Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 202

What is your opinion of positive thinking?

In this 2.5 minute video and the following transcript, I share some thoughts about positive thinking.

Positive thinking is something that’s talked about a lot in this culture. Here’s what Scripture says:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things  (Philippians 4:8).

This passage could strike us as an example of positive thinking. But I think it’s actually an example of true, reality-based thinking. In other words, God says to us that certain things are true, and some of those things that are true are very bad news. It’s hard to think positively about sin, and let’s not try to put the best face on the reality of our sin that separates us from God. There’s no good face to that. That’s not positive thinking.

Biblical thinking says, “I come to grips with the negatives in life, and not by denying them.” I don’t deny I have cancer if I have cancer. I don’t deny I have struggles in my marriage relationship if I do. I don’t deny that I’m really struggling in my walk with God. Positive thinking is not what I can grab onto that gets me through these difficult things.

It’s God who gets me through. I need to place my faith in Him, and choose to focus on things which are ultimately and eternally positive. The promise of God in Romans 8:28—that He’s going to cause all things to work together for good for those who love Him—is a great thing to focus on. That’s not “positive thinking” as if I’m trying to convince myself that it’s really true. No, it really is true! Let’s meditate on that thing that really is true.

Ultimately, as Christians, we should be the greatest positive thinkers. Why? Because we believe in a God of sovereign providence, of redemption, who’s come into this world, who paid the price for our sins, and who promises one day He’s going to wipe away the tears from every eye and there will be no more curse. That is a very positive message.

      

Related Resources

Video: Romans 8:28—Why does God allow what He allows?
Blog: The Eyes of Faith
Book: 50 Days of Heaven

A 6-minute video drama based on Safely Home

I was very moved by this video produced by Matthew Holbrook and the high school ministry of Grace Church of Orange. Matthew writes:

I lead the high school ministry at Grace Church of Orange and our group has an outreach ministry where we share the gospel through a series of 4-minute musical dramas. Over the years, we have developed over 50 such dramas. A couple of years ago, we developed and performed one that was inspired by Safely Home.

I came to Christ while in high school, and it’s very encouraging to see high schoolers focus their attention on following Christ wholeheartedly. While the background songs you hear in this video have great words, the true power is in the wordless actions of the drama that tells the life-changing cosmos-shaking story. Not just one related to my novel Safely Home, but one lived out daily among God’s persecuted people across the world. Watching this made me think of Revelation 12:11-12 and its words about people of faith and courage:

And they have conquered him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!

Thank you, Matthew, and the youth of Grace Church. Hope the rest of you are as touched by this as I was:

      

Related Resources

Article: Is there still persecution of Christians in China today?
Blog: Safely Home the Musical Drama
Book: Safely Home Anniversary Edition

 

Bulging Wallet Syndrome

No, this blog is not about reducing wallet size by giving away your cash. A writer friend recently shared that he had been diagnosed with “Wallet Sciatica,” intense pain caused by his large wallet. It reminded me of something from my past. Maybe this blog will save you or someone you know from some pain. But for me, it just makes me smile remembering like it was yesterday the story my dad, a tavern owner, told me when I was a kid and first started carrying a wallet:

I had horrible back pain for years. It got to the point that I would twist around while driving trying to get relief. I couldn’t do heavy lifting, could hardly bend over any more. I went to the doctor and he couldn’t figure out what was causing it, and just gave me pain killers, with no hope of ever getting better. So one night a guy was sitting at the bar at my tavern. He was drunk, and getting drunker. He saw me wincing in pain and said, “What’s wrong?” I told him about my back problem. He said, “Show me your wallet.” I wasn’t going to pull out my wallet for a drunk, but he was a customer so finally I showed him my thick wallet. He said, “That’s your problem. Put it in your front pocket and in a few months you’ll be fine.” So I did. And it was. Haven’t had a backache since.

This was probably the most Proverb-like advice my unbelieving father ever gave me (he finally came to Christ at age 85). So I’ve always carried my wallet in my front pocket. It also comes in handy when you’re in crowded areas with pickpockets. And it goes to show that you can sometimes get good advice (without a doctor’s bill) from someone who’s drunk. But I wouldn’t count on it. :)

By the way, my dad never gave up his huge wallet, full of notes and newspaper clippings. It continued to bulge, but in a pocket where it no longer hurt him. As his son, I’ve carried on the tradition, occasionally finding in my wallet expired coupons and business cards given to me three years ago.

      

 

The Millennial Generation and Sexual Sin

The article I link to at the end inspired me to write this blog. It addresses the Millennial Generation’s acceptable sin—sex outside of marriage. For many years now I’ve seen this trend which is disturbing not only because God is dishonored, but also because young people’s lives are being destroyed. I know of evangelical churches where it’s a “given” that young people are sleeping around, if not in high school, by the time they’re in college.

In my book The Purity Principle I write:

Since the time we were young teenagers, many of us have heard lists of reasons for walking in sexual purity. God commands purity and forbids impurity. Purity is right. Impurity is wrong.

True? Absolutely. But it’s equally correct to say purity is always smart; impurity is always stupid.

There it is—what I’m calling The Purity Principle: Purity is always smart; impurity is always stupid. Not sometimes.

Not usually.

Always. You’re not an exception. I’m not an exception. There are no exceptions.

A holy God made the universe in such a way that actions true to His character, and the laws derived from His character, are always rewarded. Actions that violate His character, however, are always punished. He rewards every act of justice; He punishes every act of injustice.

That doesn’t mean God always intervenes directly. This moral law is like the law of gravity. God has set it in place. When a careless driver speeds on an icy mountain pass, loses control, and plunges his car off a cliff, God doesn’t suddenly invent gravity to punish the driver’s carelessness. Gravity is already in place.

In the same way, God doesn’t need to punish the pornography addict for every wrong choice. The punishment is built into the sin. Shame, degradation, and warping of the personality follow as a matter of course. Scripture describes those who have surrendered to their lust to live in immorality as “receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Romans 1:27, NASB).

That’s the way God’s moral universe operates. We get to choose our own path. But with each path comes inevitable consequences.

The roads of life are sometimes hazardous. But God loves us enough to place warning signs: “Don’t commit adultery” and “No sex before marriage.” We don’t have to obey. We do have to live with the consequences.

This is something that young people, their parents and their churches need to come to grips with. One thing is certain—an unholy world will never be won to Christ by an unholy church.

Here’s the article I think all church leaders should read, and all leaders of church and parachurch youth groups:

The Millenial Generation’s Acceptable Sin

by Barton Gingerich

Every human institution and society has its own list of sins and virtues that contradict the law of God. With the rise of the Millennial generation in evangelical churches, a vice is creeping up into the realms of acceptance, indifference, or at least resignation: fornication (i.e. extramarital sex or unchaste living).

Continue reading

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)

      

Road photo credit: Ben Earwicker, Garrison Photography, Boise, ID, www.garrisonphoto.org

Logos Hope: A Great International Opportunity for Short-term Service

My friend George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization (OM), recently shared about his visit to Logos Hope, a ship owned and operated by OM Ships. Logos Hope travels to ports around the world, acting as a floating bookshop. (They report that, on average, over one million visitors are welcomed on board each year.)

OM Ships also provides training for those who work onboard, as well as volunteer opportunities to serve by providing supply aid and community care in the places they dock. Their international crew represents over 45 nations.

George encourages those who are college-bound (and those of any age) to consider dedicating 1-2 years to volunteer on the ship: “If I were talking to an American thinking about going to Yale or Harvard, or a Brit thinking about Cambridge or Oxford, and they asked me, ‘Should I go to the ship or to the university?’, of course I would say both.”

He continues, “We believe the Bible is true…and this leads me to say that just the education and training aspect of the ship is worth more than anything you will get at some anti-Christian institution. So if you have to choose, I suggest the ship. …So many young people have no clue what the ship is.  It is not primarily for missionaries or those who want to be. Yes, it is for some and that’s great. It’s a life-changing, character-building work training experience to prepare people for whatever walk of life you going into.”

If you’re interested in learning more, go to www.omships.org.

      

Thanks to Stephanie Anderson for assembling most of the info in this blog.

LOGOS Hope: A Great International Opportunity for Short-term Service

My friend George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization (OM), recently shared about his visit to LOGOS Hope, a ship owned and operated by the German nonprofit ministry GBA Ships. LOGOS Hope travels to ports around the world, acting as a floating bookshop. (They report that, on average, over one million visitors are welcomed on board each year.)

GBA Ships also provides training for those who work onboard, as well as volunteer opportunities to serve by providing supply aid and community care in the places they dock. Their international crew represents over 45 nations.

George encourages those who are college-bound (and those of any age) to consider dedicating 1-2 years to volunteer on the ship: “If I were talking to an American thinking about going to Yale or Harvard, or a Brit thinking about Cambridge or Oxford, and they asked me, ‘Should I go to the ship or to the university?’, of course I would say both.”

He continues, “We believe the Bible is true…and this leads me to say that just the education and training aspect of the ship is worth more than anything you will get at some anti-Christian institution. So if you have to choose, I suggest the ship. …So many young people have no clue what the ship is.  It is not primarily for missionaries or those who want to be. Yes, it is for some and that’s great. It’s a life-changing, character-building work training experience to prepare people for whatever walk of life you going into.”

If you’re interested in learning more, go to www.gbaships.org.

      

Thanks to Stephanie Anderson for assembling most of the info in this blog.

Martin Luther on being a theologian, writer and preacher

As a student of theology, writer, and occasional preacher, I loved reading Martin Luther talking about learning theology, and about the “little books” some of us write and the little sermons we preach. Sometimes the reformers really make you smile. Luther writes: 

I want to point out to you a correct way of studying theology….

First, you should know that the Holy Scriptures constitute a book that turns the wisdom of all other books into foolishness, because not one teaches about eternal life except this one alone. Therefore you should straightway despair of your reason and understanding. With them you will not attain eternal life, but, on the contrary, your presumptuousness will plunge you and others with you out of heaven (as happened to Lucifer) into the abyss of hell. But kneel down in your room and pray to God with real humility and earnestness (as David did), that he through his dear Son may give you his Holy Spirit, who will enlighten you, lead you, and give you understanding.

Second, you should meditate not only in your heart, but also externally, by actually repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and rereading them with diligent attention and reflection, so you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. Take care you do not grow weary or think you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you then have complete understanding. You'll never be a particularly good theologian if you do that, for you will be like untimely fruit which falls to the ground before it is half ripe. God will not give you his Spirit without the external Word.

…If you study hard in accord with [David’s] example, then you will also sing and boast with him, "The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (Ps. 119:72).

And it will be your experience that the books of the fathers will taste stale and putrid to you in comparison. You will not only despise the books written by adversaries, but the longer you write and teach, the less you will be pleased with yourself. When you have reached this point, then do not be afraid to hope that you have begun to become a real theologian, who can teach not only the young and imperfect Christians, but also the maturing and perfect ones.

If, however, you feel and are inclined to think you have made it, flattering yourself with your own little books, teaching, or writing, because you have done it beautifully and preached excellently; if you are highly pleased when someone praises you in the presence of others; if you perhaps look for praise, and would sulk or quit what you are doing if you did not get it—if you are of that stripe, dear friend, then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey ears. Then do not spare any expense! Decorate them with golden bells, so that people will be able to hear you wherever you go, point their fingers at you, and say, “See, See! There goes that clever beast, who can write such exquisite books and preach so remarkably well.”

Luther's Works, Vol. 34
Edited by Lewis W. Spitz
1960 (Muhlenberg Press)

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5;5).

      

 

 

Why the Hobby Lobby Case Matters

Kevin DeYoung is a pastor and an excellent writer. His blog is one of my favorites. I’ve talked about the Hobby Lobby case before, but asked Kevin’s permission to repost his blog.

Why You Should Care About the Hobby Lobby Case—And Be Alarmed

The facts are well known: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) requires employers to provide insurance for their employees. As part of the mandated health coverage, businesses must include contraceptives and abortifacient drugs in their insurance plans. Hobby Lobby, owned by the Green family (strong Christians and generous philanthropists), is refusing to comply with the HHS mandate, believing that the government is requiring what is unethical and infringing upon their religious liberty. Perhaps it is tragically fitting that Justice Sotomayor denied Hobby Lobby judicial relief on December 26—St. Stephen’s Day, the day the church remembers its first martyr.

Millions of Americans are already outraged. And rightly so. Our government not only allows for abortion, and celebrates abortion rights, and wants women to have unfettered access to abortion on demand, it now requires other Americans to pay for abortion-inducing drugs or face crippling fines. It is not an endorsement of any political party to conclude that this policy is morally degenerate. More Americans should be alarmed than are already.

The Department of Justice’s brief filed in October makes a number of arguments (in opposition to the Greens) which bear closer scrutiny and ought to arouse no small degree of concern. I’m no legal scholar, but as a Christian citizen and an American worried about our liberties, I would ask questions like these:

The brief argues that as a secular corporation Hobby Lobby does not receive the same protection to freely exercise religion—but what of the rights of the individuals who own and operate the company?
The brief argues that “any burden caused by the regulations is simply too attenuated to qualify as a substantial burden”—but can the government now determine which burdens on the conscience are “substantial” and how does it plan to make these determinations?
The brief argues that the health care regulation “serves two compelling governmental interests: improving the health of women and children, and equalizing the provision of recommended preventive care for women and men”—but on what grounds can the termination of fetal life be construed as “improving the health” of it?
The brief asserts that “The Free Exercise Clause does not prohibit a law that is neutral and generally applicable even if the law prescribes conduct that an individual’s religion proscribes”—but how is the contraceptive mandate “neutral” when the largest religious body in the country (the Catholic Church) opposes contraception outright and tens of millions of evangelical Christians believe the mandate violates their religious convictions relative to abortion?
The brief argues that “the Court should not permit the Greens to eliminate that legal separation to impose their personal religious beliefs on the corporate entity or its employees”—but by what logic is the failure to provide “preventive care” by a private company the imposition of religious belief and the mandating of it by the state it is not?

I’m a pastor, not a lawyer, justice, or politician. But let us pray for all of the above, that they may do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Religious liberty is a precious gift we think too little of, and we will miss it sorely when it’s gone.

      

Reflections in Front of an Abortion Clinic

There is a popular idea that is tossed around as absolute truth: to be pro-women is to be pro-abortion. A woman’s right to abortion is paramount over a baby’s right to life.  

But how is allowing abortion standing up for women’s rights? How is taking the lives of countless female babies supporting women? Does anyone have the right to take the life of an innocent human being? What does that do to a woman’s soul? How does it help her when society denies her the truth by protecting her from information that would help her make an informed decision? How is she being cared for when she isn’t told of the life-altering consequences that will most likely follow her for the rest of her life?

Once a month some friends and I stand on the sidewalk in front of the largest abortion clinic in Oregon. We go in love and compassion, not anger and judgment. We’re there to pray, hold signs and offer help and resources to women and men entering the clinic. Often I stand up near the back parking lot, to pray and hold a sign (Sorrow and Regret? Jesus is the Answer) for those women who are being wheeled out to their waiting ride home from the clinic. Many look somber and sad, some with their heads in their hands, looking as though they did indeed just go through a surgery.

I’ve thought to myself, “They imagine now that it’s all over; but it’s really only just beginning.” A baby’s death does not take away the fact that the woman is a mother. She may be un-pregnant now but she is not an un-mother. Now matter how her pregnancy ends, she will always be a mother, either of a child who is alive or a child that has died. Someday many of these women will realize what they have done, and I pray they will come to know of the incredible love and forgiveness of Christ.  

We received an interesting question from two different women on the same day while down at the clinic. One woman drove by yelling out her window, “Who’s going to take care of these babies until they’re 18 years old?” The other walked briskly by and asked, “Are you going to take care of these kids until they’re 18?”

Wow. Selfishness abounds. “If you don’t want to take care of it, get rid of it.” They had no knowledge of how many childless couples would give anything to adopt a baby. And they assumed that none of us had adopted children or supported family members who had. Unfortunately there was no opportunity to engage them in further conversation.

Recently three of our ladies were there when a young girl walked into the clinic, resisting the information offered, and insisting she was going to have an abortion. Fervent prayers were offered that there would be no peace for the women in the clinic waiting for their abortions. Soon after, this same young girl came out and down the stairs, weeping and broken. The women comforted her as she confessed that she could not go through with the abortion, and they gave her courage to give life to her baby. This month she was blessed with a healthy baby girl and later texted the following:  “I can't wait for you guys to meet her. You ladies helped save her life because of your faith in God.  Only if I could have as much faith as you all did...I hope to!" The women have visited her in her home, provided transportation, and given her many things she needed for the baby.

Someone told us there must be better, more effective alternatives to standing outside a clinic with a sign and praying.  I agree there are, but when it comes down to the last minute, the last chance of hope before a baby’s life is snuffed out and a woman is deceived into thinking she’s making the best choice, I’m glad there are people who are there praying and offering help.  

Everyone can do something. If you can’t be down at a clinic, you can pray for those who are. And you can pray for and support (through financial gifts and volunteer work) the many different and effective prolife ministries who are serving Jesus in the battle for preborn babies and their moms. Check out the different prolife organizations listed on our website for possibilities of involvement. And if you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, learn about the exciting Guardian Project, as well as Run4TheirLives, which is scheduled for September 7, 2013.

Kathy Norquist
Executive Assistant to Randy Alcorn

 

Every Life Is Precious, No Matter How He or She Was Conceived

In addressing the issue of abortion in the case of rape in my book ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments, I pose a series of questions to readers:

What if you found that your spouse or adopted child was fathered by a rapist? Would it change your view of their worth? Would you love them any less? If not, why should we view the innocent unborn child any differently?

On a television program about abortion, I heard a man say of a child conceived by rape, “Anything of this nature has no rights because it’s the product of rape.” But how is the nature of this child different from that of any other child?

And why is it that pro-choice advocates are always saying the unborn child is really the mother’s, not the father’s, until she is raped—then suddenly the child is viewed as the father’s, not the mother’s?

The point is not how a child was conceived but that he was conceived. He is not a despicable “product of rape.” He is a unique and wonderful creation of God.

Last year I shared a story on my blog about a 94-year-old woman who was reunited with her 77-year-old daughter who was conceived by rape. It was a powerful reminder of how a child conceived by rape is as precious as a child conceived by love, because a child is a child.

I came across the following story in Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before It’s Too Late by James Robison and Jay W. Richards. James, founder of LIFE Outreach International, shares his own story of being conceived by rape:

A Testimony to Life

As important as abortion is in politics, it also can be a painful personal issue. Several years ago, I (James) interviewed a guest on Life Today who had become pregnant as the result of rape. At first, she was so horrified by what had happened to her that abortion seemed her only option. She felt as if having the baby would be an ongoing reminder of her experience. Later, when she heard a song titled “A Baby’s Prayer” by Kathy Troccoli, she felt the need to pray. And as she prayed, she realized that the “little mass of tissue” in her womb was really a person with purpose and potential. She decided to keep the baby and named her Alexis Kathleen in honor of Kathy Troccoli, whose song had touched her heart and caused her to reconsider her options.

As this young woman told her story on our show, I began to weep because I also am the product of rape. My mother was an unmarried, forty-year-old practical nurse who was sexually assaulted by the alcoholic son of the man for whom she was caring. When she went to the doctor to have me aborted—because she had no husband, an inadequate income for caring for a child, and had been raped—the doctor said, “Ma’am, I simply do not believe this is best. I believe it is wrong.” My mother later told me she went home, sat down alone, and prayed. And God said, “Have this little baby, and it will bring joy to the world.”

My mother chose to carry me to term, and I was born in the charity ward of the Saint Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas. Two weeks later, through an ad in the newspaper, my mother released me to a foster family, who raised me for the first five years of my life. My conception was the result of a crime, and my childhood and adolescence weren’t easy, but God had a plan for this unexpected child born in difficult circumstances.

In standing against abortion, we don’t want to minimize the trauma of an unexpected pregnancy—especially by rape or incest. But if we affirm the value of every life even in the tough cases, God will honor the intent of our hearts and use that choice in a way that we can’t imagine beforehand. Both of us have been blessed because a mother in a desperate situation chose life. We both have a child by adoption and can’t imagine life without them. Randy Robison is now forty-two, married with four beautiful children. Ellie Richards was adopted from China. She’s eight and already thinks she should rule the world.