My two-year-old babbled giddily about the “lightning, Mommy! One, two, three, LIGHTNING!” Relentless streaks of white light made brilliant scabs in an ominously thick sky. The streaks would not stop cutting, and rain seemed to pour out of the sky’s wounds, first at a slow trickle, then a steady stream, and now, a violent deluge that overwhelmed my windshield wipers and drowned my tires.
 
I hate driving in storms. 
 
Unable to do anything but drive with the keen awareness of my own mortality, I feel vulnerable. Inadequate to protect my firstborn and unborn children. I get so angry, I want to shout. 
 
How’d I get here? How do I get out of here?
 
I feel out of control.
 
And then, there it is, clear as my speedometer: the truth. I’m not. I’m not in control. 

The problem of why a good God would allow evil and suffering is probably the biggest problem people have with Christianity. It certainly rises-or perhaps roars-to the surface after horrific events such as last week's bombings in Boston.

In the city that is home to Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Boston College, Northeastern, U Mass—some of the world’s greatest Universities—the broken bones, broken lives we’ve seen play out in Boston this week rile up something deep within—something that challenges sophisticated, academic ideas of relative truth and tolerance: the longing for justice.

Hos 5:13-14 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king [or “King Jareb”]. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.

            Ovid, who lived around the time of Christ, records an ancient Greek myth called “Baucis and Philemon” in the eighth book of his famous Metamorphoses.  Baucis and Philemon are husband and wife, and unknowingly entertain the gods Zeus and Hermes; when they realize the identity of their guests (after the performance of a miracle), they beg indulgence for being unable to provide better for their gods. Zeus and Hermes punished the people who had not welcomed them with hospitality with a flood and reward husband and wife for being hospitable, unlike their neighbors. Their hospitality was considered an example in the ancient Greek and Roman world.
            The desire of reward and determination to avoid further judgment explain why, in Acts 14:8-20, the people respond in bold gratitude after a lame man regained the ability to walk, greeting Paul and Barnabas so enthusiastically. Since Hermes was regarded as speaker for the gods in Greek mythology, this further cemented the “identity” of both Barnabas and Paul as Zeus and Hermes, respectively. Paul and Barnabas hastily correct their boldness.
 

            How would you react if you were arrested for your faith tomorrow? What if armed men formed a firing squad before you and demanded you recant your faith or die? How would your children respond if police or soldiers stormed their bedrooms and asked them whether they believed in Jesus Christ? For many believers around the world, this is recognized as a real possibility, and they do what they can to prepare themselves and their children as much as possible. We in America cannot afford to downplay the real possibility that we, or our children, could face such a scenario one day. We teach our children to be kind, to be generous, and to show charity. But are we teaching them to be bold as well? Boldness is defined as “not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff”.
            Boldness should be prayed for all children. They need to be trained how to walk confidently and boldly in their faith. They need to be instructed in the Scriptures that their faith may have a firm foundation, on which they may boldly stand. But why is boldness important? Where does it come from?

Reality TV consumes much of television programming.  We seem to have gotten tired of the fake or fictional for the authentic even if it reminds us of all that is wrong with life.  Authenticity is powerful.  When we see real life whether inspirational or discouraging we are changed.  Over the years I have seen and experienced how authenticity is a powerful leadership tool.&nb

Jen Hatmaker, you have messed me up. 

I spend my days like I'm the recycling police now. I note when something could have been reduced. I kick myself when I come out of store with bags because I forgot to bring in some cloth ones. I've even carried groceries out in my arms with no bag at all just to avoid plastic. I look like a freak. Suddenly, my blasé fair attitude towards the earth has turned into a budding obsession with treating with care. I blame you and your book 7 (more info on book).

Take for example, my recent trip to Chick-fil-A. Now, I have no problem going to Chick-fil-A. It may be fast food, but we all understand the occasional need for the chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and a lemonade, am I right?  

Tomorrow, April 19th and Saturday April 20th, Bible.org and the NET Bible will be an exhibitor at The Table Conference.

"Why, God?" The question that always comes up when something evil happens. Yes, something evil happened on Monday when two bomb blasts killed and wounded bystanders at the Boston marathon. God did not do the evil. An evil human being (or more than 1 such terrorist) did it. The next question is usually, “Why didn’t God stop it?”

Today I want to elaborate on the second point-Take Inventory of What You Know. 
Before you begin a spiritual conversation with your child, it is important to take inventory of what you believe, explore the facts of your faith and recall the how’s, why’s and who’s. If the majority of your knowledge comes from your third grade Sunday School class, then it would be an excellent idea to verify the facts and freshen up on the details.

Whether you’ve gone to church since birth or haven’t stepped a toe in since leaving your parent’s care, it is important to be prepared. You may have a strong spiritual foundation and profound knowledge of the Bible; yet, find it challenging to put it on a child’s level.

If the person who wrote the publicity materials that accompanied The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom (HarperOne, 2013) wanted to provoke readers, the strategy worked.
 

Bible.org is pleased to announce four new authors. Bible.org's mission from the beginning has been to provide quality Biblical content for free. God has a monopoly on these men's lives. As you learn about them, please pray for them, their families, and their ministries. We appreciate their contributions to serve the global church.

Hos 5:11-12 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth [or “to follow after human precepts”]. But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah.
 

 I watched the movie “Brave” with several children while waiting for their parents to pick them up. The message of the story is that the daughter learns to respect and value her mother (while the mother also comes to appreciate her daughter’s point of view)—their strained relationship is healed at the end of the movie, and the daughter treats the mother more lovingly in the end.
            One of the girls’ mothers approached her older daughter. “Does this movie give you ideas about how to treat your mother better?”

Valentine.
 
Good names usually have a story behind them. Had everything gone according to our plan, my family would never have bought her. But God’s plan was different.
 
Our plan was for us to purchase a pup from the litter before her litter was born. Shortly before we were to pick up our pup, we had a call from the breeder. Another buyer had picked up a pup from that litter, and when that pup became seriously ill, she returned it to the breeder. All the pups in that litter died.

We take for granted the many invisible sources of power surrounding us daily. Wi-Fi signals power our smart phones and tablets. Electricity empowers everything from lights to garage doors. Soon the summer sun will remind us of the enormous energy in solar power.

As the Table Conference approaches at Bent Tree Fellowship April 19-20, it has been f un getting prepared for this inaugural event.  One of our speakers will be Lee Strobel. He has written many books on Jesus and Christianity for our culture and the church. So I sat down with him at DTS chapel and interviewed him via skype last week. It was a great conversation. Here it is:

Bible.org is currently serving alongside graduates of Global Proclamation Academy for two pastors conferences in Kenya.

It's been almost forty years since I received my first phone call and note of encouragement. I was a wife without a clue how to love my husband, a mother without a clue how to raise the two beautiful little daughters I adored, and a woman drowning in depression. A neighbor invited me to a women's Bible study that met at her church. I sat next to her in a circle of women who loved Jesus and listened to them express their faith in God in response to what they had studied that week in His Word. I was enthralled by their insight, kindness, and acceptance of a poor silly girl they welcomed into their world. It was a world which I did not understand but was strangely drawn to.

I have the privilege of serving as the Children’s Pastor at my local church that meets at a public middle school.  We pay the school district a great deal of money each month to use their facility.  Part of what we pay for each month is the Janitorial service that is contracted by the School District.  The gentleman that the janitorial service has blessed us with to clean up after us on Sunday mornings is a man named Jose.  Jose is from Central America and is perhaps the hardest working man I’ve ever met.   He works 2 jobs, 17 hour days – 5 days a week and probably another 20 – 24 hours on the weekend doing other work plus be our church's amazing janitor.

As a non-Catholic follower of Christ, I am intrigued by Pope Francis. He seems to have little interest in the trappings of power and wealth that have characterized his position for centuries.  A Pope carrying his own suitcase seems out of place. The Vicar of Rome beginning his tenure by asking for prayer for himself is abnormal. The leader of the Catholic Church wearing simple garments looks out of place. He reminds me more of Mother Theresa than any of the previous Popes I have observed. I wonder how a man who lives simply and humbly will change the character of the papacy, not only during his time as Pope but for all who follow him.
 
But apart from any precedence he may set for the Catholic Church, this Pope provides an example that should make the rest of us pause and evaluate ourselves and our own churches.

While I am an evangelical protestant historically anchored in the Baptist and Anabaptist movements and am married to a man with deep German Lutheran roots, I have great appreciation for our Catholic brethren. In many ways we Protestants stand on the shoulders of the Catholic Church who kept the faith alive for centuries.

Over the weekend, Rick Warren (pastor of Saddleback Church in California, author of The Purpose Driven Life) and his wife Kay revealed that their son Matthew had taken his life after a lifelong struggle with mental illness. In an email to his church, Pastor Warren wrote, "[O]nly those closest knew that he struggled from birth with mental illness, dark holes of depression, and even suicidal thoughts. In spite of America's best doctors, meds, counselors, and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided."

It is common to have a bucket list of activities that we want to do, but I was particularly touched by one blogger’s list of conversations she wants to have with her children before they leave home.

Bible.org would like to announce the release of the Custom NETBibleTagger.

Hos 5:8-10 Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven; we follow you, O Benjamin! Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of punishment; among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. The princes of Judah have become like those who move the landmark; upon them I will pour out my wrath like water.