Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 214

Why Should We Believe in a Historical Adam?

Last month Kevin DeYoung posted an excellent blog called “10 Reasons to Believe in a Historical Adam.” I can’t say enough about the importance of this subject. Everywhere I turn, including on the campuses of many Christian liberal arts colleges, I see the drift away from believing in an historical Adam and Eve. I keep thinking of Francis Schaeffer’s Genesis in Space and Time, one of the most important books I read as a young Christian back in the 1970’s. Here’s Kevin’s article:

10 Reasons to Believe in a Historical Adam

by Kevin DeYoung

In recent years, several self-proclaimed evangelicals, or those associated with evangelical institutions, have called into question the historicity of Adam and Eve. It is said that because of genomic research we can no longer believe in a first man called Adam from whom the entire human race has descended.

I’ll point to some books at the end which deal with the science end of the question, but the most important question is  “What does the Bible teach?”. Without detailing a complete answer to that question, let me suggest ten reasons why we should believe that Adam was a true historical person and the first human being.

1. The Bible does not put an artificial wedge between history and theology. Of course, Genesis is not a history textbook or a science textbook, but that is far from saying we ought to separate the theological wheat from the historical chaff. Such a division owes to the Enlightenment more than the Bible.

2. The biblical story of creation is meant to supplant other ancient creation stories more than imitate them. Moses wants to show God’s people “this is how things really happened.” The Pentateuch is full of warnings against compromise with the pagan culture. It would be surprising, then, for Genesis to start with one more mythical account of creation like the rest of the ANE.

3. The opening chapters of Genesis are stylized, but they show no signs of being poetry. Compare Genesis 1 with Psalm 104, for example, and you’ll see how different these texts are. It’s simply not accurate to call Genesis poetry. And even if it were, who says poetry has to be less historically accurate?

4. There is a seamless strand of history from Adam in Genesis 2 to Abraham in Genesis 12. You can’t set Genesis 1-11 aside as prehistory, not in the sense of being less than historically true as we normally understand those terms. Moses deliberately connects Abram with all the history that comes before him, all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden.

5. The genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1 and Luke 3 treat Adam as historical.

6. Paul believed in a historical Adam (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21-22, 45-49). Even some revisionists are honest enough to admit this; they simply maintain that Paul (and Luke) were wrong.

Read the rest of the blog post.

      

"The God Who Sees Me": Achu's Hope

Recently, Kimberly Smith, founder and director of Make Way Partners, posted on her blog the story of a Sudanese orphan named Achu. Like so many orphans, Achu’s account of suffering and abandonment was heartbreaking enough, but there was more—this 15-year-old girl was suffering from a horrific open wound that threatened to take not only her leg, but her life.

Our ministry, Eternal Perspective Ministries, had the privilege of offering to cover Achu’s medical expenses. I asked Kimberly to share her story in the guest post below. This is wonderful and amazing, and it is our privilege to help. It makes me cry just to see Achu’s smiling face. I look forward to meeting her someday, in a far better world, where pain and suffering will be no more.

Achu’s Hope of Christmas Coming

Can you remember what it was like to be a kid between Thanksgiving and Christmas? For most of us, the anticipation of Christmas coming was all we could talk about. Some things are like that—they’re so good we can’t get them off our minds. That’s definitely the case with the story of a Sudanese orphan named Achu.

Even though the New Republic of Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, after five decades of Islamic invasion, slavery, and genocide, there is still no infrastructure within the fledgling country. In fact, much of it is still under attack and bombed on a daily basis.

Since there is no other medical care available, thousands of people walk for hours, and even days, in the unbearable heat to visit the small Make Way Partners open-air clinic. With our extremely limited staff and resources, each sunrise delivers two to three times more patients piled and waiting around our door than those we can actually treat in one day.

So, each morning the clinic staff passes out vouchers—first come, first serve—to the waiting number of patients which the medical team deems they can treat that day. As hard as it is to do, all others are mercifully sent away so that they do not wait all day—in vain—under the unforgiving sun.

Dr. Matt Mooreland, MWP mission-team member, was finishing his second day of serving in 130 degree heat on the border of Darfur, Sudan when his eyes fell upon a frail child sitting in the door way. She had no life-saving voucher to wave before Dr. Matt. Early in the morning Achu had been told that she could not be seen that day…no room in the inn…she was sent away.

Persistent as the woman in Mark 7, who begged Jesus to treat her like a dog who ate the crumbs falling from his plate, Achu didn’t leave. She curled into a fetal position on the sidelines, where MWP indigenous director Lual Atak found her, and helped her toward the front of the clinic.

The miracle happened. Dr. Matt met Achu.

Bad news accompanied the miracle, however. As Dr. Matt unwound the filthy cloth tied around Achu’s twig-thin leg, he found that three to four inches of Achu’s bone protruded through her skin just below her knee. Pus poured out of the swollen wound, and the foul stench of decaying flesh quickly filled the room, forcing most of the nonmedical staff to leave.

Dr. Matt learned that the injury had occurred a year earlier: “Achu stated that a little over a year ago she was wrestling with a friend by the borehole in her village and her leg got twisted up.  Unable to bear weight, she crawled back home and stayed on the ground for almost two months straight. Her mother was dead, her father was a drunk, and the stepmother was refused any money for aid because all Achu’s father would do is drink it away. Because of her leg injury, Achu was not able to work, and her family blamed her for the loss of two otherwise healthy hands… After two months, she forced herself to start walking and moving around, and over time developed a way to function day to day, while completing her chores.”

But the story grew worse. Dr. Matt realized that the infection was so severe, that even with excellent medical care—which was not possible from our scantily-supplied-open-air clinic—Achu would surely lose her leg, if not her life.

In the words of Dr. Matt, “It was my duty to tell her there are no amount of medications to keep a dying piece of bone from eventually infecting her entire frail body. It was a devastating prognosis. Achu, who was without a smile already, dropped her head and stopped making eye contact with anyone. As medical professionals, we are taught to deliver bad news with honest, straight talk followed by a sincere attempt to show sympathy and hope. However, in this case, my response was long on sympathy and very short on hope. The facts are simply that the average citizen in this area of the world has no access to surgical services and no means to travel the hundreds of miles to obtain those services. I had just handed down Achu’s death sentence.”

The entire team remained in constant prayer for Achu. I’ve always been sort of a dragee when it came to social media, but I’d read a convincing article by John Piper a few months earlier about God using 140-character tweets just as powerfully as 30-minute sermons. We just have to work harder on getting them down to size! So I called on thousands of others to join in prayer, and realized John was right—God can indeed move through social media.

Thousand filled (and continue to fill) the no-man’s-land between Heaven and earth with prayer. Then, another miracle: Eternal Perspective Ministries wrote offering to cover Achu’s medical expenses, if Make Way Partners could coordinate it.

I called my friend Dr. Carol Spears at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya and asked her if Tenwek would be able to treat Achu. Dr. Carol informed me that not only would they treat her, but also that Dr. Dan Galat, on staff, was a Mayo Clinic-trained orthopedic surgeon. 

Miracle number too-many-to-count—a Mayo-trained orthopedic surgeon in the next country over, who was willing to operate on Achu! But we would need the stream of miracles to flow with whitewater power; getting Achu out of Sudan would be no small task.

In order to justify not giving up any of his booze money, Achu’s father denied Achu needed help. So, even though we offered to cover all expenses from the private charter to get her out of war-torn Sudan, to medical expenses in Kenya, to food and lodging for her big sister to accompany her along the scary journey, Achu’s father refused. Drunken Sudanese men do not easily or usually change their minds, nor admit they are wrong.  

Even if her father agreed to let us take Achu to Tenwek, we still only had a few days to create and file for approval the necessary travel and immigration documents to legally transport her across international borders. Achu is from a land where there are no birth certificates, identification papers, educational records, or immunization vaccines. She had never ridden in a car, much less flown on a plane.

Slowly-by-slowly, as they say in Sudan, I kept making plans through Dr. Carol in Kenya, and believers from Alabama to Switzerland and Sudan to Australia kept filling up that no-man’s-land with prayers. The stream of miracles raged on against the gates of evil, and Achu’s father suddenly agreed to let her go even as the local commissioner rushed together all the required travel documents. 

This emaciated, abandoned orphan had every reason in the world to not trust anything we said. Yet, she boarded our plane in childlike faith, spreading her lips in a smile that lit all our hearts for the next eight hours of fly-time.

My seat sat backwards, like the old trains used to do, so that I was facing Achu. I studied her face as our World-War-II-era DC3 bounced down the trench-riddled dirt airstrip and rattled into ascension. I expected fear. I saw nothing but the pure unadulterated Hope that the One True Christmas is surely coming.

Achu had told Dr. Matt that a month before coming to the Make Way Partners clinic, she had started going into the local church and praying to God that she could find a way to get her leg fixed.  When she and her sister heard about the clinic, they traveled in faith, hoping that someone there could help her. Achu then stated that God had answered her prayer and that now—for the first time—she had hope.

Hebrews chapter 13 comes to me. With passionate exhortation the author exhorts us to stop trying to live the privileged life, and to go outside the camp—where Jesus lived and died, where the action is. I have lived on four different continents and traveled to many others. I know of no other place farther “outside the camp” than Sudan.     

Thank you for joining Achu—and many other unadoptable orphans “outside the gate” in prayer, financial support, and sharing her story so that others might join her, too. Miraculous stories of Hope are like experiencing a childlike Christmas all over again; you just can’t stop talking about them and sharing the hope with others! 

Love, your sister along the journey,

Kimberly L. Smith

Dr. Dan Galat, orthopedic surgeon at Tenwek Hospital who has overseen Achu’s care, picks up the story:

As our orthopedic team evaluated Achu, the foul smell of necrotic flesh was strong, and our first thought was "there is no way to save her leg." The piece of protruding bone was too large and after removing it, we were concerned that the remaining defect could never fill in with new and healthy bone. However, we were encouraged, as x-rays showed a surprisingly large bridge of new bone posteriorly, which explained why Achu, despite her condition, was still able to walk, bearing weight on her leg. In addition, we had the sense that God was at work and we were just along for the ride. So that same day, we took Achu to theatre, and removed this piece (approx. 3 inches) of dead sequestrum. Indeed, the hole it left in her leg was cavernous, but we could feel the bridge of bone posteriorly, and the leg miraculously felt very stable.

Achu is currently still in the hospital undergoing daily “whirlpool” therapy in a Jacuzzi-like tub to clear up any remaining signs of infection, and soon, we hope to continue wound VAC therapy which utilizes a sponge and suction to encourage formation of granulation tissue that will slowly fill in this defect. What is most striking to us now about Achu is her beautiful and continual smile, which, I believe, is the reflection of new-found hope. She knows there is a God who has seen her condition and is loving her with a perfect love.

Her story reminds me of Hagar, who when she met God, called him El Roi, "the God who sees me" (Genesis 16:13). God is answering her prayers (and the prayers of many others) and we are privileged to be a small part of this process, seeing yet another one of God’s miracles on behalf of the poor at Tenwek. I am humbled and moved to worship the Father who sees the neglected, the abused, and the hopeless.

Dr. Galat shared some specific prayer requests: that the new bone continues to strengthen and remodel so that it is healthy; that the defect would fill quickly with healthy granulation tissue; and that Achu’s time at Tenwek would allow her to experience how much God loves her.

As Nanci and I have read these various reports and articles about Achu, we have wept together. God’s hand upon this girl’s life is remarkable. What a privilege for EPM to help her live and walk and, we hope, to love Jesus with all her heart.

And thanks to those who kindly support EPM with your financial gifts. You had had a major role in the life of this little girl, and countless others.

      

 

Disabled Children and Our Cultural Blindspot

In this touching 7-minute video, mother Lacey Buchanan shares her story of choosing life for her disabled son.

Contrast the above video with the recent news story of an Oregon couple who were awarded nearly $3 million by a jury after their daughter was born with Down Syndrome. 

The couple, who have not commented publicly on their lawsuit because they are “worried about the backlash they could get over such a controversial topic,” sued the hospital for millions, the amount they say will be needed to care for their daughter during her lifetime. They contend that doctors at the hospital “repeatedly advised” them that a test of their unborn child had “definitely ruled out Down syndrome” and that other indicators were “not reliable.” The doctors, say the Levys, were “negligent in their performance, analysis and reporting.” Had they known their daughter would have been born with Down Syndrome, they would have aborted the baby.

This is a sickening situation. I would like to see lawsuits by people talked into an abortion, rather than people suing when they end up letting an innocent child live because they weren't “given the correct medical information.” They are in essence saying, "You should have told us, and if you would have, we would have killed our daughter."

As far back as the 1980's, I read about a survey of pediatricians in which 3/4 said they would abort if knew they were going to have a Down Syndrome Child. Another survey of pediatricians and pediatric surgeons re­vealed that more than two out of three would go along with parents’ wishes to deny life-saving surgery to a child with Down syndrome.

On the one hand, we provide special parking and elevators for the handicapped. We talk tenderly about those poster children with Spina-bifida and Down syndrome. We smile when they’re in a McDonald’s commercial. We sponsor the Special Olympics and cheer on the competitors, speaking of the joy and inspiration they bring us.

But when we hear a woman is carrying one of these very children, many say, “Kill it.”

God help us.

      

October Baby: a strong film with a prolife message

Before I get to today's post: our daughter Karina and her husband Dan’s third son, David, was born last month. Here are some terrific photos of him and his brothers. As Karina's dad and one of David, Jack, and Matt's grandpas, I have to say "Wow!" Thanks to the photographer, Tira J,  And thanks to Karina, my little girl, for being such a wonderful mom. And Dan for not only providing his 23 chromosomes to match Karina’s, but also for being a great dad to his boys. And King Jesus for his often overlooked roles of “just” being Creator and Redeemer!!!!

“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).

Now on to October Baby: this new movie will be in theaters March 23, and I encourage you to go see it. Nanci and I were sent a preview copy and really enjoyed it.

October Baby is a strong film with a prolife message. Plus, the producers have assigned 10% of the profits to the Every Life is Beautiful Fund, which will distribute funds to frontline organizations helping women facing crisis pregnancies, life-affirming adoption agencies, and those caring for orphans.

Check out the trailer and synopsis:

"You saw me before I was born." Psalm 139:16 (NLT)

As the curtain rises, Hannah hesitantly steps onto the stage for her theatrical debut in college. Yet before she can utter her first lines, Hannah—unscripted—collapses in front of the stunned audience.

After countless medical tests, all signs point to one underlying factor: Hannah's difficult birth. This revelation is nothing compared to what she then learns from her parents: she was actually adopted … after a failed abortion attempt.

Bewildered, angered, and confused, Hannah turns for support to Jason, her oldest friend. Encouraged by his adventurous spirit, Hannah joins his group of friends on a Spring Break road trip, embarking on a journey to discover her hidden past … and find hope for her unknown future.

In the midst of her incredible journey, Hannah finds that life can be so much more than what you have planned.

Gianna Jessen, speaker and abortion survivor, says, “I laughed so hard, and cried so hard, and healed.”

Megan Basham writes in her World Magazine review:

The first thing that will strike many viewers on seeing October Baby, a Christian-made movie about a young woman who discovers she is the survivor of an abortion attempt, is how polished it is. Christian moviegoers have grown accustomed to overlooking some of the more common faults of films targeted at us: OK, the acting wasn't great, the dialogue was corny, but the message was good, the intent was good, and it may impact lives. All those things are true. Still, it is a little frustrating when we have to overlook shortcomings we suspect could have been remedied with a bit more patience or practice.

…A quick glance at the biographies of writer/directors Jon and Andrew Erwin, however, reveals that the brothers have plenty of miles logged on their professional odometers. Beginning as camera operators for ESPN and Fox NFL, then directing award-winning music videos and commercials, and later producing documentaries, they developed expertise in their craft that goes a long way toward making the worthy idea of October Baby a more-than-worthy viewing experience.

      

 

October Baby

Before I get to today's post: our daughter Karina and her husband Dan’s third son, David, was born last month. Here are some terrific photos of him and his brothers. As Karina's dad and one of David, Jack, and Matt's grandpas, I have to say "Wow!" Thanks to the photographer, Tira J,  And thanks to Karina, my little girl, for being such a wonderful mom. And Dan for not only providing his 23 chromosomes to match Karina’s, but also for being a great dad to his boys. And King Jesus for his often overlooked roles of “just” being Creator and Redeemer!!!!

“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).

Now on to October Baby: this new movie will be in theaters March 23, and I encourage you to go see it. Nanci and I were sent a preview copy and really enjoyed it.

October Baby is a strong film with a prolife message. Plus, the producers have assigned 10% of the profits to the Every Life is Beautiful Fund, which will distribute funds to frontline organizations helping women facing crisis pregnancies, life-affirming adoption agencies, and those caring for orphans.

Check out the trailer and synopsis:

"You saw me before I was born." Psalm 139:16 (NLT)

As the curtain rises, Hannah hesitantly steps onto the stage for her theatrical debut in college. Yet before she can utter her first lines, Hannah—unscripted—collapses in front of the stunned audience.

After countless medical tests, all signs point to one underlying factor: Hannah's difficult birth. This revelation is nothing compared to what she then learns from her parents: she was actually adopted … after a failed abortion attempt.

Bewildered, angered, and confused, Hannah turns for support to Jason, her oldest friend. Encouraged by his adventurous spirit, Hannah joins his group of friends on a Spring Break road trip, embarking on a journey to discover her hidden past … and find hope for her unknown future.

In the midst of her incredible journey, Hannah finds that life can be so much more than what you have planned.

Gianna Jessen, speaker and abortion survivor, says, “I laughed so hard, and cried so hard, and healed.”

Megan Basham writes in her World Magazine review:

The first thing that will strike many viewers on seeing October Baby, a Christian-made movie about a young woman who discovers she is the survivor of an abortion attempt, is how polished it is. Christian moviegoers have grown accustomed to overlooking some of the more common faults of films targeted at us: OK, the acting wasn't great, the dialogue was corny, but the message was good, the intent was good, and it may impact lives. All those things are true. Still, it is a little frustrating when we have to overlook shortcomings we suspect could have been remedied with a bit more patience or practice.

…A quick glance at the biographies of writer/directors Jon and Andrew Erwin, however, reveals that the brothers have plenty of miles logged on their professional odometers. Beginning as camera operators for ESPN and Fox NFL, then directing award-winning music videos and commercials, and later producing documentaries, they developed expertise in their craft that goes a long way toward making the worthy idea of October Baby a more-than-worthy viewing experience.

      

 

Just Children: Mobilizing Young People as Peacemakers

Today’s post features guest blogger Michael McGill with Breakthrough Partners, a ministry whose work I deeply appreciate. Eternal Perspective Ministries has supported their work for many years. Through an initiative called Just Children, they’re now working to carry out Christ’s call to be peacemakers and to care for vulnerable children through an innovative strategy that equips young people—in places impacted by both poverty and conflict—to be peacemakers in their communities. I love what their ministry is about and look forward to seeing how God will use their efforts to spread the gospel and bring glory to Himself.

Shreya’s Story of Exchanging Cycles of Violence for True Peace

by Michael  McGill

Ask a typical American teenager about their experience with war and violence, and you’ll find that it’s usually limited to R-rated movies, explosive video games, and snippets from news programs. But for fourteen-year-old Shreya*, who grew up amidst the horrors of war in northern Sri Lanka, this was her reality.

As part of the Tamil ethnic group, she hated the ruling Sinhalese and their military that killed her father, her little sister, and other villagers when they attacked. But she also grew to hate the Tamil Tigers who took her brother when he was only thirteen and forced him to fight and die on the front lines of their battle for an independent state.

There was little opportunity for education and virtually no healthcare in such a place of instability and violent conflict, and sometimes little food as well. Shreya and her two remaining siblings often went hungry.

When Shreya was twelve, her mother moved the family to a makeshift squatter’s slum just outside  the capital city in hope of finding work. It proved to be a fateful choice for her daughter. In these poor communities, sexploiters often prey on the vulnerable who have little hope of seeing justice done. Not long after they moved, Shreya was tricked and sold to be raped by a well-protected man in the city. She was devastated. When she found her way back to her home in the slum, she felt hopeless, ashamed, and angry.

As the weeks passed, Shreya considered taking her own life or escaping from the slum in some other way. She knew that some of her friends had joined the Tamil Tigers to fight and they usually had enough to eat; but she also knew the girls were often sexually abused or died in battle. Other girls and boys turned to prostitution to get by. Shreya saw how violence had lead to so many problems in her life and country; but she knew few other options.

Not long after, a friend providentially brought her to a gathering where she could get food through a project of a local Christian organization. There she discovered that they also had an active children’s program. Shreya was skeptical at first—mostly just watching and listening. She was surprised to see children working together to bring peace and prosperity to their communities and receiving help from adults to do so. She was even more surprised to see once-hopeless children appearing joyful and speaking of “Jesus forgiving, and giving new life and the ability to forgive others.” A glimmer of hope began to rise within her. After months of watching, Shreya decided to risk trusting Christ as she saw other children doing. She soon felt her burdens lifted and found a new ability to forgive others as she had been forgiven, which gave her freedom to serve others.

Shreya joined the Youth Safety Patrol, where small groups of children regularly patrol her community acting to help prevent violence, educate other children, and report crime to trusted adults. Shreya was thrilled to have an opportunity help others avoid the abuse she herself had suffered. She also began working with other children building reconciliation between Tamil and Sinhalese people groups through sports, song and dance activities, and special ceremonies of repentance and forgiveness.

“I feel hope for the future,” Shreya said. Her problems were far from over, and she knew she alone could not save all children in her community from violence and exploitation. But she also knew that she wanted to join with others to bring peace and healing to her country as Christ had begun to do in her own life.

Sadly, Shreya’s experiences of suffering are all too common today, and the opportunities she found to bring peace to her community are all too rare. Nearly 90% of our world’s 2.2 billion children live in developing nations (UNICEF 2011). Nearly 80% of the poorest nations in the world have experienced a major civil war in the recent past, and in some countries, over half of the population is under 18 years old (UNICEF 2004). Countries where youth represent a large percentage of the population have a much higher risk of terrorism, war, and other violence (Urdal 2004; Heinsohn 2005).

Breakthrough Partners’ Just Children initiative believes children and young people in these high-risk countries are not a burden—rather, they are a valuable asset to be nurtured. We have a unique opportunity to show Christ’s love by better helping his little ones be known as peacemakers who shape brighter futures for their nations. The abundance of young people in these high-risk areas provides a chance to equip and mobilize peacebuilders like Shreya, and thereby, help to break cycles of violence and build cycles of peace.

*Shreya’s story is an amalgamation of several children’s stories in order to protect their identities and give an image of the many challenges these children face.

Learn more about Just Children at www.JustChildren.org. If you would like to contribute to their cause, you can send your designated contribution to EPM and 100% will be passed on to the ministry. You can also give online at www.breakthroughpartners.org/giving.htm and select “Just Children” from the drop down menu.

      

Nick Vujicic: "He uses me just the way I am"

In If God Is Good, I share the story of Nick Vujicic, a man born without arms or legs. In this great one and a half minute video from his ministry, Life Without Limbs, you’ll be introduced to Nick and get a glimpse of how God is using him to draw people to Christ.

When Nick was born, both his mom and his dad, an Australian pastor, felt devastated by their firstborn son’s condition. “If God is a God of love,” they said, “then why would he let something like this happen, and especially to committed Christians?” But they chose to trust God despite their questions.

Nick struggled at school where other students bullied and rejected him. “At that stage in my childhood,” he said, “I could understand His love to a point. But... I still got hung up on the fact that if God really loved me, why did He make me like this? I wondered if I’d done something wrong and began to feel certain that this must be true.”

Thoughts of suicide plagued Nick until one day the fifteen-year-old read the story in John 9 about the man born blind: “but that the works of God should be revealed in him” (NKJV). He surrendered his life to Christ. Now, at age twenty-six, he’s earned a bachelor’s degree and encourages others as a motivational speaker. (Nick also recently got married; congratulations to him and his new wife Kanae Miyahara.)

“Due to the emotional struggles I had experienced with bullying, self-esteem and loneliness,” Nick says, “God began to instill a passion of sharing my story and experiences to help others cope with whatever challenge they might have in their lives. Turning my struggles into something that would glorify God and bless others, I realized my purpose! The Lord was going to use me to encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential and not let anything get in the way of accomplishing their hopes and dreams. God’s purpose became clearer to me and now I’m fully convinced and understand that His glory is revealed as He uses me just the way I am. And even more wonderful, He can use me in ways others can’t be used.”

When Christ’s disciples asked whose sin lay behind a man born blind, Jesus said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned” (John 9:3). Jesus then redirected his disciples from thinking about the cause of the man’s disability to considering the purpose for it. He said, “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Eugene Peterson paraphrases Christ’s words this way: “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do” (MSG).

      

Maggie Grace: a Reflection of the Goodness of the God Who Made Her

Recently when we were filming in my office, our Golden retriever Maggie, who is growing more each day, made a guest appearance. Thought I would share it with you. Maggie is a gift from God to Nanci and me. We love dogs in general and this one in particular.

As some of you have experienced, I’ve found something profoundly spiritual in being entrusted with a creation of God (Maggie Grace). I have been so moved toward Christ through each of the dogs I’ve had (including one before I knew Christ, who I believe God used, years in advance, to prepare my heart to love Him). To see my precious Nanci’s joy in Maggie overwhelm—and yet give place to— her grief over our Dalmation Moses has been a worshipful experience. The gratitude runs deep, as does the praise. Nanci and I have laughed and cried together, and marveled at Maggie. Any dog can be a therapy dog, and what God has done in Nanci (and me too) through Maggie this past couple of months borders on the miraculous.  

Here’s a slideshow with some more pictures of Maggie:

Romans 1 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” God’s qualities and attributes are made visible in his creation, and the higher the creation, the more manifest they are. Animals are his second highest creation. To observe them is to observe their maker. As I look into Maggie’s eyes, and as she gives and receives love and devotion, I feel drawn to the God who made her.

True, the Fall twists certain things, so obviously we are not to draw conclusions about God’s character from an animal who eats its young! But it is perfectly accurate, I think, to observe a lion’s majesty and see God’s majesty, to see an otter’s playfulness and see God’s playfulness, to see a dog’s unconditional love and see God’s unconditional love. Animals are not just God’s wonderful creations, they are also lenses through which (using discernment) we can and should see his character more clearly. God has given us two books, his written word and his physical creation in which he has also written who He is (we use Scripture to discern which of our observations about the natural world are accurate).

I have been thinking a lot about the happiness of God. (Remember, He will say to us one day, “Enter into your Master’s happiness”—this is a happiness that pre-existed the creation of the universe.) God is profoundly happy in and of himself, in perfect fellowship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Incredibly (see John 17) He has opened his arms to include us in that sacred company.  With it comes a capacity for happiness that we have gotten just a hint and foretaste of, I think, in this fallen world. In the time we’ve had her, I’ve seen God’s character not only in his kindness in sharing Maggie with us, but in her beauty, her happiness, her playfulness, her sense of wonder, her love for knowledge and exploration, her joy of discovery, and her utter trust in us and devotion to us.

It’s hard to take my eyes off this creature who tucks herself into remote corners to nap, who always wants in my lap, who chews my slippers and jumps on leaves in the yard when the wind blows. And each time I look at her, I fall more in love with her Creator, and mine. As I rejoice in her I hear God say, “Enter into your master’s happiness.” (I see Maggie entering into Nanci’s and my happiness, and we are her masters.) To know God is happy about her, that He takes delight in her as her Creator, that he longs for the day when his creations, like our Dalmatian Moses, no longer groan and suffer and die (Romans 8), gives me total liberty—full permission from my Lord—to take utter delight in her, knowing she is not an idol, but a precious gift and prompter of praise to Him, the only one worthy of praise.

      

Questions on Heaven from Corban University Students

Last month I did a Q&A on Heaven at Corban University’s chapel. I enjoyed meeting students and sharing what God’s word says about our eternal home. (I’ll be going back to Corban in May to teach a three-day graduate course titled “Spend 3 Days in Heaven,” which can be taken for credit or audited. If, and only if, it’s what God has for you and you’re able to travel to Oregon, I would love to see you there. Learn more about the class.)

During the chapel session, students submitted some great questions, but unfortunately we didn’t have time to get to all of them. Campus Pastor Dan Huber shared the remaining questions with me, so I wanted to provide answers for the students and also for anyone who has had similar questions. Special thanks to EPM staff member Julia Stager, who pulled all these answers together!

Here’s the full-length video of the session.

Here are some highlights from the students’ questions. I’ve also included the complete list below.

How can we start a conversation with unbelievers on Heaven, especially those (unbelievers) in our own homes?

See Is the subject of Heaven a good evangelistic topic? and How can I be better prepared for evangelism?


Was Heaven created as a result of The Fall?

See Was Heaven created as a result of the Fall?


Is Heaven a real physical place somewhere in this universe?

Answered at Will Heaven really change locations?


We all really like food. :) Will we eat good food in Heaven?

See Will we eat good food in Heaven? How will it taste like?


What is your response to the book Heaven is for Real? What do you think of the people who claim to have seen Heaven or Hell and then return to this world? What is your view on stories involving an unbelieving person dying, getting a glimpse of Hell, and then returning to life to tell of the story?

See my blog post Heaven is for Real, 90 Minutes in Heaven, and other books about visits to Heaven or Hell

      

The full list of questions and answers:

Will we instantly know other believers in Heaven even if we had never met them on earth? 

Answered at Once in heaven, will people know and recognize those they knew on earth?

On this new planet, is there going to be knowledge of good and evil? Could the new planet turn out with sin just like this one?

Answered at Will we have the opportunity to sin in Heaven?

If we are all rulers in the New Earth, who will be ruled? How does that work/look?

Answered at How does having a servant’s heart affect one’s rewards in Heaven?

Will knowing some of our loved ones are not with us in Heaven make us sad? I have a hard time seeing myself joyful in Heaven knowing that some of my friends and family are in hell and it's too late to do anything. Your thoughts?

Answered at If our loved ones are in Hell, won’t that spoil Heaven?

If we will live on the New Earth, what is the purpose of the New Heaven?

Answered at What does the Bible mean by the term New Heavens?

We all really like food. :) Will we eat good food in Heaven?

See Will we eat good food in Heaven? How will it taste like?

What will we do in Heaven? Will we be with people from our lives, recognize them and even "socialize" with them?

Answered at What will do in Heaven?

What if something tragic has happened but it’s not your fault, but you keep blaming yourself for it? And you can’t stop.

See Guilt, God and Self-Esteem and I carry around unbearable guilt. Is there any hope for me?

How can we start a conversation with unbelievers on Heaven, especially those (unbelievers) in our own homes?

See Is the subject of Heaven a good evangelistic topic? and How can I be better prepared for evangelism?

What does Heaven look like now? Do people have bodies now?

Answered at What will our bodies be like in the present, intermediate Heaven?

My church read your book about Heaven and everyone is excited about Heaven; I’m concerned because now many don’t want to face this world.

See Heavenly Minded and of Earthly Good

What do you think about Rob Bell's idea of Heaven?

See my blog post Rob Bell’s Love Wins

How can we do all things for the glory of God? How would I go about watching football for the glory of God?

See Culture, Creator, and Anticipating a Redeemed Earth

In Mark 12:18-27 it discusses marriage at the resurrection. Will there really be no marriage then or am I misreading?

Answered at Will there be marriage in Heaven?

Will the New Earth have the same land masses as now?

Answered at New Song, New Car, New Earth

Do those in Heaven, like family members and friends, know how we are doing here on earth?

Answered at Do people now in Heaven know what’s happening on earth?

Do you think there will be animals in Heaven? Specifically, will OUR animals be in Heaven?

See Will there be animals in Heaven? and Pets in Heaven?

Will there be sports in Heaven?

Answered in my blog post Faith and Football

Do unborn babies go to Heaven?

See “If an unborn baby is better off in God’s presence…” See also Do infants go to Heaven when they die? and Will we be reunited with children who have died?

What is your response to the book Heaven is for Real? What do you think of the people who claim to have seen Heaven or Hell and then return to this world? What is your view on stories involving an unbelieving person dying, getting a glimpse of Hell, and then returning to life to tell of the story?

See my blog post Heaven is for Real, 90 Minutes in Heaven, and other books about visits to Heaven or Hell

Can you expound upon 2 Cor. 12 and the differences between the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Heaven?

See What is the first, second, and third Heaven?

Is Heaven a real physical place somewhere in this universe?

Answered at Will Heave really change locations?

Will we remember anything from our lives here on earth when we are in Heaven?

Answered at Do people now in Heaven remember what happened on earth?

I have been tempted to do things I shouldn’t be doing, and I want to stop, but things have happened to make me want to keep doing it. How do I stop?

See Is there hope for me and my addiction?

If Heaven is real, what proof of it can we see on earth?

See Is Heaven real? The evidence for Heaven (video)

How will the treasures I've "stored up in Heaven" affect my life there? How much should "heavenly rewards" factor into our anticipation of heaven?

See How much will rewards really matter on the New Earth? and How does a servant’s heart affect one’s rewards in Heaven?

Where does a believer go when he or she dies? Straight to Heaven or is there a waiting period until Christ returns?

See Are we instantly with the Lord when we die?

Will we be able to see those suffering in hell from heaven? Will they be able to see us?

Answered at Is there awareness in Heaven of events on earth?

There's not a whole lot said in the Bible about what it will be like in Heaven. Why do you think that is?

See What does the Bible say about Heaven?

On page 8 in your heaven booklet you say that we will go to a place without suffering but it's not Heaven. Where in the Bible does it say that?

The booklet says that the place we go when we die IS Heaven, but it is the present Heaven, not the future or eternal Heaven. See Present Heaven vs. Eternal Heaven

Was Heaven created as a result of The Fall?

See Was Heaven created as a result of the Fall?

What made you want to be a writer and does your writing help you express your faith and help you grow closer to God?

See Writing as Ministry First, Vocation Second; Why I Write Fiction, and Creativity in Writing; and browse the rest of my blog posts on writing.

The Lord’s Prayer says “your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What do you think it means to bring heaven to earth? Examples?

See The Ultimate Answer to the Lord’s Prayer “They will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven”

Do we, as believers, have the ability to bring 'Heaven' to earth? i.e. some ministries entire theology being based around this (signs and wonders).

I’ve not yet addressed this topic, but will in my next book to some degree. For a fairly balanced approach to this subject, see “Signs and Wonders,” a sermon by Henry Dixon.

Do you think the dispensationalist perspective affects your view of Heaven?

Generally, one of the most contentious issues regarding the dispensationalist perspective is in relation to the millennial kingdom. For more on this, see Further Thoughts on the Millennium

Whom Would You Choose?

If you had the opportunity to spend the evening with any person who’s ever lived, whom would you choose? Probably someone fascinating, knowledgeable, and accomplished. High on my list would be C. S. Lewis, A. W. Tozer, Jonathan Edwards, Hudson Taylor, and Charles Spurgeon. Or how about Ruth, David, Mary, Paul, or Adam and Eve? I’d enjoy meeting Eric Liddell, the great runner and Christ-follower portrayed in Chariots of Fire.

Perhaps you’d choose someone beautiful and talented. Maybe you’d hope that at the end of the evening he or she would have enjoyed your company enough to want to spend time with you again.

Is Jesus the first person you would choose? Who is more beautiful, talented, knowledgeable, fascinating, and interesting than he?

The good news is, he chose you. If you’re a Christian, you’ll be with him for eternity and enjoy endless fascinating conversations and experiences. Incredibly, he’ll also enjoy your company and mine. After all, he paid the ultimate price just so he could have us over to his place for eternity.

Most of us would love to spend the evening with a great author, musician, artist, or head of state. God is the master artist who created the universe, the inventor of music, the author and main character of the unfolding drama of redemption. Head of state? He’s king of the entire universe. Yet if someone says, “I want to go to Heaven to be with God forever,” others wonder, Wouldn’t that be boring?

What are we thinking?

The very qualities we admire in others—every one of them—are true of God. He’s the source of everything we find fascinating. Who made Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart? Who gave them their gifts? Who created music itself and the ability to perform it?

All that is admirable and fascinating in human beings comes from their Creator.