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“The Shack”, a Review, part 1
“Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones…” (2 Peter 2:10).[1] “Mack turned and faced him, shaking his head. ‘Am I supposed to believe that God is a big black woman with a questionable sense of humor?’ Jesus laughed, ‘She’s a riot!’” – Excerpt from The Shack, by William Paul Young.[2] The long-awaited movie version of the novel The Shack, by William Paul Young, is finally released. According to the book’s front cover, The Shack has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Wikipedia lists it as a “Christian novel”, and one that has made the New York Times best seller list. Well known people, including Christian…
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The Imperative Wilderness
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken Wilderness Wanderings Series: Learning to Live the Zigzag Life The real Jesus Jesus was real. Radically, totally, absolutely real. This means He was fully real God and fully real man in the same person. However, He emptied himself of His divine prerogatives, not of His deity, but of His rights as deity. On the other hand, He filled Himself with human limitations and human needs, yet without sin. This means He desperately needed the Father and desperately depended on the Holy Spirit. Now some may react to the word desperately, and I understand if they do. I don’t mean desperate as in…
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God’s Power Tools – #1
The Holy Spirit is our teacher and He is the one who opens our minds to the truth we will be teaching. He is the only one who can take our meager efforts and make something eternal out of them in the lives of our children. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (Net Bible) “He who calls you is trustworthy, and He will in fact do this.”Prayer is our communication with Him before, during, and after the teaching process. Our number one power tool is prayer! Children are the future generation of Christianity. We are commanded to teach our children the truths of God’s Holy Word in Deuteronomy 6:5-7. (Net Bible) “You must love the…
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When the Holy Spirit Speaks
Last Friday the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He probably speaks to me a lot, but this time I heard him. I had been mentally prepping for the upcoming Sunday school lesson that I was slated to teach in place of my absent husband. Ironically enough, our topic was—yes, you guessed it—the Holy Spirit. Our recently completed series on the Nicene Creed had spawned a secondary discussion on the Spirit, who gets short shrift in that ancient text. Our class had asked for more teaching and discussion on the mysterious third person of the Trinity. The previous week my husband had taken us through the Old Testament, showing how the…
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Life Without the Holy Spirit and Other “what if’s”?
Following up the season of Christmas and settling in to the New Year 2015 join me in engaging these “what if” questions and the ultimate trajectory their reality would lead to. Doing this offers a startling outcome. Consider with me for a moment: What if God had not given? What if He had not provided a model? What if God had not had compassion on the lost and needy world and had not sent a rescuer to offer The Ultimate Gift of Himself? Would anyone in any century, in any geographical location EVER, ever been able to conceive from within their fallen, separated from God, sinful, selfish grid of seeing…
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You Can’t Handle the Truth!
Echoing from the movie courtroom this bold assertion, “You can’t handle the truth” resonates beyond that stirring scene. Between accusations going viral on social media and salacious reports many years old about those we have admired how does one even determine what is true. Add to the confusion that Satan is the "Father of Lies." In today’s generation, doubt exists that such a thing is possible. So where can “true truth” be found? Leaders and media filter information and between edits and photo-shop, determining fact and accuracy becomes increasingly difficult. Often that filter conforms to the assertion above that “we” can’t handle the truth. Dictionary.com offers this definition of…
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God’s Not Dead (The Movie)
“Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully and not remember me or think about me? Because I have been silent for so long, you are not afraid of me.” – God (Isaiah 57:11). I remember the apprehension I felt when I registered for Philosophy 150, World Religions Class. I knew what I was potentially getting myself into. (Out of the frying pan and into the fire.) I expected to be tried and tested in that class, but I signed up anyway. Thus six months ago, when I saw the preview for the movie “God’s Not Dead”,[1] I was very interested in seeing…
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A Mystery and A Warning
It is a fascinating theological conundrum. The bible teaches both God’s overarching sovereignty and the free will and responsibility of persons. Both are revealed, yet they appear contradictory. How is a person other than a puppet if God’s sovereignty overrules our choices? How can a person be held responsible if there is no choice to make? Is God diminished by man's free choices? Recently in teaching Judges 14-16 covering the life of Samson, I discovered for the first time how his story illustrates this theological mystery. Both the God’s sovereign purposes as well as Samson’s free choice are revealed in the narrative. The writer clearly states that though Samson…
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A Touching Story
I called her “The Bloody Woman in Mark 5” for the longest time. I can think back to my childhood and remember hearing about her in Sunday school. I can even recall when my mind made the connection that her suffering involved bleeding — the vaginal kind. I grossed out and groaned in horror when I realized she suffered for twelve years. Whenever I read about her today, I still cringe. And I continue to feel sad when I see that she did all she could to make it better…instead it only got worse. Others rejected her since a bleeding woman was considered “unclean.” The last time I read about…
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Ob•sta•cle – something that blocks one’s way or prevents or hinders progress
“Some travelers never make it to their destination because they are unprepared for obstacles they encounter. Too often these obstacles leave pilgrims frustrated or disoriented, resigned to making little or no headway. Spiritual dryness, prayerlessness, temptation and discouragement can make us wonder whether it is possible or worthwhile to stay the course of Christian pilgrimage.” * Obstacles, roadblocks, barriers – literal, emotional, psychological, physical – occur randomly or on a daily basis. Obstacles are part of the human dilemma. They are part of the fall of man but sometimes they are simply too much. Some days are too overwhelming. Some problems too insurmountable and some losses seem too painful to…
