Insights From Case For Christ

I remember reading Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Christ, back in the 1990s so I was surprised to see a movie out about the book. The book is about his spiritual journey from being an atheist to becoming a Christian. There were numerous interviews in it with Christian theologians and philosophers, therefor I wondered how that would come across on the movie screen. There are not many people who want to go to a movie just to see a bunch of interviews with religious scholars.

We went to see the movie, The Case for Christ, on Easter Sunday and it turned out to be the highlight of the day. Instead of a dull series of interviews there was a driving narrative of his personal journey to disprove Christianity with the passion of a journalist seeking truth. In the narrative there is also a legal reporting case that goes on so the viewer can see the consistency of the drive Lee put into his journalistic work and the drive he put into his personal quest for spiritual truth.

In the movie there is a particular reason he was emphasizing Christianity that also explores personal relationships. That was another addition to the story that kept personal interest in the movie. The movie did not go into all the interviews included in the book. Instead the movie focused on a number of very important interviews that helped shape the change in his thinking.

In my book, Living More Than OK, I emphasize our worldviews and personal spiritual journeys are an important part of our lives. There are a number of religious faiths and each person travels their own journey. Mine has focused on Christianity. I never had an antagonism towards Christianity like Lee had but I have had my times of doubt. I believe it was C.S. Lewis or Francis Schaefer who points out that God does not make it so clear that we are forced to believe in him. Instead there is some room for doubt so that we may with our free will step out in faith towards God or away from Him.

I liked in the movie how it shows his one atheist friend who admits both sides- God believers and atheists need a leap of faith. I have always been upset with those who simply call Christians “believers”. Christians are guilty of the trap as well. “Believers” – what does that mean? Everyone believes in something. The leap of faith for the Christian is a leap into the arms of a loving God. The leap of faith of the atheist in my point of view, is a leap into random nothingness of chance chaos. The choice is a no brainer for me.

The movie reminded me of a debate I heard online between John Lennox, a mathematician/Christian apologist and an atheist at a European University.. The atheist argument brought out that Christianity is like a fairy tale believing in Santa. Mr. Lennox had a powerful thought in response. He reminded the audience that no one comes to believe in Santa Claus as an adult. Lee Strobel’s skeptical journey that led him to a rational faith in Christ began and ended when he was an adult. He used his professional skills as a journalist in his search so he was not caving to a fairy story.

There are many things that can be learned in the movie. It can help anyone of any religious faith system, (and I include atheism as a faith system), to understand the important of thinking through why they believe what they believe. Our differing faith beliefs shape our worldviews which shape how we live in this world so the Case For Christ can help in reflecting on that part of life. As you watch the movie listen for the line “you didn’t want to know the truth”. Think about how that line relates to more than just his interaction with that character in the movie.

Reflection: What faith tradition are you a part of – atheist, Judaism, Buddhist, Christian? Why do you follow this belief system? What are the factors that shaped your faith journey? Make it a point to see the movie The Case for Christ

Taking a Break Towards Simplicity

This Christmas we chose to take a break from the hectic nature of the modern Christmas time. The break also incorporated a few days of hiatus from the technology of computers, Facebook and Twitter. We went up to Belton, Texas to a spiritual retreat center, Immanuel Prayer House. The setting was a quiet Texas Hill Country ranch. The simple buildings at the base of the hill reminded be of little villages at the base of mountains in South Korea I had seen when my wife and I visited her family there. At the top of this post you see my wife and daughter by their sign and the other pictures are of the grounds of the retreat center. My wife had read about the prayer house in a Korean newspaper she had picked up at a San Antonio Korean grocery store where we occasionally shop. This was a small Butterfly effect that grew to a fulfilling get away that was much needed for us all.

While it was a break from stress and the hustle and bustle of Christmas I recognized there was a break towards simplicity and a renewal of spiritual thinking and being. Each evening at 7:00 pm there was a worship service and each morning at 6:00 am there was a morning prayer service. Each service was in Korean and translated into English. The accommodations were simple in that we stayed in an old mobile home unit with no tv, and modest living arrangements. The sanctuary was very plain as well as the very small prayer buildings along the hillside. The grounds showed the ministry’s simplicity in being mostly self-sufficient, as they had vegetable gardens and chicken coups for eggs.

We had our meals with the Pastor and her husband, along with three ladies who helped with the ministry. It was at these dinner times I learned through my wife’s translation of their Korean that this retreat had been a vision the Pastor felt God had given her over 25 years prior when they had moved to the U. S. A. to help with church work. Her husband for those 25 years helped develop the land by building the various buildings and the garden areas. He verified my initial reflection as he stated he wanted to replicate small farming villages that can be seen in the countryside of South Korea.

This simple elderly Korean couple was the real deal of living out Christianity. They were not running a business instead it was a faith ministry. They did not have rates to stay there instead they asked only for a donation based on how an individual could pay or felt God telling them to give. They had no flashy furniture or high tech gadgets. Everything from their main residence to the worship chapel was simple and functional. Their lifestyle was an example of following the ways of Jesus.
The time spent there listening to her Bible messages, praying and walking through nature gazing at the awesome Texas skies renewed my spirit. I also had time instead of being on the computer, to read positive literature I had brought with me and my Bible. I used the time to think over the past year and pray about God’s will in the coming year of 2015. There is something about being on a hillside with a camera staring at the clouds and countryside reflecting on what God’s plans may be for the days and year ahead.

I don’t know if this is will be a yearly tradition at Christmas time. The relaxation that came from knowing that there is life away from Facebook and Twitter reminded me that we need breaks from technology as I have mentioned in the past. Technology is not bad in itself and there are good aspects to Twitter and Facebook. The key is to understand those social platforms should not control our lives. As a Christian who believes in the Biblical worldview of following Jesus in a simple and faith based manner is the primary way of living. The experience at Immanuel Prayer House reminded me that from time to time it is important to set aside time to break towards enjoying the simple pleasures of life that God has for a fulfilled life.
I would encourage you to in the New Year find times through the year to take a break from technology and do a personal or family retreat at a nature center or spiritual retreat center. The inner relaxation of your mind and spirit is a benefit to your well-being.

Reflection - Are you hooked on technology? How easy is it for you to take a short break from Social media platforms? Look for retreat centers or nature parks in your area where you could take a couple days away from home for a spiritual break for your being.

Amazing Grace in the Develop of Our Life

The popular Christian hymn, Amazing Grace, is noted for being the most recorded hymn with Wikipedia stating about 7,000 recordings. In hearing the song do we think over the concept of grace and the impact it can have on one’s life? The song dovetails in my mind to one of my favorite passages of the Apostle Paul’s letters to the early churches. Ephesians 2:8-10 reads: “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Grace is a major concept in the Christian belief system. It uniquely separates Christianity from other religions. Where other religious systems are focused on man bettering themselves to reach out to God for favor; grace is God looking down towards the brokenness of mankind in love and presenting the work of Jesus on the cross and the power of His resurrection as the way to be in right relationship to God.

Is the initial work of grace in repairing our relationship to God where Amazing Grace ends? That thought is answered in a book, Resisting Grace, (click on book title to purchase the book) by Jon Ido Warden. (click on Jon's name to read his blog) He paints a more elaborate picture of the Amazing Grace of God and how Grace engages with the Christian believer’s complete life journey. I must say one initial reason I was interested in this book as I know the author from my days in Chicago in my undergraduate work at Moody Bible Institute. We lived on the same dorm floor, the famous “9th Floor” of Culbertson Hall. I remember him as a reflective thinker back then so it does not surprise me that he became a Counselor and a writer of a reflective book such as this.
Another reason I found the book an interesting read comes from my Christian Worldview so I was intrigued by his in-depth look at the Grace of God. In his words he describes the book. “This book is about the process of grace. Grace changes us, freeing us from our fears and self-protective mechanisms and develops in us the ability to live freely, fully, and gladly. God does all the work to bring about the change” (page 9). This connects with the scripture I shared at the beginning from Ephesians chapter 2. Salvation from the Christian point of view is a gift from God. God reaches down to human kind in our brokenness to heal and repair. Jon points to the analogies in the Old Testament that describe the sin nature we all carry as being like our being a broken cistern or clay pots that were made for a purpose of holding water but due to the cracks do not serve their purpose. I remember in the beginning of my Counseling program we had to describe our view of human nature. I wrote about the same analogy that Jon speaks of that we are “cracked pots”. I thought of it as it relates to the concept of someone being a crackpot as defined as an eccentric or foolish person with problems. I felt at that time and still do that part of the process of Counseling is moving broken people from being “Cracked pots” to “Masterpieces of pottery” appreciating the beauty and purpose of their lives.

As a Christian, I believe in line with the book, Resisting Grace, that the healing best works with God as the Master Potter, recreating the “Cracked pots” to being “Masterpieces”. I see that process being described in Jon’s book. I appreciate how he follows through how grace relates to all aspects and stages of our life. Just as verse 10 of Ephesians 2 brings out that the work of grace in our lives is God’s handiwork in each believer who is open to the gift of grace. The purpose of God’s grace in the life is to empower the Christ follower to do good works. The good works is not the instrument of salvation but instead it is the result and response of what God has done in our lives. Sad to say many non-Christians point to the lack of good works in the lives of Christians.

Jon ends each chapter with reflective thoughts and questions so it is a book to work through slowly and savor the information he is presenting about grace. One favorite part of the book is from a Counseling perspective, as I noticed many of the reflections and information connects to aspects of psychology and Jon sharing stories of his Counseling practice. One example is his mention of the Johari Window (page 101). The Johari window is a helpful self-understanding concept tool. In the one box is the Known self or also known as the Public self. It is how we are seen by others. It may be a true picture or many wears masks in public. Another box is the Hidden or Private self which is where we keep our secrets from others. This is the person we are in private. The Blind self are the blind spots which are positive or negative traits others may see in us but we often do not see. Then the last box is the Unknown self which Jon describes as the “Only God knows” box. This is the area of our lives where we and others may not understand why we feel or do things. Jon shows how God interacts in all the quadrants of our lives as we are open to His act of grace to fully allow God to be in charge of our lives. That as he states is truly freeing. Some think that Christians are not free but true freedom is resting with an open spirit to what God has in store for our lives.

Of course our human nature of resisting God comes to play in the dance with grace. Even as I wrote the previous paragraph and read Jon’s book I understood why he titled the book, Resisting Grace, as the inner tension of the sin nature wants to go my own way instead of God’s way. That is the root of the problem -- the broken pot is saying, “Why doesn’t someone use me to hold water?”, as it is blind to the open cracks where the water would be wasted by pouring out on the ground. We need that humble surrender to the Creator who can with our openness to the gift of grace refashion our lives to the Masterpieces He wants us to be.

This book is primarily for a Christian who is wanting to understand the process of Amazing Grace in his or her life. Yet I can see where it would be helpful to a truth-seeker who is exploring and wanting to understand what Christianity is all about. Jon aptly and fully paints a word picture of the importance of the unique aspect of grace that sets Christianity apart.

Reflection: What were your thoughts of the scripture passage, Ephesians 2:8-10 listed at the beginning? Look at the picture of the Johari Window – what do you learn about yourself by thinking and reflecting on the four quadrants of your life? Do you see God’s interaction in your life?

Learning to Let Go and Hold On From Phil

This past weekend my wife, daughter and I went to Georgetown, Texas. They were going along to because I wanted to hear my favorite guitarist Phil Keaggy who was doing a concert there. They had heard him from the CD’s I play in the car but have never heard him live. The last time I had heard Phil live was in the late 1990’s when I still lived in Chicago. So I was excited to hear him again.

The concert was being held at Main Street Baptist Church in downtown Georgetown. It was an evening of Phil Keaggy with just his Acoustic guitar. Should I being saying “Just”? Phil is an amazing talent and a perfect example of someone who has tapped into his creative powers. With the looping equipment he uses and the various pedals he uses he turns the “just an acoustic guitar” into a one man band. My wife and daughter were awestruck with his God-given talent on the guitar. That is why in various posts on creativity I mention it is nice to listen to music by cd around the house but always try to find time to enjoy live music to see and hear the artist. With Phil Keaggy I always enjoy his artistry show through as well as his worshipful spirit. In his guitar solos I view him as being in tune with God as he plays. HE is also so down to earth. He took several favorite songs from the audience into his playlist. One was “Sunday’s Child” in which he asked the young lady to come up on stage and do the chorus as a back up with him. It is wonderful to see an artist who sees what is important – people not ego.

That brings me to a short topic for this week as I prepare to travel to Chicago for my first PhD Colloquial. Phil’s final encore song was “Let Everything Else Go”. It looks at the importance of holding on to what is important in life and learning to let go of the insignificant. As always click on the title to listen to a video of the song and then reflect over the words.



Let Everything Else Go by Phil Keaggy

Chasing down hot air balloons on Sunday morning
In pace with a familiar tune I reach for nothing less but something more
All the day and the wind is at my back most of the way, hey-yeah.

Holding conversation with a friend I know is near
Great anticipation fills my soul, it fills my heart, it fills the air
All the day and the wind is at my back ..

Oh, I can't wait to see you, Jesus, face to face
Nothing in this world can take Your place
All the pride of man laid low and all his works of gold
Nothing can compare with what You are
Let everything else go.

Let it all go.

And the wind is at my back ..

Oh, I can't wait to see you Jesus, face to face
Nothing in this world can take Your place
All the pride of man laid low and all his works of gold
Nothing can compare with what You are
Let everything else go.

Let it all go
Let everything else go.

The song has a refreshing melody and a peaceful introspective feel to it. The message of the lyrics is not complex. On a Sunday morning stroll he is thinking through what is important in his life. From following his music over the years since the 1970’s I know from his similar worldview as mine that Jesus Christ is the most important to him. In the early 1970’s the band he was in Glass Harp was gaining popularity. They were following the tradition of the three piece power classic rock bands of the day. He was gaining recognition for his guitar playing. During that time he had a sincere conversion to Christianity and switched over to Contemporary Christian music. Personally I believe and granted I am prejudiced, that he is the greatest rock guitarist ever. Just check out an old Glass Harp video by clicking on this Title Can You See Me Brother. He is just amazing to watch and listen to .

Back to the topic of letting go but I brought that up for a reason. Phil speaks of “All the pride of man laid low and all his works of gold.” I truly believe he and Glass Harp could have been one of the super-rich rock groups. But you can see his attitude towards materialism in that phrase. The most important aspect of his life is his spiritual journey he is on. He is saying the materialism the toys of life le tit go and focus on what is the most important to you. If you think about it is life just about collecting the stuff and toys of life. If you think that visit a garage sale or estate sale. That is where all the stuff eventually winds up.

If we focus on what is the most important in our lives we have a fuller and richer more than OK life. We can also learn to let go of the worries and anxieties we hold onto. Too many of us major on the minors in life instead of spending the most of our energy on the major important aspects of other people, making a difference in the world and I believe personally the importance of our spiritual life. Think over what is the most important aspects of life to you.

Reflection: What are some of the little things in life that you are holding too tightly to? List your top three areas of importance in your life. How much time in your week do you focus on them?

God’s Not Dead Response To The Reason Rally

Recently as I was thinking about Easter, I have also been reflecting on news reports on two atheist gatherings that occurred in March. One was the Reason Rally in Washington D. C. and the other was Rock Beyond Belief at Fort Bragg. Just looking at the names of the events causes one to question their critical thinking skills. Are atheists the only people who can use reason? With the Rock Beyond Belief the atheists, from interviews, they seemed to be focusing on the common myth they propose that atheism is not a belief. They say they believe in science which is based on facts. Just ask them for their scientific proof that God does not exist and they are usually silent or defensive. What about the “ism” in atheism? From dictionaryreference.com ism is a “suffix loanword from the Greek, used as a productive suffix denoting action or practice, …, a usage or characteristic, devotion or adherence”. So atheism is not beyond belief -- it is a belief.

One of the speakers at both events was Richard Dawkins, noted atheist speaker and writer. He was introduced in a video I listened to of the Rock Beyond Belief gathering, as one of the leading atheists in the world. I found this quite disingenuous as after the introduction Mr. Dawkins jumped right into his diatribe against religion, primarily Christianity. One statement was, “There is no good, honest reason to believe in a god…the only reason to believe something is that you have evidence for it.” But who is honest? He accepted the adulation of the crowd as their atheist evangelist but in the Telegraph, February 24th, 2012 there was an article Richard Dawkins: I can’t be sure God does not exist The article speaks of a meeting Dawkins had with the Archbishop of Canterbury where he admitted he considers himself an agnostic not atheist He said he was 6.9 out of 7 certain of his beliefs. That works out to a 98.57% certainty of no God so that is not a 100% atheist. If he was honorable he should have told the crowd he was speaking to of that fact he considers himself an agnostic. Instead he went on a diatribe against religion hinting that Christians belong in insane asylums to the cheers of the small crowd. In the video I listened to he gave no scientific proof that God does not exist. Of course he can’t as atheism is a belief just as Christianity and other religions are beliefs.

So what does this have to do with Easter? In the resurrection of Christ I believe in a risen Savior who reveals to us that God is not dead. Think over this as you look over the words to a song by the Newsboys. As usual if you click on the title you can look at a video The Newsboys created for the song. It is very well done.

God’s Not Dead (Roarin Like A Lion) Newsboys

Let love explode And bring the dead to life A love so bold
To see a revolution somehow Let love explode
And bring the dead to life A love so bold To bring a revolution somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom And this world I'll overcome
My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

He's roaring He's roaring He's roaring like a lion

Let hope arise And make the darkness hide My faith is dead
I need a resurrection somehow

Now.. Now I'm lost in your freedom
Now.. And this world I'll overcome My God's not dead

He's surely alive He's living on the inside Roaring like a lion

My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

He's roaring He's roaring He's roaring like a lion
He's roaring He's roaring

Let Heaven roar And fire fall Come shake the ground
With the sound of revival Let Heaven roar And fire fall
Come shake the ground With the sound of revival

My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

My God's not dead He's surely alive He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion...

Their song is a bold proclamation of their faith in a living God. Hope arises through this faith that we have in the risen Christ. Their proclamation reminds me of the verse, Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” In a world where atheists label believers as crazy we can stand and boldly respond to their secular religious faith. The verse says, “it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Yes it all boils down to belief. But as we read through the Pauline epistles we understand it is a belief based upon sound reasonable arguments. Just because I can’t place God in a test tube or beaker does not mean He ceases to exist.

God’s clear existence is seen in the lyrics, “He’s roarin like a lion”. The lion is a symbol of God. In Revelation 5:5 Jesus the Messiah is pictured as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The atheist declares where is God? Why is he silent? Is the lion’s roar silent? I hear the Lion’s roar of God when I’ve seen the majestic Grand Canyon, looking out at the waves of the Pacific Ocean, or seeing the changed lives of Christians. Going back to the Easter story, look at the changed lives of the disciples. There is no rational explanation other than the resurrection of Jesus that the cowering, fearful disciples should have turned around with most of them boldlygiving up their lives for the message of the gospel.

One other thought, hearing of the Roar of the Lion, for me is seen at the beginning of the song. That is seeing Christ’s love work through His people. “Let love explode And bring the dead to life A love so bold To see a revolution somehow Let love explode And bring the dead to life”. John 13:35 states, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. I read a story on The Blaze the other day of how an atheist, Patrick Greene in Texas has been affected by the love of Christians in a small Texas town, pouring love out to him during his time of sickness. It is making him change his perceptions or Christianity. This is because he has been trying to stop the Christmas display in town so in his eyes he felt the Christians should hate him instead of love him. That is a pretty loud roar!

Reflection: This Easter think over the roars of God you have experienced in your life. If you journal jot these down for your memory sake.