“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” — 1 Thessalonians 2:8
Last July, several of us went to Faithcamp in Alamosa, Colorado. It was a fantastic four-day conference, and we definitely had an encouraging time. Very tired, we started the nine-hour car trip back to Utah early on Sunday morning.
“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” — John 1:45-46
Jesus’ first disciples joined Him at the beginning of His earthly ministry. Philip invited Nathaniel to “come and see” Jesus. However, Nathanael was famously skeptical of the prophetic significance of Jesus’ hometown. But I love Philip’s response, “Come and see.” It wasn’t “Believe or else.” In other words, Philip invited Nathaniel to investigate Jesus’ claims for himself.
Now, fast forward to the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Imagine the Sunday morning after the Resurrection. In due time, Mary and Mary went to the tomb. And what did the angel say to them?
“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” — Matthew 28:5-6
The angel invited Mary to investigate for herself if Jesus had risen from the dead! So again, it wasn’t “Just take my word for it.” It was come and see for yourself! What an example of the Christian faith. True Christianity is never afraid of investigation.
Start Investigating
While in high school and college, I had many questions about the truthfulness of Christianity. Naturally, there were questions about to Jesus, the Bible, science, evolution, creation, and more. I spent several years researching those questions. And time and time again, I found solid answers.
If you have questions about Jesus, the Bible, or Christianity, I certainly encourage you to investigate them. Some people are good at a “lazy skepticism.” They have questions that keep them from engaging, but they are too lazy to examine their doubts. Never let that be you! The Bible doesn’t mock doubt. Instead, it encourages personal investigation. Come and see!
I have a directly related announcement for you. This spring, I will continue to teach God’s Grand Design class. Join us. It just might help your own investigation. Here are some schedule details and the previously covered topics.
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” — Matthew 24:42
You may have read a sad story in the news last week. A man shot at a woman, and the police then killed him (as of this writing, the details are still under investigation). But this happened a few miles from my house. Where this terrible story intersects my life (and your inbox) is that soon after the shooting, a police helicopter started circling the area and woke me up.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9
Some of my family and I hiked to Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park this summer. It was a beautiful hike, and we had a fantastic time. I had been curious to hike to Fern Lake, given that a terrible fire had destroyed it three years ago. It was appropriately named the East Troublesome Fire. Additionally, the fire burned 193,000 acres (making it the second-largest fire in Colorado history).
It’s critical that we get radical in our parenting approaches if we are going to raise godly kids in this broken world. An incredible amount of time, money, and energy goes into raising them and we want to do it right. But, we live in a world that doesn’t really know how to help. Fortunately for us, God’s Word has a number of key principles for radical/godly parenting.
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” — James 4:13-15
A few weeks ago, many people from our church attended the Faithcamp/DTC Conference in Alamosa, Colorado. It was five days of teachings, worship, fellowship, meals, games, and heat. It was so encouraging. Also, tiring. Thank you for praying for the conference; the Lord indeed blessed it!
“And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” — Acts 8:29-31
Last year, I took my family to a popular ice cream shop in Logan. The store was particularly busy, and the line snaked out of the shop. I grabbed a bench outside, and Krista and the kids got in line. As I sat, I noticed another dad claim a nearby seat as his family also got in line.
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” — Proverbs 28:1
Do you read the news? There is certainly a lot out there to cause worry and fear in my heart. So much is going on — from political unrest to droughts (and now flooding), shootings, economic news (inflation, the banking crisis, or interest rates), wars, rumors of wars, increasing wickedness, the love of many growing cold, etc. All that is happening locally, nationally, and globally naturally fills us with worry and fear.
Last fall, I had a pocket gopher problem. This pest somehow got into my backyard and started tunneling everywhere. It created dozens of mounds around my garden. Then it started moving toward my trees, which could kill them! So I declared war on the gopher. After watching various YouTube videos, I tried flooding, poison, and traps. Unfortunately, none of it worked; the gopher kept digging. Fortunately, the YouTube algorithm suggested a video for a particularly effective trap. I ordered it, and the gopher was dead within five minutes of setting it.
I thought of my gopher problem when I read these verses in my quiet time last week:
“Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.” — Proverbs 6:28-29
“Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.” — Psalm 119:98-100
The clock radio alarm went off at 5:40 a.m.; I turned it off and got out of bed. My wife said, “What was the rest of that commercial? The one that was just on?” I said, “I didn’t hear.” (A statement to my auto-piloting when I get up.) She replied, “The commercial said, ‘If only there were an owner’s manual for relationships?’” However, since I turned it off, we will never know.
