Ek Tu Hi Bharosa... Hindi Song..

ANGER: Human Volcanoes

It's tough living with a volcano that could go off any minute. Could that be how the people around you feel?

When the stress, pressure, and aggravation build up, maybe you become a human volcano - blowing up and doing some serious damage, especially to people you love. Like a volcano, the eruption is over fairly quickly, but the damage it does can last a lifetime.

Maybe your temper is part of your "dark side" and it is out of control all too often. It may be the devastating things that you say and do when you're angry, your selfishness that continually wounds and crushes people, or a sour negativity and bitterness that poisons your life and the lives of people around you. It's all deadly molten lava that keeps spewing out of your life - often hurting most the people you love most.

The battle you fight with your explosive dark side is not a new battle; it's at least 2,000 years old. Romans 7:15 says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." That's a struggle we all understand too well, isn't it? The way we treat our mate, our children, our co-workers, and maybe our friends. We don't want to be that way, but we just can't seem to stop. The passage goes on to say in Romans 7:18-19 , "I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing." How many times have we resolved to do better and failed?

There is good news, because the Bible shows us how to move from despair to deliverance. Romans 7:24-25 says, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" That's just what we need. We need a rescuer, someone who can lift us out of the trap of this sin-mess. That's where the hope is! Jesus Christ came here to deal once and for all with this sin monster that's so powerful inside us, sin that cuts us off from God now and forever. Jesus went to a cross where He died to absorb all the power and all the death penalty of our sin. Then He declared total victory three days later when He walked out of His grave under His own power!

He wants to bring that victory into your life to forgive every sinful, hurtful thing you've ever done and give you a new beginning. He stands ready to actually move into your heart, to control what you have never been able to control, and to beat what has always beaten you. He's the Rescuer reaching for you. Now it's up to you to reach back and grab His hand and tell Him, "Jesus, You are my only hope. I don't want to be like this anymore. I'm placing all my trust in you to be my Savior from my sin." With Him in your life, you don't have to be what you've always been. You can be what the Bible calls "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17 ).

When Jesus was on earth, He was with His disciples in a violent storm that threatened to destroy them until He stepped to the helm and said three words: "Peace, be still!" The storm was gone. Today, He wants to do that for the storm that rages inside you.

Hindi Christian Song: Ae Mere Mann...

ANGER: The Longer It Waits, The Harder It Gets

Maybe there's a strained relationship in your life right now, and there have been too many sunsets and bad feelings toward someone. The problem is probably bigger than it used to be, but right now is the smallest it will ever be. This issue will never be easier to address than right now, no matter how hard that might seem to you. It's only going to get harder. It's only going to get more costly, and you'll only turn darker inside.



There's a good reason for this. It's like food remnants on dirty dishes. If you deal with them right away, they're soft and easy to remove. Just rinse the plate, and the food falls right off. If you wait, it turns hard so you have to scrape and work, and it's tough to remove it because it's stuck tight. Maybe that's why we call unresolved anger "hard feelings."

Anger turns hard very quickly, and that gives the devil an opportunity to enter a marriage, a parent-child relationship, a friendship, or a church. At the core of every marriage break-up there has probably been an issue that was once a small one, but it was not dealt with immediately. At the core of a broken parent-child relationship, a hurting friendship, or a divided church, there are people who didn't clean up their anger when it first appeared, when it was still small and relatively soft, so it's led to a terrible outcome. The devil got his foot in the door.







Ephesians 4:26-27 says, "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." Here's the Biblical clock on strained relationships. That clock runs out at sundown every day. Remember those old westerns where the marshal might say, "You better be out of here by sundown." Well, that's what we're supposed to be saying to any anger, resentment, or conflict that comes up. "Get out of here by sundown."


Today is always your best opportunity to go to that person and do whatever it takes to repair things. Be willing to confront them to apologize and receive or give forgiveness if needed. Talk it through with them and pray together. You say, "Well, that's going to be tough." It won't be as tough as not doing it. You just cannot afford that hard spot in your heart that develops from the anger that you stuff inside. Don't let it grow instead of letting it go.

Anger and bitterness never stays the same size; they always grow. Remember the dirty dish. There is nothing to gain in waiting to resolve the problem, because the longer you wait, the harder it gets.

ANGELS: Fascinated with Angels

Are there really angels out there? In today's climate of curiosity about spiritual things we're fascinated with angels. There are all kinds of books about angels, T.V. programs, pictures, decorations, and toys.


We've started to look beyond earth stuff for some answers, for some hope. For many, this spiritual quest has taken them to the realm of the angels.


The truth can be found in the Word of God. God tells us where angels fit into the whole scheme of things. The Word of God says in Hebrews 1:6 , "And again, when God brings His first born into the world He says, 'Let all God's angels worship Him.'" It tells us here that there definitely are angels, and He commands all of them to worship His Son.


What's their job? We read in Hebrews 1:14 , "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve. Other places in the Bible show that they're God's delivery people or messengers. What's important is who sent them. He's the One to pursue. He's the One to study. He's the One who should fascinate us.


You just learned something incredible about the One angels came to the earth to announce - God's one and only Son, Jesus. Later in Hebrews 2:9 it says, "But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone."


Beyond the angelic messengers is a life or death message. Jesus left the glory of heaven to "suffer death." The one person in history who could not have His life taken from Him is the Son of God. He gave His life on a cross tasting "death for everyone."


The bad news from the Bible is that we are under an eternal death penalty for our sin - for running our own lives instead of letting God run them. The good news is that Jesus loved us so much He did what only He could do. He died the death penalty we deserve to give us the eternal life we don't deserve.


If you've been looking for spiritual peace and spiritual reality, it's been waiting for you all along, in Jesus. It becomes yours when you commit yourself to this awesome Savior. No angel, no prophet, no religion could die for your sins, only God's Son could do that, and He did. Your search could be over today. It can end at the nail-pierced feet of Jesus.

Book Review: Our Last Great Hope: Awakening the Great Commission by Ronnie Floyd

The word *hope* has been thrown around a lot over the past few years, and it seems to me that it may have lost some of its meaning.  When the *hope* that people think they are getting turns to dismay, disappointment, and disillusionment, it may be a wake-up call that the focus is not on the Messiah.

Ronnie Floyd, a pastor, has recently written Our Last Great Hope: Awakening the Great Commission.  While the "last great" part of it may seem rather fatalistic, in a greater sense, it is.  He wants the reader to appreciate that there are millions (or perhaps billions) of people dwelling on earth who have not heard the good news and are not saved.

His argument is that rather than tithe, pray for a handful of missionaries, and move on with your life, you should be active--evaluating yourself and your commitment, engaging and enthusing your church, "talking" Jesus daily, and reaching the next generation now.

As someone who routinely tutors "the next generation" and has conversations with them about their priorities, their goals, and their lives, I can attest that this is one of the greater challenges.  As the author expresses, however, it is Our Last Great Hope.

I think this book would be especially useful when read as a group -- women's or men's groups at church, church leadership, college-age group, or any other similar group.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Book Review: Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff

In Has God Spoken?, Hank Hanegraaff, “the Bible Answer Man” turns his attention toward the attacks on the reliability of Scripture.  He does so through catchy (if sometimes forced) alliteration and acronym-filled arguments while sprinkling in the occasional pop culture reference, possibly to lighten the mood from what he fears may be getting too academic (though I obviously can’t predict his reasoning).

Hanegraaff opens the book by stating the problem of popular attacks on Biblical inerrancy, specifically citing Barak (Obama), Bart (Ehrman) and Bill (Maher) among a “procession of political pundits, professors, and public personalities” that call into question its reliability.  (I told you he liked alliteration.)

Having established the attacks, Hanegraaff proceeds to answer some key questions while providing evidence, utilizing the tool of acronyms for memory purposes.  He offers MAPS to follow in this debate - Manuscripts, Archeology, Prophecy and Scripture.  These main headings he breaks down further.  I’ll discuss them briefly.

Manuscript COPIES – Copyist practices, Oral culture, Papyrus and parchments, Internal evidence, External evidence and Science of textual criticism.  In this section, Hanegraaff offers a look into the stringent practices of historical copyists of Scripture while examining the impressive precision of oral tradition in cultures that thrived upon it.  He also points out the many pieces of manuscripts and early dates of them while marveling at the harmony within Scripture and historians’ support of what Scripture says. 

Archeologist’s SPADE – Steles and stones, Pools and fools, Assyrian archeology, Dead Sea Scrolls and Epic of Gilgamesh.  Hanegraaff points out that other religious writings, the Book of Mormon for instance, make many claims about places and events that simply cannot be backed up archeologically.  The Bible stands in stark contrast.  Many of its places have been excavated and archeology is time and again revealing that Scripture is accurate in what it says.

Prophetic STARS – Succession of nations, Typological prophecy, Abomination of desolation, Resurrection prophecy, Superstar ABCs.  Pointing to various prophecies and their fulfillments, Hanegraaff highlights the impressive track record of Scripture.  From the notable progression of national powers offered in the book of Daniel to specific prophecies regarding the Messiah, he lays out events that could not happen simply by coincidence.

Scriptural LIGHTS – Literal principle, Illumination principle, Grammatical principle, Historical principle, Typology principle and Synergy principle.  Having used Manuscript Copies, Archeologist’s Spade and Prophetic Stars to illuminate the reliability of Scripture, Hanegraaff focuses this last chapter on ways in which one may read and study Scripture well – interpreting it accurately and applying it faithfully.

For a layman, this book is a good starting point.  It will bolster your assurance in the reliability of Scripture, offering sound reason for believing the truth that is found in the pages of your Bible.  However, it falls short in what seems to be Hanegraaff’s main claim, to provide a sound, academic defense of inerrancy.  Before you stone me as a heretic, let me explain. He repeatedly alludes to Bart Ehrman, a notable professor who writes and teaches against the accuracy of Scripture.  Hanegraaff also uses some very technical terms for textual criticism, terms which he uses incorrectly and which are very familiar to Ehrman (and any other textual critic regardless of whether they side for or against inerrancy).  If Hanegraaff were to enter into an academic debate with Ehrman using the material he presents here, he’d be torn to shreds.  That said, if you’re looking for an academic discussion, this is not the book you’ll choose, for the casual reader concerned about the reliability of their Bible, this is  a great place to start.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Book Review: God's Love Letter's to YOU, By Larry Crabb

God's Love Letters to You, a 40-Day devotional experience by Dr. Larry Crabb, is one of the best devotional books I've read. In fact, I didn't want to read just one a day as intended. Dr. Crabb is a well-known Christian psychologist, teacher and speaker, and he uses his background to inspire us into real conversation and thoughts with the God of the Bible. Using personal letters from God (straight out of the Bible) to us, he is challenging us to hear the love story God is telling us, and to awaken our souls with God's word of life. After each day's devotional, there are also moments to reflect and a short prayer. I particularly recall day 17: Jonah Where God demands our cooperation. Dr. Crabb reminds us that God says, "We are to grow up. Our days of naive worship and shallow intimacy are over. We are wrong to demand GOD's cooperation with our understanding of life. Because God loves me and because His plans are for my good, He demands that I cooperate with Him. There is no other way to enjoy His Presence. When life hits a bump that God could smooth but doesn't, will I countinue to think that God should surrender His wisdom to mine and do what I think best?" Oh what a mess I would be in then. As a good friend of mine would say, "Oh me, Dennis!" 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Why Won't God Go Away - Alister McGrath

Let me introduce you to one of the nicest, gentlest and most intellectual of men that you are ever likely to meet: Alistair McGrath.

This week has been good because I had leisure enough to be able to read one of McGrath’s more recent books, “Why God Won’t Go Away”. This is a wonderfully short read which packs a lot of relevant thought on a topic close to my heart. In short, McGrath’s book is about engaging with the ‘New Atheism’ and trying to understand why it might be that the God-idea simply won’t “go away”.

New Atheism?

Atheism isn’t new. Actually, neither is the ‘New Atheism’ new… but that’s beside the point.

New Atheism, a term coined by Gary Wolf in 2006, was the ‘snappy slogan’ that was slapped onto the kind of atheism that exploded onto the world scene at around the same time. This is the atheism of authors such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens.

The basic premise of the New Atheism runs something like this: science is rational, faith is irrational… because religion requires faith it is therefore irrational. More than that, irrational people are dangerous and should be sorted out. More or less.

McGrath is far more elegant and generous than I in describing New Atheism… so I’ll turn away from my own polemic views and give you a review of his far better work.

Why God Won’t Go Away

McGrath opens by placing New Atheism in its proper historical context, fuelled by the atrocities of 9/11 in America. He then introduces the core ideas and beliefs of the New Atheist ‘manifesto’ and outlines the main themes and arguments against religion and religious ideas. What is lovely about this book is that the author is so very gentle and generous in presenting a balanced account. McGrath, ever the academic yet capable of a surprising light writing style to carry us through the ideas, presents a clear and fair outline of the issues under debate.

Having outlined how the New Atheism all started, he moves into a chapter discussing what is ‘new’ about this movement. Connecting the roots of these ideas to the Enlightenment, McGrath suggests that one of the more striking elements to arise has been the connection of two phenomena: anti-theism and massive online communities.

The third chapter, a really very relaxed account, tackles the accusation that religion is violent. In a very easy-to-read section McGrath outlines the flaws in this idea, as well acknowledging the roots of the very same. For me, this chapter stands as a very real eye-opener to anyone interested in the New Atheist debate because it airs stuff that, quite frankly, I’d never thought about. No big shocks, not necessarily a chapter that will change minds already set on their beliefs… but certainly worth a look. It moves the debate along.

Next comes McGrath’s discussion on the rationality of beliefs. This is where he tackles the basic premise of the New Atheist outlook – the idea that faith is irrational. Drawing on key and well-establishing rational principles, and drawing upon the philosophy and ideas of other atheist thinkers, McGrath invites the reader to reconsider their thinking and accept the limits of reason. In many ways, this chapter goes the furthest in inviting the New Atheist thinker to come out of the Enlightenment mindset and catch up with the thinking that has been taking place in more moderate atheist circles for around 300 years. It’s a short but good read.

The proof of science is the final chapter in the first section of the book, dealt with wonderfully and gently to give the reader a clear bunch of stuff to think about. Here McGrath delves into creating a primer for the philosophy of science and reveals to the critical thinker the framework for what science can and cannot ‘prove’. It’s a masterful read and entertaining to boot, especially given McGrath’s own credentials as a scientist and not just as a philosopher and theologian. He refrains from all temptations to ridicule or belittle those who are not experts in science, and instead provides a short yet informative summary of the key ideas we could all do well to consider.

Finally, in the second section of the book, McGrath looks at how the New Atheism is doing at the close of 2010 and dawn of 2011. This is a pleasant read with, once again, is handled generously and with integrity. Perhaps most surprising is the discovery that New Atheism is perhaps now struggling to come to terms with the debate over the longer-term. We read about how the online community, the powerhouse for the ideas of these four key atheist writers, has become frustrated with the lack of a quick victory over religion. It is here, then, that we finally discover the reasons that might begin to answer the title of the book – why God won’t go away.

Why Won’t God Go Away?

McGrath’s response is that God, as both an idea and an entity, is simply not going away because the basic premise of New Atheism is flawed. Faith, he writes, is not irrational. Simply stating this kind of accusation without substantiating it, McGrath proposes, is not enough.

What I really enjoyed about this book is not so much the examination of the debate and ideas but more the affirmation that atheism, like any other belief, is just that: a belief.

We all act upon our beliefs. Reason does not prove our beliefs, not in the empirical sense. Rather, we hold beliefs based upon our choices as much as upon the evidence we perceive. There are, ‘values and ideas that have shaped human culture and given human existence direction and purpose, but cannot be proved by reason or science.’ (page 59).

Why Should You Care?

Hmm… well, to be honest, I’m not saying you should. That being said, this is a book that any fair-minded theist or atheist would do well to read. It has a mere 99 pages and packs a lot of good ideas into a very readable package. My only criticism, from the perspective of a genuine seeker after truth, is that it is too short and you need to dig further if you want to really delve deep into the arguments being presented.

Overall, if you are an atheist troubled by the polemic of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens then this is a worthwhile read. If you are a theist struggling to reply to the atheists around you, then again this is a useful read. And if, like me, you are worried by the anti-theist tone of so much recent media review of the subject of religion then reading McGrath’s short book will give you something to reassure yourself with.

Oh, go on… give it a read. If nothing else, McGrath will entertain you.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

ANGELS: Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?

Every time you sing the Christmas carol, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," you sing the words, "Peace on earth and mercy mild." If you ever watch the news or read a newspaper, you may well be asking, "Whatever happened to peace on earth?" That's a very good question. The terrorism danger for Americans is high. One national correspondent expressed on television what a whole lot of people are feeling. He said, "I have never in my lifetime seen such a high degree of threat to our personal security." Throw in dangers that you may be facing personally, such as medical or financial dangers, and you might wonder where the peace is that Christmas is supposed to be about.

The phrase "peace on earth" wasn't invented by a greeting card company. It was part of the birth announcement of the first Christmas, delivered by angels from heaven to shepherds in the field watching over their sheep. Luke 2:13-14 from the Word of God says, "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'"


In today's dangerous and unpredictable world, where is that peace? It's in the hearts of those who are ready for eternity, whenever it comes. They understand why the angel said that first Christmas, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11 ). The announcement from heaven said that peace would be for those "on whom God's favor rests." The Bible makes it very clear that God's favor rests on those who's sins have been forgiven and totally erased from God's Book. No religion can do that because no amount of doing good can erase the bad in your life. It took a Savior...a rescuer.


If it could have been done without the death of the Son of God, you can be sure it would have been. Only a man could die for the sins of man, and only a man who was God could be the perfect sacrifice. He could barely find a place to be born as He came into the world He created. Many of us have kept the door of our heart closed to Him as surely as that innkeeper did centuries ago.


The peace we need most is peace with the God who made us, who we will meet when we die. Romans 5:1 says, "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." When Jesus enters your life, the wall between you and God comes down forever and the war in your soul is over. Then there will be peace; peace that is recession-proof, divorce-proof, terror-proof, and death-proof.


You must first surrender the running of your own life because you were never supposed to and you were never made to. When you grab Jesus in total trust as your personal Rescuer from the guilt and penalty of your sin, the storm inside is replaced with His incredible peace. You will know you're ready for eternity, whenever and however it comes.


There's not a better time to begin your relationship with Jesus Christ than today. Just tell Him, "Jesus, You died for me. I'm going to live for You." At Christmastime, we are celebrating when Jesus came to earth. Today, you can be celebrating the day He came into your life - the day the peace came!