the majority opinion wrote: "The judiciary, at this point in the development of man’s knowledge, is not in a position to… resolve the difficult question of when life begins… since those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus."

Justice Blackmun is actually saying that since we do not know when life begins (implying that there definitely is a beginning), it's ok to kill the unborn.  In other words, I don't know where my children are but let's go ahead and blow the structure.

Let's look at Justice Blackmun's qualifier, "at this point in the development of man’s knowledge."  In the intervening 45 years we have learned a lot about the unborn - to the point that nearly every Embryology textbook affirms that "life begins at conception."  That is settled science now.  We now know the unborn is a separate and distinct human being from the mother.

Many people say abortion is a complex issue, and it is true there can be many hard issues.  However, if we are to deal consistently with thorny issues like rape or incest (which might account for 2% of abortions) as well as "normal" abortions, we must first have a firm grasp on just what abortion is and how to understand it.

Abortion can be resolved to a single question, "What is the unborn?"  If it is just a mass or growth (like a wart), then go ahead and kill it; no excuse is needed.  But if it is a human being, almost no excuse is acceptable for taking the life of the innocent human being.

Below are some links to get more details on the scientific and the philosophical case for life:
http://www.caseforlife.com/
https://www.newyorkapologetics.com/its-false-to-claim-that-no-one-knows-when-life-begins/

When I argue for life, I almost never make a religious case though there is a good case to be made for life.  It seems the pro-abortion religious cases I've seen all end up denying current science and philosophy.  I would rather be able to make the case for life by appealing to good science and philosophy so there is no religious "buy-in" required.  My case is accessible even to the non-religious and cannot be dismissed as "mere religious belief".  My view may be informed by my religious beliefs, but the argument for life stands alone on fact and reason.

Is there still some degree of uncertainty and difficult cases?  Yes, but I think there is more than sufficient evidence from science, philosophy, and religion that the unborn is a human being from conception and with a right to life.  I think this compels us to give an answer contrary to the one Justice Blackmun reached.  Stop the demolition!  There's a precious human person in there!

Heroic Creatures

Why are we so drawn to epic heroic fiction like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings?

What does that say about us?  Does it give clues as to our origin?  Can this arise from random interactions of atoms?

Something within us says, "This is right."  "This is worthy of our lives."  The noble way is a real road.

We desperately KNOW to give ourselves to a cause greater and grander than ourselves.  To be a part of a heroic cause.  We crave the transcendent.

We may try to deny it, but we are drawn to purpose as a moth to a flickering candle flame.  Perhaps, though, it is the flame that comes seeking us - like God approaching the bush with a purpose for it.

For I Know the Plans I Have For You

Every Bible verse is to inform us but not every promise is for us.

I remember the first time I heard “’For I know the plans that I have for you’, declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” Jer 29:11 (NASB).  I  had just gotten on the Va Beach Expressway at Little Neck Rd driving to work at the Norfolk Naval Base and was listening to John MacArthur on the radio when he spoke that verse to ME!   God had a PLAN for ME! 

I was a young Christian struggling to make sense of the Bible, God, faith, … life.  As a concrete sequential kind of person (i.e. engineer), the mere fact that God had a “plan” gave me hope there was some possibility of understanding it, and my place in it, by careful study of His Word!  That the verse seemed to say the plan was personal for ME was gravy on the biscuit.

As I grew in my study of the Word I learned that God does have a plan.  In fact, there is the big plan – the sweep of His-story from before Creation, man, the fall, the rescue plan (Jesus), all the way to the New Heavens and Earth and eternity – that runs from Gen 1:1 through Rev 22:21.  I also came to understand His personal plan for me was in Romans 8:28-39 - particularly in the phrase “to become conformed to the image of His Son.”  His plan for me is to lead me to become more like Jesus.

Many people claim Jer 29:11 as “their” verse and promise.  Some even see God promising them “welfare” as in prosperity and good health.  This is a verse often used by Health, Wealth, Prosperity false-gospel hucksters, but this flies in the face of reality, doesn’t it?  How many great Christians have been poor?  How many, sick?  How about Christians are being persecuted - even to death - in our times?

Reading the verse this way puts false words into God’s mouth, makes the Bible say what it never said, and wrongly claims a promise made for others - ancient Israel in captivity. 

Misreading Jer 29:11 like this sullies God’s Word and dims the beauty of a loving God speaking hope and His plan to people in a specific time and place - Jews exiled by God in a foreign land.  That’s our unchanging God speaking and revealing His unchanging character to us!  That’s the message of Jer 29:11 for us today.  In this case, as often in the Old Testament, it’s not the promise that carries forward to us but the consistency of God’s character.

Good Bible interpretation is NOT just for preachers and Sunday School teachers - it’s our responsibility, too.

What is God Up To Right In Front of Your Eyes?

Sometimes it could be a small Divine appointment like mine yesterday.   Actually, "small" and "Divine" is an oxymoron - nothing God ever does is "small".

I had been thinking about "What is God doing right in front of your eyes" on the 40 minute drive to the office in Monroe, LA.  First order of duty on arrival is always to warm up the coffee I brought from home.  The microwave had been broken the previous week when I was last in the office, and today I was aggravated to find the broken microwave in the office area had not yet been replaced - I mean, don't these people know what's important? 

Then I guessed there was probably a microwave in the break room in the plant, so I head out there. 

I see the cleaning lady, Mary, and we exchange usual pleasantries in passing as I am singularly focused on my mission (male trait).  Yes!   There is a microwave, so I heat up my coffee.  Then it occurs to me I have some new photos of granddaughter Sydney in her first Huntsville snow that I just know Mary would want to see. 

Mary had moved to cleaning the men's bathroom across the hall.  Since she had the door propped open, the proud Papa (me) proceeds right in and I show her the picture on my phone.  I notice Mary's eyes welling up with tears.  My immediate thought was, yes, Sydney is that beautiful, but tears? 

Then Mary told me she had been depressed thinking about her departed mother and that simple picture was a gift from God to brighten her day. 

Just a small thing, right.  I felt more an unwitting accomplice than intentional, but perhaps I might have been tempted to think I had done something rather than God. 

And it's not that after this encounter, the thought "What is God doing right in front of your eyes?" was continually plastered in front of my mind the entire day.  But, it did pop up occasionally and every time it made me look at people and consider the desperation of God-less lives most are living ... and then pray for them.

Maybe God will continue breaking this hard selfish heart.

God's Gift to me this Christmas

God and I have this thing at Christmas.  He almost always surprises me with a gift.  He knows how much I love music - especially Christmas music - so little wonder most of those gifts have been centered around a song.

All the more remarkable that this year I didn't even think to start listening to Christmas music on the radio until sometime around the 8th of December.  There have been a lot of distractions late this year.

Driving to work this past Friday, as I turned onto Industrial Drive, a beautiful soaring duet came on the radio - a soft piano opening,  the female lead's pure solo, the confident male accompaniment delicately blending and balanced so perfectly.  Gave me chills.  Sometimes in beautiful music you can hear Heavenly reverb.  That's what I heard.

The song was the first in a set, followed by 2 others.  I waited for the radio announcer to name the song and the artists, and ... guess what?  He mentioned the last song, but not the others.  This has happened before, and like the other times, I was not a happy camper.  I have actually called radio stations to find out what song played on a certain date and time!

So here I was given a wonderful and beautiful blessing, and I'm upset because I can't listen again and share the song with my family.

Sunday morning I'm at my computer trying to find my way to the name of the song and the artists.  I found many beautiful Christmas songs ... but not that one.  Later as I started the car for the drive to church, there was a Christmas song playing on the radio.  Then, as I neared Highway 167, the next one began - a soft piano opening, a soaring female voice ...

This time the announcer named the artist, and with a few words of the song, I was able to look it up!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


All is Well


Yes, God gave me a gift, and, as most of us with longer associations with Him know, the gift is almost always Himself - whether wrapped in a song, a deeper glimpse into His Word, or a peek at a baby in a manger on a cold night.

What's Wrong with our Culture in a Picture

The Bible is no longer authoritative.  It now sits on the library shelf between Fairy Tales, Ghost Stories, and Mythology.

Christians can no longer assume a listener has a common understanding on God, Jesus, faith, sin, salvation or other Biblical themes.  We now have to do the hard work of backing up and laying foundations to understanding through Apologetics and appeals to common ground through general revelation.

Be Not Ashamed - Be Confident

¹⁵ So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Romans 1:15–17 (NASB95)

 We've heard "For I am not ashamed of the gospel" quoted from the pulpit and may even have used it ourselves ... but what does it really mean?  What idea was Paul trying to communicate here?

First, what it does not mean.  This is not about a parent telling a child, "I'm so ashamed of what you did (or did not) do."  God is not saying He is ashamed of you for not witnessing.  To use this passage to make that point is a total misuse of scripture.  This is actually an affirming scripture, not one that condemns!

Rather, Paul is expressing his confidence in the Gospel - that it will not let him down.  What is the Gospel?  It's the message about Jesus, perfect Son of God who died for our sins that we may have forgiveness and restoration.  Paul is also saying that the message is universal - Jew to Greek - and consistent in that it takes "faith" and that faith is consistent over time - "faith to faith".  There is only one object of true faith - God - progressively revealed from the Jewish "faithfulness" (there's no word in Hebrew for "faith")  starting with Abraham to completion in Jesus and the Gospel of the New Testament.

So, this is really about the fact that we can and should be Confident that the Gospel message is True.  But, how does this confidence arise and grow?  Stay tuned for my next post.

Noble Sentiments in a Sound-Bite Age

"If you are being fed to the lions, it is tempting for one to believe that victory is defeating the lions, when in fact, real victory is dying in such a manner that those watching repent, because they now know that it is wrong to feed your brethren to the lions."

I love noble sentiments but there are things about this one that trouble me.  Yes, perhaps the main point is that the lions are not our enemy, or maybe the lions are and the crowd are the ones we are dying for.  Maybe I'm overanalyzing but here are a few thoughts.

1.  When it comes to dying, it's just me and the Lord.  No lions.  No crowds.  I hope I can die in such a way to honor Him.  The grace to die well will come from Him.  There's even precedent for shutting the mouths of hungry lions. 

2.  "... because they now know that it is wrong to feed your brethren to the lions."  How my death is perceived is up to God, not me.  Yes, I agree there are things you can't not know (a few psychopaths aside), but put that in the context of millions killed in Nazi camps.  Was it the example of their deaths that ended the Holocaust?  How many times has that been repeated?  Truth is the way forward, but Truth can come in many ways even military might.

3.  America is running full tilt toward another Nazi society.  Already the philosophy of "if you don't agree with us and celebrate what we celebrate even if it violates your conscience ... we're going to hurt you" is rising.  It's not hard to see that leading to a repeat of Christians vs Lions, but I do not believe that is a foregone conclusion.

4.  I know this is not the point of the above sentiment, but I don't think God has told us to put our affairs in order and go volunteer to die in the arena.  I do believe He is and always has called His people to stand up for Him in all things - to stand visibly against what is wrong, to be the lawyer fighting to protect First Amendment rights, to be the pastor rightly equipping his congregation and youth to be effective in their times ...

5.  If it comes that I am taken to the 21st century arena then I hope it's because I was a Mordechai standing in the gate while others bowed (Esther 5:9) and not that the FBI had to work hard to find enough evidence to convict me.

Noble sentiments are meant to provoke thought.  However, in our time, it may just be the shortfalling of Noble sentiments that they are pithy in an age of sound bites where people are used to being told what to think.  No real thought required.


Disclaimer.  A friend posted this sentiment as a Facebook comment and I posted the above (98%) as a response.  He subsequently posted an excellent response.  He did not negate my comments but explored some different aspects of the sentiment.  BUT I'm not going to give him equal air-time on my blog until he starts a blog and posts his response there - then, I'll link to it.  He needs to be writing to a bigger and potentially hostile audience than just his FB friends.

UPDATE 1/27/18: My friend started a blog.  The Spirited Nature - try it.  You'll see he is an excellent and thoughtful writer.

Broken to Unbroken

I was initially disappointed seeing the movie, Unbroken. It only tells half the Louis Zamperini story told in the book of the same name. But, maybe that's not a bad thing ...

If I hadn't read the book and just saw the movie, I would think it was an ok war story of the indomitable human spirit in the face of desperate odds and extreme cruelty. One would think the flag-waving happy reunion of Louis and his family at the end shows him as the returning Unbroken American hero.

In fact, Louis came home Broken - ...filled with rage, anger, and hatred outworking in a quest for revenge against his chief torturer, "The Bird". These emotions all but destroyed Zamperini and his family for years.

Louis' Brokenness wasn't healed until his wife talked him into going to a Billy Graham evangelical rally. There he turned his Brokenness over to Jesus, and Louis found the power to forgive his captors - even "The Bird." Louis had been made whole - Unbroken.

The book, Unbroken, is really the story of a man's journey into the pit of Brokenness and the way back to wholeness through Jesus. It's really an extreme version of everyman's problem and the only Way out.

I hope there's a sequel to tell the greatest part of the Louis Zamperini story. Still, more broken people will see this part of Louis' story than would ever come to a Billy Graham crusade or even your church. Maybe some who would never pick up a Bible will read the Unbroken book out of curiosity, identify the need of their heart with Louis' brokenness, and be pointed to the solution Louis found.

Read the book.

Go see the movie. Recommend it to your friends - especially those who do not know Jesus.

Recommend they read the book.

Be ready to discuss the Broken to Unbroken pictured by the book - about finding the power that can change a life so broken as Louis Zamperini and give it the ability to forgive even in the face of unimaginable wrongs.

UPDATE 1/21/2021:  The rest of Louis' story is told in the sequel Unbroken: Path to Redemption.

God, By Definition

After studying apologetics for 20+ years, it's occurred to me the answer to almost every "problem" skeptics raise is "God, by definition, is never wrong, is never immoral, is never less than perfect in all His attributes. God has no peer to judge Him - least of all you (me). It is only when conceived by small and imperfect minds with imperfect and arrogant character that we wish Him to be less than what He is by definition." In almost every situation, you can tell the skeptic you don't believe in the God he doesn't believe in either.

The flaw is not with God ... it's with me.  65+ years of living has proven that.

Losing my Mind

Fortunately, I have not had to deal with Alzheimer's, but there was one realization I came to that comforted ME and helped me better deal with my dad as he suffered from spells of dementia in his declining year. 

I would stop by his assisted living apartment each evening on the way home from work.  Often he would tell me about his day "in the woods" - he had been a forester.  At first I would try to correct him and tell him he had really been here in his apartment all day and not in the woods -- but the next day, he had been working in the woods again. 

One day God broke through my dense skull - "I am with him wherever he goes." 

Then, I knew he was in good hands, and I didn't try to correct him any more. 

Seeing him like this was more difficult than I ever expected, and I can imagine how much more terrible Alzheimer's is.  We don't know the road God has planned for us, but we can, beforehand, KNOW that He will never leave us and never forsake us (Heb 13:5).  That is a comfort for us as well as our families.

Does the Bible Condon Slavery?

(my response to someone posting on Facebook about this issue)

The Bible's apparent endorsement of slavery is one of those issues that comes up a lot in discussions with atheists and others who do not understand the background and context of the ancient near east (ANE).  Whereas I've found that atheists are very rarely interested in two way dialog or actually open to learning anything, I'm going to take your statement that this is one of those "puzzles" for you that you really would like to understand better.  So, let me suggest a book to you, "Is God a Moral Monster - Making Sense of the Old Testament God" by Paul Copan.  This book is an excellent resource for clearing up this issue and many other thorny (to us) Old Testament issues.

First of all, I'm going to assume the picture of "slavery" in your mind is the horrific inhumanity of slavery of the 18/19th century.  The slavery the Bible talks about is far different and was even in some cases considered an aspect of social welfare for the needy.  Hebrew "slaves" had God given rights, punishment was limited, etc.  Read the book.  This issue is easily put to rest for those interested in understanding the facts.

It really surprises me that many Christians have never thought of it this way but the entire Bible as a whole is an anti-slavery book.  If I were to write a newspaper front page headline for the Bible it would be something like this: "Master willingly sacrifices life to free rebellious slaves!"  That is a foundational theme from Genesis to Revelation.  Slavery to sin is far worse than 18/19th century slavery ever was.  Sin can send a soul to Hell.  Even the worst slave master didn't have the power to do that.

Also keep in mind the Bible talks about many things, but "talking about" is not the same as condoning.  Does the Bible condon Roman occupation?  Jesus was right there.  He certainly could have blown them away with His breath, but He didn't.

Again, read the book.  It's a great resource.

Resources for Opposing Legalization of Same-sex Marriage

This is a page of various resources for use in the traditional marriage/same-sex marriage debate.

What is Marriage   - Ryan Anderson, Robert George,  and Sherif Girgis

The key question is what basis does government have to be involved in marriage? This is an excellent resource, probably the best single document. It not only sets forth the case for traditional marriage, it also answers many of the common arguments.

Free downloadable PDF

Book

Book summary by Amy Hall

Marriage/Divorce study

People who seriously practice a traditional religious faith—whether Christian or other—have a divorce rate markedly lower than the general population.

The factor making the most difference is religious commitment and practice.

What appears intuitive is true. Couples who regularly practice any combination of serious religious behaviors and attitudes—attend church nearly every week, read their bibles and spiritual materials regularly; pray privately and together; generally take their faith seriously, living not as perfect disciples, but serious disciples—enjoy significantly lower divorce rates than mere church members, the general public, and unbelievers….

W. Bradford Wilcox, a leading sociologist at the University of Virginia and director of the National Marriage Project, finds from his own analysis that "active conservative Protestants" who regularly attend church are 35 percent less likely to divorce compared to those who have no affiliation. Nominally attending conservative Protestants are 20 percent more likely to divorce, compared to secular Americans.

Setting the Record Straight: The Truth About HomosexualMarriage video (part 1)

Intro and case against Homosexuality from the Bible

Setting the Record Straight: The Truth About HomosexualMarriage video (part 2) 

Policy – the public case.

Answering Specific Same-sex Marriage Questions

How Can We Show Love to Homosexuals? (Video)

Is Denying Same-sex Marriage Like Denying InterracialMarriage? 

 

Race/Sex/Marriage

Should Homosexuals Be Allowed to Marry Whom They Love? 

Should Homosexual Couples Be Allowed to Adopt? 

Can Homosexuals Change Their Orientation? 

Is Homosexuality Just as Normal as Heterosexuality? 

Are Homosexuals Going to Hell? 

Does Homosexual Behavior in Animals Mean it's Natural forHumans? 

Is 10% of the Population Homosexual? 

Are Homosexuals Born that Way? 

Should Christians Impose Their Moral Standards on Society? 

Can You Have Gay Friends If You Think Homosexual Behavior Isa Sin? 

Does God Punish Gay People for Being Who They Are? 

Is Homosexuality the Worst Sin of All? 

Did Jesus Never Say Anything about Homosexuality? 

Answering a Case for Same-sex Marriage (Video) 

No Holding Back other forms of Marriage

If marriage is anything we want it to be, then it can be ANYTHING!

 

Other Resources 

Discussing Same-Sex Marriage (Audio) – "How do you make a reasonable argument against same-sex marriage rights? Greg answered that on a recent radio show."

Same-Sex Marriage Challenges and Responses – "Western civilization is shuddering under a tidal wave of activism in favor of same-sex marriage. Here is a careful response to their most compelling arguments."

Denying Same-sex Marriage Isn't Unequal Protection – "An Iowa court recently ruled in favor of six same-sex couples who claimed that denying them the right to marry violates the equal protection clause. This argument seems reasonable at first. Straight people can marry. Gays cannot. This is not equal protection. A little reflection, however, reveals how this view is mistaken.''
 

Judge Strikes Down Prop 8 – "Prop 8 makes a very rational classification on the basis of a relevant characteristic—that is, the gender of the participants. Men and women are different, and there's no getting around this. This fact has biological, emotional, psychological, and more ramifications when it comes to families and the creation and rearing of children. The fact is that both male and female are essential to marriage."
 

We're Arguing Definitions, Not Rights – "One common misconception in the same-sex marriage debate is the idea that the traditional legal definition of marriage is a violation of equal rights. Since this is an extremely emotionally charged accusation, it's difficult to get past it into a real discussion of the issue. Here's the approach I usually take…"
 

Liberal Support for Traditional Marriage – "This self-described liberal Democrat supports California's Proposition 8, which would constitutionally define marriage between one man and one woman because, as the piece so well explains, marriage, as a societal institution recognized by government, is about children."
 

Answering a Case for Same-Sex Marriage (Video) – Alan responds to Zach Wahls's video promoting same-sex marriage.

 

Food for Hunger, Water for Thirst

There can be no real meaning to life unless there is a God.

Maybe it really is a simple choice between atheist Bertran Russell's "leading lives of quiet desperation" and atheist Richard Dawkins' "blind, pitiless, indifferent universe" or the God that says "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer 29:13).

After all, when we are hungry, there's food.

When we are thirsty, there's water.

So when our souls ache for peace and meaning, why shouldn't there be an answer for that, too?


Related post: Feed Me!

Stopping by the Woods on a Screaming Evening

I was recently asked the question, “How do you get someone involved in the pro-life cause when they do not see any reason to get involved?” Don’t think I did too great a job answering at the time, but, on reflection and with much thought, here is the answer I now have for that question.

First of all, this was asked in the context of pro-life training based on the outstanding DVD training material, Making Abortion Unthinkable: The Art of Pro-Life Persuasion, authored by Greg Koukl (Stand to Reason) and Scott Klusendorf (Life Training Institute). Mastering this material gives you both the scientific and the philosophical legs to stand against the pro-abortion position. One of the things it teaches is to simplify and focus the issue to the question, “What is the unborn?” If the unborn is just a blob of tissue then no reason at all is needed to kill it, BUT if it is a human being, then no reason for killing it is justifiable (with the exception where it is a clear medical choice between mother and baby dying or only aborting the baby will save the mother’s life).

One of my favorite tactics is to paint a word picture. Get the other person involved intellectually and emotionally. Get them to see the issue in their mind’s eye. You know the ending of the story – it must lead to the central issue, “What is the unborn?” and it must arrive there with both emotional and intellectual impact. So, this is an exercise of working backwards from the conclusion.

Here is my story. It is not the only one. You can construct your own.


You’re walking on a path through the woods when you are startled to hear what sounds like human screams. Instinctively, you turn to the direction of the screams, but you cannot see anything through the dense foliage. The screams continue.

What should you do? Investigate or just continue your casual walk admiring the beauty all around while ignoring the continuing screams?  Wait for an answer here.

So, you softly make your way to the sound, until parting some leaves you see an adult brutally abusing a small toddler.

What do you do now? Try to intervene, call for help on your cell phone, run for help, or refuse to get involved?  Again, wait for an answer.

What would you think of a person who simply said, “I don’t want to get involved,” turned back to the path, and continued their pleasant stroll through the beautiful woods – all the while ignoring the screams?

Is not some form of action to help the human response to this situation? Don’t we have a natural revulsion for the moral integrity of the person who does nothing?

That is the picture of the abortion holocaust happening in this country and around the world.

I’m not sure there’s much more to do for the person whose response remains, “I don’t want to get involved.” But, if the story seems to hit home, and they try to make a point of the difference between the toddler being abused and a fetus being killed in abortion, then, you’ve got your opening to say, “but that’s the real issue isn’t it? What is the unborn?”

That’s where the training kicks in. You now have the open door for the scientific and the moral case ready. And, you’re ready for the other common objections.

Death Defying Acts - Let Go, Let God

Some people are so terrified of roller coasters they don't even want to watch others ride them. Then, some are so brave and death-defying they release their grip on restraints locking them in and fling their arms skyward as the coaster crests the peak and accelerates through weightlessness down the steep track.

Actually, the brave are only acknowledging the truth that their death grip on the restraint wasn't going to hold them securely in the coaster through all the twists, turns, accelerations, and stomach heaving drops anyway. It's the shoulder harness and lap restraints holding them in. The strength of their grip on the restraint adds absolutely nothing - but a false sense of doing something and a diversion from enjoying the ride.

For years I was what I call a white-knuckled Christian holding fast to the hem of Christ's robe with all my strength. I wanted to be a faithful Christian, but, at the time, I thought it was by my will and my strength that I exercised faith over my mind's uncertainties. And it took a great deal of my attention and focus to hold fast.

I had a totally unscriptural (worldly) idea of faith as something your heart willed and forced on your mind to cover over doubts.

I knew there was a God - no question whatsoever about that - but it still seemed I had to hold on with all my strength. Then God brought Ravi Zacharias and his books into my life. I saw the Christian life of the mind and that there were reasons to believe what I believed. The faith I previously saw as an act of will became more an act of reasonable response to the evidence. My heart and mind were no longer schizophrenic but united into a whole being.

Just as God brought this into my life, it also dawned on me that it never was my strength holding God but His strength holding me fast - "and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand." Jn 10:28

Realizing and acting on the truth is a very brave thing to do whether it's letting go on the roller coaster or letting go of God and letting (trusting, faith) His strength hold you.

Feed Me!

Our stomach growls and aches when it's hungry ... and we generally give it the attention it demands. But what about our soul?

Our soul doesn't growl, but it does ache for true spiritual food. True spiritual food - God's Word; the fellowship of praise between us and the Father facilitated by the Holy Spirit; the fellowship of suffering; corporate and private worship; that abba, daddy, relationship; the magnificent wonder of revelation - brings a wholeness and fulfillment found nowhere else this side of heaven.

Yet, paradoxically, for all the "high" of soul food, we are "prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love." Prone to let the empty allurements and enticements of the flesh draw us to the worldly for satisfaction by that which never can. Like a child testing its independence, we wander away from our Father until the soulish ache-pangs of depression, despair, and disillusionment cause us to cry out as Paul, "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?" (Rom 7:24)

I must confess: I'm a professional wanderer (as I suspect many of us are). But how do we stop the unending replays of our role as prodigal son?

The solution to every problem starts with the first step of acknowledging the problem is us. God already knows. We need to come into agreement with God.

We ask God to help us where we are weak.

Then we intentionally set out to routinely feed our soul with what it craves.

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Mat 4:4)

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'" (Mat 26:26)

"O taste and see that the LORD is good." (Psa 34:8)

Feed your soul.

Another Co (God and me) Incident

One of the ministries I contribute to regularly is Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (http://www.rzim.org/), and every other month or so they send an audio CD with updates on the ministry or one of their many excellent speakers delivering a message.

About a month ago, I received a CD with Dr John Lennox giving his comments on the fatal logic errors in Dr. Stephen Hawking's recent book, The Grand Design, where Hawking purports to show that the existence of physical laws like the Law of Gravity are sufficient to ensure the universe would come into existence without any aid from outside influence or intelligence (God).

I loved that CD playing it at least 20 times in my daily 40 min commutes to/from work. Dr Lennox' insights and comments revealed simple truths that somehow had escaped me even after all my study in philosophy, religion, and apologetics. I shared the CD with many people. I kept telling myself I needed to listen to it at my computer where I could easily pause/rewind, so I could capture the many thoughts/ideas and names Dr Lennox mentioned ... but I just never got it done.

In addition to the occasional CD's, RZIM also mails periodic ministry updates in a small pamphlet, "Just Thinking". On a recent morning I happened to notice one lying on the desk near my keyboard that I had not opened, so I decided to take it as I left for work with the intention of reading it during lunch.

That morning while driving to work, a still small inner voice reminded me I had not transcribed the Lennox CD, yet.

At lunch I broke the seals on the pamphlet and opened to the first article, "Stephen Hawking and God" by John Lennox. Though this was not the identical presentation as the CD, it had all the important points - and it had a bibliography!