Just Unbelieveable

From The Daily Telegraph (UK), this is an unspeakable tragedy on so many levels:

Baby boy survives for nearly two days after abortion

The 22-week infant later died in intensive care at a hospital in the mother's home town of Rossano in southern Italy.

The mother, pregnant for the first time, had opted for an abortion after prenatal scans suggested that her baby was disabled.

However the infant survived the procedure, carried out on Saturday in the Rossano Calabria hospital, and was left by doctors to die.

He was discovered alive the following day – some 20 hours after the operation – by Father Antonio Martello, the hospital chaplain, who had gone to pray beside his body.

He found that the baby, wrapped in a sheet with his umbilical cord still attached, was moving and breathing.

The priest raised the alarm and doctors immediately arranged for the infant to be taken to a specialist neonatal unit at a neighbouring hospital where he died on Monday morning. . . .

The increasing number of babies surviving below 24 weeks, partly because of advances in medicine, has led to widespread calls for the legal upper limit to be further reduced.

Attempts to lower the limit failed in Parliament in 2008.

In 2005 a baby boy in Manchester was born alive at 24 weeks after surviving three attempts to abort him. He is now a five-year-old schoolboy.

Is this what we've become, that we can tolerate this?

Posted via web from Ferndale Tonight

When Mom Said Don't Talk to Strangers...

...I don't think she had this in mind:

Don't talk to aliens, says Stephen Hawking

THE aliens are out there and Earth had better watch out, at least according to Stephen Hawking. He has suggested that extraterrestrials are almost certain to exist — but that instead of seeking them out, humanity should be doing all it that can to avoid any contact.

The suggestions come in a new documentary series in which Hawking, one of the world’s leading scientists, will set out his latest thinking on some of the universe’s greatest mysteries. . . .

Hawking believes that contact with such a species could be devastating for humanity.

He suggests that aliens might simply raid Earth for its resources and then move on: “We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach.”

He concludes that trying to make contact with alien races is “a little too risky”. He said: “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.”

Now to say that Stephen Hawking is bright doesn't quite do him justice. He's an applied mathematician and theoretical physicist. But I still find this a bit startling and apparently I'm not alone--this was all over the media on Sunday.

Yet when you hear Hawking's logic, it doesn't seem so strange. He basically says to just do the math. There are so many planets in the universe that it doesn't seem strange to him to anticipate life out there. Maybe it's his risk assessment that throws me off.

My philosophy prof assigned a paper on how the discovery of alien life would impact our worldview (weltanschauung for the pretentious philosophy majors). I was a sophomore so it was probably pretty lame but I do remember observing that the total destruction of our planet would definitely alter my perspective. Fortunately, the professor had a great sense of humor.

So do you think that by the time the get here they'll have seen Independence Day and be afraid to mess with us?

 

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"Salient Points"

Author, speaker, venture capitalist and fellow Posterous blogger Guy Kawasaki is looking for examples of "salient points" for for his next book, The Art of Enchantment. He asks that you leave them as a comment on his Holy Kaw Alltop blog post:

A salient point takes the truth or the fact and makes it communicate the impact of your decision. All salient points are truthful but not all truths are salient points. For example, imagine if a label on the cheeseburger you were about to eat said, “Eat this, and you’ll gain half a pound” instead of “Total calories: 1,500.”
Do you have other illustrations of how companies illustrate the salient point and therefore do good marketing? As opposed to providing factual points that don’t…

Kind of like the difference between data and information, don't you think? That "1,500 calories" is a fact but that "half a pound" sure leaves you informed!
I know it was parody and I know Volkswagen sued (and National Lampoon removed it) but just for fun this ad from July 1978 comes to mind...
(Tom McMahon has the full story.)

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Book Review: You Can Be Everything God Wants You To Be by Max Lucado

What a timely book!

Between the current economy and the upcoming graduation season, you’ll think of many people you’ll want to give this latest book from Max Lucado.

Written for those times when you find yourself searching for “what comes next,” Lucado guides you to your “sweet spot” – that place where your passion explodes into the effortless joy of living life as you were meant to be.

A few months into unemployment, I found myself at a job fair where an executive career coach was volunteering. He gave me his phone number and his standard assignment – working through a famous career guide to reveal what I’m truly meant to be. Up against several hundred pages of reading with 30 or 40 fairly extensive exercises, I finished several weeks later, much more tired but no better informed.

But like spending a quiet afternoon talking with an old friend, Lucado taught me more about myself in a few hours than the standard guides did in weeks. You Can Be Everything God Wants You To Be is the friendly wisdom I’ve been looking for. I wish I had found it sooner.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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It's the little things

One of the features of my disease is sensory loss--all five of them are losing their edge to some extent.
Touch is the one I noticed first (and it’s far and away the most effected) but lately I've realized that my sense of taste has gone really flat.

It's anyone's guess how much flavor I'll experience from any given food.

But I still enjoy the texture of food... Is there anything quiite like a crisp, ripe Red Delicious apple? (I just had one with lunch.)

Image by Abrahami 

And when it's really crisp, biting into it makes for a multi-media experience!

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Last Words

My wife had the girls at the library tonight and came home with The Last Lecture. It's the book version of Randy Pausch's last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. You probably heard about it. He was a computer science professor there. Then he found out that he had pancreatic cancer. Here's the story as told on Carnegie Mellon's site:

On September 18, 2007, Carnegie Mellon professor and alumnus Randy Pausch delivered a one-of-a-kind last lecture that made the world stop and pay attention. It became an Internet sensation viewed by millions, an international media story, and a best-selling book that has been published in 35 languages. To this day, people everywhere continue to talk about Randy, share his message and put his life lessons into action in their own lives.

The Wall Street Journal had this to say about the lecture:  

"What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? For Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, the question isn't rhetorical -- he's dying of cancer."  "The 46-year-old father of three has pancreatic cancer and expects to live for just a few months."

So what ground would you cover if you had a willing audience and knew that your time was short?  What words would you leave to your family and friends?  What difference would you try to make in the world you're preparing to leave? 

It's definitely on my mind these days. It's part of the reason that I'm writing this blog. Randy Pausch died July 25, 2008, at the age of 47. I'm 48. He has three beautiful kids. I have eight. That's a lot of legacy to try to leave, don't you think?

Don't wait until you're dying.  Take a few minutes, gather your thoughts and then warm up for leaving your legacy -- drop us a note in the comments.

(Carnegie Mellon is still maintaining Pausch's website--you'll find transcripts, video, and other good things there. Neat fact I learned there: Pausch was deep into virtual reality studies and did a lot of work with Disney. He also lectured and wrote on time management!)

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I said you could ask me anything...*

*but this isn't quite what I expected!
Okay, here goes! The first questions are in and, well, someone wanted to know the following:
1. What do you do when you're bored?

Granted our Ferndale HQ is a highly dynamic environment that maintains a shockingly high level of activity (you try raising six kids!) but on those rare occasions... I read or watch old movies. I'm also partial to sudoku and crossword puzzles. There are also six kids running around here that keep me distracted.

2. What is your dream job?

At heart I'm a pastor and I can't really imagine doing anything else that's not pastoring at some level. God is very real to me and I love helping people find their way closer to God, seeing them released from old "hurts, habits, and hang-ups," and finding peace.
So, although this isn't its most conventional form, I've already got my dream job. (Now if God would just monetize it...)

3. Is your beard really that color?

Sure is! And that's my real hair color, too. I can see that they don't match. Deal with it--I've had to! Folks that knew me way back when will tell you that neither one matches the color I had when I was 18.

4. Six kids! Don't y'all know what causes that?

We sure do. ;-)

That's all for now! Keep those questions coming.

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Have you had "The Talk?"

Been horribly distracted since Wedneday... You know, the usual health stuff, and pastor stuff, and then there's the annual tax stuff. Health stuff had me crashing (insulin-induced hypoglycemia) and not sleeping for 40 hours or so...

But I did finally go to sleep... at 6pm on April 15th... in the middle of doing our taxes! DW's not familiar with any of that stuff so we were hosed. She tried for about three hours to wake me... She was finally successful just in time for me to finish up the taxes at 10:45.

I then tapped the software to e-file only to find out - MAJOR BUMMER! - that we had a pastor-related exception that meant we must file on paper.

Fine. Really. I'd seen that our software could e-file for an extension. We don't owe Uncle Sam any money so an extension is no problem. We still had plenty of time to download, fill-out and e-file. No big deal, right?

They wanted $20 more to e-file this form!!! (I didn't have it.)

Fine. Really. Just fine. We had an almost an hour to fill this thing out, print it, prep an envelope, switch the wife from PJs to regular clothes and drive to the post office and drop it in the slot...

She made it.

And I went back to sleep for about 7 hours. Woke up still tired, in a really spacey state, had trouble stringing together complete sentences. Been crawling out of that hole ever since. Anyway...this is the post I was writing for yesterday:

Yesterday, April 16th, was National Healthcare Decisions Day. That's a day to remind folks to have the "this is what I want to have happen if I'm unable to speak for myself" talk about end-of-life and healthcare issues.

Have you had the talk? 'Cause it can be really important.

My Dad never had the talk. He did leave a will which is a HUGE part of things but his will didn't address end-of-life issues. And it left us guessing as he lay comatose and dying for nearly three weeks. And I suspect that my mother's second-guessing continues still.

If only he'd had the talk.

Trust me. You have to work up to having the talk and it's hard. It's uncomfortable. You don't want folks to get the wrong impression. After all, you don't want them to think that you're planning on going anywhere. (I'm not, by the way. Not soon anyway. Not voluntarily!)

Y'all know that I need to have the talk. But, step into the confessional with me, I haven't... Not yet.I do have a will but it's old and very basic so it probably needs updating, too.

You see, just because you've worked up your nerve (I have, finally), that's no guarantee you'll find a ready audience! End-of-life stuff makes people edgy for some reason. Hmmm... They suddenly remember their dry cleaning and their commitment to finish War and Peace and re-grouting their tub and naps and such...

No one seems ready to have the talk.

So make an appointment with your family. Do a little reading and a little thinking. Put on a pot of coffee, gather around the table and have the talk.

I'm starting here at the Will to Live Project -- it may be semantics to you but that name makes me much more comfortable.

For wider variety of information, you can go to the resources tab on the National Healthcare Decisions Day website. They link to a range of sites that will help you figure out what to talk about and provide you with the documentation that you'll need. Will to Live is listed there and so is the American Bar Association's Consumer’s Tool Kit for Health Care Advance Planning which I found really helpful.

And if you're still feeling information-deprived you can do what I did back when my doctor and I first had the talk: just google "advance directive" or "end-of-life decision-making". You'll find plenty to keep you busy (and, please, be careful on those "right to die" websites--that isn't about semantics!)

We're having the talk this week. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Nice Guy Finishes First

I was seriously awareness-challenged yesterday, majoryly drifting in and out, but I wasn't too drifty to notice Phil Mickelson winning his third green jacket at The Masters. What a story... Do you think it's a fitting ending to last week's drama? Some folks sure did! Especially some in the overseas press. I just hope it points attention in a better direction.

And did you see that shot from behind the tree? Amazing!

Think about that the next time you're in an impossible spot! And remember that you have to take the shot to have that result.

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Spilling as an Art Form

With a family of eight, trust me we know spills… So tonight I’m reading fellow posterous blogger clementine and I find something that sets my mind reeling with the possibilities:

Norwegian designer Kristine Bjaadal exhibited 'Underfull', a tablecloth design during the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2010. At first glance, the tablecloth appears to be a traditional white floral damask but reveals a hidden pattern when wet. Everyone at some point is bound to spill a drink, right?!

More pictures, and lots of other beautiful things, at clementine’s ReflectionOf.Me – do go take a look.

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My King!

‘Nuff said.

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Moscow Soccer Fans Chant Christ is Risen! -- Христос Воскрес!

I found this amazing news from last Sunday via StumbleUpon...
From Interfax:

Fans greet each other on Easter at soccer match in Moscow

Moscow, April 5, Interfax - Fans greeted each other on Easter at a Sunday evening soccer match at Moscow Lokomotiv stadium.
At the beginning of the second half of the match thousands of fans of Dynamo team started chanting "Christ is Risen!", an Interfax correspondent reports.
Thousands of fans of Lokomotiv team on the opposite side of the stadium responded by chanting "Truly He is Risen!"
The exchange took place several times.
The correspondent who has attended soccer matches for almost 50 years says it was the [first] occurrence of this kind in the history of Russian soccer.

Христос Воскрес! Christos Voskrese! -- ВОІСТИНУ ВОСКРЕС! Vaistinu Voskrese!

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Just Let It Go

Loved this from xkcd:

If there’s something you’re holding on to, if you’ve got a grudge match just waiting to happen…

PLEASE – JUST LET IT GO!!!

Seriously. Give it a rest.

Jesus warned us:

“If you forgive those who sin against you,
           your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you refuse to forgive others,
           your Father will not forgive your sins.

And then Jesus taught us to pray

“…forgive us our sins,
           as we forgive those who sin against us….

Can I say that I’ve forgiven everyone who’s offended me? Can you?

Think it doesn’t matter?

‘Cause Jesus also warns us about the Judgment Day standard:

“You will be treated as you treat others.
           The standard you use in judging
                      is the standard by which you will be judged.

Not really a confidence builder, is it? But that’s the way God says that He’s going to judge us.

So lighten up.
Take yourself less seriously.
And get serious with God.

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All in the Same Boat

Over the years I’ve told this to a handful of people, but I’ve never written it out, let alone shared it with a large audience… So, here goes. This is for all of you on my “list:”

You may not know this but I love you. (Or more honestly, over time, I’ve come to love you.)

I care about you, what happens to you.

I’ve lain awake nights wondering how you’re doing, where you are these days, how things are going. I hurt for the hurts I’ve heard about in your life.

I pray for you.

I have been praying for you, many of you for years now, some for over 30 years...

I’ve prayed that you would have peace. That you would know love. That you would come to faith. That you will walk with God. That you will know the Lord’s blessing. That on Judgment Day, you’ll be on God’s list.

You see, you’re on my list.

Years ago I was reading in Acts 27, how Paul was caught up in a storm at sea. Their ship “was a cork in the storm.” They all knew they were sinking. “All hope was gone.” They knew all 276 of them were going to die.

But Paul stands up in the middle of the storm and he addresses the whole crew. He says,

“…take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘…God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.”

They were all in the same boat. In God’s eyes, their destinies had become intertwined. God was going to make it all work out.

I went to work that night and looked around me and began to ask God for the safety of everyone in my “boat.” Ever since then, I’ve looked around at the folks God has put me with, those of us “all in the same boat…” Over the years, God has even reconnected me with or reminded me of people from my past, people who’d shared my boat.

As we shared that piece of life together, and especially as I’ve prayed for you, you’ve taken a deep place in my heart.

And along the way, I’ve found the faith—the confidence—to ask God that, like Paul, I would be granted the lives, the eternal lives, of everyone I’ve “sailed with” over the years. That I will look around in heaven and take count, and that not one of you will be lost.

Hopefully this doesn’t freak you out too much—that I’ve asked God for you. That I’m still looking out for you, guarding you in prayer, going to God over you (yes, even you!)

Even as I’m writing this, I see your face.

And in some way I can’t quite explain I feel like God has promised me something about you. That I should take courage.

So don’t make me wait. Let me know how you’re doing, would you? And if you think maybe there’s something more I have to offer you than my prayers, just ask.

And don’t keep asking God to wait. Turn to Him while there’s still time, before this boat goes down.

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Where Do You Run To?

We lived for a while near Brechin, Scotland. An English friend explained to me that it’s what the British folks call a "cathedral city." That is, if you have a cathedral then you're a city; otherwise, you're just a town! Brechin is small enough that if it weren't for their cathedral you'd debate whether they had crossed from village to town let alone reached city. What makes their cathedral unique is that it incorporates an 11th century round tower into its construction. Standing there looking at it really brought home to me the meaning of Proverbs 18:10, which says:

The name of the Lord is a strong fortress;
      the godly run to Him and are safe.

While this particular tower came rather late in the game we were told that the original idea behind a castle was simply as a place of refuge to flee to when a threat presented itself. You went inside and locked the door behind you and hopefully you had stored enough supplies to hold you until the threat got bored and went away.

But a "strong tower" has another side to it... In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Paul writes:

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons,
to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning
and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every
proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.
We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ

Stonghold is another name for one of these towers of refuge. Paul is highlighting our tendency to find places to go to avoid turning to God. Old habits die hard and when there's trouble it's so easy to turn to old (and inadequate) solutions—those places that we're were used to turning before we turned to God. Paul's point is that those things (arguments and pretensions, some translators say Paul calls them) stand between us and realizing who God really is and just what He's able to do.

What would happen if instead of reacting—doing that first thing that comes to mind—we'd pause long enough to capture every thought and teach it to obey Christ? That is, what if we'd go to a real place of safety and peace?

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We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...

My brother Mark understands. Go read his post The Blessing of Suffering about how God has challenged his family over the past few years.
God bless you, All! It’s been an honor to have a front-row seat for this proof of God’s blessing and power.

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The Internet Monk is with his Lord Tonight (and I miss him already)

Going through the queue and I just got this news:

Michael Spencer, 1956-2010
April 5, 2010 by Chaplain Mike

I received word tonight that Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk, our friend, passed away in his home in Oneida, KY, in the presence of his family.

With them, we mourn his passing.
With them, our tears fall.
With them, we express gratitude that Michael is at peace and no longer suffering.
With them, we cry out to God in pain because our suffering has just increased.
With them and with all creation, we groan, awaiting the day when this sad world will be put to rights.
With them and with all the saints, we put our trust in Christ alone, crucified, buried, risen, ascended, and coming again.

That post was followed today by this:

In Memoriam

It is thus, if there is any rule, that we ought to die--neither as victim nor as fanatic, but as the seafarer who can greet with an equal eye the deep that he is entering, and the shore that he must leave." — E. M. Forster

Dennis Michael Spencer of Oneida, Kentucky died at home on April 5, 2010 after a four-month struggle with cancer. He was 53.

Spencer was born September 16, 1956 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. He graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. Spencer served as youth minister and pastor in several Kentucky Baptist churches before becoming the Campus Minister at Oneida Baptist Institute in 1992, where he ministered the past 17 years.

Spencer was also widely known in evangelical Christian circles for his web site, “Internet Monk: Dispatches From the Post Evangelical Wilderness” (www.internetmonk.com). The site was also home to his podcast, Internet Monk Radio. His book, Mere Churchianity: Finding Your Way Back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality, will be published in September by WaterBrook Multnomah. . . . .

Go to the blog to read the rest.

Chaplain Mike, please forgive the epic cut and paste from your posts. The Monk discipled me over the distance, often causing me to examine my assumptions and always calling me to open my heart. I’m going to miss this brother.

God of grace and glory,
we remember before you this day our brother Michael.
We thank you for giving him to us to know and to love
as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage.
In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn.
Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life,
so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth,
until, by your call,
we are reunited with those who have gone before.

Into your hands,
O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Michael.
We humbly ask you to look on him as  a sheep of your own fold,
a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming.
Receive him into the arms of your mercy,
into the blessed rest of everlasting peace,
and into the glorious company of the saints in light.
Amen.

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I Have Not Yet Begun To Fight

I recently posted a pretty straightforward account of my health and life (see Doc, Is This Killing Me?) It was challenging to write and I honestly didn’t know what range of responses to expect.
I had enough confidence in you that I knew there would be fantastic statements of support and an outpouring of prayer. Y’all didn’t let me down.
But what took me by surprise is what’s turned out to be the most-asked question.
My wife, Anne has gotten emails and phone calls. “Is Dan giving up?”
People have taken me aside. “Dan are you giving up?”
And they approach it in a way that makes it pretty clear their minds are made up.
So let me make this clear:

I AM NOT GIVING UP.

No way, no how. Not surrendering, Not quitting. Not laying down to die.
If you think I’m giving up then you don’t know me as well as you think you do.
The fact remains that we are running out of options. The known treatments are not working. The autonomic effects of my disease make life complicated and create risks that could cause things to go south at any moment.
So what.
That’s not the bottom line.
And the fact that I can starkly acknowledge the situation does not mean that my resolve is slipping. Just because I can assess the storm doesn’t mean that I’m ready to slip beneath the waves.
So one more time:
I am not dead yet.
God is still in control.
This story is by no means over.
I have not yet begun to fight.

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It Is Well

You’ve heard the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul”?

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Its author, Horatio G. Spafford speaks of the optimism that faith in Christ truly brings:

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Spafford’s refrain is his testimony:

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

He describes the source of freedom every Christian should feel:

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

He tells how Jesus’ presence in us and with us brings peace:

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

And, naturally, Spafford ends telling about our ultimate hope:

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

But there’s one verse that really speaks to me, but I hardly ever hear it sung:

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

How is it with your soul?

Cyberhymnal.org has the story behind the fascinating and surprising story behind the hymn.

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Resurrection Meditation

Let’s review this Faith you’ve heard—the one that saves you—if you hold to it to the transformation of your soul. Or did you just nod its way in some sort of passing notion?

Here’s what I’ve come to understand and what I’ve taught:

Jesus, God’s Anointed One (the Messiah or Christ), died for our sins, just like the Bible foretold.

He was buried (of course).

He was raised on the third day (!), just like the Bible said He would be.

He then appeared to Peter and the Twelve (who were all willing to die over this point of testimony!)

He appeared to over 500 all at once.

He appeared to James,

to all the apostles,

and last of all to Paul–transformed from persecutor to willing martyr—All on this question of what Jesus did.

This is The Faith that was poured out on me and, oh, the change it has brought. So it doesn’t matter who you heard it from, this is the heart of The Faith you believe to be saved.

But here’s what bothers me: If this Faith rests on Jesus being raised from the Dead then how can some of you say that it all ends at Death? Lights out? Story over? That there is nothing after Death except The Grave.

Because if no one rises from the Dead, then Jesus hasn’t been raised either. And if Jesus isn’t raised from the Dead, then what we’ve taught is useless. What you’ve believed is the most empty of promises.

If Jesus isn’t raised from the Dead
then The Faith is useless.
We have believed in Nothing.

Even worse, all of us who teach The Faith are guilty of lying about God! That is, if Jesus is still a corpse.

If Jesus hasn’t been raised from the Dead,
then you’re still guilty,
still lost,
still dead in sin.

And what about all those people who died believing in Jesus and his resurrection? If Jesus isn’t raised from the Dead they’re lost! (So many when Paul wrote this but how many more in the centuries since.)

The Faith can’t be true if Jesus is not raised from the Dead!

Forget this “If this isn’t true, if Jesus isn’t raised from the Dead, then at least I’ve lived a good life.” That’s excremental nonsense!

If Jesus isn’t raised from the Dead then we are most pitiful, total losers!

But let’s get this straight:
the witnesses are reliable.
Jesus has, in fact,
been raised from the dead.
He is the first of God’s great harvest of those who believe.

God arranged it this way:
Since Death came to humanity through one man, Adam, then Life will come to us through one man, Jesus.

In nature,
in Adam, everyone dies.
But in the supernatural,
in Jesus, we can be made alive!

What symmetry! What order! First Jesus rises, then when He comes again all who belong to Him rise from the grave. Then comes The End when Jesus triumphantly hands over His Kingdom to God the Father.

Jesus will reign until all His enemies have been humbled, defeated. God’s put everything under Jesus authority—everything except God, that is. When everything and everyone is finally submitted to God then Jesus, the Son, will step aside, taking His place under God’s rule. Perfect Order!

So let’s get this straight:
If there’s no hope of raising a corpse, if Death is truly The End, then why go to all this trouble? Why sweat the details of living a God-pleasing life?

If there’s no resurrection
why risk our lives for The Faith?
If there’s no being raised from The Dead
then sacrifice and martyrdom aren’t heroic,
they’re stupid!

But it’s Resurrection Power, New Life, that motivates everything I say and think. It’s Resurrection that pushes me to speak, to live.

If there’s no resurrection,
Then eat and drink—Party On—for tomorrow
we’re Dead.
End of Story.

Don’t be foolish. Jesus resurrection is real. When you hear people arguing no-resurrection nonsense remember that “bad company corrupts good character”. Think about what’s right and stop sinning. You can’t afford such foolishness. It saddens me to say that it’s obvious some of you don’t know God at all. Aren’t you ashamed?

(see 1 Corinthians 15)

Posted via email from Ferndale Tonight

Just Ask

I talk to folks all the time who admit they’re not hostile to God but they do feel separated from Him.  What does God say to people like that?  Does He cross His arms and shake His head and “hmmph” at them in an “I’ll show you” way?  Apparently not… 

This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
– Jeremiah 33:3

We – all of us – spend time feeling isolated and alone, far from God.  But God makes it clear that we don’t have to accept that. 

Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says:
'Return to me,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty.
– Zechariah 1:3

There’s even the urge to feel that this is something unique, something beyond someone like you or me…  Again, that’s not how God sees it.  We hear that He wants us to “have faith”  but that doesn’t seem to make things clearer or does it?  Maybe the problem isn’t with the advice.  Maybe the problem is what we think we’re supposed to do with it.

The righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will go up into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is,
the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord,"
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
– Romans 10:6-11

Turn to Jesus.  Don’t sweat a lot of intellectual stuff.  Go with your heart and see where it leads. 
Know that as we’re celebrating this Sunday, God has raised Jesus from the dead. 
So just turn to Him. 
Say in all simplicity, “Lord Jesus.” 
Say, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Wait for Him. 
Determine to follow where your heart leads from there. 
Speak to God in prayer.  Again, don’t sweat details.  Say, “God, teach me to speak with you.” and wait.
Get your hands on a Bible and ask God to speak to you as you read.

Risen Lord Jesus Christ, I call to you.
Risen Lord Jesus Christ, I turn to you.
Risen Lord Jesus Christ, I confess to you.
Risen Lord Jesus Christ, I believe in you.
Risen Lord Jesus Christ, I follow you.

Posted via email from Ferndale Tonight