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LIVESTREAM LINK – 2023 U.S. Naval Academy Graduation/Commissioning Ceremony

It seems like just yesterday we were dropping off our boys at their respective academies for a 47-month adventure that is culminating this weekend with graduation ceremonies at the Naval Academy (Friday, 5/26 at 9:00 a.m. EASTERN TIME) and at West Point (Saturday, 5/27 at 9:00 a.m. EASTERN TIME).

Though it wasn’t an option for us to invite you all to be here in person, there is the opportunity to livestream these events, in the comfort of your own home.

If you’d like to livestream the Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony, you can do so via the following YouTube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW42p3ufvLQ

Unfortunately, the West Point livestream link has still not been provided so I will endeavor to send a follow-up email with that link tomorrow night. However, after the Navy ceremony, we will need to make our way to West Point on Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend. The trip is normally about 5 hours. I’m anticipating a much longer drive because of the holiday weekend. I will do my best to get the link to you as soon as I have it.

Above is a screenshot of the Graduation Timeline

Jacob will be in the group of Distinguished Graduates (Top 100) who get their diplomas first, starting at 10:55. They will go in order of merit (class standing). Jacob is 66th in his class so he should be the 66th Midshipman announced.

Above is a screenshot of the Graduation layout


“DG” stands for Distinguished Grads. Jacob will be in this group, most likely in the second row stage left.

The numbers represent the individual companies (there are 30 companies). Most Mids will get their diplomas with their company. Jacob is in 30th company so instead of being one of the last to get called, he will be one of the first.

Also, most Midshipman will shake the hand of one person as they get their diploma. However, distinguished graduates get to shake the hands of all dignitaries on the stage as they receive their diplomas.

Some Praises and Prayer Requests

    • We made it here safely and are enjoying our time in Annapolis.
    • Joshua got approval to leave West Point this week to join us in Annapolis to see Jacob graduate. He arrived in Annapolis Wednesday mid-day. He will need to report to West Point very early Saturday morning for graduation.
    • We were able to ship out 3 very large boxes of Jacob’s personal items back to our home in Mission Viejo. Cost a small fortune but it’s definitely a weight off the shoulders as we navigate this weekend. 
    • About 75% of the Mids who are graduating (Jacob included) still don’t have their orders. This complicates things with shipping of items and so forth. Jacob is trusting that he will be able to get reimbursed for shipping his stuff home. Pray that ALL Mids would get their orders via email before graduation.
    • Pray for us to enjoy all of the festivities this weekend. Pray for flexibility and patience. We have a tight window to get to West Point and a very busy schedule.
    • My Uncle and Aunt are attending the West Point ceremony with us. We will need to coordinate meeting up before-hand. Pray for everything to work out logistically.
    • Did I mention praying for patience and flexible attitudes?
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The Challenges of Ministering to Young Adults

Not long ago, I was on a Zoom call with Edgar (not his real name), a Young adult I’ve had interactions with for the last couple of years.

Edgar was frustrated as things weren’t going the way he had planned. Already in his late 20’s, Edgar was still trying to figure out what his ultimate career would be. One option he was contemplating was grad school, the idea being that it would potentially set him up for a specific job/career he was interested in. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to spend more money on education given how much he had spent on his undergraduate degree and how little he had to show for it.

Many Young Adults are frustrated and disillusioned. Photo by Road Trip with Raj on Unsplash

Edgar was disillusioned. He told me that he felt like he had been sold a bill of goods. Education was supposed to be the avenue to success and happiness and yet, with mounting school loans and no solid, long-term career prospects, Edgar realized that his degree was not the golden ticket he had been promised.

Edgar is not alone. Today’s Young Adults are disillusioned about a lot of things. They are disillusioned about the economy and the “American Dream”. Especially here in California, many of the Young Adults we encounter have no expectation of ever being able to own a home.

They’re disillusioned with the world. They see inequity and injustice and they struggle to make sense of it all.

And many Young Adults are disillusioned with the Church, failing to see its relevance to modern culture.

Our culture is drifting further from its historic Christian roots and each new generation is experiencing less and less influence from traditional Christian teachings and morals.

Young Adults today have grown up in a post-Christian culture, meaning they know very little about who Jesus is or what Christianity is about. Spiritually, they are a blank slate.

Young Adults are increasingly irreligious in their views. Photo by Mitchel Lensink on Unsplash

About 1/3 of Young adults identify as atheist, agnostic or none. They’re not necessarily hostile to Christianity or religion, but they simply have no religious beliefs – it’s simply not important to them.

About 2/3 of Young adults identify as Christian but only 4% have a Christian ethic. Simply put, they consider themselves Christians but their lives don’t necessarily follow traditional Christian moral values.

This is not surprising since only about 6 out of every 10 Young adults believe the Bible is true.

Our culture has been heavily impacted and influenced by postmodernism, which is a philosophy that emphasizes a person’s personal experience as the supreme factor in determining truth. The end result is people who may identify with the Christian faith in a general sense but when it comes to moral values, their own experiences and preferences take priority over any biblical standards, which may be regarded as archaic and outdated.

How do we minister to people who are disillusioned and feeling hopeless when faced with the realities of life?

One of our strategies and priorities is to help Young Adults see that God is ultimately our only source of hope and His Word provides guidelines for successfully navigating life.

One of the ways we’re accomplishing this is by providing premarital mentoring to young Adult couples who are preparing for marriage. 

With so much brokenness in families and marriage today, we’ve found Young Adults are eager to hear how biblical principles can help them change the trajectory of their relationships and family history by providing guidance and direction for fulfilling and life-long marriages.

Dave led a group of Young adults through a 9 month curriculum on Biblical Stewardship and Money Management

Another avenue for helping Young Adults see the value of God’s Word in their daily lives is by helping them adopt biblical principles for stewardship and money management. Unfortunately, our consumer and debt-oriented culture doesn’t teach Young adults how to handle money responsibly and many Young adults cite finances as a major source of stress and anxiety in their lives. 

Young adults are looking for alternative solutions to experience financial security and experience prosperity. Many are surprised yet excited to learn that the Bible provides incredibly sound advice and wisdom on how to handle money and honor God through our finances and by applying biblical principles to our financial situations, we can experience financial peace.

Ministering to a generation that has become further removed from any biblical foundation is certainly challenging. But the Lord continues to move, directing us to Young Adults who are eager to know God and follow Him.

Thank you for your partnership that allows us to help Young adults begin to experience real spiritual life as they learn to apply God’s word to their lives.

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I Want to Know What Love is

I remember the first time I encountered Ed Stevens. I was asked to teach a Wednesday night class at church on evangelism. Ed was an older gentleman in the back who stood out to me because, with his wiry white hair, cargo shorts, tube socks and old worn out polo shirt, complete with a pocket protector, he looked to me like a shorter, stouter version of Doc Brown from the Back to the Future movies.

Ed Stevens loved the Lord and he loved people! Click the photo to read his obituary.

Some time later I started attending the mid-week prayer service at church, which was very sparsely attended. To be honest, I attended out of convenience since I normally dropped my boys off for the middle school youth group and it seemed like a waste of time and gas to drive 20 minutes home only to leave 15 minutes later for the 20 minute return trip to pick them up. Ed was there out of conviction. He just loved to pray.

Ed was a classic example of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Ed didn’t make any fashion statements and if you didn’t know him, you might make the mistake of thinking he was a guy who was a bit down on his luck.

It turns out that Ed was a rather brilliant guy. He had an engineering degree from Rice University and worked over 50 years for Parker Hannifin (an aerospace company in Irvine). He had many patents credited to his name.

In addition, Ed was extremely knowledgeable biblically, having earned a Masters Degree in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Ed loved music and loved to worship by singing and playing trumpet.

One night, at the end of our prayer meeting, Ed asked me if I would consider teaching a Sunday school class for seniors. Ed had started the class 40 years earlier and had been the primary Bible teacher all those years. He decided that maybe it was time to take a break and he approached me about taking over for him. I wasn’t sure I had the time and of course, seniors were well beyond the target age of Young Adults, which was the audience on which our ministry was focused.

I shared my hesitation with Ed and to address my concerns he proposed that I tag team the teaching duties with another guy who also attended the mid-week prayer time. Ed was so affable that it was hard to say no to him.

Nearly every Sunday at the end of the class, Ed would ask, “who’s going to lunch with me?” As many of the other class members would politely decline for various reasons, I often found myself joining Ed so he wouldn’t have to go to lunch by himself. Ed’s restaurant of choice was almost always The Snooty Fox, a local breakfast joint that was lacking in decor but was always packed because the food was good.

Ed knew all the workers by name and would often greet others who were waiting to be seated with a friendly story, a Bible verse or a corny joke. He always had an arsenal of gospel tracts and booklets on hand that he would hand out to people he had just met. 

What stood out most to me about Ed was his positive attitude. He exuded joy. When I first met him, he was wheeling his wife Liza around in a wheel chair. She was in the advanced stages of Alzheimers and by the time I met her she was not able to speak. Ed took care of her for over 14 years and never complained or even hinted that the situation he was in was anything other than a privilege.

Ed talked dotingly about his wife – what a great mother she was and how she had introduced hundreds, if not thousands of kids to Jesus through a Good News Club she had started and kept active for years. Liza passed away shortly after I began teaching in the Living Light Sunday school class.

Over the years, the class dwindled as members passed one by one. Not long before the pandemic, the class Ed had started 45 years earlier finally got so small that they merged with another class of seniors at the church. That class already had a teacher and so my Senior Sunday School teaching duties came to an end.

Recently, I had lunch with my old teaching partner whom I hadn’t connected with since before the pandemic. It was good to see him and catch up. I asked him, “have you heard from Ed?” He told me he hadn’t. A few minutes later he pulled up Ed’s obituary on his phone. Ed was almost 89 years old when he passed away last year after a short bout with Covid.

To me, Ed epitomized the Great Commandment because he truly loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, strength and mind and he loved people. 

As the classic Foreigner rock ballad says, “I want to know what love is….I want you to show me.” Ed Stevens showed us, by his life and his words, what love is.

Please pray that we would be able to know and experience God’s love ourselves and that we would be able to show it to others through our lives and ministry.

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Finishing the Task

Matthew 24

1As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2But he told them, “Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!”

3Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, “When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world?”

4Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you. 5For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will lead many astray. 6And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.

9“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. 10And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray.12Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13But those who endure to the end will be saved. 14And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come. (Matthew 24:1-14, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

Last weekend at Saddleback Church, there was a Rick Warren sighting. If you didn’t know, Rick Warren stepped down as the Lead pastor of Saddleback Church last August (2022) after more than 40 years at the helm of one of the largest churches in America. I wrote about Pastor Rick’s replacement in a blog post here.

Pastor Rick showed up in a video at church sharing about some of the current needs of the Finishing the Task initiative of which he has taken oversight.

Finishing the Task is a network comprised of hundreds of churches, denominations and missions organizations that are all committed to “finishing the task” that was given to the church 2000 years ago when Jesus commissioned his first disciples to “go and make disciples of every nation…” This task is commonly referred to as the Great Commission.

Matthew 24 is one of the few passages where Jesus speaks prophetically about future events. In this passage, the disciples point out to Jesus the various temple buildings and Jesus uses this as a launching pad to share with his disciples about future events.

The first thing Jesus points out is that the Temple buildings that his disciples are so fondly admiring would one day be completely demolished. This actually happened not long after Jesus’s death and resurrection as the Temple was completely destroyed in 70 A.D. and has never been rebuilt.

Later, at the Mount of Olives, the disciples ask Jesus the question of timing: “When will all this take place? And what signs will accompany your return?”

Jesus responds with some general information about the state of the world that would precipitate His return. He says the following things will be true before His return:

    • There will be many false prophets…many who will claim to be the Messiah and will lead many astray
    • There will be wars and rumors of wars among the nations
    • There will be famines and earthquakes

There is no doubt that this list so far has been fulfilled as these conditions have been true for many years. Yet Jesus says that these conditions are only the beginning of the horrors. In other words, these signs alone aren’t enough to signal that the end is near. There are additional signs that will signal the nearness of Jesus’s return:

    • Christians will be arrested, persecuted, killed and hated for their allegiance to Jesus.
    • Many followers will fall away and more false prophets will lead others astray
    • Sin will be rampant everywhere.

These additional conditions begin to bring more focus to the state the world will be in before Jesus returns. One only has to take a cursory glance at daily headlines to see that Christians are being persecuted and killed around the world. Sin is rampant everywhere and many Christians, in an effort to placate the culture, are compromising on Biblical standards of morality and ethics.

Still, whether or not the stage is set for Jesus’s imminent return is still somewhat of a subjective evaluation. One could claim, in just about any decade since Jesus uttered the words of Matthew 24, that these conditions have been met.

Yet Jesus gives one more condition that must be met before His return will be imminent, a condition that is not subjective but can be objectively evaluated . That condition relates to the spread of the gospel around the world. Jesus says that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached around the world so that all the nations will hear it, and THEN the end will come.

So even though all the conditions seem ripe for Jesus’s return we know that His return is not imminent until this final condition is met – the gospel must be preached so that all the nations (people groups) hear it. Once that happens, we know that Jesus’s return is imminent.

This doesn’t mean that Jesus will return the instant the last people group hears. It simply means that the stage is set and we have no reason to doubt that he may come at any moment.

What’s exciting is that the Finishing the Task initiative, which was launched in 2000 as a cooperative, collaborative effort between hundreds of churches, denominations and missions organizations, has made amazing progress in taking the gospel to the remaining 3500 people groups that were previously unengaged. This YouTube video from 2020 not only gives a history of the Finishing the Task initiative, but also highlights the progress made in the 20 years since the group was formed.

And now, Rick Warren has made it his remaining life mission to give leadership to this network as they push to reach every remaining unengaged people group within the next 10 years. As he says in this short video, “it’s time for Finishing the Task 2.0”

We are living in exciting times as we are quite possibly the generation who will be alive to see the fulfillment of Jesus’s command to take the gospel to all people groups and make disciples of all the nations.

Lord, may you mobilize your people and empower us by your Holy Spirit to fulfill the command that you gave to your initial disciples 2000 years ago!

Amen.

Reflection

Are you familiar with the idea of the Great Commission? What has been your experience in making disciples and going to the nations?

What thoughts and feelings do you have when you think about the idea that Christ could return, possibly in your lifetime?

One of the things Jesus says is true of the world just before he returns is that there are many false prophets and many will fall away. What do you think makes someone a false prophet? In other words, how can you tell if someone is a false teacher? 

What steps can you take to ensure that you are not one of the faithful followers who is led astray? 

What do you think are some practical ways you could be involved in helping to “finish the task”?

 

Logo from the Finishing the Task website

 

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Weaponizing our Words

 

James 3

2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:2-12, NIV)

The Daily DAVEotional

Growing up, there was almost nothing more exciting than checking the daily mail. This was before the internet and personal computers. We had no email, no social media, no cell phones. The only way to communicate with someone was either a personal phone call (using our rotary phones) or via old-fashioned snail mail.

Junk mail wasn’t as prevalent back then so when something came that had your name on it, there was excitement – just like Ralphie in this clip from A Christmas Story.

One day when I was in junior high, I checked the mail after school, and low and behold, there was a letter with my name on it.

There it was….a small white envelope with my name handwritten right in the center! There was no return address so I wasn’t sure who it was from.

Immediately I began to ponder in my mind what was inside and who it was from. I speculated that the letter could be from a secret admirer, a girl no doubt, who wanted to express her affection for me.

However, when I opened the envelope, it wasn’t what I expected. There was no note of affection or admiration from a secret admirer. In fact, there was no letter at all. It was just a 3×5 index card with the following Bible verse written on it:

6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

I was perplexed. What was the purpose of this note and why was it sent to me? And more importantly, WHO would send me a Bible verse on an index card? Why this particular verse?

I never did find out who sent me that card and to be honest, I didn’t reflect much on the meaning of the verse or what the anonymous sender was trying to say to me.

Growing up, I was always extremely small for my age. As a result, I was an easy target for bullying and intimidation. I quickly learned that in the school playground jungle, what one lacked in size and strength could be made up with words. I learned the art of using quick zingers and snappy comebacks to make fun of others and cut them down to size.

My verbal skills of sarcasm, put downs and quick wit became well-known, not only amongst my family and friends in my childhood years, but later with my co-workers and managers at work. I remember more than once a manager at the Target store I worked at in college telling me that I was a smart-a**.

What I think that anonymous note sender was trying to say, though I didn’t digest it until much later, is that I had a sharp tongue and my words could easily damage others. Of course I knew this intellectually. I had often been the recipient of teasing and verbal jabs. I wrote here in a previous blog post about how words have the power to heal or hurt.

In this passage, James is telling his audience that our tongues are an indication of our overall ability to control ourselves.

Our tongue may seem insignificant but it can have an enormous effect in how it is used. It can do tremendous damage. James notes three things about the tongue.

First, the tongue is small but it can do GREAT damage. Just as a small spark can result in a large fire, so even the smallest and seemingly innocuous of words spoken by our tongues can do enormous harm to others.

Secondly, James says that the tongue is evil and poisonous. When we use our tongue in the wrong way, we actually corrupt our entire body. This is because the tongue is the vehicle by which people share their thoughts. If their thoughts are evil, the tongue exposes the person to be corrupt and evil.

Thirdly, James points out that the tongue is inconsistent. It can be used for praising God on one hand and cursing those made in the image of God on the other hand.

James is noting that if we praise God on one hand and curse people made in the image of God in the next breath, there is a problem. Jesus taught that this inconsistency is the result of our evil heart.

Unfortunately, when we come to know Jesus, the evil in our heart is not completely eradicated. As a result, we may find ourselves still having trouble controlling our tongue. This is why James says that the tongue cannot be tamed.

So what are we to do? To gain control of our tongue we actually must yield control of our heart and will to the Holy Spirit who resides in us. It’s only by the power of God’s Spirit that we can experience transformation of our hearts resulting in a change in our behaviors.

For more information on how we can yield control of our lives to the Holy Spirit, see the following blog posts:

An Issue of Control – Romans 8

Are You Drunk on God’s Spirit – Ephesians 5

 

Reflection

In what ways do you find yourself misusing your tongue (your words and language)?

Think of a time when you used your tongue (either spoken or written words) for good or when you were the recipient of someone else’s healing words? How did that feel? What did you experience?

Think of a time when you were harmed or hurt by the words of another (written or spoken)? What emotions did you feel?

What steps can you take to ensure that your tongue is used for godly purposes instead of for hurtful purposes?

 

Photo by Merch HÜSEY on Unsplash

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Is the Holy Spirit like “The Force” in Star Wars?

 

Acts 5

1There was also a man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2He brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception.

3Then Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God.”

5As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6Then some young men wrapped him in a sheet and took him out and buried him.

7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”

“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”

9And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of doing a thing like this—conspiring together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out, too.”

10Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened. (Acts 5:1-11, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

During Covid I started running. I hated it at first but I kept at it and now I typically run about 6 miles per day. Most days I tend to run the same route that includes a 3.1 mile loop around Lake Mission Viejo, a small man-made lake in our community.

One interesting piece of trivia is that the 1984 Olympic Cycling event included a segment around this lake that I run almost every single day. In fact, the finish line for that race is memorialized, not only in the street, with a cement strip that says “Finish” but also on the sidewalk with benches and a plaque that gives tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Olympic event.

Finish Line for the 1984 Olympic Cycling Event
Memorial marking the 20th anniversary of the 1984 Olympic Cycling event, which took place in Mission Viejo, CA

Occasionally, when I run by this spot on the loop I will see some members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses sitting on the bench with a portable kiosk filled with religious paraphernalia. Their hope, I’m sure, is that people walking the loop might stop and take some religious material or even engage in some spiritual conversation.

If you’re not familiar with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, they are a religious group based in New York. Their roots are in Christianity but they are NOT a Christian group.

One of the main differences between traditional, orthodox Christianity and the Jehovah’s Witnesses is that they reject the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus. I wrote about the Jehovah’s Witnesses misunderstanding of Jesus in some previous blog posts here (A Modern Day Version of an Ancient Heresy) and here (Evidence that Jesus is God).

Another main difference between Jehovah’s Witness teachings and traditional Christianity is their rejection of the doctrine of the trinity, which they believe was a pagan belief introduced to the church by Constantine early in the 4th century.

While the church teaches that God is triune – that is, the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there is only ONE God, the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is a created being and the Holy Spirit is a force, not a person.

In the book “You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth”, the Holy Spirit is described as God’s active force and is compared to an electrical power grid that provides electricity to an entire suburb from a nearby power source.

Is this an accurate depiction of the Holy Spirit? Is the Holy Spirit God’s active force, much like “The Force” in Star Wars?

According to this passage in Acts 5, the answer is clearly “NO”.

This passage tells the story of Ananias and Sapphira, a husband and wife who sold some property and gave the proceeds to the church. But they lied about how much they made and as a result, they both were struck dead. In a previous post, I wrote about why they experienced such harsh consequences for what seems like a minor offense.

While this text is often used to highlight the serious quest for righteousness and purity in the early church, there is an often overlooked theological nugget in this passage that aids in our understanding regarding the nature of the Holy Spirit.

Look at verse 3, in which Peter says, ““Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.”

First off, notice that Peter tells Ananias that he lied to the Holy Spirit when he kept some of the money for himself. This is clear evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person, not a force, because you cannot lie to something that is inanimate, such as a force or an electrical power grid. You can only lie to a person, and since Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, then clearly, the Holy Spirit must be a person.

Secondly, look at the end of verse 4, in which Peter says to Ananias, “How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God.”

In verse 3, Peter says that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, and then in verse 4 Peter says that Ananias lied to GOD!

There’s the smoking gun right there. Clear evidence that Peter, one of the foremost apostles of the New Testament church, believed that the Holy Spirit was God.

Perhaps you’ve never given much thought to the Holy Spirit – who He is or what He is. One thing is certain – the Holy Spirit is NOT a force, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. The Bible clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person, and He is God!

Reflection

Traditional Christianity teaches that God is a triune God, or a trinity? What do you think that means? How would you explain the triune nature of God to someone else?

The author asserts that lying to the Holy Spirit is clear evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person? Do you agree that you can only lie to a person? What other attributes would demonstrate personhood? In other words, what are some attributes that only PEOPLE  can have and what are some actions that only PEOPLE can commit?

What has been your understanding of the Holy Spirit in the past?

Do you agree that the Holy Spirit is God? If not, why not? 

 

Photos by Dave Lowe

 

 

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The Mark of Discipleship

A few weeks ago, in my daily Bible reading, I came across a passage in 2 Timothy 4 in which Paul mentions two different disciples (Mark & Demas) who are going in different directions spiritually. I shared my thoughts in a blog post entitled “It’s Not How you Start but How you Finish” which you can read here.

Not long after, I was faced with a real-life example of this blog post when I had the opportunity to meet my long-time friend Mark Loomis for lunch.

Me and my friend Mark Loomis – 35 years later!

I met Mark when I was a student at Cal Poly, Pomona sometime in the previous Millennium. I had just returned from a Cru sponsored Summer Mission Project in South Lake Tahoe where I experienced amazing community, personal and group discipleship as well as in-depth teaching and training in evangelism.

When I returned for school in the fall, I was eager to make my mark as I entered my 5th and final year.

A couple I knew from the church I had grown up in contacted me to tell me that their son Mark was going to be attending Cal Poly as a freshman. They wondered if I would meet with him and show him around. I was looking to start a small group so I saw this as a potential divine opportunity.

I remember meeting Mark outside the upper level of the student union. I introduced myself and we went inside, grabbed a table and talked for a while.

I told Mark about Cru and that I was starting a small group Bible study for guys who were new to Cru and I wanted him to be a part of it. Like me, Mark commuted to school. Also like me, he didn’t know a lot of people because there weren’t a lot of folks from his high school who ended up at Cal Poly. I had relayed to Mark how difficult it was for me my first year in college precisely because I was not connected to anyone and I didn’t know anyone. If I had to do it over, I would’ve gotten involved with Cru right away instead of waiting until the middle of my 4th year.

Mark took me up on the offer to get involved and he joined my small group, which consisted of 4 guys. 

Leading that small group was a pivotal turning point in my own spiritual journey. My experience in leading these men, discipling them and training them in evangelism and discipleship skills was the seed that moved me to give my life to full-time ministry.

Though my time with Mark and the other guys was brief (only 1 year), I’ve maintained a connection with each guy over the years.

Old school photo of me and my old Cal Poly small group (ca. 1988) on a group outing with some of the Cru women. Mark is in the center and yes, we both had hair back then, though the writing was already on the wall for me!

When I sat down with Mark for lunch, I was encouraged to hear that he and his family remain steadfast in their commitment to walk with the Lord. Mark has served as an elder, small group leader and mentor, and has been committed to taking the gospel to the world through many various avenues and projects. 

Yet I was also discouraged when Mark shared with me that another student we both know had recently abandoned the faith in pursuit of a worldly lifestyle.

Unfortunately, this is a story I encounter far too often. The allure of the world is real and it’s becoming increasingly more challenging to walk with Christ in our post-Christian culture.

Our church is engaged in 30 day campaign called One Life. The idea is that one life can have a tremendous impact in the life of another. 

The first week in our home group, the central passage was Matthew 28:18-20, which is commonly known as the Great Commission. The primary command Jesus gives is to “Go and make disciples of all the nations.” A disciple is someone who follows Jesus, hopefully for a lifetime. 

This has been our mission, to make disciples, whether with students in the past like Mark, who continues to follow Jesus, or in our current ministry with Young Adults who are trying to find their way in this crazy world in which we live.

Please pray for us to remain steadfast in our own relationships with Christ and pray that we would continue to impact Young Professionals as we seek to heed the Great Commission by making disciples!

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Perfect Vision But Totally Blind

John 9

1As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2“Teacher,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?”

3“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him. 4All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. 5But while I am still here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smoothed the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7He told him, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing!

8His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Is this the same man—that beggar?” 9Some said he was, and others said, “No, but he surely looks like him!”

And the beggar kept saying, “I am the same man!”

10They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

11He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and smoothed it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash off the mud.’ I went and washed, and now I can see!”

12“Where is he now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

13Then they took the man to the Pharisees. 14Now as it happened, Jesus had healed the man on a Sabbath. 15The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He smoothed the mud over my eyes, and when it was washed away, I could see!”

16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

17Then the Pharisees once again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “This man who opened your eyes—who do you say he is?”

The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

18The Jewish leaders wouldn’t believe he had been blind, so they called in his parents. 19They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he see?”

20His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him.” 22They said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23That’s why they said, “He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him.”

24So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God by telling the truth, because we know Jesus is a sinner.”

25“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

26“But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”

27“Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

28Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know anything about him.”

30“Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know anything about him! 31Well, God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32Never since the world began has anyone been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do it.”

34“You were born in sin!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

35When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36The man answered, “Who is he, sir, because I would like to.”

37“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”

38“Yes, Lord,” the man said, “I believe!” And he worshiped Jesus.

39Then Jesus told him, “I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”

40The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and asked, “Are you saying we are blind?”

41“If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see. (John 9:1-41, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

Recently, while driving around town, I was listening to Mason & Ireland, a popular sports talk radio show in Los Angeles.  John Ireland, one of the hosts of the show who also is the radio play-by-play announcer for the Lakers, floated a story that’s going around that says that Stevie Wonder, the grammy award winning musician who has been blind since birth, can actually see. As evidence, he shared incidences from a number of high profile celebrities who all have their own story to reinforce the idea, including this story Shaq told on Inside the NBA:

Now I’m not sure whether Stevie Wonder is blind or not – I just know he makes great music. But in this chapter of John, Jesus encounters a man who, like Stevie Wonder, was blind since birth. What happens next is a case study in three different attitudes and responses to the person of Jesus.

The Pharisees

Jesus heals the man and the Pharisees are incensed because Jesus healed him on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees question the man about the fact that he can now see. Actually, interrogation is probably more accurate.

It’s obvious from the story that the Pharisees have a preconceived idea concerning Jesus that they’re absolutely committed to maintaining. No evidence is going to change their view. Even after questioning the man and hearing from a host of witnesses that the man was blind but has been healed by Jesus, verse 18 says that they wouldn’t believe that the man had been blind, so they brought in the man’s parents.

After the man’s parents confirm that their son was blind and can now see, the Pharisees go back and question the man a second time. They are so committed to their negative view of Jesus that they urge the man to change his story because they “know Jesus is a sinner.”

The Pharisees were unable to discredit the miracle itself so they resorted to a character attack on the person of Jesus. This is a classic form of misdirection that people often resort to when arguing a point. If they cannot dispute the facts of the situation (which would damage their committed belief and position), then they switch to an ad hominem attack, which is an attack on the character of the person.

Unfortunately, their argument doesn’t go over the way they expected as they get some pushback from the man who was formerly blind. When he challenges their assertion that Jesus must be a sinner, the Pharisees resort to name-calling (“you were born in sin. Are you trying to teach us?”). When that doesn’t work, they power-up by using their authority to expel the man from the synagogue.

Jesus issues a stinging rebuke to the Pharisees by saying that they are blind. The problem with the Pharisees is that they saw themselves as people who have 20/20 spiritual vision when in reality, they were spiritually blind. Their exchange with the now healed blind man showed the great lengths they would go to in order to defend their preconceived position that Jesus was NOT the Messiah. Jesus said that they remain guilty because they claimed they had spiritual insight when in reality they were blind.

The response of the Pharisees mirrors many modern day skeptics who, regardless of what evidence is presented to them about Jesus and no matter how much their arguments are shown to be fallacious and illogical, remain committed to their view that Jesus is not the Messiah.

The Parents

Often overlooked in this story are the parents. The parents knew their son was blind and they also knew that their son had been healed. They knew that Jesus was the one who had healed him. But their position on the person of Jesus, when questioned by the Pharisees, was one of deflection and indifference. Essentially, they tell the Pharisees that they don’t know who healed their son and they tell the Pharisees to talk to their son directly.

The issue with the parents was one of fear and comfort. They didn’t want to get involved in the discussion because they were afraid of being expelled from the Synagogue.

I think the parents response mirrors the typical person in our society who may know and understand the truth about Jesus but chooses inaction in order to maintain their current lifestyle choices and preferences.

The Blind Man

The third response is that of the blind man, who is an example of an honest progression that can happen for those who are open and seeking the truth.

Notice that when Jesus encounters the blind man, he puts some mud/spittle mixture on his eyes and tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man does what he is asked without questioning. There is a willingness to obey.

Later, after he has been healed, the blind man is asked about the identity of his healer. He doesn’t really know. He’s never actually seen Jesus, but he suspects that Jesus must be a prophet (verse 17).

When the Pharisees try to get him to change his story and try to gaslight him on the reality of what he had just experienced, the man sticks to the facts and doesn’t back down. These facts lead him to the conclusion that Jesus must be from God or else he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did – he wouldn’t have been able to heal him.

Even when threatened with expulsion from the synagogue, the blind man remains steadfast in his assertion: “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see.”

Jesus hears what happened and finds the man and asks the man if he wants to believe in the Son of Man. The man responds “Yes” and the text says “he worshiped Jesus.”

The blind man went from not knowing Jesus to having an encounter where Jesus opened his eyes physically, leading the man to gain a greater understanding and awareness of who Jesus was. He must be a prophet. He must be sent from God. He is God.

The Pharisees had perfect physical vision but remained totally blind spiritually.

The blind man was totally blind physically but had enough spiritual vision to be able to see Jesus for who he really is – God.

The parents could see physically but ignored the spiritual cues that would have led them to experience Jesus in the way their son had.

The truth is that we are all blind spiritually. Jesus said that he came to give sight to the blind. He’s not just talking about healing people who are blind physically. He’s saying that we are all blind to spiritual realities. Jesus came to open our eyes spiritually so that we would be able to see and experience life as it really is.

The condition of our heart will determine the response we give. If we are hard-hearted, we will respond like the Pharisees, maintaining our blindness in an effort to preserve our power.

If we’re like the parents, we may recognize the spiritual truth that Jesus is God, but we may suppress it in order to maintain the lifestyle we’re currently living.

If we’re like the blind man, our spiritual openness will lead us to worship Jesus for who He is – God!

Reflection

Which of the 3 responses to Jesus are you more inclined to have?

What steps can a person take to be more open spiritually than blind? In other words, how can we avoid being like the Pharisees while having hearts that are more like the blind man?

What are some examples in your own life where you’ve been inclined to ignore truth or compromise what you know to be true because you didn’t want to live with the implications – you didn’t want to have to change?

Why do you think people resort to gaslighting and ad hominem attacks when discussing theological and philosophical viewpoints? What do you think you can do if you encounter someone who uses these tactics?

 

Photo by Antonio Cruz/ABr, CC BY 3.0 BR <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/deed.en&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons

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Three Reasons to Be Courageous

Joshua 1

1After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2“Now that my servant Moses is dead, you must lead my people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Everywhere you go, you will be on land I have given you—4from the Negev Desert in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and all the land of the Hittites.’ 5No one will be able to stand their ground against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6“Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the land I swore to give their ancestors. 7Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. 8Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. 9I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1-9, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

In December, our family attended a Christmas Eve Service at Saddleback Church in Southern California. The church was as full as I’ve seen it since before the pandemic.

After 40+ years, this was the first Christmas Eve service without Rick Warren as the Senior Pastor.

After a great session of worship through singing, the new pastor, Andy Wood, came out on stage and greeted the crowd. Knowing that many of the people in the audience may not have attended a Saddleback service since last Christmas, he shared, “Some of you may be wondering, ‘who’s this guy?’ Well, after 42 years at the helm of Saddleback church, Pastor Rick stepped down as the senior pastor at the end of August. I remember last spring when I heard that Pastor Rick was going to be stepping down. I wondered ‘who is the moron who is going to follow the legendary Rick Warren in leading Saddleback church?’ Well, it turns out I’m the moron and I’d like to welcome you to Saddleback’s Christmas Eve Service!”

In Joshua 1, there is a similar exchange of leadership that occurs. Moses, who has led the Israelite people for 40 years, has just died and Joshua, his loyal understudy, is now assuming the mantle of leadership.

Try to put yourself in Joshua’s shoes (or sandals as it were) for a moment if you can. What do you think was going through his mind? He’s probably asking questions like:

Do I have what it takes? 

What if I fail?

How can I effectively lead all these people?

I’m not Moses. What if these people won’t follow me?

What emotions do you think you would be feeling if you were asked to take over for a legendary leader? Keep in mind too that Joshua was tasked with finishing the job of bringing the entire Israelite nation (probably over 1 million people) into the promised land, which would require countless military conquests to displace the many different inhabitants of the land.

It’s quite possible, maybe even likely, that Joshua was experiencing fear, insecurity, anxiety, doubt, hesitation, loneliness and even grief at the loss of his friend and mentor.

God’s message to Joshua is simple: be strong and courageous.

God gives Joshua three reasons to be strong and courageous.

First, he says Joshua should be strong and courageous because he (Joshua) will lead the people into the land that God swore to give them. God had made a promise that He would bring His people into the land and God is faithful to fulfill His promises. The first reason to be strong and courageous is because God is faithful and completely trustworthy to do what He has said He would do.

The second reason to be strong and courageous is because God has given guidelines for success. Twice in this passage, God says that if Joshua obeys His word and follows His commands, he (Joshua) will be successful (verses 7 and 8).

In God’s economy, success is not measured by the amount of money you have, the kind of car you drive or the zip code where you live. Success is measured in obedience to God’s word. By following God’s commands, Joshua would be ensured of success.

The third reason to be strong and courageous is because of God’s presence. God tells Joshua that he doesn’t have to be afraid because He (God) will be with him.

You may not be in a position where you’re replacing a legendary leader, but you may be experiencing doubt, anxiety or fear just the same because of the situation you’re in. God’s message is the same to us as it was to Joshua – we can be strong and courageous because God is faithful, God has given us guidelines that, if followed, will yield success, and God is with us.

Reflection

What kinds of situations make it more difficult for you to be strong and courageous?

What difference would it make in your outlook if you truly believed that God is faithful to fulfill His promises, following His word ensures success, and we’ve been assured of His presence with us?

Which of the three reasons given to be strong and courageous (recognizing God’s faithfulness, obeying His word and experiencing HIs presence) are most difficult for you and why?

What systems or habits do you have in place to help you recognize God’s faithfulness, integrate God’s word into your life and experience His presence?

 

Photo by Dave Lowe – Saddleback Christmas Eve service, December 2022

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The Fourth Day Anomaly

Genesis 1

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. 3Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” Together these made up one day.

6And God said, “Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water.” 7And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below. 8And God called the space “sky.” This happened on the second day.

9And God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear.” And so it was. 10God named the dry ground “land” and the water “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And so it was. 12The land was filled with seed-bearing plants and trees, and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind. And God saw that it was good. 13This all happened on the third day.

14And God said, “Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years. 15Let their light shine down upon the earth.” And so it was. 16For God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth. The greater one, the sun, presides during the day; the lesser one, the moon, presides through the night. He also made the stars. 17God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19This all happened on the fourth day. (Genesis 1:1-19, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

No doubt you’ve probably read Genesis 1 dozens of times, if not more. It’s usually the first chapter we all read on January 1st when we make our New Year’s Resolution to read through the Bible in a year (I know you’ve made that resolution before, but have you failed at it as many times as I have?) . How far we get into the book of Genesis as we seek to fulfill our commitment is another story.

This first chapter describes the details of God’s creation. Though there is some debate among Christians about the length, age and process of creation, one thing all Christians can agree on is verse 1 – “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” – GOD CREATED!

The mere fact that the universe exists and that we are here on this planet to witness it is a testament to the creativity of God. The first chapter of Genesis proclaims that what we see and experience in this universe is not a result of random chance, but of a creative mind and an intentional process that directed the outcome we now see and observe.

But there is a slight problem with the creation narrative that maybe you’ve never noticed. It’s easy to gloss over, but for some, it has been a sticking point.

The problem is with creation Day Four.

The text declares that on day four, God created the stars, the sun and the moon for marking off the seasons and the days and the years.

So if the sun, moon and stars aren’t created until day four, how can we have days one, two and three before them? In other words, if there is no sun and moon to mark off days until day four, how can you have something called a “day” before you have the objects in place that dictate what a day is?

For the anti-theist, this might seem like the smoking gun to prove the Bible is, at best, a fairy tale aimed at explaining something that people in ancient times were not smart enough to understand scientifically.

But as College Game Day icon Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.”

“Not so fast my friend!” (Photo from wikimedia.org – Creative Commons 3.0) [[File:091507-USCNeb-CorsoHerbstreit.jpg|091507-USCNeb-CorsoHerbstreit]]
This anomaly can be explained and these verses, which seem to contradict one another, can be reconciled.

The key is to understand that the frame of reference for this creation narrative is from the perspective of someone who is observing it from the surface of the earth.

Notice that light is actually created on day one. In fact, the text says that there was light and darkness – one day.

But the initial conditions of the early earth were such that the sun, moon and stars were not visible from the surface. This is because in those early stages of development, the atmosphere was likely filled with various gases and clouds that obscured the sun, moon and stars from the surface. Think about a planet like Venus or one of the moons of Jupiter. It’s possible that the earth, in these early stages, resembled one of these celestial orbs.

By the time we get to day four, however, God’s creative work and processes have progressed to the point where earth’s atmospheric conditions are able to sustain the more advanced life forms that are created on days five and six.

So in the end, day four is really not an anomaly or a contradiction. The sun, moon and stars were created on the first day, but the atmospheric conditions on the earth did not allow those celestial bodies to be routinely visible until day four, after which God was able to introduce sea and land animals to his creation, followed by his crowning creative achievement – man!

It turns out that what science tells us about the development of earth and our environment matches the details described in Genesis chapter one almost exactly. Amazingly, Moses, the probable author of Genesis, understood the process of the earth’s development that concluded in an environment that could sustain advanced life thousands of years before science would uncover it. This is yet another of many evidences for the divine origin of the text, as only God himself could have known these processes that Moses wrote about.

For a more detailed and scientific explanation of Day Four, read, “Hazy Early Earth: More Affirmation for Creation Day 4” a blog post by astrophysicist Hugh Ross, found on his Reasons to Believe website at reasons.org.

Reflection

It’s easy to gloss over the idea that God created? What thoughts, feelings and emotions come to your mind when you think about the fact that GOD CREATED?

If God didn’t create the universe and everything else in it, what is your explanation for how the universe came into being and why we are here?

Hugh Ross, and others, explain the Day Four anomaly by saying that the sun and moon were created on day one but atmospheric conditions obscured their visibility until Day four. Do you agree with this explanation? Why or why not?

If you don’t agree with this explanation, what alternate explanations do you think better reconcile the verses in the text?

How are you doing on your Bible reading resolution for this year (if you set one)?

 

Photo by Alex Gindin on Unsplash