Whether we are grieving the loss of a loved one today or will be in the days to come, there’s nothing more comforting than maintaining an eternal perspective. After all, a joyful reunion awaits us (I Thessalonians 4:13)! Is there any greater comfort? Any greater hope? 

Why would anyone refuse to embrace this truth? To hold it close to his or her heart? To rejoice in the fact that the apostle Paul was writing in 1 Thessalonians about eternity in a land free of sorrow and suffering – a land of total joy?  

For the first three-quarters of my life, I was one of those people. I refused to seek out the truth about what happens beyond the grave, settling instead for a vague bit of wishful thinking that there might be Someplace and it might be Really Cool and Really Fun for everyone but Hitler. It was a perfect platform for total despair when I finally faced the biggest loss of my life.

"But God" is a phrase that is repeated 47 times in the New King James translation of the Bible, referring to the fact that nothing on this earth can thwart His purposes -- not even a hard heart. As He has promised, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved” (Acts 2:21b). And that promise is the door to unshakable certainty, peace, and joy.

If you are not absolutely certain about your eternal destiny, I hope you'll make this the day that you settle it once and for all. Repent and trust in Christ. Then, to develop “eternal eyes” capable of viewing all life’s circumstances with peace and even joy, delve into His word. The sincere seeker of His truth will find it. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote circa 600 B.C., “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

If you already know Him, please join me in sharing His truth with the lost. Yes, in doing so we will run into scoffing and rejection and all manner of persecution, but remember Jesus’ words in John 15: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” Proclaiming the Gospel is the best way to express our love for others, whatever the cost may be to us personally. 

Remember, too, that the ultimate reunion awaits us. We need to do whatever we can to make sure everyone we care for will be there. 

Adapted from a post originally published 12/30/13.

Once in a great while, I come across a book that is truly wonderful, in spite of significant flaws – a book that I would gladly pass on to others, albeit with abundant warnings about its shortcomings. 
 
God versus the Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Whose Side Is Science On? is a great example of  such a book. 
 
First, the bad news. Self-published in 2007, this slim volume cries out for an editor who knows how to handle citations and footnotes, how to break up long quotes, how to use bullets to speed the reader through even relatively technical material. These problems are extensive (and distracting) enough that I could not recommend the book without pointing them out.
 
But if you have an interest in the origins debate, and if you can look past such weaknesses, I can guarantee you of a fascinating and highly unorthodox exhibit-by-exhibit tour of “one of the finest natural history museums in North America,” as the web site of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History proclaims. 
 
Here’s the main reason: In 178 information-packed pages, author Sonino John Paul Scardelletti presents overwhelming scientific refutations of what the Cleveland Museum presents as fact. 

Through impressive secondary research of his own, Scardelletti rips apart supposed evolutionary evidences ranging from redshift to tree rings, from radiometric dating to dinosaur-to-bird fantasies. 

He exposes the fatal errors in conventional interpretations of poor Lucy, whose now-famous skeleton says more about the fevered atheistic imaginations of evolutionists than it does about her family tree. 

He quotes accomplices to the purveyors of evolutionary myths, including Ronald J. Ervin, an illustrator whose drawings of “human ancestors” were repeatedly revised, at the request of publishers, to support the transitional story line. “I just kept adding and subtracting until I got what they wanted,” an apparently contrite Ervin is quoted as saying on p. 143. (The Nebraska Man drawing shown above, published in 1922, is a telling example of such early wizardry; it was created by an artist from a single tooth, which ultimately was proven to have come from an extinct pig.)

He raises vital questions that cannot be addressed by evolutionary theory – for instance, "The body is lifeless (dead) without the life, but does the life live on without the body? For that matter, when a body dies, where does the life go?” 

And so on. Although I’ve read considerably more on the subject than the average person, I found in this little book many arguments I’d not come across before – arguments made by respected scientists on both sides of the debate. That made reading it a cross-disciplinary adventure for me. 

But what really set it apart for me is Scardelletti’s winsome style. I often felt like I was standing at the side of a Lieutenant Columbo or an Adrian Monk as he oh-so-sweetly and innocently went about torching the perpetrator’s alibis. 

The proof of how much I enjoyed this book is in its margins. Amidst the corrections I wish he’d had an editor make before going to press are a steady flurry of comments such as “Excellent selection of quotes” and “Helps my understanding of the theory  & its flaws” and “fine job of driving the point home!” and “love this sneak preview” and “great point!” I do tend to mark up my books, but usually not quite to this extent. 
 
If you’re looking for the truth behind the exhibits at just about any natural history museum in the western world – or if you’d like to take a virtual tour with a disarmingly honest and charming guide – I give this book the thumbs up. Just expect to run into some editorial potholes along the way. 
 
If you can't find God versus the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in bookstores, call the author at 216-531-6052, or contact him via Facebook. 

Originally published 1/18/14

I recently heard a preacher say something profoundly important for any Christian concerned about the eternal destiny of unbelieving friends and loved ones. 
 
Speaking specifically about those who fell away after being raised in a church, he said something like this: “People don’t quit following Jesus because they discover that Christianity isn’t true. They quit following Him because He no longer matters.”
 
Furthermore, the preacher pointed out that this abandonment usually follows a big change in life: a move to another city, or a new job, or a new school, for instance – any upheaval that places someone of superficial faith amidst unbelievers.
 
I hadn’t thought of it in such simple terms, but this is exactly right in many cases – perhaps most.
 
When asked, many of these people still claim to believe in “God” or even “Christ.” But that’s about all they’ll volunteer about Him. When pushed, they might say that their God is loving and forgiving and in complete sympathy with everything they think, say and do. End of conversation. 
 
And why not? As far as they can see, they have no reason to seek the real God at the moment; they have places to go, people to see, more important things to do. They will perhaps give Him more thought when they are so old that they have nothing more to look forward to in this world; but until then, they’ll keep Him on a shelf in an unused closet, out of sight and out of mind.
 
I guess I’ve realized this at least subconsciously, since my prayer for unbelievers has generally been “Lord, do whatever it takes to get their attention.”
 
But I haven’t done a very good job of putting this thought into evangelistic action. Instead, I’ve spent my witnessing capital on trying to persuade these people that biblical Christianity is true. 
 
News flash: They don’t care. True or false, Jesus simply doesn’t matter to them at this stage in their lives.
 
Of course, we can point out that we’re not guaranteed even one more breath, underscoring this fact with a real life reminder of a mutual acquaintance or celebrity who died young. But in my experience, this approach is usually ineffective; we’re all pretty sure that we personally will live to a ripe old age. (Astoundingly, this seems to be true even for those with fatal diseases. At first, the focus is on medical science and cures; when these hopes fail them, they’re too often drugged out of pain and into oblivion.)
 
So here’s the challenge: How can we prove that Jesus Christ is relevant to the once-upon-a-time believer – that there’s really nothing that matters more? 

​When the question of the age of the earth arises, we are most likely to hear one of two opinions: That the science is settled in favor of billions of years, or that its age doesn’t matter – what matters is ____(insert a favorite cause)______.
 
These responses share an important characteristic: they are both lies.
 
First, the science is far from settled. In fact, the evidence strongly supports a young earth in a universe that’s not even 10,000 years old.
 
For proof, look here. Better yet, check out Jay Hall’s excellent book YES: Young Earth Science and the Dawn of a New Worldview. In it, Hall presents an avalanche of evidence that the old earth model can’t possibly be true – evidence that spans disciplines from geology to paleontology. He discusses the history of various tools and techniques that have been used to promote the illusion of an old earth, and reviews some of the data that are normally downplayed or ignored completely. What’s more, Hall does it all in a uniquely breezy and easy-to-read format that should make it as useful for youngsters as it is for us old folks.
 
Second, the age of the earth, and the universe, is critically important; what we believe about it could determine our eternal destiny because it impacts what we believe about God.
 
Forget everything you’ve heard about all the possible scenarios, from directed panspermia to punctuated equilibrium. In the end, all origins theories fit neatly into one of two possible categories: either the Time Plus Chance formula of evolutionary models, or Special Creation as outlined in the Bible.  Although some scientists would like us to believe it’s so complex that we shouldn’t pretty our little heads over it, there really is no other option; the universe as we know it came into existence either by random chance over vast ages, or it was created fairly recently by an Intelligent Designer.
 
Consider the implications: If any of the Time Plus Chance theories is true, God may or may not exist; He would in fact be irrelevant in any of these scenarios, because everything could have come into being without Him. But if Time Plus Chance is impossible, then Special Creation must be true – and the Intelligent Designer, AKA God, must exist!
 
Which God is the real deal? That’s another study, one that has been covered in many books (including my own, Heaven Without Her). For the moment, if you’re not yet convinced, I hope you will take the time to satisfy yourself on the origins question. And by all means, include YES: Young Earth Science and the Dawn of a New Worldview on your reading list; I think you’ll enjoy it.