Back From Canada!

There is so much in the news to wonder about, worry about or cheer about. Where is flight 370? Are the Russians now a real threat to the U.S.? Will my team endure the March Madness and end up in college basketball's final four?

I've started getting much of my news from the internet, one reason being that by the time a newspaper has arrived, the "news" is 12 hours old. Add to that the editorial bias in some papers (such as here in Iowa, the Des Moines Register, that seems to only print editorials it agrees with), and it is easy to see why newspapers are losing money and some are going out of business. As Mark Twain said, "If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you are misinformed."

Despite the uncertainty of "what does the future hold?" We know Who holds the future. The promises of Scripture were not likely intended to be read alongside our daily newspaper, but one cannot escape that the world seems to be shaping up toward what the Bible presents as a "last-days" scenario. What is a person to do, with all the economic uncertainties, concerns over the direction of our country, health issues, environment issues, family issues, ad infinitum? The answer is pretty simple--"Consider your calling."

When Paul wrote to a young church in Corinth, Greece, amidst the chaos of their area and their time, he reminded the new Christians to "consider" (i.e., "look carefully at") our "calling." What is our "calling?" First, we are called to salvation. By hearing the good news that Christ died for our sins, and by trusting in Him as our Savior, the Bible promises that our eternity is secured. We are forgiven of our sins, and imputed with the righteousness of Jesus. Second, we are called to service. Whether it is giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name, praying for others, trying to live as an example of God's grace, or going to the ends of the earth with the gospel, we are "saved to serve." Have you considered you calling lately? How does the Lord want to use you to bless others and advance His kingdom?

Rolling Stone Ministries update

We returned from our second mission to West Africa in late February tired but feeling blessed. A trip that started out as such a challenge (cancelled flight, luggage, which included nearly all our teaching materials, sent ahead to Atlanta when we had to re-route through New York) ended up as an amazing trip. Laurie taught peacemaking to around 125 Christian lawyers, while I taught a select group of Christian leaders evangelism and apologetics (the defense of the faith). We are planning a return, possibly as soon as this fall, and we will provide details to our Rolling Stone Ministries friends as soon as we know the details. 

We had not even been back home from West Africa for a week when I was off to speak at an apologetics conference in Vancouver, Canada. The conference there has grown from a few hundred attendees to two thousand, resulting in them having to hold the event at two locations to accommodate the crowds. This is further evidence of the growing need to bring the facts as to why Christianity is true to believers and unbelievers alike. In our increasingly secular age, there is a hunger for truth. It is a privilege to tell people that there is compelling evidence that Jesus is the Truth. I was humbled to speak at the conference sandwiched in between two of the best evangelical scholars alive today, Dr. Gary Habermas, perhaps the world's foremost authority on the resurrection of Jesus, and Craig Evans, an expert on the reliability of the Bible.

While I was in Canada speaking, Laurie was co-mediating in Spokane, Washington, having been hand-picked to assist in an important confidential situation. Laurie is close to receiving her certification from Peacemakers ministry to go along with her current certification as a mediator in the State of Iowa. Mediating and teaching mediation and conflict resolution are her gifts, as I observed again in West Africa, where I was blessed to see the response to her teaching. She is working with the Christian lawyers on a return trip to provide training at the next level, with the ultimate goal of the lawyers being to set up their own mediation center. 

Finally, we are currently planning a mission trip to the Philippine Islands for July, and, again, as soon as we firm up the details we will let you know so that you can pray for us and encourage us.  My role as the International Director of Ratio Christi ("Reason of Christ"), a campus-focused ministry to prepare Christian students for the intellectual challenges of the university, has opened up amazing opportunities around the world. Just this week I have corresponded with Christian leaders from Romania, Jamaica, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, all of them wanting Ratio Christi to bring training to them and establish an informed Christian presence on their university campuses. Please pray for wisdom in determining which opportunities we are to pursue first, in order to maximize our time and effectiveness. We know from Scripture that not every "good thing" is a "God thing," and even the apostle Paul was intending to go certain places (see Acts 16:6-7), but he and Silas were "forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia," and "the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them" (to go to Bithynia). While we are excited about all the potential opportunities, we want the Lord to direct our paths.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. The fact that Laurie and I have a team of supporters helps us rise above the challenges and trials so that we can do the work the Lord has called us to do.

West Africa Update

 Laurie and I got back late Tuesday night, and despite the ordeals that accompany travel to Africa, we were exceedingly blessed on this mission trip. It was our second trip to West Africa, our first trip being in November 2012. That mission was so well received that we were asked to return, with Laurie being asked to train Christian lawyers in biblical peacemaking while I would again teach Christian leaders evidence for the truth of Christianity ("apologetics").

As we previously shared in an email blast before we left, Laurie was expecting twenty or so Christian lawyers to attend her class, and even that would have been a good turnout, given lawyers' busy schedules, and since the class was all day Monday through Friday. It turns out around 125 lawyers attended, and the response was beyond expectations. The final day of teaching ended with a ceremony lead by a High Court judge who was sad that he was only able to attend one day of Laurie's seminar. The executive committee of the lawyers is already planning for Laurie to come back and provide advanced peacemaking and mediation training for the lawyers.

I had the privilege of teaching more than 25 Christian leaders from all over Nigeria on "The Case for God, the Bible and Jesus." I created three power point presentations and brought my own projector so that there were no technical issues. The response was tremendous, and the students asked if I could send them my power point presentation via email when I returned to the U.S., which I have done.

I also had the privilege of sharing the vision of Ratio Christi, the campus apologetics ministry that brought me in as the International Director. Our host at the facility where I taught invited the Chairman of a large Christian association to meet with me. I shared with him the vision of Ratio Christi, and how we are committed to reversing the statistic that half or more of professing Christians who enter the university walking away from their faith before they graduate. This man was so receptive that he picked up his cell phone and called the president of his denomination, which is three million strong. I was invited us right over to the headquarters and was able to share with him, too, the vision of bringing apologetics and a renaissance of Christian thinking to the campuses of West Africa and to the churches.

During our time in West Africa we spent several hours in meetings with a local man who is taking his training in apologetics in the U.S. at Luther Rice University in Atlanta. He wants to serve as coordinator of Ratio Christi in this particular country, so he is my "feet on the ground" in my absence. We are in the process of formulating plans for a return trip that will include an Apologetics Conference, and formal training for students and Christian leaders who want to learn apologetics, which is a species of evangelism.

I will only give you the highlights of the trials and blessings of traveling to and from West Africa. We were flying from Des Moines to Atlanta with a stopover in Charlotte, North Carolina, before flying to West Africa. When we arrived in Charlotte we found out our flight to Atlanta was cancelled, meaning we would miss our connecting flight to Africa. We spent about three hours on cell phones trying to find alternatives, and the only way we could be in on Monday morning to teach our respective students was to fly from Charlotte to JFK in New York early the next morning, then fly all night to West Africa. We booked those flights, at an additional cost of around $1,500. The bad news was that all our luggage, including 135 textbooks for Laurie's class, had been sent on to Atlanta. Thankfully, with moments to spare, our luggage arrived at JFK just after we did, and we were able to keep our teaching schedule, albeit with no sleep Saturday night.

On our return from West Africa, the attorney who coordinated Laurie's event knew how chaotic it is to make domestic airline connections in their country, so he asked his brother-in-law to help us. It turns out that his brother is in the military and works at the International Airport, and he and two of his friends, in uniform, escorted us through the security lines like we were royalty or rockstars. It was almost surreal, but such a huge blessing.

We thank you for your prayers and support that enables us to fulfill our calling. We will provide more details after we catch our breath, which may take a couple of weeks because next week I am speaking at an apologetics conference in Vancouver, Canada, and Laurie is assisting with a marriage mediation in Spokane, Washington while I am in Canada.

Happy Valentine's Day in Advance

Because of our ministry travels Laurie and I occasionally spend part of a holiday at 30,000 feet on our way to or from a teaching mission. This Valentine's Day finds us on our way to our second mission to West Africa. We put the word out a couple of weeks ago regarding how exciting but daunting is this opportunity.

By way of review, we were in West Africa in 2012 teaching select Christian leaders in an area that is the epicenter of religious violence. When we were there we were invited to address a small group of Christian lawyers. They invited Laurie to return and teach them biblical peacemaking to help them set up a mediation center where Christian lawyers can use God's love and biblical principles of peacemaking to reconcile people, including conflict between the religious groups. We spent the past year or so working out the logistics of returning to teach key Christian leaders (John's role) and train Christian lawyers (Laurie's role). I have also arranged meetings to commence a campus apologetic ministry in this country through the auspices of Ratio Christi ("the reason of Christ"), the organization that has appointed me as its International Director.

When we secured the dates to return to West Africa in February, Laurie was hopeful to have twenty Christian lawyers sign up to attend her week-long training, while I was told I would be teaching 15 select Christian leaders at a separate location. It turns out that I may now have 25 Christian leaders to teach, and Laurie has more than 100 Christian lawyers attending! We now have four suitcases each filled with books and syllabuses, and will need to put extra books in our two personal suitcases to get all the materials to West Africa. Please pray all our luggage arrives with us safely.

Great News regarding West Africa!

Good news--In a certain country in West Africa in 2013 fewer Christians were martyred than were killed in 2012, the toll reduced from 800 to 600. Better news, in response to persecution at the hands of a radical Muslim group, Christian lawyers in the epicenter of violence against Christians, have determined to create a mediation center to employ biblical principles of peacemaking in order to bring reconciliation, alleviate the violence, and present the love of Jesus as the answer to hate and revenge. Great news--an estimated 125 Christian attorneys will be spending a week this month learning the basics of biblical peacemaking and conflict resolution. The fantastic news is that Laurie will be doing the teaching! Later this month, Laurie and I return to West Africa where I will be teaching around 15 key Christian leaders and evangelists while across town Laurie will be training the lawyers. We are excited about our return to Africa, and now with a further opportunity to introduce  Ratio Christi to West Africa (Ratio Christi, "Reason of Christ" in Latin, is a campus apologetic alliance that has called me to be the International Director). Secularism is growing in Africa, and the prospect of having trained apologists (defenders of the faith) on each university to counteract secularism and atheism is exciting. Thanks in advance for your prayers, and we look forward to bringing you a special report when we return to let you know how the Lord used Laurie and me through Rolling Stone Ministries to make a huge impact in one of the most heavily persecuted countries in the world, but a country that is ripe for the Prince of Peace to change the hearts and minds of the nation.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given..." (Isaiah 9:6) The eternal God of the universe has revealed Himself to humankind in three co-equal, co-eternal Persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The second Person of the Trinity, the Word ("logos" in Greek) took upon Himself humanity for the purpose of giving His life as a ransom for the sins of the world (Matthew 20:28). The Word entered the world, as prophesied by Isaiah the prophet, after being miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). After a natural birth to Mary, the Word's legal father, Joseph, named Him Jesus ("Yeshua" in Hebrew), which means "Jehovah saves." Jesus, the Messiah (meaning "anointed one," the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek term "Christ") was born in Bethlehem as prophesied by Micah the prophet (Micah 5:2) and grew up farther north in the town of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth had a three-year public ministry in which He demonstrated that He was the Messiah by performing signs ("miracles"), and by teaching God's true purpose for humanity. He also predicted that He would be killed and would rise from the dead (c.f., Matthew 16:21 ) as evidence that He was who He claimed to be, the only One through whom humans can have access to God the Father (John14:6). The little baby boy that was born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago symbolizes the fact that God loves humanity, and sent Jesus to secure eternal life for all who believe in Him. As the angel told the shepherds in Bethlehem, "I bring you good news of great joy...for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." God provided the greatest gift of all by offering us forgiveness of our sins through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. We celebrate God's greatest gift to us by giving gifts to others at Christmas. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us be mindful that Christmas is a time of giving, because God has given us so much. Christmas is a time of love, because God first loved us (I John 4:19), and that love became flesh at Bethlehem. Because of God's gift of His Son we sing "Joy to the world, the Lord is come; let earth receive her King." Have a blessed Christmas in celebration of God's greatest gift.

A Tribute to Max

One of my joys in the past decade was teaching my "Cutting Edge" Bible class at our home church in California for over eight years. Other than during summers in Iowa and mission trips to Africa, Asia and the Middle East, I was there every Sunday to keep the class informed on current events affecting the church, and to teach the principles and precepts of Scripture. When we moved to Iowa last October, that season came to an end, but in reflecting on the class, two things come to mind that made this such a special time for me. First, it was my return to ministry after a long hiatus. Those who know me understand my love for teaching the Word, and the Cutting Edge class required me to dig deep into Scripture so I could stay "two hours ahead of the hounds." From that return to ministry many opportunities have now opened up, including our founding of Rolling Stone Ministries, which has brought Laurie and me to Africa eight times, India twice and Israel twice to teach the Word. More recently I was appointed the International Director of Ratio Christi ("the Reason of Christ"), a campus apologetic alliance designed to help high school and college students with intellectual challenges to Christianity, and to reach nonbelievers with the gospel.

The second thing that made the Cutting Edge class so special was the people. I have never had the privilege of teaching such a mature group of believers for such an extended period. At one point I was advised that there were four people in the class who were in their 90s. All the attendees were a blessing, but one special person comes to mind. One year he came to Thanksgiving dinner at our house, and he always took the time to talk to our daughters when they were in class. He always seemed happy, and brought a smile to my face. When I kidded him about his age he laughed that infectious laugh. When we were invited to lunch with his group of friends, he was always friendly and considerate. What also stands out is his testimony. He had been to church throughout his life, but, like many, he made it clear that he had never invited Jesus Christ to be his personal Savior until he was in his 80s. Therein is a great lesson--we have many people in church every Sunday who have not asked Christ into their hearts. Also, there is another lesson--it is never too late to be born again.

It was with sadness, but somewhat bitter-sweet, that Mayor John Beauman advised Laurie and me of the passing of that smiling gentleman, Max Gleason. He leaves a legacy of love, hope and friendship, with a treasure chest of memories. His family and all those, like me, who loved Max can take comfort in the fact that he has now heard the words from our Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter in to the joy of the Lord." Max brought a lot of the joy of the Lord to us here on earth, and now heaven is richer for the homecoming of one of the Lord's dear saints. Some day we will see Max again, based on the promises of the One who rose from the dead to prove that by trusting in Him our sins are forgiven and heaven awaits us. Until them, may the blessed memory of our dear brother Max inspire us to be kind, loving and a blessing like he was to so many of us.

Four More Years?

I’m writing from the Heartland of America, Laurie and I having made a “reverse Snowbird” journey from the warmth of California to the cold and getting colder plains of Iowa.

For those who follow politics, Iowa is a fascinating place due to its distinction of having the first presidential “caucus” in America where the parties choose their candidates. Also, Iowa is important due to it being a “swing state,” meaning the presidential vote is up for grabs, unlike some states that are safely in the camp of either the Democrat Party or Republican Party, where no amount of campaigning will change things.

Five years ago Laurie and I went to the Iowa State Fair with our friends Wall and Jan Posey (Walt is also a Rolling Stone Ministries board member) and noticed a small group of about ten or fifteen people crowding around a slender man who was shaking hands with the crowd. We recognized the man, and walked right up and took a picture. It was Senator Barack Obama, campaigning for the Democrat Party nomination for President of the United States. How things have changed in five years!

It is ironic that living nearly my entire life in California, the most populous state in the United States, it is rare to have presidential candidates visit. Yet here in Iowa, with 1/12 the population of California, all the serious candidates spend time here, crisscrossing the state in efforts to get momentum for their presidential campaigns.

Now that the elections are over (didn’t it seem like the presidential race went on forever?) some people are elated, others depressed. Those who embrace biblical values are rightly concerned about the erosion of our religious liberties, and the abandonment of biblical morality in America. Whether it is the battle for marriage, the fight to protect the unborn, or the attempts by a pervasive secularism to intimidate churches from speaking out on the issues, the spiritual war rages on. Some of us might think, “if only _____ (fill in the blank) had won, America would be a better place.” Perhaps. But regardless of who occupies the White House, who controls Congress, and who controls our state legislatures, government is not the means to usher in the millennium. And we are to pray for those in positions of authority, regardless of party affiliation. The Apostle Paul, writing to Christians in Rome at a time when the Emperor, Nero, was one of the cruelest, most deranged leaders of antiquity, told the Romans “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. [Not “just when you like them or agree with them”] For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1).

Putting things in perspective, for Christians, our ultimate purpose is not to elect the “right” candidates, although some candidates may, indeed, be vastly superior to others, and are worthy of our support. Our battle is for the hearts and minds of people. It is generally easier to reach people’s hearts when the government is sympathetic to maintaining Christian values in America and not an impediment. But what happens, as seems to now be true here in the United States, when there is a growing hostility toward Christianity influencing the direction of the country?

If we take a lesson from history, the Early Church grew despite the hostility and persecution visited upon them by Emperor Nero and his successors. In fact, as early Christian apologist Tertullian said, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” The Church has historically grown stronger in the face of adversity, as is now true in many parts of the world (a former student of mine was killed two weeks ago in Kenya when Muslim terrorists lobbed grenades into his church). Whether physical persecution or antagonism by the government, Jesus said, “The gates of Hades shall not overpower [the Church]” (Matthew 16:19).

By analogy, when I discuss the issue of abortion, I would like laws protecting the unborn, and think the Roe v. Wade decision (40 years and nearly 60 million babies ago) that permitted abortion on demand should be overturned. I’ve debated the Roe case on the radio and at law schools. However, the ultimate solution is not making elective abortions illegal, although I would like to see that happen. No. The ultimate solution is to change the hearts and minds of people about the unborn. If there were abortion clinics on every corner of every town, but people in their hearts believed abortion was wrong and sought out alternatives, abortions would virtually cease. Yet if abortion was outlawed, but people believed that abortion was a necessary solution to an unwanted pregnancy, women would find a way to obtain illegal abortions. The battle is ultimately for hearts and minds, with the law and government leaders playing a minor role. Therefore, regardless of who is in office, the work continues for people of faith to persuade others that the ultimate answer to the problems we face starts with a relationship with Jesus Christ. Once the heart changes, behavioral change can happen. There are no political solutions to spiritual problems.

To summarize, our task is to see life through God’s perspective (Psalm 36:9), put our trust in Jesus of Nazareth Who claimed to be the Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6) and Who said He was coming again to Earth (John 14:2). We are in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12) that cannot be fought successfully with carnal weapons such as politics or the law. We cannot legislate that people follow Jesus. Instead, we are to love people and care enough for them that we make sure they know that Jesus died for their sins, and that He invites them to believe in Him so that they might have eternal life (John 3:16).

The only thing certain about what will happen in the next four years is that in four more years it will be 2016, and time for a new president. Whether you supported Governor Romney, President Obama, or someone else in the 2012 presidential election, our purpose for being here has not changed. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “Man’s chief end is to love God and to enjoy Him forever.” We are able to fulfill our purpose in life irrespective of who the leaders of our country are. If want to love and enjoy God, we show our love by believing His words, and living a life that reflects that we are His children. The calling of the Christian does not exclude politics, but it transcends politics. Therefore, in light of the recent elections, consider the perspective of the Apostle Paul to Christians in Corinth:

“Therefore we do not lose heart. 

Though outwardly we are wasting away, 

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us 

an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. 

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” 

(II Corinthians 4:16-18).