Can We Really Know God?

Note:  This is the second in a series of letters I'm sending to my adult/near adult children, minus (of course) the family business.  Thanks for the comments received on the last post... they really are welcome.  DC

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September 6, 2010


Dear Kids,

It's Labor Day today, and I can't believe how fast the time is going!  We're back in the swing of Fall activity, with new schools for some of you and new challenges for all.  We are so proud of each one of you, and we're looking forward to what the year brings.   Mom and I are doing well, although it is more of an adjustment than I expected with all of you gone (or very nearly so). 


You're all entering into a new time of study, all at Christian schools with God's Word and truth central to your studies.  I can't tell you how happy that makes Mom and me, and how worthwhile an investment we think it is.  In my last email, I wrote to you about the fact that "God Is," meaning that He's important, and real.  He's our "problem" because He exists, and we all must deal with Him on His own terms.  But what difference does that make, really?  I want to remind you that God Is "Knowable" - we can know who He is - and that knowledge of Him will lead us to trust Him with our lives.

Think about it for a minute:  Can we really "know God"?  I read the CNN Belief Blog occasionally, and saw this exchange in comments under a post by my "favorite" author, Brian McLaren (who's got a graduate degree in uncertainty, it seems).  Someone named "Liutgard" said this:

"I've been flirting with agnosticism for many years- because I think that it is not possible to really 'know', and I found that the more someone insists that they 'know' God and his will, the less likely they are to actually behave like Jesus said they should.

But the past couple of months I've been attending an Episcopal church- it appeals to my sense of ritual and tradition, but also to by desire to see faith really in action. Food banks, homeless shelters, etc- Episcopalians don't run them so as to have an avenue to preach at people, but because it is a way to reach out to the community and obey the teachings of Christ. I still don't 'know', but they are happy to see me when I walk in the door, and I can worship or not as fits my comfort level. Certainly nothing like the Pentecostal churches I grew up in."

In reply, "David H." said:

"As a life-long Episcopalian, welcome! You seem to 'get it' about us. The Episcopal Church isn't about Orthodoxy (right belief or right thought), it's about Orthopraxy (right practice – i.e. how we do our liturgy). Remember, as the old joke goes, 'Wherever two or more Episcopalians are gathered in His name, there will be three or more opinions.'"

Are they right?  I'm finding that it is increasingly counter-cultural to claim that "you know" anything, especially in matters about God.  Even in the church, there seem to be multiple views on almost every important topic.  There are lots of reasons for this (and why it's a problem), and someday when you've got a free day to kill, you can read my copy of No Place For Truth by David Wells - it's a great place to start.   One reason for this reaction - this hostility - that our culture has towards "knowing" has to do with the confusion between opinion and fact.   To be more specific, I'm convinced that when people talk about "knowing" something in the spiritual realm, people hear them saying that they have a really strong opinion - and that rubs people the wrong way in a pluralistic society.  But knowing isn't just simply having an opinion (or even a strong one) on something - it's a confident assurance in belief based on the facts.  In other words, it isn't what I think; it's what I know is actually, really, objectively, true - and not just for me, but for you, too.


Let me ask you to think about this sometime this week:  Do you believe that you can "know" God like that?  No Sunday School answers to this question, guys.  Remember, most people (at least practically) don't.  Many will say that we can't even know if God really exists!  Others may accept God's existence, but they don't believe that we can know God... at least not in any way that is worth risking your life for!  Your Mom and I believe that you can - and you should.


Isn't it presumptuous to claim that our understanding of God is right? Said another way, we believe that while we can't know God fully, we can know Him truly. I'm not saying that we can know God fully or completely.  After all, how can finite people fully comprehend the infinite God?   We can know what He has revealed about Himself to us.  I want to point out that God reveals Himself in two specific ways - and I wanted to mention the first way this week.


God reveals Himself to everyone in Creation.  Theologians call this "general revelation" because its available generally to everyone.  All people can know of God's existence, character and God's moral law through observing creation itself.  After all, "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1).  God has provided evidence, all around us, of His existence, power and character!  The intricacy of creation, the scope of the universe, the miracle of life, the wonder of relationship, the tiny fingers of a baby - all of creation shouts to anyone who will listen that there is a God.  All of this can not exist by random chance!

Perhaps you saw the press coverage this last week of Stephen Hawking's soon to be released new book The Grand Design.  He argues that modern science eliminates even the need to see God's hand in the design of the universe:

"Many people would like us to use these coincidences as evidence of the work of God. The idea that the universe was designed to accommodate mankind appears in theologies and mythologies dating from thousands of years ago. In Western culture the Old Testament contains the idea of providential design, but the traditional Christian viewpoint was also greatly influenced by Aristotle, who believed "in an intelligent natural world that functions according to some deliberate design."

That is not the answer of modern science. As recent advances in cosmology suggest, the laws of gravity and quantum theory allow universes to appear spontaneously from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." (emphasis added)

I'm certainly not going to pick a fight with Dr. Hawking - he'd run rings around me intellectually.  But even a Dad can understand that his argument is (at best) silly.  One wonders where he supposes that "the laws of gravity and quantum theory" came from!   Some people think it's arrogant to believe in the existence of God, but what would you say about someone who thinks they know so much that they can rule out God's existence?


In his letter to the Roman church, Paul says very specifically that

"...what can be know about God is plain to [all men] because God has shown it to them.  For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse"  (Romans 1:19-20).(emphasis added)

 
And there's more about general revelation that's available to everyone as well.  For example, people's consciences tell them that there is a right and a wrong - even imperfectly.  We all have, at some level, a hunger for justice... to see wrongs righted and evil punished.  All of these things are gifts from God, and a reflection of His character.  They are part of what it means to be made "in the image of God."  So, through external and internal observation and evidence, we can know that there is a God, something of His amazing power and influence in our world and something of His requirements for us.  And these observations are true even though many people don't pay attention to them (we'll talk more about why when we get to the "Man Isn't" email).  For now, remember that we believe that everyone has the opportunity to know God - to know that "God Is" - at least to some degree if they want to do so. 


So that's enough for today.  I'll pass on some more about this in my next email.  Let me ask you this today:  Do you want to go beyond opinions about God, and to really know Him?  I'm sitting in the office at home alone this afternoon - with memories of you all everywhere.  I can almost hear your voices... I can almost still see you here.  That's because I love you, and my eyes are open to see the things that you've done and who you are.  They are everywhere I look.  So, look for God in your world that way this week... you'll see Him everywhere... if you'll just look for it.  And you can know it for sure.


Love always,


Dad

The MOST Important Thing In Life

What Is The Most Important Thing In Life?

Note:  The following is the first in a series of letters I'm sending to my adult/near adult children.  I'm posting these - minus (of course) any really personal stuff - because what I'm seeking to communicate is important enough to stand scrutiny, clarification, and even correction.  So feel free to comment.  It's welcome, and helpful

I offer this with the hope that the discussion will help all of us to see what really matters... and to respond appropriately as a result. - DC

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July 31, 2010
  
Hi Kids!


We've reached a new stage in life:  The stage where I have to write to you to communicate things we used to just talk about!  We haven't had all four of you in the same state for more than a couple of days for quite some time now.  I can't tell you how much I miss the daily interaction with all of you.  You're all growing up way too fast, and it seems like there's never enough time to talk about what's REALLY important.


And maybe this is a good way to continue our conversations.  After all, this process will spare you from those long pauses in my talking... you know  the ones that you've all complained so much about.  (By the way, that's a genetic trait passed down from generations, and it's coming at you faster than you realize!)

And you aren't children anymore, either.  Mom and I are very proud of each of you.  I also feel strongly enough about what I want to say to allow you to digest it at your own pace.

What's So Important?
Let me start this way:  I've spent a lot of time over the past 12 months thinking about this question:  What Is THE Most Important Thing In Life?  

This should be an easy question for "church kids" to answer, but I want to ask you to think about it with me.  I'll also tell you where I'm headed longer term, so we don't get lost along the way.  In summary, I believe that there are four essential things you need to get clearly settled in your mind.  These four truths will be an anchor for you, and will form the foundation for everything that matters in your life... really!  There are that:

• God is...
• Man is not...
• Jesus did...
• As a result, We must...

We'll unpack each of those statements one at a time (and thankfully, not all in this letter!).  While I've got more to say about this, think first about the average person's reaction to "God."  Most people seem really not to care about the subject in any meaningful way.  Even people who are religious, or who even claim to know and/or love God can spend the vast majority of their time ignoring Him!  But if God is, and ESPECIALLY if God is who He says He is, that doesn't seem to be such a great idea, does it?

What's the Right Answer?

Do you remember the old joke about the Baptist Sunday School teacher who, in a class "warm up" session, asked her 3rd grade class to identify a picture of a small mammal?  No one would answer and, after being put on the spot, one boy said this:

"Well, I know the answer is Jesus, but that thing sure looks like a squirrel!"

That boy "knew the right answer" - but "the answer" really didn't seem to match reality.  And while he misunderstood the question and thought he was supposed to give the "Sunday School" answer, the point remains that those of us who grew up with one way of looking at the world are often thrown for a loop when the real world challenges our assumptions.  And just like that Sunday School boy, you're old enough to realize now that the "Sunday School" answers don't always seem to fit in the real world.

You all understand by now that the "real world" of 21st century America sees EVERYTHING as more important than our "Sunday School" answers.  The pursuit of comfort and entertainment, personal fulfillment and pleasure are the basis for our entire popular social, political and economic system!  "Fun" is what people live for these days.

But our family answer to my question - the "Sunday School" answer - is that GOD IS the MOST important Thing In Life.  But we also know that this is a strange, unrealistic and (worst of all) impractical answer in our culture.

Let me suggest two thoughts about this, and ask you two more questions.  These may seem obvious to you, but they are radically different from the way people think today:

My first thought:  God is. By this I mean that the subject of God Himself is the most important thing in life.  There is no more important thing to think about, no higher subject, no more practical topic than God Himself.

Newsflash:  Most people don't think so!

Today is my parent's 56th wedding anniversary.  Every year that I remember when I was growing up, they went away to Door County, Wisconsin to celebrate their anniversary together.  And every year, Nana and Papa read together the book The Knowledge of The Holy, written by their pastor for years, A. W. Tozer at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Chicago.  In it, Tozer says this:

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us...".

Tozer was right, and I know this in part because I saw that Nana and Papa showed that they believed God was important in the way they lived their lives!  Your Mom and I hope that we have communicated to you what we believe about God in the same way.

When something is important to you, you think about it.  You talk about it.  You pursue it.  You care about it.  Not just once a week or on holidays, or when life goes wrong and you need help.  If God Is, than God is IMPORTANT.

So here's Question 1:  When people look at you and your life, do they think that you think God is important?

My second thought (and it's closely related to the first):  God IS.  That is to say, not only is the topic of God the most important thing in life, but God Actually Exists.

Newsflash:  Most people don't think so.

Some people don't believe in God in the first place.  They see people like us as curiosities, maybe throw-backs to a by-gone era.  I've had people tell me that "religion is a crutch" for psychologically needy people.  They think "God" is something we manufacture to protect ourselves from the ultimate meaninglessness of life.

Bonus thought:  By the way, when you run into someone accusing you of believing in God "for emotional reasons," consider R.C. Sproul's response.  In his book  Defending Your Faith: An Introduction Into Apologetics, Sproul points out that while of course he has an emotional draw towards believing in God, Atheists may also have an emotional need underlying their denial of God.  After all, if God exists (especially as described in the Bible), than people aren't autonomous after all - and they are to be held to God's standards of conduct, not to what THEY think is right!

Also, while other people aren't willing to deny the existence of God, they misunderstand who He really is.  They may be "deists" in their theology, seeing God as a supreme being who created the universe but who doesn't get involved in human affairs.  Like a clock-maker, he made the world ("wound it up") and now sits on the sidelines watching how things play out.  Others believe in a God that they've made up - maybe like an old, befuddled, rich Grandfather, who helps them out when they need him, but generally stays out of the way.  In any case, these are people who accept the possibility or even the existence of God, but that belief doesn't make any practical difference in their life.


If God does exist, that that is A BIG DEAL.  The existence of an all-powerful, omnipotent being casts more than a little shadow over the fun most people are pursuing!  Tozer also pointed to this:

"All the problems of heaven and earth, though they were to confront us together and at the same time, would be nothing compared with the overwhelming problem of God:  That He is; what He is like; and what we as moral beings must do about him..."

To put it simply, the existence of God is a problem.  Mankind's GREATEST problem... OUR greatest problem.  As Sigmund Freud once said, the worst thing imaginable would be to fall into the hands of "the superior power of fate," and ESPECIALLY if that "fate" is an all-powerful and holy God!


So here's Question 2:  When people look at you and your life, how real do they think that you believe God actually is... and how are you addressing "the problem of God" in your daily life?


That's what I wanted to say to you this time.  I'm hoping that I can prompt you somehow, in the midst of grad school, college or high school - in the midst of friends and fun, school and dreaming about the future - to consider that GOD IS.  And because He is, pursuing Him, knowing Him, loving Him... well, dealing with Him is The Most Important Thing In Life.  And not just because it's "the right answer," but because your are gripped by the reality that most people sadly miss.

You know I've been working on our family genealogy.  I've been able (through Papa's sister's work) to trace our family back 13 generations to a man named John Rogers from England.  He was born in 1500, and was notable first because he was responsible for printing the first English Bible translated from the original languages into English!  He was caught up in the Reformation controversy in England, and stood firmly, boldly and publicly for God - even in the midst of hostile religious and political times.


In 1555, he was sentenced to die for what he believed.  The story strikes me because he was my age when this happened!  You can read the whole story in Chapter XVI of  Foxe's Book of Martyrs, but on February 4, 1555, in the Smithfield area of London, England, this actually happened:

"When the time came that he should be brought out of Newgate Prison to Smithfield, the place of his execution, Mr. Woodroofe, one of the sheriffs, first came to John Rogers, and asked him if he would [recant].  Rogers answered, 'That which I have preached I will seal with my blood.'  Then Mr. Woodroofe said, 'Thou art an heretic.'  Rogers replied 'That will be known at the Day of Judgment.'  Mr. Woodroofe added, 'I will never pray for thee.'  Though Rogers responded, 'But I will pray for you.'"

Your Great-Grandfather (11 times removed) John Rogers awaited and met death - burned at the stake - cheerfully!  A little while before his burning, they offered again him a pardon if he would renounce his faith, but he utterly refused it.  The fire was lit and he washed his hands in the flames as though he did not feel them!  He became the first of hundreds to die at the hand of Queen "Bloody" Mary.  And why?  Because he believed that GOD IS.  He knew what was REALLY important... and he died for it.  More importantly, perhaps, he lived for it, too.


This is part of our family legacy... it's in our blood, so to speak.  So I'm praying that you see the reality of what really matters in life, that you feel it - "that the eyes of your heart would be enlighted in order that you may know..."  And this starts with seeing God as important, and real.  After all, "anyone who would please Him must first believe that He is..." (Hebrews 11:6).

Well, more next time.  I love you all very much.  No matter how near or far you are from home, we're thinking about you.  We pray for you daily, and will be excited to see what life has in store for each of you this year.

Love always,


Dad

Dystonia...

Very rarely would I post something this personal, but...

My older sister has suffered for years from a condition called dystonia. I love her very much - and I've been troubled for literally my entire life at the lack of information and, more importantly, attention and understanding about this disease.

I saw this story today on CNN, and my heart aches for the Staab family - and for my own, too. I'm grateful for the attention they are willing to bring to this... and I'd ask for you to consider helping them - and to pray with me that God might provide direction to the doctors and healing to people with this condition - the Staab children, and my sister too.



For more information about the Staabs and their efforts, please visit their foundation website, Tyler's Hope.

CBS News on "Safe Families"

Here's a brief look at an organization we value a lot called "Safe Families" - a practical way to show Christ's love in a world full of real need. Malik (one of the boys featured in this story) has been a joy in our home and we've had the privilege of being able to participate with his family - and to share the Gospel with him.



Watch CBS Videos Online

By the way, they can always use another loving home... if you're interested, check out the link above or drop a note to us here at the blog.

Run The Race....

I've spent the day today at my oldest son's track meet... 8 colleges, and a perfect day!

He's done well today - I am proud of him... for the results? Well, yeah - I'm a dad! :) But more importantly for the discipline demonstrated in his life.

So many illustrations from the Word come from track events... and I am reminded again that "no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but afterwards it yields a harvest of righteousness to those who will be trained by it."

The joy in the race, the thrill of a pesonal best, a win in a heat, friendships won along the way - not to even mention the great physical and mental condition - all are unavailable apart from discipline.

How thankful I am for a Heavenly Father who loves me enough to put me through training, difficulties and trials! What an encouragement for me to learn well now, and to increasingly "run the race with endurance."

BTW, all that aside, I'm glad I don't have to race my son anymore!

I'm Thankful for...

We’re getting ready for the holiday tomorrow, and I am – of course – thankful. Maybe you’re like me and in thinking about Thanksgiving, you blow quickly by the “things” you’re thankful for and dwell on the “people”… and for me, there are many, many people for whom I’m thankful.

Beyond the Lord Himself, where would I start? I could tell you about my impossibly great, beautiful, best-friend, love-of-my-life wife. I could tell you about each of my kids – each one so different, and such an incredible joy. I could tell you about my family members (who all mean so much to me), friends (who I don’t deserve), neighbors and community. I could tell you about people who, from public ministry of the Word through preaching or writing have been a tremendous encouragement to me.

I don’t know. Each one deserves my full attention, and words are definitely inadequate to say how grateful I am. I wish I could tell you about each one of these people. But let me tell you now about just one.

She was raised in difficult circumstances, a child of the depression and daughter of an immigrant. Even though she moved around when she was young, she made big impressions on people… like the world-class author/theologian in her neighborhood. He’s trendy now, but when she was little, he was just her pastor and she wormed her way into his introverted heart, treated almost like his own family. Like many in her day, she was also thrust early in life into responsibility, a character trait that has followed her all of her life. After an early and painful disappointment in a relationship, she met the love of her life as a young woman. Running hard against popular convention, the two of them set off together on a life filled with highs and lows, happiness and pain, successes and – well, ok, some failures too.

Nothing ever seemed to come easy… one step forward, two steps back sometimes. I wasn’t the most discerning observer for much of the time I’ve known her, but while I knew life was hard, I never really “felt” it from her. Her husband was a “faith” guy – I think if there’s a spiritual gift of faith, a Holy Spirit given ability to believe God to an unusual degree, he had that. But she lived it! “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Sometimes I thought he even saw the good ahead, the pending calm in the current storm, but she followed out of faith. Even through tears… Not by denying the problem, but living life in spite of the problem.

I watched, I saw. And I learned.

OK, I sound maudlin now! It wasn’t all difficulty. There was happiness, great times, trips, laughter… how much I love hearing her laugh! Even as a very young boy, I remember how much fun it was to wash windows with her on a bright, sunny fall day – it felt to me like the world was right, and good.

She’s got quick wit, the life of the party… that’s her to a tee. She’s an “entertainer” in the fullest and best sense of the word. Hospitality had a face for me… her face. Gracious, welcoming, warm, inviting, and those have been great traits to see in a world that generally has little time for such things. Even today, she thinks of ways to befriend and welcome her neighbors, looking for ways to brighten other people’s lives.

She’s also passionate about life, and principled in her positions on things… appropriately self-confident and strong. Willing to say the tough things, but an example of grace and truth. In our little sub-culture, many are more than a little uncomfortable with the “truth” part of that, but I love the gleam in her eye when she points out the obvious thing that everybody’s thinking, but nobody has the guts to say.

But more than all that, she’s compassionate and generous – almost to a fault. She has always given… words like involved, concerned, charitable, generous… that’s her. She’d literally give away anything she had to meet a need. She’s kind, thoughtful and interested in people personally without being intrusive… always quick to say that she’s praying for you. Your spouse. Your kids. Your job. Your concerns. (You get the picture!) But she actually does pray, just like she says. This isn’t the posting for a rant on the current state of the evangelical movement, but just to say it, we could stand more of that.

Today, her life is slower than it used to be. Lonelier than it used to be… her husband is gone, her kids are busy, busy, busy. Life has thrown some very hard knocks her way. But in my eyes, she’s still very much the young girl in her 20’s with a life full of promise. The best really is yet to come… and I still see the hope in her eyes as she follows our Lord – as she always has.

Difficulty, extra responsibility, challenge… they’ve always been a part of her life. But for people like me, she’s modeled success and victory. She’s shown me what Paul meant when he said “… we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)

No wonder a life like that shows “the surpassing power that belongs to God and not to us” (vs. 7).

So today, like everyday, I’m thankful. I’m thankful for a woman who has been such a godly model to me, such an encouragement to me, such an example to me. Hopefully when I grow up, I’ll model her best traits as well.

I’m thankful for my Mom.

Good News...

We got the good news this afternoon from the surgeon's office... the biopsies on our son are negative - no indication of any spread of melanoma! We're to be grateful in all circumstances, but its easier to be so in this one.

"...The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

Ok, I'm working on my part... but Jesus seems to keep showing up to do His. More later tonight...

A Helpful Observation

Back from the hospital after a long day... we're hopeful that all will be ok. The comment to my last post from Shiloh Guy was very helpful and an encouragement to me (assuming you discount the nice things said about me!), and reminded me of something important to add to my one-sided conversation here.

I've been writing about discipline, and how I'm trusting God's purpose and plan in all of the circumstances of my life - even the bad ones. But it's so normal to ask "why?" For example, why does my young son suffer? How can a father even begin to comprehend suffering of that nature - so far out of my control - how can anything good be found there?

C.S. Lewis' book A Grief Observed is a treasure of honesty in the midst of suffering; so personal that Lewis published it anonomously. Towards the end of the record of his wrestling with God following the death of his wife Joy, he made a statement which resonates with me tonight - when I'm thinking about today's "why" questions:

"When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of 'no answer.' It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, 'Peace, child; you don't understand.'

Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are there in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask - half our great theological and metaphysical questions are like that."

I'm not sure about the percentage he mentions, but I think Lewis was on to something important. I thank God that His ways are higher than mine... that He has a greater plan and purpose than my mind can comprehend.

I don't want to stop asking questions. And life cries out sometimes with them... But I don't have to be overwhelmed by them. We do really "see through a glass darkly" now.

So while many of my questions are unanswered, I still find comfort in the character of our God... I believe that He's worth loving, following - and even trusting - regardless of my understanding of the path along which He's leading me.

We'll Miss Her...

I arrived back from my world tour almost two weeks ago, and jumped back into life in the burbs. They say it takes 1 day for every hour of time-zone difference to recover... if so, I'm almost back to normal!

Anyway, a week ago yesterday our family gathered to celebrate the brief life of one of our niece's son, Benjamin Allen Peays, who was born prematurely while his parents were on the mission field and passed away after just a few days of life. His parents, John and Courtney, were passing through town on their way to Denver, and we had an open house for friends and family to meet and comfort them.

On that Sunday, Beth's mom went to church, took John and Courtney to lunch, and then came to our home with her usual bunch of baked goods for the gathering. She wasn't here long before Beth realized that she wasn't doing too well. Mom has been suffering from overian cancer for some time, and was in her second round of chemo... it has been a hard summer for her. But you generally never knew that there was an issue with her - she rarely complained about anything.

Beth took Mom upstairs to rest while the event continued. By mid-evening, all had gone and Beth drove Mom home. As we sat together in Mom's condo, Beth said that she would wait with her mom, who "wasn't doing well".

To make a long story short, we had no idea how bad it was for Mom at the time. Into the hospital that evening, surgery the next day (followed quickly by the news that nothing could be done), the wondering if she would even regain consciousness, the shock of imminent loss and the reality of the finality of death came much too quickly.

God greatly blessed us over the next two days with Mom's recovery of consciousness and removal from life support. All of her kids made it in to town to talk with he (along with most of her grand children!) and Beth had opportunity for some final conversation, hugs, tears, thanks and goodbyes before Mom slipped away peacefully on Wednesday morning. "Precious" - in fact - "in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." (Ps. 116:15)

I still wrestle with getting my mind around the enormity of the problem of death. The violent, unnatural rending of body and soul - the heartbreak of final separation... the finality of it from a human perspective. It is ironic that the more successful one's life in what really counts, the harder the loss is to bear.

I saw how Mom lived her life for over 22 years. I can honestly say that she was more "like Jesus" than almost anyone I have ever known. Her loss is magnified in our home by the extraordinarily close relationship she had with Beth - she was close to all of the kids, but through proximity, gender and a unique care-giving role, Beth had crossed the line from "daughter" to "friend". June left many of them behind, and while she's present with the Lord, the vacancy she left is a hard to imagine. Beth spoke about this so eloquently at the memorial service on Saturday.

But June left behind a legacy to follow, like so many have done before her. I'll never forget a sermon I heard - probably 25 years ago - about the "gallery of faith" from Hebrews 11... how all around, those listed and those faithful - like June - who have gone before us stand and watch, calling to us to press on and keep going... they ran the race, they finished the course, the kept the faith.

In a world that focuses too much sometimes on good beginnings, the Bible calls us to good endings... to finishing well. There may not be books written about Elizabeth June Victoria Curtin Allen but, along with those who knew her, I can only hope that in some way my life will reflect the same type of faithfulness that her's demonstrated... through good and bad, gain and loss, sorrow and joy, and walking though the valley of the shadow of death. It is true that

"only one life, 'twill soon be passed... only what's done for Christ lasts."

Almost no one may read this... but Mom, we're proud of you. We love you. We'll miss you. And as your son Dave said on Saturday, we'll do our best to follow your example. Beth said it for all of us when she said

"... Thank you, Lord, for such a great lady - such a great Mom. You have blessed us abundantly for giving her to us. What a gift - what a treasure - what a mom!"

A word from the far east...

I arrived in Tokyo this evening, after a long flight from Singapore... and time before in Hong Kong and Shanghai. I've been on the road for two weeks now, and I'm really ready to get home.

I took my oldest son to college in Indiana on August 25-26, left home for Denver on business on the 28th, came home for a few hours and then was off on this trip to Asia. I've got to say, I've got emotional vertigo!

I know I'm not the first dad who pulled off the side of a road after leaving his son - the pride of his life - at college and felt the mixture of pride and happiness about the new life beginning, and the deep profound sadness of another way of life ending. Work, and all of its problems seem so very, very little in the light that life slipping away. I don't know about you, but I didn't wish that I had spent more time at the office. :)

Here in the Asia, and in ex-pat financial community (at least the little I've seen), everyone seems to have young kids... age 3 or 5, maybe 7. They work long hours here, with a lot of travel away, and when we're out to eat, they seemed surprised that I want to talk about family - almost as if it's the last thing on their mind. All I can think about is that I wish they had that time of life back!

What a waste jobs - no, careers - can be. You know, if you take the relocation to Hong Kong or Singapore, you can get tax breaks, housing allowances, nannies, all sorts of creature comforts, but the cost is that you uproot your family and breach any type of community you had. Your life literally becomes your work. What a hollow life...

Living - working, eating dinner - with these guys here has made me realize again how precious time is... how radically expensive it is to spend, because you can't recover it no matter how hard you work, or how much you want to pay.

Well, my son's on his way, and I'm still going too. But I'm not wasting any more time with the other three still at home. While it's still today, I want to make life count for our Lord, and my wife and my kids. They're the best gift humanly speaking I have - that I could ever imagine.

So, maybe it's the room in the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Maybe it's too many dinners out with people with no life. Or maybe its a gift - a reminder to count the days, and redeem the time... Anyway, if the kids are getting on your nerves, or you're going to bed mad at your wife, or if you're knotted up about the job, do youself a favor:

Take a mental trip with me to Asia, and remember the gifts God's given you right there at home... take the time while you still have it.

A family video...

Here's a link to an interview done by Chicago's WLS TV with Beth, Matt and Davis...



A tramatic time, but one of the times when we learned the goodness of God, and the sufficiency of His grace...