The Dow soared more than a thousand points yesterday, its biggest one-day point spike in history. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 rose dramatically as well.

The markets were not merely in a holiday mood. Investors responded to the largest holiday sales growth in six years, with total sales exceeding $850 billion. Investors also credit oil’s best rally since 2016, President Trump’s assurance that the Fed chairman’s job is safe, and a report that US officials will travel to Beijing in two weeks to hold trade talks.

One economist summarized: “Stocks just got too cheap relative to earnings, future earnings, any reasonable assessment of earnings.”

Looking back, it all makes sense. But looking forward, what will the markets do today?

I have no idea. Neither does anyone else, it seems.

President Trump visits Iraq

Surveying this morning’s headlines, I’m impressed by the fact that so few could have been predicted. For instance, President Trump made a surprise visit to US troops in Iraq. Two years ago, pollsters were nearly unanimous in predicting that Hillary Clinton would be our president today.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was released from the hospital yesterday after surgery for early-stage lung cancer. When she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer nine years ago, her prospects for another decade of service on the court were unclear at best.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why did the Dow soar more than a thousand points? →

A Dallas man worked with several area foundations to fill an eighteen-wheeler with toys for a thousand needy children.

Gregory Hudson says most of the toys were bought with his own money. His motivation was simple: he struggled as a child and wanted to help those who are where he was. “When you get up, make sure you go back and take care of your people,” he said.

In other news, a mother says her six-year-old met “the real Santa” last week at a sporting goods store in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Matthew Foster is blind and has autism. His mother, Misty Wolf, told reporters that he’s very interested in Santa. So, she brought him to a store early to avoid the crowds and hoped for the best.

Their visit was better than she could have imagined.

When Wolf explained Matthew’s condition, Santa raised his hand and said, “Say no more.” She later told reporters that “he knew exactly what to do.”

He walked over and knelt next to Matthew and invited him to touch his coat, its buttons, and his hat while he explained what Matthew was feeling. He got on the floor so Matthew would be more comfortable, then carried him to a taxidermied animal in the display to touch its antlers. Santa even let Matthew pull on his white beard.

“It was pretty magical,” his mother said.

Christmas through the eyes of a child

We could focus on discouraging news this morning: an eight-year-old boy died in US Border Patrol custody; the Indonesian tsunami death toll has climbed above four hundred; and a police officer was killed by a driver with “multiple prescription drugs” in his system. The officer was conducting a traffic stop at the time.

There’s always bad news in the news. However, I’d rather shift our attention elsewhere today.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Man fills 18-wheeler with toys for Christmas →

On Christmas Eve in 1968, as the astronauts of Apollo 8 circled the moon, they broadcast a message back to Earth. They were told that they would have the largest audience that had ever heard a human voice.

What would they choose to say?

Lunar Module Pilot William Anders began: “For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you:

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell continued:

“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”

Commander Frank Borman ended their Christmas Eve broadcast:

“And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth: and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”

Borman then added: “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you–all of you on the good Earth.”

The latest on the Indonesian tsunami

The collapse of a volcano triggered a tsunami that struck Indonesia Saturday night. Waves smashed onto beaches without warning, ripping homes and hotels from their foundations and sweeping concertgoers into the ocean.

As of this morning, at least 281 people are known to have died; at least 1,016 people were injured. More than six hundred homes, sixty shops, and 420 vessels were damaged. Video posted to social media showed an Indonesian pop band performing when a massive wave crashed through the stage and into the audience.

How are we to reconcile Genesis 1’s declaration that this is a “good” world with the Indonesian tsunami and all the suffering we experience?

The biblical fact is that this planet does not function as it was intended. As a result of the Fall, “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22).

There were no disasters and diseases in the Garden of Eden. But ours is now a world in rebellion: “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

How Jesus could have entered the world

The incredible news is that God did not give up on us when we gave up on him. Christmas proves that Jesus truly is “Immanuel,” which means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23).

The sinless Son of God did not have to enter this fallen world. He did not have to experience our pain, feel our hunger, or face our temptations.

He could have left our fallen world to the consequences of our sinful rebellion. Or he could have come the first time as he will the second–as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) who will judge the nations and rule the universe (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:4).

But he chose to step onto our planet as one of us. He chose to be born the same way we are born. He chose peasants for parents and a feed trough for a crib to show that he leads all who will be led and goes wherever he’s invited.

“The will of God for your life”

On this Christmas Eve, let’s choose the God who chooses us.

Paul said of Jesus: “By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth” (Colossians 1:16). The only part of the universe he does not already own is our heart. It is therefore the only gift we can give him.

Renowned Bible teacher Kay Arthur: “The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say, ‘Father, Your will for today is mine. Your pleasure for today is mine. Your work for today is mine. I trust You to be God. You lead me today and I will follow.’”

Will you give the Christ of Christmas what he wants most?

Denison Forum

Welcome to the shortest day and longest night of the year–unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, in which case today is the shortest night and longest day of the year.

However short or long your day may be, it’s the only one you’re promised.

Ask Roxli Doss, an eleven-year-old who lives in the Austin, Texas, area. She may be out riding horses today. And that’s astounding.

Roxli was diagnosed in June with a rare, inoperable brain tumor for which there is no cure. After she underwent weeks of radiation, all her parents could do was to pray for a miracle.

“And we got it,” her mother says.

“Praise God we did,” her father agrees.

Her latest MRI scan shows no sign of the tumor. Doctors from MD Anderson, Johns Hopkins, and other hospitals all agreed on her diagnosis. Now she has gone from no cure to no trace.

Roxli will continue to undergo treatments such as immunotherapy as a precaution.

Drones shut down Gatwick airport

Every day brings new surprises.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Girl with brain tumor: From no cure to no trace →

Jack Phillips made headlines in 2012 when he refused to make a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. The suit against him went to the United States Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor.

Now Phillips is in court again, this time for refusing to bake a cake celebrating a gender transition. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission claims that he discriminated against Autumn Scardina, who transitioned from male to female and wanted him to make a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside to celebrate.

Phillips’s attorneys call the complaint an “obvious setup.” They say their client “believes as a matter of religious conviction that sex–the status of being male or female–is given by God, is biologically determined, is not determined by perceptions or feelings, and cannot be chosen or changed.”

So do millions of evangelical Christians, including me.

“If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.”

I expect to see more such lawsuits in the coming years as our post-Christian culture collides with Christian morality. When so-called civil rights compete with religious rights, civil rights usually win.

As believers navigate the legal and social implications of our faith in this challenging day, there is an imperative we need to remember: our lives must bear the scrutiny our beliefs are sure to provoke.

Two related facts follow.

One: People deserve to know what we believe and why we believe it.

Peter called his readers to be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15a). God’s word speaks with powerful relevance to every issue we face today. It is vital that we speak his truth to our times.

You’ve probably heard the Francis of Assisi quotation, “Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” As researcher Ed Stetzer notes, there are two problems with this quote. First, Francis never said it. Second, it’s incomplete theology.

Stetzer: “Using that statement is a bit like saying, ‘Feed the hungry at all times; if necessary, use food.’” The gospel is good news, and, as Stetzer notes, “good news needs to be told.”

Two: Our lives must mirror our words.

Peter continued: “Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (vv. 15c-16, my emphasis).

We must be prepared to defend our faith, remembering Jesus’ warning: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20). But our witness loses its power and credibility unless our lives are worthy of respect.

“Cease to do evil, learn to do good”

Here’s the problem: it’s easy to equate religion with righteousness.

Early Christianity was a movement, not an institution. Congregations could not legally own buildings until Constantine legalized the church in the fourth century. Christians didn’t “go” to church–they were the church. Christianity was all about a personal, intimate relationship with God, not a religion about him.

However, the church over time became identified with its buildings, clergy, and religious activities. Spirituality was measured by time spent in the building where members engaged in various rituals and watched the clergy perform.

Even in our nondenominational era, those who participate in church activities are tempted to feel that they are more moral than those who don’t. There’s an implicit sense that we must be right with God if we are in his “house.”

But our Lord disagrees.

Speaking to his chosen people, God warned: “Your new moons and your appointed [religious] feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. . . . Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:14-17).

Charles Spurgeon: “Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven.”

“He will tax the remotest star”

Here’s the irony: Our post-Christian society holds us to a higher standard than we might demand of ourselves. If we commit the same sins we find in popular culture, we are accused of hypocrisy. And rightly so–we claim to follow the sinless Son of God and to be the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

So, here’s the bottom line: Our times require courageous Christians who will model the truth we proclaim and love those to whom we proclaim it. In a skeptical culture, personal character is both essential and compelling.

The good news is that the Spirit will empower every believer who seeks his help. If you and I want to serve and reflect Jesus, “he will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us” (Oswald Chambers).

Our culture judges Christ by Christians. Let’s make that fact good news today.

Denison Forum

Beth Moore and Max Lucado made headlines at a recent conference in ways you might not expect.

A one-day summit on sexual abuse and harassment was held at Wheaton College. As the organizer explained, the group met “to help amplify a conversation” on this difficult subject.

Beth Moore was the featured speaker. Her story of sexual abuse was shared by others who spoke. Then Max Lucado closed the conference by sharing for the first time his own story of sexual abuse as a child.

They are not alone. According to a recent survey, eight in ten pastors know someone who has experienced domestic or sexual violence. A fifth of the clergy has experienced such violence themselves, including sexual assault, rape, or child sexual abuse.

“We are living in an age of historical reckoning.”

In other news, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary released a report detailing the school’s extensive historical ties to slavery, the Confederacy, and white supremacy.

The study found that all four founders of the school, one of the oldest and most influential seminaries in the US, owned slaves. Other findings: early faculty and trustees defended slavery as “righteous”; the seminary supported the Confederacy during the Civil War; and the school opposed racial equality well into the twentieth century.

Albert Mohler Jr., the seminary’s longtime president, prefaced the report: “We are living in an age of historical reckoning. The moral burden of history requires a far more direct and far more candid acknowledgment of the legacy of this school in the horrifying realities of American slavery, Jim Crow segregation, racism, and even the avowal of white racial supremacy.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – What Beth Moore and Max Lucado have in common →

The Senate Intelligence Committee released two reports yesterday detailing the breadth of Russian social media disinformation campaigns in the US. One strategy caught my eye: the Russian-linked Internet Research Agency created a page it called “Army of Jesus.”

Targeting Christians, the group offered “free counseling to people with sexual addiction.” The phony counseling service was apparently intended to blackmail or manipulate people who used it.

In our post-Christian world, we should expect attacks on Christians to escalate. As I noted yesterday, standing for biblical truth in our culture requires significant courage.

But there’s more to the story.

“May your holidays be joyful, boozy and caffeinated!”

Consider these stories in the news:

One: “There are two must-haves for anyone looking to survive the holidays: coffee and booze, preferably served together in one easy-to-consume package.” So advises Huffington Post in an article offering “12 boozy coffee cocktails to help you get through the holidays.” The writer wishes for us, “May your holidays be joyful, boozy and caffeinated!”

Two: Meditation services in the US are a $1.2 billion industry. A Wall Street Journal article titled “Inner Peace Is a Booming Business” raises the curtain on the money and time some are spending to seek serenity.

Three: A father took his sons to Barnes & Noble recently, where they noticed a display called “Inspiring Books to Empower Young Readers.” The books included three memoirs by illegal aliens. Another book told a fictional story of a child arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at school while white classmates wearing “Make America Great Again” hats taunt him. No books reflecting a more conservative agenda were displayed. Continue reading Denison Forum – Russian social media campaigns targeted Christians →

The Philippines’ Catriona Gray won last night’s Miss Universe pageant. Steve Harvey hosted the event again; competitors from ninety-four countries and territories participated.

Among them was Spain’s Angela Ponce. She earned the title of Miss Spain in June, defeating twenty-two other competitors.

She is also the first transgender woman to compete in the pageant.

Emergency contraception in vending machines

I recognize that Jesus’ statement, “He who created them from the beginning made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4), is an unpopular position these days. Our culture celebrates the “courage” of those who “transition” from male to female or vice-versa.

For me to suggest that sex reassignment surgery (known today as “gender affirmation surgery”) may not be in a patient’s best interest is to risk being branded intolerant and prejudiced. This despite a review of more than one hundred international medical studies of post-operative transsexuals that “found no robust scientific evidence that gender reassignment surgery is clinically effective.”

The director of the study stated: “There is a huge uncertainty over whether changing someone’s sex is a good or a bad thing.” I could point to numerous other studies (such as this report) that suggest similar caution.

However, my purpose today is not to debate transgender issues. It is to note that engaging in such a debate demands a level of courage that was not necessary even a few years ago.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Miss Spain makes history at Miss Universe →

It was the nightmare before Christmas.

Children were lined up to visit Santa Claus in the English town of St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, last Sunday. An alarm at a nearby but unrelated event caused an evacuation of the building.

Organizers euphemistically said later that Santa “assisted in the evacuation of the building.” Here’s how: Parents and children were leaving when Santa tore into the room, ripped his hat and beard off in front of fifty children, and started shouting and swearing at people to leave.

One mother said she had to tell her children that the man wasn’t really Santa but an imposter who would be going on the “naughty list.” Organizers will try again this weekend but have not said whether the same Santa Claus will return.

Christmas as a spiritual buffet

In a similar vein, I heard recently about an unusual manger scene.

I was honored last Wednesday to be back on the radio show, “Equipped with Chris Brooks.” Chris is a brilliant pastor, cultural theologian, and radio host. During our conversation, he told us about a good friend who was jogging in his neighborhood and passed a nativity scene. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the Magi were all present.

But the baby Jesus was missing.

As Chris noted, some traditions don’t add Jesus to their manger scenes until Christmas Eve. Perhaps that’s what this neighbor intended. Or perhaps this nativity scene is a sign of our times.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Foul-mouthed Santa frightens children →

An elementary school principal sent out a memo recently with guidelines as to what would be considered appropriate for classroom decorations and assignments during the holiday season. Teachers were reportedly told that sledding and scarves, the Frozen character Olaf, and other generic winter-themed items were acceptable.

Candy canes, however, were not.

According to the principal, they form the letter “J,” standing for “Jesus.” Christmas trees, reindeer, anything red or green, Christmas carols and music, and Santas were also on the forbidden list.

The school district quickly responded, stating that the memo “did not reflect district policy.” The district then placed the principal on administrative leave.

You might expect a story like this in a part of the country known for irreligiosity. But this happened in Elkhorn, Nebraska.

Ralphie Parker’s Christmas

My wife and I were invited by some dear friends to see A Christmas Story: The Musical last night in Dallas. The show is a stage production of the classic television movie. Set in the 1940s in Indiana, it tells the story of Ralphie Parker, a little boy who wants a Red Ryder Carbine Action Range Model Air Rifle for Christmas.

The comedy has been ranked America’s favorite holiday movie of all time. Our family watched the film every year on Christmas Eve. Last night’s musical was just as enjoyable.

Here’s the problem: for millions of Americans, A Christmas Story has become the Christmas story.

There’s nothing in A Christmas Story about Jesus. This is not a criticism–the story is intended to be a humorous tale about the challenges and joys of families during the holidays.

Continue reading Denison Forum – School principal forbids Christmas decorations →

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been studying the effect of screen time for children. The preliminary results are in and they’re not good.

The NIH report shows that nine- and ten-year-old children who spend more than two hours in front of a screen each day score lower on thinking and language tests. This is troubling since the average “tweenager” spends up to six hours a day on their tablet or phone.

In addition, scientists have found that children with daily screen usage of more than seven hours show premature thinning of the brain cortex. This is the outermost layer that processes information from the physical world. While it’s too soon to know with certainty that screen time usage caused the changes to the children’s brains, scientists will be monitoring this relationship carefully.

Are your children addicted to technology?

The NIH report is just one example of the growing effect of technology on our children. Another study related smartphone use by children to sleep deprivation and other problems associated with poor attention spans. This is alarming since two-thirds of children take their smartphones to bed with them.

One group of scientists found that the more time four-year-olds spent interacting with media, the shorter their sleep was at ages four and six. A study published by Harvard Medical School has shown that blue-tinged light emitted by devices such as smartphones and tablets suppresses the production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone vital to good sleep.

Counselors warn that digital addiction is a growing problem. The compulsion to continue playing video games or using technology is escalating. China has identified internet addiction as one of its main public health risks. In some parts of Asia, digital addiction rates may be as high as 26 percent.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Are screens affecting our children’s brains? →

Peter Vlaming teaches French at West Point High School in West Point, Virginia. He was fired by the school board last Thursday for refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronoun. (The student was born as a biological female but wishes to use the pronouns “he” and “him.”)

The school’s administration claims that Vlaming was told multiple times to refer to the student using male pronouns. “By failing to follow the directive, he was therefore discriminating and creating a hostile environment,” the superintendent told the board.

The next day, students at the school coordinated a walkout in support of Vlaming. Several held signs that read “Men are men and women are women and that is a fact!” and “You can’t impose delusion on us.”

Vlaming told the school board that his Christian faith was the reason for his refusal. “We are here today because a specific worldview is being imposed on me,” he said. “Even higher than my family ranks my faith.” Asked whether the debate was worth losing his job over, he told reporters, “There are some hills that are worth dying on.”

God “made them male and female”

My purpose today is not to focus on the transgender issue itself. (For an in-depth discussion of this subject, please see my chapter on the transgender debate in my book, 7 Crucial Questions.) Nor do I want to limit our discussion to the West Point controversy.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Teacher fired for not using transgender student’s preferred pronoun →

Last Thursday, Kelsey Zwick boarded a flight from Orlando to Philadelphia with Lucy, one of her eleven-month-old twin daughters. Lucy suffers from severe chronic lung disease and still needs oxygen at night and when flying.

Carrying Lucy’s oxygen machine, the two were settled into their seat when a flight attendant told them a passenger in first class wanted to switch places. Kelsey later expressed her gratitude to “the man in 2D” in a Facebook post that quickly went viral:

“Thank you. Not just for the seat itself but for noticing. For seeing us and realizing that maybe things are not always easy. For deciding you wanted to show a random act of kindness to US. It reminded me how much good there is in this world. I can’t wait to tell Lucy someday.”

We change the world one person at a time.

“That’s a lot about me, Jon.”

At the state funeral for President George H. W. Bush, biographer Jon Meacham read one of the most meaningful eulogies I have ever heard. I wished that the president could have heard his moving words of tribute.

It turns out, he did.

Meacham wrote a bestselling biography of the forty-first president titled Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Through the project, he and the Bush family developed a close and personal relationship.

He was asked to deliver the eulogy at President Bush’s state funeral. Not long before the president died, Meacham read to him the words he planned to share at his service. With his characteristic humor, Bush replied, “That’s a lot about me, Jon.”

While Meacham and others who delivered tributes to the president have been applauded for their eloquence, the truth is that George H. W. Bush wrote his own eulogy with his life. He authored no formal autobiography (All the Best, a book of his letters, diary entries, and memos, comes the closest), but he lived with such courage, patriotism, and integrity that his life became his legacy.

Charles Spurgeon advised us: “Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.”

“You will become a mere social wastrel”

I am reading Andrew Roberts’s magisterial biography, Churchill: Walking with Destiny. I am familiar with Winston Churchill’s story, having visited his place of birth at Blenheim Palace, his war rooms in London, and the House of Commons where he began his political career. His life and leadership have fascinated me for many years.

However, I did not realize the degree to which Churchill’s father did not believe in him. At one point, the young Churchill wrote to him for encouragement. His father responded by expressing his fear that “you will become a mere social wastrel” and that “you will degenerate into a shabby, unhappy and futile existence.”

Roberts notes that “his son was able to quote from that letter from memory thirty-seven years later, showing how much its message of distrust and contempt seared him.”

This was an early example of the setbacks Churchill would face. He suffered from depression, numerous physical ailments, and widespread opposition from his many political enemies. But he went on to lead Great Britain to victory in World War II, publish more words than Shakespeare and Dickens combined, and become the only British Prime Minister to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

It’s hard to think of a biblical figure whose eulogy would not include challenges and heartbreak. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery; Moses was a murderer and fugitive from the law; David’s sin with Bathsheba is one of the first things we remember about him. Daniel was exiled; Peter failed his Lord; John was imprisoned and left to die.

But the world’s opinion of us is seldom God’s.

A decree that changed history

Octavian, the great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar, was granted the honorific “Augustus” by the Roman Senate in 27 BC to recognize his status as emperor. He is known for creating an empire that would last for fifteen centuries. (The month of August is named for him.)

Few who knew him would have believed that his eulogy today would center on a single verse of Scripture: “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered” (Luke 2:1).

The emperor could not know that his edict issued for taxation purposes would force a Galilean carpenter and his pregnant wife to hike more than ninety miles south to his ancestral home in Bethlehem. Or that their obedience would fulfill a prophecy made seven centuries earlier that the Messiah would be born there (Micah 5:2). Or that Bethlehem’s proximity to Egypt would make it easier for the Holy Family to escape when King Herod sought to kill the baby Jesus.

God is working whether we know it or not. He is using us whether we wish to be used or not. But our lives achieve their greatest fulfillment and joy when we trust and obey him today.

We write our eulogies one day at a time.

How to change the world

And we seldom know at the time how our obedience will change the world.

The sailors aboard the USS Finback did not know when they pulled a twenty-year-old Navy pilot out of the Pacific Ocean that they were saving a future president of the United States. That’s because the future is not visible to the present.

If you want to change the world, write your name on someone’s heart today.

Denison Forum

William Wells Denison was born yesterday at 10:20 am in Dallas, Texas. He is the second son of Craig and Rachel, our younger son and his wife. Craig is the author of First15 and Chief Strategy Officer for our ministry. Janet and I are thrilled for them and our entire family.

Meeting my fourth grandchild yesterday (they will call him “Wells”) was a deeply emotional experience for me. I was filled with gratitude to God for the miracle of his life and so happy for Craig and Rachel. Janet already has a Christmas stocking with his name on it hanging by our fireplace. Our family is so blessed and truly grateful.

The two most important days in our lives

It’s been said that the two most important days in our lives are the day we are born and the day we discover why. I disagree. The two most important days of our lives are the day we are born and the day we are born again.

God was Wells’s father before Craig was. The One who “determines the number of stars” and “gives to all of them their names” (Psalm 147:4) knew his name before we did. The Lord told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14).

God made Wells for himself. He made him for eternal life with his Father in heaven. He made you and me for the same reason. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to salvation (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4).

A train painted like Air Force One

George H. W. Bush was eulogized yesterday at his home church, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston. His body was then taken to College Station, Texas, where it was interred next to his wife, Barbara, and their three-year-old daughter, Robin.

The president’s remains were transported from Houston on a train specifically built to honor his life. The Union Pacific train was led by a locomotive dubbed “Bush 4141” and painted to resemble Air Force One.

Like most Americans, I was deeply moved by the tributes to our forty-first president across this week. His integrity, humility, and strength were on display for the world to see, reminding us of the best of America. If he could have seen the tributes and heard the eulogies, he would undoubtedly have been deeply moved as well.

However, one moment after his physical death last Friday, he found himself in a realm so far transcending our fallen world that it defies description: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT). He was well, and he was home.

The place to which Jesus took him (John 14:3) is not just glorious beyond imagining (Revelation 21:23-24)–it is permanent. People in heaven or hell are there forever.

I once heard eternity described this way: Imagine that a hummingbird transports a tiny speck of dirt from earth to the moon once every thousand years. By the time it has moved our entire planet, eternity will have only begun.

A lesson from Pearl Harbor

Here’s the problem: It’s hard for humans to understand the eternality of eternity. We live in a time-conditioned existence. We experience the universe as past, present, and future. No moment is permanent for us. There’s always something next.

We are like an unborn baby that is safe and secure in its mother’s womb and cannot possibly imagine life outside her body. If we were twins and could speak to each other, we would believe one another to be the only people that exist except for our mother.

And we would experience her only in oblique ways. She gives us life, but we wouldn’t truly understand that fact. Nor could we imagine life with her as she intends it for us.

If someone could explain to us the process of birth, we would refuse it if we could. To be taken from the only world we know into an unknown realm filled with realities we cannot imagine would seem to be like death. But in fact, it would be the beginning of new life.

As our mothers gave us life, our Father gives us eternal life. As we were born into a new life, we are born again into an eternal life.

The permanence of eternity means that we must be ready for death today. As our nation remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor seventy-nine years ago, we are reminded that tomorrow is promised to no one.

We have only this moment to prepare for eternity. If you’re not sure Jesus is your Lord, trust in him as your Savior today. If you’re not sure you’re ready to meet God, get ready.

And help everyone you know be prepared as well. Your vocation is God’s calling. Where you work and live is your mission field. Make Jesus the King of your time, resources, and influence. Live every day as if it were your last day. One day, you’ll be right.

“This symbol of our nation’s spiritual life”

On September 29, 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt laid the foundation stone for the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Exactly eighty-three years later, President George H. W. Bush was present when the final stone was laid in place. Twenty-eight years later, his body would be returned to this magnificent structure for his state funeral.

The remarks President Bush delivered when the cathedral was completed were prescient: “We have constructed here this symbol of our nation’s spiritual life, overlooking the center of our nation’s secular life, a symbol which combines the permanence of stone and God–both of which will outlast men and memories.”

The president’s statement was accurate on earth–stone and God outlast human bodies–but not in heaven. Ten thousand millennia after our tiny planet has vanished, taking the National Cathedral and all other stones and structures with it, George Herbert Walker Bush will be in heaven with God.

Does anything matter more to you than being ready to join him?

Denison Forum

“George Herbert Walker Bush was America’s last great soldier-statesman, a twentieth-century founding father. He governed with virtues that most closely resemble those of Washington and of Adams, of TR and of FDR, of Truman and of Eisenhower, of men who believed in causes larger than themselves.”

With these words, biographer Jon Meacham eulogized President George H. W. Bush at yesterday’s state funeral in Washington, DC. The service at the National Cathedral was one of the most moving I have witnessed.

Several speakers referred to the late Barbara Bush, the president’s amazing wife of seventy-three years, and to their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at the age of three. I was especially touched when President George W. Bush ended his wonderful eulogy in tears as he said, “Dad is hugging Robin and holding Mom’s hand again.”

I was reminded of a cartoon published after Mr. Bush died. It pictures a World War II fighter plane now landed in heaven. Next to it are the president and Barbara wearing her trademark pearls, holding hands with little Robin. His wife says, “We waited for you.”

“Why was I spared?”

The great theologian and spiritual writer Henri Nouwen noted: “We have to prepare ourselves for our death with the same care and attention as our parents prepared themselves for our births.” George H. W. Bush was prepared for his death long before it came.

Continue reading Denison Forum – “A twentieth-century founding father” →

Throngs of people streamed into the Capitol Rotunda yesterday to spend a moment before the flag-draped casket of President George H. W. Bush. Among them was Sen. Bob Dole.

While serving in the Army during World War II, Dole was badly wounded by German machine gun fire. He never regained use of his right arm; his left arm is minimally functional. Nonetheless, he went on to serve Kansas in Congress from 1961 to 1996 and run for president in 1996 as the Republican nominee.

Now ninety-five years old, he is confined to a wheelchair. But he wanted to pay his respects to President Bush, so aides helped him stand. He then used his left hand to salute the casket.

It was one hero saluting another. I hope you’ll watch the now-viral video.

“Your success is now our country’s success”

Today has been designated a day of mourning for President George H. W. Bush. His remains are lying in state at the US Capitol this morning. His son, President George W. Bush, will deliver the eulogy at Washington National Cathedral later today.

Many are mourning the passing not just of a great man but also of the civility he represented. Consider one example of his gracious spirit.

In 1989, President Reagan left a humorous note for his successor in the drawer of his Oval Office desk. In 1993, after a bitterly fought presidential campaign, President Bush left a letter in the desk for the man who defeated him, cementing a tradition that has continued to this day.

Here is what he wrote:

“Dear Bill,

“When I walked into this office just now I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago. I know you will feel that, too.

Continue reading Denison Forum – One hero salutes another: A video I hope you’ll see →

A veteran named Alfred Norwood, Jr. was walking past a home in Austin, Texas, when he saw a man dangling from a second-story roof. He immediately stopped to help, trying unsuccessfully to use a ladder that was leaning against the home. He then called to people who were passing by, but no one stopped to help. So he called 911.

It turned out, the “man” in danger was a mannequin meant to look like Clark Griswold in the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s so realistic that it’s easy to see how Mr. Norwood was fooled.

The homeowners tracked the veteran down and thanked him. One pointed out that hundreds of cars go past their house every day, but he was the only person to stop and help. A reporter commented: “It’s nice to know there are still good people in this world who care.”

Let’s consider Mr. Norwood’s experience as a parable for our day.

Services for a war hero

President George H. W. Bush’s body is lying in state today in the US Capitol. It will remain there until tomorrow morning, when it will be taken to Washington National Cathedral for a state funeral. Tomorrow afternoon, the body will be transported to President Bush’s church in Houston for a service Thursday morning, followed by burial that afternoon.

His services are being conducted as a military operation befitting a war hero. They involve military units coordinating movements in at least three states and the District of Columbia.

The procedures are detailed in a 133-page manual titled “State, Official and Special Military Funerals.” As many as four thousand military and Defense Department civilian personnel will be involved in some capacity.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Man tries to rescue Christmas decoration →

I need to begin with a disclaimer: I am a fan of Santa Claus. I have fond memories of writing wish-list letters to him as a child and bringing our sons to visit him at the mall when they were children.

My purpose this morning is not to criticize the commercialization of Christmas, but to explore a different though related topic.

How important is religion to Americans?

In the latest Pew Research Center report, 20 percent of those surveyed named “religious faith” as the “most important” source of meaning in their lives.

Here’s the good news: religion received more votes than any source except “family.” Here’s the bad news: in a nation where 72 percent of the population identifies as Christian, a large majority of those claiming to follow Jesus do not find meaning in life primarily from their relationship with him.

He may be part of their lives, but he is not central to them.

How to get along with God

Of all life’s priorities, which should come first? Here’s God’s answer: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me’” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the importance of putting the Lord first in our lives (cf. Matthew 6:33; Exodus 20:3; Colossians 3:2). God does not share his glory. If he did, he would be committing idolatry.

Years ago, I heard a preacher warn: “If you want to get along with God, stay off his throne.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – The Santa Clausification of Christmas →

John Allen Chau was twenty-six years old. A native of Vancouver, Washington, he led missionary trips around the world for Christ.

This month, he traveled to the North Sentinel Island in India’s Bay of Bengal to share Christ with the Sentinelese tribe. Its members have been isolated for centuries, rejecting all contact with the larger world and reacting with violence when outsiders have attempted to interact with them. Their island is off-limits to visitors under Indian law.

Chau hired local fishermen to transport him within half a mile of the island. He then used a canoe to reach the island’s shore, returning later in the day.

On his second trip, the tribespeople broke his canoe, forcing him to swim back to the boat. On his third trip, he did not come back. The fishermen said they later saw tribespeople dragging his body around.

Indian authorities have now begun the arduous work of trying to retrieve Chau’s body without triggering a conflict with the islanders.

Before he left the boat for the last time, Chau wrote a note to his family. “You guys might think I’m crazy in all this but I think it’s worthwhile to declare Jesus to these people,” he said.

Then he added: “Please do not be angry at them or at God if I get killed–rather please live your lives in obedience to whatever He has called you to and I will see you again when you pass through the veil.”

“When necessary, use words” Continue reading Denison Forum – Indian authorities trying to recover body of US missionary →

Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday. Or so we think.

We tend to believe that the Pilgrims invented the holiday when they held a feast to celebrate their successful fall harvest. However, they borrowed the tradition from the English.

And the English celebration is nowhere as ancient as the Japanese national holiday known as Kinro Kansha no Hi (“Labor Thanksgiving Day”), which goes back more than two thousand years. The Chinese have been celebrating their version of thanksgiving even longer, with a Mid-Autumn Festival that goes back 2,500 years.

Why is giving thanks such a universal phenomenon? Because it’s so good for us.

The relationship between optimism and health

One problem some of us face on this Thanksgiving Day is that we don’t feel like giving thanks. If we’re facing hardships, Thanksgiving can be more obligatory than celebratory.

However, it’s when we don’t feel like being thankful that we most need to be thankful.

Time recently published a fascinating article titled “6 Ways to Instantly Be a More Positive Person.” The author notes that optimism is essential to our overall health.

For instance, when Harvard researchers studied seventy thousand women over an eight-year period, they discovered that the most optimistic quartile had an almost 30 percent lower risk of dying from several major causes of death compared with women in the least optimistic quartile.

How can we be more positive, whatever our circumstances or challenges?

Continue reading Denison Forum – Six ways to instantly become a more positive person →