Pondering Pain- A Challenge to Faith

Here is the link to the video:

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uGx6DVEQdUYdiHlIvImXXTK9ZoSq3BGn/view?usp=sharing

I have had so many great e-mails over this time of mitigation: Here was a GREAT one: 

Good evening!  My name is _______ and I live in ________, Florida.  My brother and sister-in-law, gifted my fourteen year old, Isaac, with two of your devotionals for Christmas.  He has really enjoyed doing the daily devotions and has come to the end of the second one that he was given.  Thank you for taking the time to write these books and invest in the spiritual life of my teenager.  His looking forward to doing his devotion before bed each night makes my mama heart happy. 

That makes it ALL worth it, to me!

There are many who are hurting right now.... so I felt like we needed to explore how pain and suffering, existence of evil applies to our faith. This is NOT EXHAUSTIVE... but may begin your process of pondering these things.

Bible Meditations

Isaiah 46:9-10

I Peter 3:17

I Peter 4:19

Acts 4:27, 28

Hebrews 12:3

Genesis 50:20

Romans 8:28

A FEW POEMS AND QUOTES

When God wants to drill a man,

And thrill a man,

And skill a man

To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart

To create so great and bold a man

That all the world shall be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects

Whom He royally elects!

How He hammers him and hurts him,

And with mighty blows converts him

Into trial shapes of clay which

Only God understands;

While his tortured heart is crying

And he lifts beseeching hands!

How He bends but never breaks

When his good He undertakes;

How He uses whom He chooses,

And with every purpose fuses him:

By every act induces him

To try his splendor out--

God knows what He's about.

                         --Author Unknown

"Whole, unbruised, unbroken men are of little use to God." A.W. Tozer

A REAL LIFE STORY

The following testimony was told by Dr. Jim Collier to Briarwood Christian School as he was fighting lung cancer- Has passed away a few months later:


I wanted to tell you the story of the woodcutter. He was a poor man in a poor country. Had to work hard cutting wood to make just enough to earn a living. He had one possession, a beautiful white stallion - powerful, majestic. He was given an offer from someone to buy the horse, but refused to sell. The people said, “You fool! For that amount, you wouldn’t have to work.”

The next morning, the beautiful horse was gone. “You fool! This is a curse because you failed to sell the horse! Now what do you have?” The poor man just sat in silence.


The next morning, the beautiful white stallion returned to the barn with ten white horses! “He was right! You were right old man!” The poor man remained calm, “Wait and see,” he said, “wait and see.”


The next day his son was trying to break one of these new horses and was thrown off. He hit the ground so hard he broke both legs. “You fool,” the people, cried again, “it was a curse!” “Wait and see” said the old man - God is gracious”


Then a horrible war broke out. The man’s son didn’t have to go...


You never know what will be a blessing.


Would you buy a house if you only got to see one room? Would you buy a car by only looking at the taillights, judge a book based only on the first chapter? Romans 8:28 says that "All things work for good...” would you pray with me?


Oh Father, help me communicate the feelings in my heart.... (Prayer closed)


In this body is a tall, blonde haired football player. In July, I had a cough. Had it checked out and it turned out to be lung cancer. Two days later and my lung was out and it was war if you got between my oxygen and me.


The cancer shocked me. Seemed like a death sentence. But.. A lot of folks prayed, sweet prayers... and some time passed. Then it was discovered that I had cancer in my hip and right shoulder... metastasis... more treatment. Now it’s in my right hip and Tuesday I’m going to get a new hip.


I’ve prayed for the school most days. And I prayed yesterday what to say and I kept coming to the story of the white stallion.


One day, your horse will be stolen. It will seem so big...so devastating, but it’s not. You say no to drugs or sex and it seems like you have no friends or no one on your side - you don’t make the team - And it doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 80. We seem to all blow it out of proportion. Rom 8:28 says it works for good!


When we suffer, sometimes we are reaping what we have sown. Sometimes it is the rain falling on the just and the unjust. Sometimes we suffer for righteousness sake - what a blessing. If you suffer for righteousness, you are indeed a special person.


I can testify to all this. I don’t think I am suffering for the cause of righteousness. I am suffering either as my reaping what I have sown or as rain falling on all. But I can testify that my cancer has been a blessing whether I live 16 years or 6 days.


History proves that we must endure bad things to get good things. Abraham Lincoln lost every election he had ever entered until he became President. Winston Churchill, alcoholic family. So depressed and sad. But that sadness forged a man of steel who stood during one of Europe’s dark hours. Biblical examples include Abraham - old and childless and Joseph - thrown in the well.


I can testify that when you have a bad day, when you have a deep hurt.... remember the white horse.... You never know.


Don’t you hear God saying, (quietly) “Trust me”?


Coach Mathews’ Articles:

The Pain of the Profound

“David must have been plagued by a very fearful devil. He could not have had such profound insights if he had not experienced great assaults.” Martin Luther


We have many in my midst today struggling with the sovereignty of God through the mis-steps of man. A lot of my dear friends are saddened by a perceived sea of error, sin, cover-up, and bungling.

How do we respond to these times of disappointment without it seeming so weak and trite to quip “God’s will, man”?

We know the scripture of Romans 8:28 and Joseph saying “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” But that doesn’t help me right now.

So let me do some more examples from Church history. Can God be glorified through the splinters of theological and doctrinal disputes?

Is He glorified on a missed field goal or a botched fly ball?
Is the gospel going forth as stories unfold of slander or suicide?

When we say God is in control and victorious- you need to understand that there is nothing trivial about that answer.

We don’t get hurt so much today. We live with pain, but I want to suggest that it is less than the saints of old. Just over a hundred years ago, it was not uncommon to lose children. Old gravesites show us a world of lost infants, and toddlers, and sweet school children.

People did not have access to Tylenol or Advil. And there were not “Docs in a Box” on every corner.

Families did not have acu-weather red icons of tornados rushing to their city and almost no way of calling for help in an emergency.

I guarantee you that I am making someone mad right now when I propose that we don’t hurt as much anymore.

“You are a fool- I know pain” You say, and I know you are right. But even a diagnosis of cancer is done in the light of prognosis and MRI’s and understanding. It is not the mystery of the day of darkness – and that helps.

AND it hurts. We win more than we lose. We get our way. We have food and clothes. We have enough peace for leisure and recreation. We have holidays and celebrations. We have so much good that we lose our need for God.
As I study history, especially church history, I am amazed at God’s good sovereignty. He allows the pain and screw-ups for reasons. Some of the times, the mystery remains- but in most cases time reveals the whys.

We want the “why” NOW!

For example, Why did the Ottoman Turks advance and threaten Europe during the 16th century? How could God allow such to advance?

Some would say that it is judgment of sin. And they would be right.

Others say rain falling on just and unjust. And they would be right.

I say it was also to the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel and the growth of the church.

How? One way is that Charles V was prevented from wiping out the Lutherans because of his distraction of the Turks and his desire to keep a unified populace in a time of tension.

God allowed secular and sacred events to provide the right climate for growth and sustaining of The Reformation!

Please, don’t run from God during times of trial or trouble. Don’t distance Him in distress. Instead press in to Him. Have the confidence that He can and will work things out!

Romans 4:20 No distrust made him (Abraham) waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Does this answer all questions about our part? Do we stay “frozen chosen”? My answer is absolutely not. Step out in courage and go- but please, don’t wring your hands in defeat and keep a loser’s look and lean.

“You are worrying yourself sick because you cannot know how or where it will allend. But were you able to understand it all, then I would have nothing to do with thiscause!” Martin Luther to Melancthon

“Human life without knowledge of history is nothing other than a perpetual childhood, nay, a permanent obscurity and darkness.” Philip Melanchthon

Movie Review: Interstellar: Where Man’s Best Theories Intersect God’s Best Story

some spoilers…...

“Love is observable and powerful. Love is the artifact that points beyond time and space.”

I took advantage of a holiday weekend rainy day to finally see the Christopher Nolen film, Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey and a great cast. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie- almost 3 hours of visual excellence, heart tugging performances, and mind stretching narrative.

I have been impressed by the amount of work that has gone into the film, including using theoretical theorist, Kip Thorne, to keep the movie within the current thinking regarding black holes and the applications of relativity.

I  enjoy entertainment in the genre of science fiction. These stories allow us to dream of an improved future and subconsciously explore social issues of contemporary society. I especially enjoy storylines that blur time, space, and dimension; it prepares us to accept concepts that challenge everyday experience.

As a Bible-believing follower of Christ, it also puts me squarely into the never ending debate of science, reason, and faith. Whenever I seek to offer insight into spiritual applications of these beautiful stories, I am not attacking the credibility, excellence, experience, or intent of the story teller. I also do not claim any scientific expertise in these issues. I am merely offering an analysis of why these movies pull cords deep inside our quest for meaning and connection.

A trend in the debate surrounding faith and science is to separate scientific logic and reasoning from any part of faith. This view is sometimes referred to as NOMA- (Non-overlapping magisteria). In this ‘2-story’ model, ‘reason’ and ‘faith’ each have their own domains and the two do not overlap. Science and religion may co-exist… but they do not join together in human existence.

My initial experience with ‘Interstellar’ is that it serves as a loud rebuttal to NOMA. In a story inspired by some of the most exciting theories of science, the draw of the movie is that human beings explore and apply these theories within issues like love, trust, sacrifice, fatherhood, ethics, and survival.

In fact, the ‘stuff’ of science has little value apart from the realm of meaning and human relationships. Even the robots in the plot of this movie are programmed with human transcendent attributes of humor, discretion, and conversational communication of tone and emotion. The test tube particles of life always overlap with humanity and humanity always overlaps with questions of meaning, family, community, and survival.

In fact, what resonates in these movies is a connection to the greatest story that  is always in the background of human drama. If you asked me to explain the movie.. I wouldn’t talk about the science...even though it is SO COOL!

The basic storyline of Interstellar is a spiritual tale..

Faced with a world of decay, a father makes a loving sacrifice where he promises to return. It is a very difficult decision, but the survival and well being of his children and human beings requires him to take an action based on faith, hope, and love. His children are left with an equally difficult problem. In the father’s absence- can they hold onto hope..even when doubts arise about the faithfulness of humans to act within the bounds of integrity?

C.S. Lewis’s change from atheism to Christianity began with an observation by J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien challenged Lewis to consider the Christian gospel as a foundational story to all the stories that Lewis admired and those were the ones that penetrated deep into his heart.

The gospel is what pulled me into this movie: a father’s love and his promise to return.

A few other interesting observations:

The Challenge of Communication Through Dimensions: The communication of unknown information is always a challenge. The limitations of the extra-dimensional "tesseract" meant that Cooper could only interact with Murph through what she thought was morse code, later discovered to be binary information that solved the problems to the equation that would later save the world. God Himself is challenged in revelation… How can the infinite be understood by the finite?  God’s path has taken place over time..He has chosen space, time, and history to reveal His nature through creation, his Son, and a divinely inspired written communication. When Cooper encounters Murph later in life, she says, ‘No one believed me”- but she held true to her faith that the communication was truth.

A Blight in Scientific Theory and Application: We all benefit from scientific discovery, But the movie indicates a ‘blight’ in science as deadly as any  disease that began destroying crops on the future planet earth. Man has presuppositional biases that can cause him to twist data and perpetuate untruths based on hidden agendas. Part of the problem in the planet’s ecosystem were decisions by a ruling class of elites who made important allocation of resources more on political pressure than on what was truly the best course for mankind. But a larger problem was that ‘good men’ knowingly changed scientific findings and data to sell a lie. Professor Brand lied in sending the interstellar crew and Dr. Mann lied to draw a rescue party to his location. Pure science does have a self correcting mechanism in place, but all of us worry about what perversions may be held in science based on prejudice, human error, and human fraud.

The Black Hole of Mystery: The power, mystery, and intrigue of black holes amazes all of us. The movie does an excellent job of keeping us awestruck by the black hole named Gargantuan. The crew continues to wonder at the power of Gargantuan and live in reverence and proper fear of a power where all things go and nothings escapes. The characters in the movie ask the proper question about the wormhole and the black hole…. WHO put it there?

A Privileged Planet: The movie captures another amazing fact.. the planet earth is one special speck in the dust of the cosmos. The location, and make-up of the planet to support life is rare and beautiful. Not only does it sustain life, it is placed as an observation deck to discover the beauty of its spectacular and privileged position. The social commentary regarding the dire position we would be in if we wrecked the eco-system in a great reminder of our responsibility to be faithful stewards of this treasure. I call on Christians everywhere to stand boldly in favor of those who have the heart to use good judgment and sound science in protecting what we have been given.

INTER-TESTIMAL REALITY

In the end, all stories that portray a shadow of gospel truth fall short of the beautiful truth of eternal life and salvation in Jesus Christ. The glory of God shines in the sun, moon, and the cosmos. When we trust Him, we never find a condition where we cast off all hope and are relegated to live in lies.

Man’s best theories never solve life’s greatest problems. In this life, the players all grow frail and pass away. Not only do earthly fathers fail to keep promises, they only become ghosts and fleeting memories to those who continue to tread upon the spinning globe.

Something in us longs for a deeper truth. There is One who claims to have returned from the black hole of death and promises to take us to an eternal home. There are others who saw this and gave their life as a testimony to the truth of the claim.

We want to believe in extraterrestrial life as a hope to the decaying world of man. Yet, we don’t want to believe in the existence of God and, sadly, we resist the beautiful claims of life in Jesus Christ.

What story takes the greatest faith to hold on to?

Proving Osama is Dead and Jesus is Alive- Interesting Parallels

These are fascinating times, filled with a mix of extraordinary events and diverse reactions. The recent news of Osama Bin Laden’s death prompted responses that, as someone deeply engaged in Christian apologetics, struck me as eerily parallel to the reactions recorded in the Gospels about Christ's resurrection. These parallels reveal much about the nature of belief and the human desire for proof.

This isn’t meant to be a scholarly debate, but rather a collection of reflections comparing the world’s most notorious terrorist and the world’s Savior.

1. Ideological Disbelief

It’s remarkable how ideologues, whether in the context of Osama Bin Laden or Jesus Christ, are almost impossible to convince. Despite overwhelming evidence—DNA tests, eyewitness accounts, and even confirmation from Bin Laden’s own daughter—some people still refuse to believe in his death. They dismiss the evidence as government deception or conspiracy.

Similarly, the Gospels show us that hardened skeptics, and indeed all humans born in sin, are naturally inclined to disbelief. For those unwilling to believe, no amount of evidence will suffice. As with the resurrection of Jesus, the predisposition to disbelief often overrides even the most compelling proof.

2. The Challenge of a Clear Narrative

The confusion and conflicting details surrounding the events of Bin Laden’s death reflect a universal truth: it’s challenging to piece together a clear narrative during emotional and dramatic events. Communication is complex—what we think we heard, what was actually said, and what we understood can all differ.

This is also true of the Gospel accounts of the resurrection. Apparent discrepancies in the timeline make the events more authentic to me. These are the testimonies of men who lived through these events, and they believed in them so deeply that they were willing to die for their testimony.

3. The Fog of Rumors and False Evidence

In the aftermath of Bin Laden’s death, we saw the spread of false rumors and even doctored images. Some senators were shown fake photos, and an early image of Bin Laden's death was quickly debunked as a Photoshop creation. President Obama chose not to release the real death image, understanding that for some, no proof would ever be enough.

This resonates with the history of relics associated with Jesus, many of which have been mired in controversy. While some find the Shroud of Turin compelling, I approach it with caution. The true evidence of the resurrection is not in relics but in the historical record and the transformed lives of believers.

4. The Power of Presuppositions

We all live by faith in something, and our presuppositions often shape our judgments. Hardened skeptics believe they see the truth clearly, yet their conclusions are colored by their biases.

Faith in Christ is a gift from God, one that breaks through our natural resistance. When someone comes to faith in Christ, it’s a miracle of the Holy Spirit. And once that faith takes root, the believer experiences the most compelling evidence of all: a personal relationship with Jesus. This experience is sweet, though we are prone to forget and drift.

I am convinced that the resurrection of Jesus is not only historically verifiable but also the best explanation for the agreed-upon facts. For those interested in exploring the evidence, I highly recommend an iPad app developed by my friend Doug Powell, Resurrection iWitness. It’s a powerful tool for those seeking to understand the truth.

5. A Final Comparison: Osama is Dead, Jesus is Alive

In the end, which will be easier to prove: Osama’s death or Jesus’ resurrection? In ancient Jerusalem, the authorities could have ended Christianity by presenting Jesus’ body. But they couldn’t, because He had risen. I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually see conspiracy theories claiming Bin Laden is still alive, just as some believe Elvis or Hitler survived beyond their supposed deaths.

A Biblical Reflection on Reactions

There’s been significant debate over the public celebrations of Bin Laden’s death. Some argue it’s wrong to rejoice in the death of any person, while others see it as a justified response to the end of a man responsible for so much suffering.

King David’s responses to different situations in the Bible illustrate how complex our reactions can be. In 1 Samuel 17, David celebrated Goliath’s defeat by cutting off his head—a clear victory for God’s people. Yet in 1 Samuel 24, David spared Saul’s life, showing mercy to his enemy. And in 2 Samuel 6, David danced before the Lord in celebration, though his wife Michal despised him for it.

These varied reactions reflect the complexity of human emotions and the difficulty in judging others' actions. As Christians, we must be careful not to assume we fully understand another’s motives. We should also remember the heavenly celebration described in Revelation 19, where the righteous rejoice over the defeat of evil.

Conclusion: The Urgency of the Gospel

Osama Bin Laden is dead, and Jesus is alive. Osama was a man who sincerely believed in a faith system that demanded adherence to impossible standards, leading to oppression and destruction. But Jesus, through His death and resurrection, opened the door to mercy and grace. The cross demonstrates God’s justice, while the resurrection proves His power to save.

Amazingly, the blood of Jesus is sufficient even to cover the sins of Osama, had he repented. But he chose to resist and rebel, and now he faces the judgment of God. For those reading this, your chance for mercy is still open. Each heartbeat is a gift, and one unrepented sin is too many to stand before a holy God.

Now is the time to turn to Christ. These are sober times, filled with signs of the end. But in Christ, there is a living hope.

If you feel the tug on your heart, respond to God in simple, honest prayer:

Lord, I can’t run my life, and I can’t save myself. Please forgive my many sins. I’m crying out to You for help and salvation. I trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for me and ask You to make me Your child. Take my life, Lord. I’m taking baby steps today, but I will never outgrow my need for You. Amen.

To every reader, regardless of your background, I urge you to open your life to Jesus Christ, the risen and living God. The time to repent is now.

Movie Review: 'Collision' with Christopher Hitchens and Doug Wilson

I don't know why it took me so long to see the movie 'Collision'- but I downloaded it from Amazon.com and finished it today. It is a beautiful and fun movie. The stuff being put out today in the area of Apologetics is great because the film makers understand how to use fast moving editing and music to make dry debates interesting.
    These types of interactions are good. I see Hitchen's in such a better light and I confess my admiration for him and have found myself praying for him, crying out to God for him, especially in light of his recent fight with terminal cancer.
I also have to say how impressed I am with Doug Wilson, his patient and calm defense of Christianity through pre-suppositional apologetics, his reformed theology, and his great training puts him as a man called for such a time as this.
As I continue to see the whole debate coming to cosmology, teleology, and morality- I keep wondering why the apologist never presses the skeptic being created in God's image. Why can Hitchen's know good and do good even though he does not believe? Because he cannot escape the fact that he is an image bearer. He is a beautiful creation, regardless of his rebellious state. I'm sure there is a tactical reason that the apologist does not go there- but I would bite.

I love the bottom line for Wilson: 'The Christian faith is good for the world because it provides the fixed standard which atheism cannot provide and because it provides forgiveness for sins, which atheism cannot provide either. We need the direction of the standard because we are confused sinners. We need the forgiveness because we are guilty sinners. Atheism not only keeps the guilt, but it also keeps the confusion.'

May we continue to step into the marketplace of ideas... no need to hide. The greatest opportunities in these debates is not a love of ideas, it is not to win arguments, it is the ability to love people- and that is where we make the biggest impression.