Apparent Contradictions: God or Satan?

 First order of business, I apologize for my lack of updates lately.  I took a trip to California two weekends ago with family and was busy before and after prepping and catching up.  Now I'm back and hope to resume my normal Tuesday, Thursday, Friday routine.

You guys have voted in the next apparent contradiction for me to debunk today and it is the one found in the following verses.

Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go, number Israel and Judah."  -- 2 Samuel 24:1

Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.  --  1 Chronicles 21:1

Both of these passages are telling the story of the same exact event.  So the question is "Who incited David to number Israel?"  2 Samuel says that God did it.  1 Chronicles says that Satan did it.  Is the Bible calling God and Satan the same person?  Did the author of Samuel (likely Samuel) and the author of Chronicles (likely Ezra) disagree?  What's the deal?

Feature Friday: Pastor Faces Execution

This is Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.  He is a Christian pastor in Iran.  Schools in Iran are required to educate students on the religion of Islam.  Pastor Youcef protested this forced religious education and was arrested in 2009.  Since then, the charges against him have been ramped up to apostasy and evangelizing Muslims.

He was brought before a judge and ordered to repent of his actions and of Christianity.  His response?

"Repent means to return. What should I return to?  To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"


The judge answered him, "To the religion of your ancestors, Islam." 

Pastor Youcef simply but bravely replied, "I cannot."

He has been sentenced to death for refusing to recant Christianity.  According to the American Center for Law and Justice, he recently received his final execution order.  What this means is that he will likely be executed very soon.

Theology Thursday: Why do bad things happen to good people? Part 3

The votes are in and we are returning to our third installment of this question.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  This is a very difficult question and if you are going through a hard time right now, this may not be very helpful.  I think we need to address this question for ourselves before the hard times come so that we have a foundation to stand on in the midst of the storms of life.  During the storm, its difficult to focus on anything other than the lightning and flooding.  So, lets ingrain these lessons now and be ready when life gets tough.

In our first look at this question, we saw that really none of us are good people.  We are all sinners who have rebelled against God and deserve Hell.  Because of that, we should be shocked by all of the good things that God blesses us with that we don't deserve.  In our second look at the question, we saw that hard and difficult times are often the only ways for us to grow in character and learn valuable lessons.  Just like we press through the pain of exercise to gain physical strength, it is vital to press through the pain of loss, conflict, and more to gain strength of character.  That brings us to our third look at the question today.  Why do bad things happen to good people?

Theology Thursday: Why do bad things happen to good people? Part 2

The votes are in.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  This is one of those questions that we all ask at one point or another.  But when we are going through those bad times, answers like this are the last thing we want to hear.  Its important to know the answers to these questions before the hard times come so that you have this foundation to help you stand through the storm.  Last time, we saw that really none of us are good people and so we should be marveled by God's grace when any good things happen to us.  Today, we'll take a lesson from the book of James and see that "bad things" are used by God to mature us.


Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  -- James 1:2-4

The Sovereign God Overcomes Obstacles

                Last week, God’s people had just returned from exile.  They returned to a ruined city and a broken temple.  They returned to a land with many old enemies who would love to take advantage of the vulnerable Israelites.  Will they be able to rebuild?  Will the enemies surrounding them cause trouble?  Is there hope for God’s people?

Marathons, Labor Pains, and Bus Rides

Have you heard the stories of Amber Miller and Rob Sloan?  I heard about them over the past few weeks and I find their stories, especially when looked at together, to be hilarious and pretty insightful.  I'll start with the bad guy in the story.

Opportunities in Crisis

Ever have a bad day?  I mean a really bad day?  The kind of day where you want to punch through a wall.  The kind of day where just one thing after another goes wrong and the whole world seems like its out to get you.  The kind of day that leaves you collapsing onto your bed in exhaustion but too overwhelmed to think as a million and one things race through your mind. Have you had one of those days?

In Luke 21, Jesus describes a series of bad days that can hang with the worst of them.  Let me show you just two of those verses.