A Thanksgiving Birthday

I have been doing a lot of Bible study lately, and I have a couple of reasons for that. For one thing, I just want to spend time in the Word. The most important reason though is that I do want to be able to spread God's Word with accuracy.

As Christians, we often hear how important it is that we be able to "defend the faith". The Bible teaches that and I believe in it with all my heart. In the past, I could have been a better witness to others in two ways: living my faith where they could not help but see it, and by providing clearer answers to any questions someone might have had.

On the other hand, I do want to ask a couple of questions of anyone who either does not believe in God or does not trust their life to Him:

• What are your reasons for not believing?
• Can you defend those answers?
• If you believe God is but still don't trust in Him, what are your reasons?
• Are you willing to trust in and stake your eternal life on every answer you offered up?

I wonder about these questions because I know too many people who say profess to believe in God, yet their is nothing in their daily life and attitude that reflects such a belief. (I was like that and I know that my belief was "lip service" only.)

What I care about is not putting anyone on the spot, but getting them to at least thoughtfully consider the implications of whatever they do or do not believe.

Please take a moment out of your day to think about those questions and what they mean to you.

Tomorrow is my 54th birthday. All I really want is for any and everyone (especially the people I love and care so much about) to think about their own life and eternity.

God has already provided the only Gift I ever needed. If I lost everyone and everything else, I still have the most valuable thing a human can possess: Salvation.

Peace

--Free

**GOOD READ** Lord Foulgrin's Letters by Randy Alcorn

I picked this up along with Alcorn's "The Ishbane Conspiracy" at Title Wave, a new and used bookstore here in Anchorage.

Because I didn't realize the two books have somewhat connected story lines, I almost read them in the wrong order. After I read some Amazon reviews, I decided that "Lord Foulgrin's Letters" is the first to read if going in sequence.

Now a big spoiler alert for you - not here in this post, but on Amazon. One of the first reviews I saw gave away part of the story.

This is one of those stories that might lack in some flow, but will surely have the reader wanting to highlight and underline something every few pages. This is the compulsion I have with books my C.S. Lewis. I highly recommend this book for a group reading session.

The author picks up on the theme Lewis used in his "The Screwtape Letters" but with an American voice and modern setting. Richard Platt also borrowed the theme in "As One Devil to Another". What Alcorn does that I really liked (and found easier to follow), was he intermixed the narrative letters with a standard of characters exchanging dialogue.

The narrative letters follow the progress of demons who are troubling the lives of the Fletcher family. The reader gets to see this family interacting as the demons work to win their souls for Satan.

All my head-nodding and note-taking happens when the story mirrors things I've seen happen in my own life. We all face various temptations from moment to moment. This book is a reminder that temptations come from spiritual sources.

What I want most is to share this book with people who are not yet firm in their commitment to Christ. The story of the Fletchers is the story of (in some form or another) of the attacks humans are under in the war Lucifer has waged on us. He lost Heaven and he wants to keep every human he can away from it too.

I found myself continually nodding and thinking, "Yes. Exactly so!" Sometimes. I'd have to put the book down and pray a little bit for myself or others that I see going through things that were pointed out.

 Alcorn does a great job of reminding readers of the various weapons used in the spiritual battle we are in. He addresses how distractions and self-focus are used in many different ways. Even knowing what I do about spiritual warfare, I was still fortified by the reminders and encouragements.

After having read Lewis, Platt, and now Alcorn, I will never get tired of reading this kind of book. The battle is continual, so the encouragement and reminders will never be out of date as long as we live on this earth.

For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. (Ephesians 6:12-13 HCSB)

Peace
--Free