This week I’m praising God for:

1). Beautiful sea creatures

2). Vacation and the friends who made it possible

3). Morning coffee by the ocean

4). Family time

5). Much-needed rest

6). The friends and life waiting for me back home

7). The fact that He knows my future

This week I have a lot to praise God for:

1). We were able to trade our gas-guzzling truck and 20-year old car in for a small, cheap, fuel efficient little number for our daughter.

2). We made $1,189 on this deal.

3). A very generous client gave my husband and me a gorgeous van; so now we are both tooling around town in minivans!

4). For almost 16 years (T-18 hours and counting) I have had the privilege of raising an amazing kid that’s really not much of a kid anymore. It has been a privilege that I don’t deserve.

5). Yesterday and today felt/tasted/smelled/sounded like spring.

6). I hear the distant call of the ocean on the western side of the country beckoning me to come and visit. I will be answering that call in 72 hours.

7). The only reason that anything in life works and works well is because Jesus works. No amount of planning, saving, organizing, thinking ahead, or following a formula can accomplish what Jesus alone can accomplish. Yes, I’ve had a great week, but it’s only because of the grace of God and because all good gifts come from Him.

A couple of weeks ago I watched a debate between Bill Nye, engineer, entertainer, scientist, and most notably creator of his own show, Bill Nye, the Science Guy and Ken Ham, president/CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis, president of the Creation Museum, and a young-earth creationist. The debate, live streamed from the Creation Museum in Kentucky, centered on origins, more specifically “Is creation a viable model in today’s modern, scientific era?”  Your basic creation vs. evolution debate. Admittedly, I’m not well versed on the arguments of an evolutionist. I know that their worldview is much different from mine. I know they believe that the earth and life as we know it is the result of a cosmic boom, a boom that happened millions of years ago. And I realize most of them are obviously atheists.

What struck me most during the debate was a statement Bill Nye made and one I’ve been pondering ever since:

“Mr. Ham and his followers have this remarkable view of a worldwide flood that influenced everything we know now. A 500-foot wooden boat, eight zookeepers, 14,000 individuals, every land plant in the world under water for a full year. I ask us all, is that really reasonable?”

I could counter with is it really reasonable to believe that I am a result of a boom somewhere far out in space? Both are an issue of faith when you get right down to it. Frankly, I don’t have any more faith to believe this view than the average evolutionist does to believe that we are the result of intelligent design. The debate that night, like all the others before it, left the two sides at an impasse.

But the question that has haunted me everyday since then is this idea of reason. Is God reasonable? Is Jesus reasonable? Is Christianity reasonable? Is it reasonable to believe that, not only are we the result of intelligent design, but that this Creator craved a relationship with humans so much so that He created them and a world for them to live in with the knowledge that they would disobey? Is it reasonable to believe the Son of God would willingly come to earth only to have His stay ended in one of the most savage forms of death in human history because of this disobedience?

A couple of months ago a mom from school called me and asked if I would be interested in getting our daughters together for a night of dinner and hanging out by the fire. She’s Italian, and she was cooking. All I had to do was bring Abigail and an appetite. I think we all know what my response was! We settled on a date that worked for both of us and decided to keep it as a surprise for the girls.

What I didn’t know is that God had put my daughter on that mom’s mind to pray for her. She didn’t know why, but she sensed that Abigail needed it. She ended up turning that night into a celebration of Abigail’s upcoming 16^th birthday complete with homemade lasagna, roasted garlic, homemade bread, salad (for which she apologized for not having time to make her own dressing) homemade tiramisu, gourmet coffee with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings. After dinner, in a stupor of carbohydrate drunkenness, we lumbered over to the fireplace where they presented my daughter with 16 gifts for her 16^th birthday. They weren’t big expensive gifts, but each one was exactly something Abigail would have purchased for herself-her favorite snacks, a twelve-stone necklace representing the twelve tribes of Israel, hair and beauty products, and a devotional. Each one spoke her language. I’ve known this mom and her daughter since our girls were in preschool together, but it’s not as if we have spent hordes of time together. We haven’t. So it was stunning, to say the least, to have this amount of kindness poured out on us because “we just wanted to bless you.” Mission accomplished.

If reason is about applying logic and making sense of things, coming to a conclusion based on logic, then no, nothing we believe is reasonable. Though I had known this mom for years and believed her to be kind, I didn’t know her well enough to believe it reasonable for her to lavish us with such love and kindness. I had no collected data to support any idea that she would behave this way.

Here are my thoughts on reason and proof:

1). The merits of engaging an evolutionist/atheist with sound apologetics cannot be overstated. However, if it’s proof the other side wants, then I would ask us as believers where our actions fall in this category. James 2 is very clear about backing up our words with actions. Anybody can say anything, but if our claims aren’t backed up by actions it’s about as impressive as a failed science experiment.

2). The battle cry of the evolutionist has always been “show me the scientific proof!” If it cannot be proven by science than it’s unreasonable to call it truth. First, there is no amount of scientific data that can explain the loving actions of a person moved by the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t mean the kindness doesn’t exist. Second, what Christians forget and atheists don’t acknowledge is that the science the evolutionist holds so dear to their cause as proof, has been authored by the same Person we use as our proof. Oh the irony.

3). Is Jesus unreasonable? To the human mind, yes. We trip ourselves up every time we try to explain or understand Him from a human perspective. We forget that we are made in His image, not He in ours. As soon as we can’t explain the “why” of a situation, we write Him off as unreasonable. The only unreasonable thing about Jesus was His willingness to die for a race of depraved people for the sole purpose of having a relationship with them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t love anyone enough to go to a cross for them especially an entire planet of pagans! But I see glimpses of His reasoning through the loving acts of the Body of Christ like my friend and her daughter.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
 does not become weary or tired.
 His understanding is inscrutable” (Isaiah 40:28, NASB).

Is Jesus unreasonable? Yes. Humanly speaking, Jesus is unreasonable.

This week I’m praising God:

1). That He walks with us through our calling. How great is that?

2).  That despite what’s going on in the world, none of it is a surprise to Him.

3).  That He is not limited by mathematics. Again, how great!

4).  For neighbors who let us borrow their car at 6:00 in the morning to jump the car of our guests because NOT ONE of our THREE cars was able to get the job done.

5).  For the privilege of watching the Body of Christ fulfill its function right in front of my eyes.

6).  For being able to watch my kids grow in their relationship with God.

7).  That today I got to see the beautiful faces of friends I’ve missed seeing for a couple of weeks.

When I decided to do the Praise Project this year, I knew there would be weeks that would be more difficult which is specifically why I wanted to tackle it for a whole year and put it out there in the blogosphere. It would force me to concentrate on what God has done for me. It’s been a long week, and I will admit that I actually told my 15-year old that I had nothing to be thankful for. She was appalled, to say the least, and rattled off a list of things God had done for me in the last week that had been swept away in a cloud of exhaustion and self-pity. So, without further ado, this week I’m praising God:

1). That what I thought would turn out to be some over-the-top plumbing expense turned out to be nothing more than a piece of pipe needing replaced. Whew!

2). That I am made in God’s image and not the other way around. More on that in an upcoming blog post.

3). For the chance to share our space with a couple of great college students for the next few weeks.

4). For getting through my speaking gig over the weekend.

5). For the glimmer of hope that my writing dream is not dead.

6). That the birds are back and starting to build their summer home outside my door.

7). That God is intimately involved in EVERY aspect of my life!

This week I’m praising God for:

1). Snowblowers. Need I say more?

2). Answered prayer.

3). Watching my kids gleefully pass down their most valued toys to others rather than opting to sell them and make a quick buck.

4). My cat. I have to say it. His fuzzy goodness is almost too much sometimes.

5). Beth Moore’s study of James. Crazy insight!

6). Encouraging words from people I hardly know.

7). The opportunity to be a listening hear to people I hardly know.

This week I’m praising God for:

1). Friends with listening ears and honest words.

2). A Bible study teacher who doesn’t pretend to be something she’s not. I love your vulnerability Tammie!

3). The rumor I heard that next week’s temps might hit 50 degrees! I’ll have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.

4). For good health insurance. I only $60 on a $2,000 bill.

5). The fact that Jesus is freedom.

6). The reminder that Jesus does the heavy lifting in life. All He asks of me is obedience-words that continually swirl around in my brain.

7). Getting to spend 20 Valentine’s Days with my husband.

The other day I listened as Sam Brown gave a radio interview about his life as a wounded vet and his current run for State Representative in Texas. His story of survival, having been left to burn to death after his Humvee was hit by an IED, is inspiring to say the least. However, it was his answer to a question posed by the interviewer regarding his current political aspirations that grabbed my attention. Despite being politically conservative and claiming his need for God, the interviewer wanted to know how he  would avoid losing his soul in the cesspool of American politics. His answer: being prepared, knowing what you’re getting into.

It is this idea of preparedness and knowing what we’re getting into that I want to run with over the next several weeks. We spend copious amounts of time learning who our enemy is. We know that Satan is a liar, deceiver, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, one who masquerades as an angel of light, and the list goes on. We know that our battle is not against flesh and blood but is completely spiritual in nature. I imagine that if the spiritual blinders were removed what we would see would cause us to faint in complete fear.

We also spend time in personal Bible study learning who we are as believers, that is: redeemed, loved, called, heirs with Christ, protected, more than conquerors, and again an endless list. We know that God’s great love for us is the center of the story of human history and that each one of us has a role in telling the story.

Knowing who our enemy is and who we are in Christ are important, but there is one final piece to the equation necessary in rounding out the ultimate trifecta of hope and that is knowing our Advocate. We know that He is Jesus, but who is Jesus? What do we know about Him? Besides the all-important answers-Son of God, fully human and yet fully divine, sinless, Redeemer, Creator, etc.- how would you answer someone who asked you who He is?

In our church we have started a series entitled “Jesus is” that will continue through Easter. This is such a big deal that we have erected a sign at the top of one of our buildings that lights up the sky with “Jesus is.” No matter how you come into the city you will see this sign. The phrase runs through my head like a banner chasing a plane across the sky. Jesus is. Who is this Person I claim to follow?

This week I have been struck with a simple yet profound truth: Jesus is the last word. Chills run up and down my arms as I write these words. Do we even have any idea what that means? If Jesus is the last word, then nothing has dominion over us. It means He has the last word over our disease, sickness, fears, circumstances, broken relationships, worries, confusion, hopes and dreams. It means He has the last word over godless leaders imposing corrupt laws over us. It means that every person will bow whether they want to or not. It means we win.

When my husband and I have an animated discussion over something, the one thing we are both fighting for is the last word. It’s a toss-up to see who will have it and thereby win the argument. Having the last word is the ultimate victory because it silences the opposition and empowers the winner. Though completely sinful in the context of human relationships, this drive for the last word, to silence the opposition and win the fight, is exactly what we will experience some day because of who Jesus is.

“He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life’” (Revelation 21:6, NIV).

No battle in history ever started with the ending known. No matter which side a soldier was on, no matter what weapons he had at his disposal, every warrior involved went in blindly with the hopes of coming out on top but never being sure until the end when the winner was declared.

We fight our battle with the knowledge that the winner has been declared. There’s no hoping we’ve chosen the right side. It doesn’t matter how weak we are or inadequate of a fighter. We win because of who Jesus is and because Jesus is the last word. He said it, and so it is. End of story.