July 21st, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

Image by Christopher Chan via Flickr

I listened to something heartbreaking this weekend on NPR. I was in and out of the car running errands, but I actually considered just sitting in my car in the Walmart parking lot to listen to more of this episode of This American Life.

What caught my attention was that they were interviewing people who have a deep and gripping fear of sleep. It started out somewhat lighthearted, but toward the end several people shared how their fear of sleep is connected to their very real fear of death. In the twilight between sleep and wakefulness, they come face to face with the reality of death. They literally cannot breathe, grasp their sheets with all their might, and try to keep from screaming out in terror.

As one person said, he watches the clock, knowing he is watching time march on closer to the end of his life. The fear: the cessation of self. Nothingness.

The program was closed with a haunting poem by Philip Larkin called “Aubade.”

…And soon; nothing more terrible, nothing more true.

This is a special way of being afraid
No trick dispels. Religion used to try,
That vast, moth-eaten musical brocade
Created to pretend we never die…

My heart wept as I listened to this program. How poignant it is that Paul refers to those without Christ as those who have no hope.

I cannot even imagine being gripped with a fear like this. The dying process doesn’t sound that great, and I surely am not looking forward to that. But death itself?

I am currently reading a book called Notes from the Tilt-a-whirl, which I will be reviewing here soon. I love that he describes our lives on earth as a carnival. Death? Death is simply reaching the black stripe above your head that means you get to go on to the “gnarly rides.”

What a ride it will be.

Those who have no hope think I am foolish. They believe, as Larkin states, that I have based my life upon an illusion, a “moth-eaten musical brocade created to pretend we never die.”

In the words of Paul,

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
I Thessalonians 4:13-14

Where, O death, is your victory? Where is your sting?

July 21st, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

For today’s tackle, we headed over to our local Educational Resource Center. I love this place. Laminators, Ellison die cuts, construction paper… it’s a lovely thing. I made this laminated, bound creation days book for $2.30. Yes, please!

We’re planning a trip with my family to the Creation Museum in Cincinnati in a few weeks (I cannot wait!), and I’ve been wanting to make sure I do some prep with AG – I’ve heard that the museum is amazing and full of so much for kids and adults. I know it will be overwhelming for her no matter what, but I wanted to lay a more specific foundation so she can better understand some of what we’ll be seeing and talking about.

Some of the books I’ve reviewed recently have given us some good places to start, especially Dinky Dinosaur Creation Days, Dinosaurs Stars of the Show, and D is for Dinosaur. After reading Already Gone, I feel especially burdened to emphasize God’s process of creation according to Genesis one.

One of the things Ken Ham emphasizes is that dinosaurs are often used to introduce evolutionary concepts to kids. Somehow, it is very easy for kids to arrive at the assumption that God didn’t create dinosaurs. I made a point of putting dinosaurs on our picture of day six, and fascinatingly, AG asked right away why there were dinosaurs on the page – she has made several comments lately about “giants that lived even before God created the world.” I don’t know where her little brain is coming up with that, but it is amazing how even a three year old who is taught all about God’s creation at home, with very little TV and outside influence other than church, already is a little confused about where dinosaurs and giants could have come from. Time for some specific teaching.

She also has been learning about what God made at church, but they don’t seem to be learning the days of creation (at least that she can recall!). Preschool curriculum is so hard since there is quite a range in what the kids know and are getting at home. I know that she knows quite a bit of stuff compared to the average three year old, but it is frustrating when she can quote all of Psalm 23, list the 10 commandments, and define “covet,” but comes home from Sunday School with the profound take away “God made pets.” What day did God make pets? “I don’t know.” I’m working hard to tie some things together.

Have any creative ideas to teach creation to small kids? What are you tackling today?

July 18th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

This post introduces us to a man I look forward to talking with someday in heaven – Jacob. His life doesn’t exactly start out as a glowing example of faith. In fact, he does a bang-up job of living up to the meaning of his name: the heel-grabber. The deceiver. A name and character that only God could change.

We are going to skip over a bunch of stuff and head straight toward Jacob, our next major player in the book of Genesis. At the end of Genesis 25, Jacob and Esau, fraternal twins, are born to Isaac and Rebecca.

Gen. 25:24-26 “So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob.”

Image by pwcorgigirl via Flickr

First, I feel that I just must point out the description of Esau. Poor Rebecca! This is NOT what a mother longs to see when she takes her first look at her baby! Yikes! NP and I would someday like to have an Irish Setter named Esau – picture his red hairy ears blowing in the wind…

Anyway. You have this weird orangutan child and then comes the second, grabbing his brother’s heel. They name him Jacob, meaning “heel grabber,” aka: deceiver. He trips people up. Think about that annoying boy in your 6th grade class that would walk behind you and try to kick your heels as you walk. That’s what this means. He trips people up and tries to supplant them. And boy, Jacob does his best to live up to his name.

In my opinion, Jacob is another Bible character that people assume is a “good guy” throughout his life, just because we hear his name a lot. As we will study today, this is not the case! Jacob is playing for the “blue team” for much of his life. He will eventually switch sides, but it’s a long journey.

Genesis 25:30-34
Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

This story does not really put either son in a very good light. Let’s clarify first what the birthright was. The older son would traditionally be given a double portion of the inheritance. In other words, when Isaac died, Esau would have been given 2/3 of the inheritance, and Jacob 1/3. Jacob’s manipulation here is obvious, but Esau’s not off the hook, either. This was one impulsive, carnal, stomach-driven guy who clearly was not acting in wisdom or valuing the importance of the birthright. That was a mighty expensive bowl of lentil stew.

[We won't cover it in detail due to time, but check out the events of chapter 26 - Isaac does the exact same thing Abraham does, claiming that his wife is really his sister! Deception is definitely a family trait that Jacob has clearly inherited!]

On to chapter 27. This is the story of Jacob deceiving (“Jacobing”) his father to steal the blessing. The blessing is different from the birthright. Again, the birthright is a double portion of the inheritance. The blessing transfers the supernatural blessing of God to the next generation. In 26:12, God’s blessing of Isaac is obvious. “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.” Reaping 100 times what he sowed! That is unbelievable! It’s an obvious supernatural occurrence, and it’s due to God’s blessing. That is what Jacob really wants.

Now, read through this account and see how many times Jacob deceives (“Jacobs”) his father.
•I am Esau your firstborn (19)
•“How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.” (20)
•And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. (23)
•“Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.” (24)
•…he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him… (27)

Over, and over, and over again Jacob purposely deceives his father. He even uses God as part of his lie!

It’s not clear what would have happened if Isaac had gone ahead and blessed Esau – after all, God had told Rebecca before they were born that the older would serve the younger. We do know that God did indeed bless Jacob. The rest we have to leave in the “questions we will have to ask God someday” file!

For Rebecca and Jacob, this again boils down to an issue of whether or not they believe the promises of God. He had said that Jacob would be the prominent son. If they truly believed Him, they wouldn’t have needed to try to manipulate and steal what they felt was rightfully Jacob’s. God’s word is powerful, and it will be carried out. Ultimately, although God does bless Jacob and fulfills the prophecy despite the clear manipulation and deception, be clear that God does not condone their lies. The Bible is crystal clear about deceit.

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.” (Prov. 12:22)

Deceit is, in some ways a very subtle sin. Especially when it runs in families (as it has for Jacob), and lying to escape from danger or a difficult situation is second nature. God will change Jacob’s heart and character, but it will take time. May we echo the words of David in Psalm 139:23-24 when he says,

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.”

**For more reflections on the Old Testament with personal application, you might want to download a free Bible study ebook!**

July 18th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

Ever think a book of statistics could keep you up at night? This one may be it, especially if you’re a parent and/or involved in Christian education.

This book is the result of a collaborative project between Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis and Britt Beemer of America’s Research Group to survey 1,000 young adults who grew up in solid, Bible-teaching churches but have left the church either permanently or temporarily. Typical thinking in Christian circles is that young adults leave the church in college due to teachings and culture that challenges their Christian beliefs. Ham and Beemer’s findings run contrary to this assumption, and they are shocking and disturbing.

“We’ve always been trying to prepare our kids for college… but it turns out that only 11 percent of those who have left the Church did so during the college years. Almost 90 percent of them were lost in middle school and high school. By the time they got to college they were already gone! About 40 percent are leaving the Church during elementary and middle school years! Most people assumed that elementary and middle school is a fairly neutral environment where children toe the line and follow in the footsteps of their parents’ spirituality. Not so. I believe that over half of these kids were lot before we got them into high school! Whatever diseases are fueling the epidemic of losing our young people, they are infecting our students much, much earlier than most assumed.” (31)

From their conclusions, 60% of the children and teens sitting in our chairs and pews each Sunday will disappear in the coming years. In fact, Ham argues that they might be physically sitting there week after week, but they are already gone. Want some statistics that will really keep you up at night? There was no statistical difference in their study between kids who attended public schools, Christian schools, or homeschool. No difference between Christian and secular college. Sunday School did make a difference, but not the one you would think – according to their study, kids were more likely to leave the church if they were also attend Sunday School!

I found it fascinating that the majority of the individuals they surveyed seem to have authentic saving faith in Christ. Most even agree that attending church is important for believers. So, where are they?

Ham’s primary conclusion: the Church has failed to teach the Bible as relevant fact. We have, intentionally or unintentionally, taught the Scriptures as “stories” that relate to spiritual matters and have avoided engaging the deluge of challenging questions from the secular world that bombard churched children and adults the other 166 hours of their week. Questions about the reliability of the Bible, why homosexuals shouldn’t be allowed to marry, the origins of the universe, the age of the earth, the feasibility of a world-wide flood, etc. When kids raise these questions in church, they are often told that it doesn’t matter what they believe, as long as they trust Jesus. Or they are told we can’t really know for sure. Or they are told just to talk about that at school and talk about Jesus at church. Conclusion: the Bible must not be true when it comes to “real” things like history and biology and geology, it just speaks to our “faith.”

Secondly, we have failed to connect the Bible to our everyday life. We have tolerated hypocrisy, we have failed to teach Truth in a challenging and relevant way, we have compromised what the Bible actually teaches about the function and purpose of the church in favor of traditions and entertainment. Even people who sincerely believe in Christ as their Savior and believe that the Bible is true have left the church because it doesn’t seem relevant to real life.

Ham is blunt and straightforward in this book without coming across harsh. But, I think he is right – the American Church needs to take a serious look at itself because it is dying from the inside out. If we compromise the foundation of our faith, what do we have left?

The second half of the book deals with what we should do about this epidemic. Personally, I would have loved to see this section get a little more practical, but I think that really is outside the scope and purpose of this book. Although the subtitle is “why your kids will leave church and what you can do to stop it,” the “what to do” is so huge that this really needs to be a springboard for much more if anything is really going to change.

Why do I say that? For this to change in any noticeable way, Ham truthfully says that the majority of church members need to personally examine their thinking about the reliability and accuracy of the Bible, including in Genesis 1-11. That alone sounds nearly impossible without the direct intervention of God. Then the church leadership needs to examine and overhaul how we’re “doing church” and why, the content of the sermons, the curriculum used in children’s, youth, and adult ministries and Bible studies and perhaps even question and/or eliminate extraneous programming that isn’t doing the job. We need to believe the Truth before we can defend it. We need to teach the Truth before it can be lived out. It is an enormous task, and it is almost laughable to say that in 73 pages those issues can be addressed well.

This book is something I hope that thousands of parents and members of church leadership will read and “chew on.” Ham and Beemer have handed us a grim diagnosis, and we need to prayerfully seek God for answers about what to do about it. In reality, I think they have unmasked some deeper, foundational issues for the Church that have no easy answers – the answers are straightforward (Know the Bible, teach the Bible, live the Bible), but the practical aspects of what that means in our churches have huge implications that need serious thought.

**For more information or to purchase a copy, click on the book cover image to be taken to the publisher’s website. I am an affiliate of both New Leaf publishing group and amazon.com – I would receive a small percentage of the sale of this or other products resulting from these links. I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review from New Leaf Publishing Group. The opinions expressed in this review are my unbiased thoughts as in keeping with my disclosure policy.