I grew up in a family of readers, in a home littered with books. Not that we were great intellectuals; our tastes ran not to Austen and Woolf but to Christie, du Maurier, Stewart and Whitney.

And especially Christie. There was nothing we Foth girls liked better than a good Agatha. In fact, for the first 30 or 40 years of my life, becoming the next Agatha  Christie was my goal in life. My oldest sister and I even gave it a try – she with more authentic results than I (although my manuscript, which turned into a medical thriller rather than a traditional mystery, did manage to win a contest, get published and sell a pathetic 150 copies).  

But it just occurred to me that, in the end, I did pen a whodunit. Because Heaven Without Her presents and solves the greatest mysteries of all time: where did we come from, what are we doing here and where are we going?

Are there any more important questions we can ask in this life? Of course not, because how we answer them determines where we will spend eternity.

Heaven Without Her is far from the only book to tackle these questions; I’m sure there are many that do it far more efficiently and effectively. And if a seeker of truth were to ask me to recommend the best of them all, I’d say it would be wisest to cut to the chase and study the Bible.

Still, it makes me smile to realize that I achieved my childhood literary dream after all, and that my whodunit – complete with foreshadowing, red herrings, tension and denouement – demonstrates that there really is only one way that all the pieces of this puzzle fit together. And it starts at a narrow gate ...

The Cat and I have had ample time to observe moths lately -- in particular, the moths trying desperately to break through our window screens to get to the light. And we've been wondering if entomologists have any explanation for this phenomenon.  (Okay, so I've been wondering, to be precise, but the Cat did not seem to find it a completely foolish question.)

Not surprisingly, bug experts have theories. For instance, some species migrate, so perhaps their internal navigation systems become confused by the presence of artificial nighttime light. Trouble is, most moths do not migrate, so this idea leaves a lot of 'splaining to do. 

Others have postulated that it has something to do with the moth's desire to sleep or procreate. But there are gaping holes in these theories, too.  

“For now,” says Live Science, “the question must remain one of life's biggest little mysteries.”

But hold on – maybe there is an easy and logical explanation, at least for the open-minded among us: Perhaps God created moths to demonstrate that nocturnal life is highly undesirable, that joy can only be found in seeking the light.  

After all, the Bible has plenty to say about darkness and light.

As the apostle John wrote in chapter 3 of his gospel, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Maybe He has programmed moths to flee darkness and seek the light, to show us that even creatures with the tiniest brains have more sense than most humans.   

Or perhaps moths are a living illustration of the proper response to the teachings of the apostle Paul, who was sent by Christ to the Gentiles “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (see Acts 26).   

There is, after all, safety in light, as Paul implied in Romans 13: “let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”  

There is also knowledge in light, he added in 2 Corinthians 4: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

And there is freedom in light, he pointed out in Colossians 1: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”

Do moths want safety, knowledge, and freedom, just as we do? I don't know; but I don't suppose any human does. 

But okay, maybe that’s a stretch. Maybe moths simply want to be with their Creator, who said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (see John 8).

I’d say that any of these explanations beats what entomology has to say on the subject. And each one has the added advantage of providing us with insights of eternal significance. 

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." – Jesus, quoted in Matthew 6:19-21

If you’d like proof that Jesus’ words are true, simply watch an episode or two of PBS’s Vintage Antiques Roadshow, in which appraisals from 15 years ago are updated to reflect today’s values.

If you pay attention, you’ll be astounded at how many of the featured treasures have not appreciated one bit over time – have in fact lost significant value. I haven’t kept an actual tab. But my guess is that the vast majority have actively depreciated, while even those whose appraisals remain unchanged have essentially lost value, considering the damage inflation has done over the last 15 years.

Here are just a few examples from two recent episodes:

• A Budweiser poster from the early 1900s was worth $2000-3000 in 2000, and is now valued at $1500-2000.
  


• Olympic memorabilia from the ‘20s and ‘30s went from an appraisal of $10,000 to $6000-8000.
  


• A Dresden porcelain vase worth $3000-3500 in 2000 is now appraised as $1200-1500.
  


• An 18th century New York tea table valued at $6000-8000 in 1999 was worth $3000-5000 in 2014.
  


• A Roseville advertising piece’s appraisal dropped from $2250-2750 to $1000-1500.
  


• A 19th century duck painting by J.F. Herring Sr., appraised at $30,000-35,000 in 2014, is now worth between $12,000-18,000. 
  

It’s really pretty surprising that PBS continues to run these “yesterday and today” programs, considering how discouraging they should be to those gambling on antiques. But they certainly underscore the futility of storing up treasures on earth. And they sure do validate Jesus' teaching on this matter. Wonder if it has  occurred to anyone at PBS? 

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

I was recently meditating on this passage when it suddenly hit me: How many American cities and towns have streets named Broadway?

I couldn't find a count online, but I've known some Broadways personally over the years. 

Growing up in Green Bay, Wis., Broadway featured tavern after tavern. Legend had it that bars were not allowed west of this north-south street paralleling the Fox River, so it was the thirsty man's last oasis before heading out into the booming west side of the city. My gang didn't know if that was true or not; all we knew for sure was that Broadway was easy street for any underage drinker armed with a fake ID and a powerful thirst for the forbidden.

Then there's the most famous Broadway, in New York city. I haven't been there since I was a kid, but just glanced at what's running right now. Among the biggest hits: Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Kinky Boots, and Rock of Ages (no, it's not about THE Rock of Ages; it's a "rock musical set in Hollywood in the 1980s, when it was all about big chords, big dreams and big hair!" Sounds hilarious, doesn't it?) So many ways to be amused, entertained and distracted from life's most important questions. 

I google-mapped "Broadway" in a random assortment of cities and found every last one to be run down and dotted with taverns. Precisely what you'd expect from "the way that leads to destruction." 

I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions, but still -- it makes me wonder what the biblically literate city planners of 19th century America were thinking when they named so many of our nation's streets "Broadway." 

I'm just eternally grateful that the Creator of the universe did what He had to do to persuade me to seek the narrow way "which leads to life." I hope that you and your loved ones have all done so, too.

(Originally posted 1/28/14)

I believe that God gave us dogs for some pretty great reasons – perhaps most important, to demonstrate the relationship He wants to have with us.

It’s true that the Bible doesn’t speak too highly of dogs. One commentary I consulted suggests that the children of Israel disliked them because they were so highly esteemed by the Egyptians. Even today, some of us use the word “dog” to describe worthless, undesirable or unattractive people.

But these critters are part of God’s creation. And the Bible tells us to give thanks for everything He has provided. So I often thank Him for dogs in general and ours in particular. I like to think it pleases Him that at least some appreciate this particular gift for what it teaches us about our relationship with Him.

I believe it’s safe to say that, like any human, a dog needs both a master and obedience training if he’s going to lead a useful life, even if it’s only as a companion whose most pressing responsibility is warming our feet on a cold winter night. And I think most people would agree with that much, anyway.

But there the agreement seems to end, as people divide into two opposing schools of thought on the subject of obedience training.

There are some who are certain that almost every creature responds best when his master uses both the carrot and the stick – i.e., both reward and correction.

I learned this from my good friend and co-author Amy Ammen, a highly respected dog trainer whose techniques include correction for disobedience – a jerk on the leash, for instance. They are mild corrections; she does not suggest tearing the dog’s head off or beating him. In fact, she blames us owners for their mischief and admonishes us not to correct misbehavior after the fact, when our “live for the moment” dogs have already forgotten whatever it is that has so upset us. (If you’d like to know more, check out our book Hip Ideas for Hyper Dogs.)

But there’s another school of thought that is becoming increasingly popular today. It’s usually called “positive” or “motivational” or “positive motivational” training. What this ordinarily means is that the master uses only rewards to teach his dog, usually in the form of treats. Never under any circumstance will such a master use any correction stronger than a stern or broken-hearted “no!”

Apparently the idea is this: Say you’re walking alongside a busy street with your dog and he suddenly sees a squirrel darting out into traffic. Say furthermore that he has enough leverage to rip the leash out of your hand. Positive training experts insist that all you have to do is call “Rover, treat!” He will stop in his tracks, they assure us, and come running back to you immediately.  

I don’t know if it works; I don’t hang out in the city if I can help it, and we have a big fenced-in back yard for our dogs to run around in. But I do know that if a dog has found something interesting, like a bunny’s nest filled with babies or even just mama’s fur, we could yell “treat!” till the cows come home and the dog would ignore us.

The Bible would seem to support the first school of thought – i.e., using both carrot and stick. “He who spares his rod hates his son,” Proverbs 13:24 tells us. “But he who loves him is careful to discipline him.”

And that, of course, is why the Lord God lovingly applies both carrot and stick with us – to get and keep our attention, to draw us through the narrow gate to eternal life, and to help us to become more and more like His Son as we complete our journeys through this life.   

Bottom line: God expects both love and obedience from His children. Jesus summed up the concept in John 14:15: “If you love Me,” He said, “keep My commandments.”

Should a good master expect any less from his dog?

If so, the Lord has also provided us with a good illustration for that line of thinking. It’s called The Cat.