A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon yesterday.

The earthquake followed an intense week of seismic activity in which the “Ring of Fire” was rocked by sixty-nine quakes in just forty-eight hours. (The “Ring of Fire” stretches 25,000 miles clockwise around the Pacific Ocean from New Zealand to the southern part of South America.)

Whenever such seismic activity occurs in the region, journalists speculate that the “Big One” may be coming. This is a reference to an earthquake of 8-magnitude or higher that is expected to occur along the San Andreas Fault. Such a quake could strike San Francisco, Los Angeles, or other populated areas on the West Coast.

Seismologists say we’re overdue for such a disaster. One states, “There is a 99.9% chance that there will be a damaging quake (magnitude greater than or equal to 6.7) somewhere in California in the next 30 years.”

“The whole world lies in the power of the evil one”

If you don’t live along the California coast and think such warnings are irrelevant to you, consider these facts:

• Storms such as the Category 4 hurricane that threatens Hawaii today kill an estimated ten thousand people each year.
• Every state in America is at risk from tornadoes.
• Wildfires have burned more than 5.6 million acres so far this year.
• Floods cause $6 billion in damage annually in our country.

I live in Dallas, Texas, where we are at risk from everything on the list. Are you exempt from natural disasters where you live?

When such tragedies strike, people always want to know why the God who made our planet allows such calamities to afflict his creation. We can respond with the fact that our world is broken as a result of sin (Romans 8:22), remembering that there were no natural disasters in the Garden of Eden. We can also point out that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), an enemy who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).

But the skeptic is likely to counter: Why didn’t the God who calmed the stormy Sea of Galilee prevent the disaster that affected me? If he’s more powerful than Satan, why does he let Satan harm us? If “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), why does he allow tragedies that his omnipotence could prevent?

The bottom line is that God’s ways are higher than my ways, and his thoughts are higher than my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). If my mind could understand the Lord’s mind, either I would be God or he would not be.

But I do know one way he redeems natural disasters. It’s a life principle we can begin using today, whether the “Big One” is coming tomorrow or not.

“O God, you are my God”

Psalm 63 finds David “in the wilderness of Judah,” according to its inscription. We know of two times he was in this barren area: when he was hiding from King Saul and when he was fleeing from his son Absalom. The fact that David refers to himself as “the king” in verse 11 makes the latter calamity the more likely setting.

Imagine that you are an elderly man, running for your life from your own son. You’re in the desert with no circumstantial reason to believe you will ever return to your throne or even survive the night.

How do you respond to the God who allowed this calamity?

David prays: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (v. 1). He can seek God in the present because he has experienced his omnipotence in the past: “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory” (v. 2).

His past experiences with God’s greatness empower him to trust the Lord with his future fears: “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands” (vv. 3-4).

Note the pattern: Seek God in the present by remembering his goodness in the past and trusting him for the future. When we make disaster an invitation to faith and worship, others see our trust in our Father and are drawn to him. Such confidence may be our most powerful witness to a skeptical culture.

Consider an example.

#StandWithTheBible

Evangelist Greg Laurie recently concluded the twenty-ninth annual Southern California Harvest Crusade. This year’s event became controversial when a real estate company removed the campaign’s billboards from two malls, claiming that it received complaints and a “serious threat” about the billboards’ depiction of Laurie holding a Bible.

In response, Laurie staged the #StandWithTheBible campaign, encouraging Christians to take photos or videos of themselves holding a Bible and post them on social media. He also urged attendees to bring Bibles and hold them up each night.

The weekend crusade saw 100,000 people in attendance, 74,300 webcast views, and 267,800 Facebook Live views. More than nine thousand people made professions of faith in Christ.

What the enemy means for evil, God uses for good (Genesis 50:20). This fact doesn’t explain disasters, but it redeems them in ways that far outlive the temporal calamities of this broken planet.

I don’t know if the “Big One” will hit tomorrow or ten generations from tomorrow. But I do know that we have only this day to be ready. And I know that the best way to be ready is to say with David, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you.”

Are you “earnestly” seeking God today?

NOTE:  In a world growing more openly hostile toward Christian values and beliefs, we must know how to “make a defense to anyone who asks.”

My prayer is that the new and just released volume 2 of Biblical Insight to Tough Questions can help with that. I’d like to send it to you to thank you for your gift and to help you “speak the truth in love” to tough questions.

I hope volume 2 will help you grow your faith and encourage you to engage culture with truth. To receive your copy, please click here.

Denison Forum

A plane landed without front wheels after gear failure. Flames ignited on contact. However, the pilot was able to bring the plane safely to a stop. All fifty-nine passengers and five crew members were unharmed.

This incident last Sunday in Peru underscores the intrinsic value of human beings. If the plane had been a test drone, its emergency landing would have generated little interest. But when a passenger plane nearly kills scores of humans, other humans instinctively take notice.

Meanwhile, the body of twenty-year-old missing Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts was discovered yesterday. An illegal immigrant has confessed to killing her. We grieve viscerally the tragic death of one so young.

In other news, Paul Manafort was found guilty yesterday on eight counts in his fraud trial. Whatever we think of the verdict, we should note that a system of jury trial by our peers reflects an intrinsic belief in the value of our peers.

“America’s birth certificate”

Each summer, my wife and I try to visit an area with a unique history. This year, we chose Philadelphia.

We visited the Liberty Bell and noted its iconic message from Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof.” We stood inside Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were ratified.

We visited the home of Betsy Ross and museums dedicated to aspects of colonial history. We stood at the grave of Benjamin Franklin, one of the most brilliant of a generation of truly brilliant men and women.

But the most moving experience for me personally was one few tourists shared with us.

We made our way to Declaration House, where we climbed the stairs to the second floor. There we stood outside the parlor that Thomas Jefferson rented in 1776. It was here that he wrote the Declaration of Independence.

This iconic document has been called “America’s birth certificate.”

“The only nation founded on a creed”

Jefferson declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” As a result, he added, governments “are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Plane makes emergency landing with no front wheels →

Last week it was reported that Malaysia repealed its “fake news” law.

This Asian nation is one of the first countries in the world to reconsider how to control this societal nemesis. But, aren’t you already wondering whether that story is also fake news?

Since Missourians live in the Show-Me State, I wonder how they’re dealing with this dilemma. Is seeing believing?

There’s a scam going around currently where people are called by someone claiming to be an official with the IRS. That “official” claims that the victim owes a bogus tax bill. Often, the victim is conned into sending cash through wire transfers or prepaid debit cards to settle a fake debt. The IRS has told the public time and again that they will not use this kind of tactic.

In an age when pictures are photoshopped, stories are spun, and anonymous slander is rampant, who or what can you believe?

Last week I received a notice by email that a well-known bank had sent over $1,000 out of my account to a named payee. The email asked me to verify the transaction by replying to the email.

Trouble is, I don’t have any accounts at that particular bank. Upon closer inspection of the email, the bank’s logo was not authentic, and the email address of the sender was in no way connected to that bank.

Now, more than ever, caveat emptor: buyer beware. Fake news is everywhere.

Fake news is not new

But, fake news is NOT new. In 1981, Janet Leslie Cooke won a Pulitzer Prize for an article titled “Jimmy’s World” written for the Washington Post. It was later discovered to be fake. After admitting she had fabricated the story, she returned the prize.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Is All the News Fake? →

Would you shop at Walmart in a “virtual showroom”?

The company recently applied for intellectual property patents that would allow VR headset owners to browse their store shelves via virtual reality. The experience may still be years away, but Walmart is working on this VR experience to woo consumers away from their chief rival, Amazon.

However, as Katelyn Lunt has proven, Amazon has achieved their preferred consumer status by making the shopping experience so simple a six-year-old can order almost $400 worth of toys from her mom’s account.

Of course, Katelyn wasn’t supposed to order that much.

She just wanted to check her mom’s computer for the delivery date of a Barbie her mom had ordered as a reward for doing chores. But how could Katelyn refuse the allure of Amazon presenting dozens of other Barbie-themed items to her?

Continue reading Denison Forum – Six-Year-Old Orders Almost $400 Worth of Toys →

Torrential rainfall may have led to a freak accident on Tuesday. An overpass collapsed in Genoa, Italy, leaving at least thirty-eight people dead and fifteen injured. Dozens of vehicles were cast toward the ground as part of the accident, and hundreds of emergency workers and firefighters are still searching for survivors within the rubble.

In the midst of such unpredictable tragedy, we turn to stories like that of Gianluca Ardini, who claims a miraculous escape from the accident after a blast of air threw him out from under the falling wreckage. Rescuers were able to bring him down from the bridge via ropes. His companion, tragically, had already fallen to his death.

The world’s response to tragedy

It is this one-in-forty survival story that allows emergency responders to still “speak of not giving up hope, although they accept there is very little chance anyone will now be found alive.” It is this attitude of hopefulness that we must strive to maintain as believers who live in a fallen world.

Just this week, forty-eight were killed in the suicide bombing of an education center in Kabul, Afghanistan. Many were teenagers preparing for another semester of university. At the same time, at least seventy-three were killed by heavy monsoon rains in the Indian state of Kerala.

How is it that God calls us to live amid such tragedy?

The world’s response to tragedy is hopelessness. Over seventy people were arrested on Tuesday night next to Yale University’s campus after overdosing on a new strain of marijuana laced with fentanyl, a lethal painkiller in even the smallest doses. People know the world is not as it should be, but escapism is only a temporary cure-all.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Our Hope Is Coming →

If you were to stop what you’re doing right now to view the latest headlines, you wouldn’t see much worthy of a parade. The political climate is as volatile as ever, devastating fires are impacting the West Coast, and we’re stuck watching baseball until football and basketball season start back.

But take a closer look.

Scroll down past the main headlines to read some of the less publicized pieces.

Like the story of Ricky Smith, a thirty-six-year-old father who works at McDonald’s, Popeyes, and Circle K, and who surprised his daughter with her dream dress for her eighth-grade dance.

Or what about the NYC Public Library’s willingness to let cardholders check out neckties and briefcases for job interviews?

Try to tell Cristina Muneton, a fifty-eight-year-old ovarian cancer patient, that there isn’t anything in life worth having a parade about. Her family and friends literally held a parade for her in her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.

Stories of people doing good are out there. We just have to keep scrolling.

A story of victory

Just like the news headlines of our day, the farther we read into Scripture, the more stories of God’s goodness we find. He was good when he created the heavens and earth in Genesis 1:1. He was good when Jesus breathed his last breath as a man in Mark 15:37. He will be good when Jesus returns as promised in Revelation.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The good news behind good news →

Gone are the days when you plunge into your parents’ living room set of encyclopedias, digging through the volumes alphabetically to find the answer to that relentless question plaguing you: When does the whooping crane migrate?

Today you are one quick Google search away from answering that question and pretty much anything else that inquiring minds want to know. By the way, didn’t want to leave you with a cliffhanger: it’s mid-September for the whooping crane.

Google is the most-searched search engine in the world and also provides insight into what interests us. I googled (yes, it’s a verb now) the top searches in both 2017 and thus far in 2018, and it was a fascinating look into our culture.

What is our culture searching for?

This year it seems Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga were among those who captivated us in the music category, while pop culture had us interested in Matt Lauer and Meghan Markle. Our techie folks were into the iPhone X, and apparently a whole host of you people were trying to figure out how to make slime, while others were in the market to lose belly fat fast.

But 2018 is only half written.

Each December, Google releases the “Year In Search,” a video summarizing the Google searches shaping that given year. I recently watched “Year In Search 2017” and was reminded of the hardships of last year.

Continue reading Denison Forum – What Google Searches Reveal →

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else” (C. S. Lewis).

NASA launched a spacecraft yesterday that will get seven times closer to the sun than previous spacecraft. One NASA scientist called it a mission to “touch the sun.”

The Parker Solar Probe will cover 96 percent of the 93 million miles between us and our closest star. It will make twenty-four close approaches to the sun over the next seven years.

We’re obviously interested in the sun since life on our planet depends on it. But frankly, our sun is nothing special in the larger universe. While it would take one million Earths to fill it, the sun is just average compared to other stars in our galaxy. Betelgeuse, for instance, is about seven hundred times bigger and about 14,000 times brighter.

In total, scientists estimate that there are one billion trillion stars in the known universe. And God “gives to all of them their names” (Psalm 147:4).

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). How is this declaration in the heavens relevant to the hard choices we must make on earth?

The true test of faith

It’s easy to obey God when we understand why we should. The test of faith comes when we are called to step beyond what we understand or even want to be true.

Continue reading Denison Forum – A “mission to touch the sun” →

“The time has come to establish the United States Space Force.” With this announcement, Vice President Mike Pence told an audience at the Pentagon yesterday that the US must “meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield.”

By year’s end, the White House intends to create a US Space Command led by a four-star general. It would eventually establish a “Space Force” as the sixth branch of the US military.

For years, members of Congress and military leaders have been warning that space is a warfighting domain in need of more attention and resources. The Pentagon’s satellites are already used for missile-defense warnings, guiding precision munitions, and providing communications and reconnaissance.

Russia and China have made significant advances in militarizing space. Vice President Pence cited our adversaries’ advancements in developing hypersonic missiles which can travel up to five miles per second and evade our missile warning systems.

“America will always seek peace, in space as on earth,” he stated. “But history proves that peace only comes through strength. And in the realm of outer space, the United States Space Force will be that strength.”

Your life in the year 2000

Geopolitical analyst George Friedman has been predicting for years that World War III would begin in space. He notes, “It seems like science fiction, but one wonders how somebody in 1900 would have felt about a description of what World War II was going to be like.”

Consider our way of life just eighteen years ago.

When the new millennium arrived, you were awakened by a clock radio (iPhones did not exist for another seven years). There were no social media apps (they now cost us five hours a day). Weekday newspaper circulation was estimated at nearly fifty-six million (it’s down to thirty-one million now).

Continue reading Denison Forum – The “Space Force” and the protection of God →

The Mendocino Complex fire in California is now the largest in the state’s history. As of this morning, it has burned more than 292,000 acres. For comparison: the fire is nearly double the size of Chicago and more than triple the size of Philadelphia, Detroit, Portland, and Atlanta.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, which started on July 27.

There is no such uncertainty with the Carr Fire, which has destroyed nearly two thousand structures and claimed seven lives. The fire started when a tire failed on a trailer, causing its rim to scrape the asphalt. With the heat and extreme drought in the area, that’s all it took to start a tragic inferno.

Rick Gates and Prince Harry

God’s word notes: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” (James 3:5). We are seeing this principle at work across today’s news.

Rick Gates was an intern when he first met Paul Manafort. Now Mr. Gates is the prosecution’s star witness in its case against Mr. Manafort on tax and bank fraud charges.

Two drones rigged with explosives detonated near Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro last Saturday. Security experts warn that such attacks are difficult for conventional armies to defend against and are likely to increase.

In more trivial news, Prince Harry is making headlines for the wrong reason. He and Meghan Markle attended a wedding over the weekend, where he was spotted wearing a shoe with a hole in its sole. The story made Time magazine.

The myth of “small” sins

There is a principle at work here, one our culture typically devalues.

According to Gallup, more Americans than ever before consider divorce, sex between an unmarried man and woman, gay or lesbian relations, having a baby outside of marriage, doctor-assisted suicide, and pornography to be acceptable.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The surprising cause of California wildfire →

Bill Hybels is making headlines again. The New York Times tells the story of a woman who worked as his personal assistant at Willow Creek Community Church. She is now describing multiple occasions in which he behaved toward her in extremely inappropriate ways I will not describe here.

Hybels denies her allegations. “I never had an inappropriate physical or emotional relationship with her before that time, during that time or after that time,” he stated in an email to the Times. He has already taken early retirement following other allegations of misconduct. Ten women in total have now made such accusations.

Willow Creek’s elders have stated: “We now believe Bill entered into areas of sin related to the allegations that have been brought forth.” Yesterday, the church announced that it plans to launch a new independent investigation into the charges against Hybels.

After Hybels took early retirement, Steve Carter became Lead Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek last October. He resigned his position on Sunday, stating that he and church elders disagree about ways the church can move forward. “I cannot, in good conscience, appear before you as your Lead Teaching Pastor when my soul is so at odds with the institution,” he wrote in a letter to the congregation.

The personal assistant making the latest allegations against Hybels worked with him some thirty years ago. Whether we believe he is guilty or not, we should take note of this fact: the public consequences of personal sin can come to light years after the sin is committed.

A satanic strategy

Satan loves to tempt us to sin, then use the consequences of our sins against us. But he wants these consequences to devastate us and the people of God as much as possible.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Bill Hybels and the illusion of “private” sin →

It seems I could comment on celebrity news every morning.

For instance, Patrick Stewart “stunned” fans with his weekend announcement that he will play Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek series. Russia has named US actor Steven Seagal its special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties.

And two elderly men in Germany escaped their nursing home to attend a heavy metal rock concert. They were eventually discovered and escorted from the festival.

We might think tonight’s Bachelorette live finale fits into the same category–amusing but less than relevant to real life. Here’s why we’d be wrong.

Contestant shamed for his virginity

The Bachelorette has been on television for fifteen years. You probably know the premise: A woman is presented with a group of men who want to marry her. Various dates and activities narrow the group down to a final three contestants.

She then spends time in the “Fantasy Suite” with each of them, no cameras allowed. She usually has sex with each of the three men. (I will not link to articles explaining this fact since they are explicit.)

The “Bachelorette” then narrows the group to the final two and chooses the winner in the finale.

So much is wrong with this show. The idea that people could choose their life partner on the basis of contrived events in front of cameras is implausible in the extreme. (The Bachelor, which began in 2002, has produced only one couple that is still together. Only six couples from The Bachelorette are still together.)

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why “The Bachelorette” is such a bad idea →

Daisy-May Demetre was born with underdeveloped fibular bones in both legs. Her parents chose to have her legs amputated below the knee. After being fitted with prosthetics, she can walk, run, and jump and is an avid gymnast.

She is also a model.

Daisy-May has appeared on the catwalk at London Fashion Week. Now the seven-year-old has been awarded a contract with British fashion brand River Island. The company explained: “We required a model who has lots of energy and who looked great in activewear. Daisy-May Demetre fitted this brief perfectly.”

Her parents aren’t shocked that their daughter is inspiring so many people. Her father explained: “The support we get through Instagram from other disabled and non-disabled people is what we are about–helping to put smiles on faces and inspire people to push and follow their dreams.”

Woods and Mickelson will play for $10 million

Material success can be used for significant purposes.

Consider yesterday’s announcement that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will play a $10-million showdown match Thanksgiving weekend. The two golfing legends will compete against each other in the Las Vegas area on November 23 or 24.

They hope the match starts a series of events of a similar nature, pitting people or teams against one another with a high purse at stake.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Double amputee wins modeling contract →

Keith King sued Francisco Huizar III for “alienation of affection,” among other complaints, after Huizar had an affair with King’s wife. King filed his lawsuit in North Carolina, one of a few states where a person can sue another person for breaking up his or her marriage.

A North Carolina judge has now ruled that Huizar should pay $8.8 million. He plans to appeal.

Meanwhile, CBS executive Leslie Moonves stands to lose as much as $300 million if the network cancels his contract. Six women are alleging that they were sexually harassed by Moonves over the years.

In other news, several states joined efforts yesterday to block a Texas man from offering instructions online for making plastic guns using 3-D printers. However, CNN reports today that more than a thousand people have already downloaded plans to print an AR-15-style assault rifle.

The weapons could never be traced if used in a crime since they have no serial number. They could slip more easily through metal detectors and would enable criminals to circumvent background checks.

What do these stories have in common? The power of words.

Words can be miraculous

Emily Dickinson: “I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Marital affair could cost man nearly $9 million →

Adam Jobbers-Miller grew up in Wayne, New Jersey, the son of a fireman. He served as a volunteer fireman with his father before he was hired as a police officer in Fort Myers, Florida.

Jobbers-Miller was shot in the head on July 21 while responding to a report of a gunman at a gas station. He underwent surgery but died of his injuries a week later.

It takes tremendous courage to risk one’s life as a firefighter or a police officer. Jobbers-Miller did both.

In other news, the remains of Capt. Lawrence Dickson have been identified. He was the first of more than two dozen black aviators known as Tuskegee Airmen who went missing in action during World War II. Dickson was twenty-four when he went down on a mission over Austria on December 23, 1944.

Meanwhile, remains believed to be those of fifty-five American servicemen were flown out of North Korea on Friday. “These incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil,” President Trump said.

A fifty-fifty chance of survival

It takes courage to do a hard thing that others will not do. If it were easy, it would already be done.

Rocket Men is Robert Kurson’s bestselling story of the Apollo 8 space mission. I was gripped by the book from start to finish. Kurson timed his narrative for the fiftieth anniversary of the first manned mission to leave Earth’s orbit, reach the Moon, orbit it, and return to Earth safely.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Fireman turned policeman dies at 29 →

You have almost survived “Shark Week.” The Discovery Channel phenomenon began in 1988. This year’s installment ends Sunday.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal hosted this year in part to overcome his fear of sharks. Producers had to build a larger-than-usual cage for him. They included extra-large windows for better visibility. As a result, a small shark squeezed through the bars and into the cage.

This was a first in the show’s thirty-year history.

The team behind the camera was able to get Shaq out of the cage quickly. One of the show’s producers said, “Shaq hasn’t moved that fast since he was in the NBA.”

If you find yourself in a similar situation but without a cage or television personnel to help, what should you do? Jimi Partington, one of the world’s leading great white shark experts, has some advice. In essence: fight back.

If a shark attacks you, you must convince it that you’re not its usual food. You do this, not by swimming away (this will mimic its typical prey and probably encourage an attack), but by standing your ground. Partington says to “go for the eyes and the gills, as these are the most sensitive areas of the shark.” You can also strike the shark on the nose.

The article concludes: “It’s best to be dominant, be confident and, in most cases, the shark will swim away. That might be hard to do in that scenario, but it could save your life.”

Mark Zuckerberg lost $15.1 billion in five minutes Continue reading Denison Forum – How to survive a shark attack →