God is on the move in France...!

Before Teresa and I came to Hillcrest Church, we spent many years of our lives focusing on ministry to Europe in general and France in particular. Recently, we were privileged to welcome Pastor Michel Balverde and his son, Samuel, to Dallas for a few days and were overjoyed to hear the good news of how God is moving in that nation. The Lord has given them specific and innovative vision on how to reach a new generation of French young people through outreaches, conferences, and all forms of media, especially the internet.

To find out more, check out their primary website: France Advance. It includes a couple of English language videos produced by French young people: a newscast style video talking about the spiritual needs of France and a short feature film about the spiritual oppression French Christians and their leaders must overcome. There is also a page giving statistics about the spiritual need of the country.

Their Connaître Dieu (French language) and Looking for God (English language) website (also available in German, Dutch, and Chinese) has over four hundred people per day registering first-time decisions for Christ! Click here to see who is logged on right now and from which countries in the world.

The affiliated Top Chrétien Christian web portal has welcomed over 10 million unique visitors in the last five years. It is a great way to brush up on your French and to get a feel for what God is doing in France!

The Muddled, Meandering, Musings of the Mad

A recent piece in the New York Times by George Johnson entitled, "A Free-for-All on Science and Religion," (free registration required to read) details how the deep animosity certain secular scientists have developed toward all religious belief boiled to the surface at the Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival forum this month at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. Richard Dawkin's comment summed up the prevalent attitude,

"I am utterly fed up with the respect that we - all of us, including the secular among us - are brainwashed into bestowing on religion ... Children are systematically taught that there is a higher kind of knowledge which comes from faith, which comes from revelation, which comes from scripture, which comes from tradition, and that it is the equal if not the superior of knowledge that comes from real evidence..."

What never ceases to amaze me is how anyone so brilliant could have such blind, absolute faith in the power of individual or collective reason. After all, since man is a finite creature, by definition, all individual or collective human knowledge and experience is also limited. That being true, atheism (the outright denial of the existence of God) is clearly a form of intellectual dishonesty, since an atheist must therefore admit that God may exist somewhere outside the realm of their personal (or humanity's collective) knowledge or experience. The moment a person acknowledges that God might exist, they have ceased being an atheist and have become a mere skeptic (one who is simply unsure about the existence of God). Any skeptic who is really seeking truth must make a personal search for God their highest priority, since, philosophically speaking, God's existence profoundly affects every other realm of knowledge, including meaning, ethics, and so forth.

The real issue with every atheist I have ever dialogued with has always turned out to be either emotional or moral and not intellectual. They are either angry and bitter at God over the reality of some form of evil (often something very painful that has happened to them personally), or they are simply unwilling to live their personal lives according to His standards of right conduct. In my experience, the issue has never been purely rational. As the New Living Translation renders the Apostle Paul's words to the Roman believers, "Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness ... (Romans 1:28)"

Here's the great news - if we seek God with a heart that is willing to serve Him if we find Him, then He will reveal Himself to our hearts. As the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, articulated it, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 29:11-14 NLT)"

What a powerful, precious promise!

Pray for the young people at New Life Church

Several months ago, Teresa and I were able to attend weekend services at New Life Church while we were in Colorado. We were deeply touched during our visit by the very large number of young people and career adults, including young families, that have been flocking to the church.

As recent events have unfolded and the news stories continue to flood all forms of media, I keep thinking about those young, tender, bright-eyed, passionate, "babes in Christ." My heart is very, very heavy today as I remember what we saw. If you read this post, please pause for a moment and pray for them, as well for the entire Haggard family.