A former Speech and Language Pathologist for nearly 20 years, I began educating our 3 children full-time in 2015 and have cherished every gifted moment (even the challenges). But what is interwoven into all aspects of daily life (as a wife, via motherhood, teaching, friendship, fitness, etc.) is Christian Apologetics (1 Peter 3:15)… which is why this blog exists.
This 8-minute video is an impactful example of what happens when fear keeps us from sharing the complete truth with others. How can others know the Good News until they understand WHY it’s good news! For there to be good news, there must be bad news.
Pragmatism (subjective helpfulness) should never override a biblical worldview for a Christian, because the Christian worldview is a biblical worldview. Jesus viewed the Scriptures as God’s authoritative word…so should we.
Todd Friel attempted to help a young lady grasp this reality!
Have you heard of the classic fable, Chicken Little? 📕
A few years ago, my children and I were reading an older version of Chicken Little called, Henny Penny, a story about a beloved hen who (after being hit on the head by a falling acorn) wrongly perceived that the sky was falling.
In her surprise and genuine concern, Henny Penny hurried off to alert the king of her homeland of this incredibly urgent emergency!
As Henny traveled, numerous friends of hers (a rooster, a duck, a swan, and a turkey) had noticed Henny Penny running excitedly through the woods. Each would precede to stop and inquire of her the purpose of her mission, and because they loved and trusted her, deceived to run with her to the king.
Sadly, they never made it their desired destination. Instead, the story ends with all 5 animals being tricked by a cunning fox, who deceptively promised them a shortcut to the King. But that shortcut only led them all to the fixes dem, where they all were dinner for the foxes’s family.
Why am I posted about this children’s tale?
1.) It occurred to me after reading this classic that we ALL can model Henny Penny’s emotional response, some days. Leaning too quickly upon our own understanding of a situation without praying about it will certainly set us upon the wrong path!
Henny had a real experience (an acorn crashing down on her head), which genuinely hurt, and therefore created a legitimate concern.
She ran towards the king with the authentic hope to help others! She wasn’t intending to mislead nor to harm…quite the opposite!
2.) Henny’s friends trusted and loved her. They ran with her, wanting to both support and encourage her. We all should want to support and encourage our friends! This is a good thing! However…(#3)
3.) But no one stopped to lovingly inquire if the sky was actually falling? Pausing to examine the evidence of a claim is far from unloving, nor is it cold and legalistic! As God’s word explains in 1 Corinthians 13, “Love rejoices with the truth!”
Instead, each of the 5 animals leaned upon their own understanding, running forward without slowing-down to check-out the facts.
Maybe they didn’t want to offend?
Maybe they were exceptionally tired (long day at work, too much on their plate, etc.) that day?
Maybe they were overly busy, and therefore moved-on to the next detail of the day without acknowledging God for help?
Take-away:
When I began researching the Enneagram a few years ago, it crossed my mind that maybe Henny Penny’s tale isn’t too far off from reality!
Maybe the combination of increased busyness and reduced scriptural guidance was the predominant manner in which the Enneagram entered into churches?
Perhaps it sneakily entered-in through *wonderful* brothers and sisters who earnestly wanted to share something “helpful,” but didn’t realize what they had actually had in their midst…a non-Christian tool making Christian claims.
Friends, we all can be Henny or her friends at various times in our lives.
If we don’t prayerfully navigate all that comes our way (especially after traumatic “acorn moments”), we will often run forward without seeking God for help…leading us down a potentially harmful path.
Today, let’s pause and intentionally forgive those who have been Henny Penny in our lives, as well as pray for them. And let’s stop to pray as often as possible, thanking God for the faithful wisdom He promises to provide each and every day (Ja 1:5).
God’s got this, sister!
📕“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
📕”Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” – Psalm 139:23-24
Don and Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro in their book, Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret, address the frequent misquoting of John Calvin (by Ian Cron and others). Numerous Enneagram authors and enthusiasts, like Ian Cron, have advocated the pursuit of self-knowledge via the enneagram by appealing to highly respected Christian sources…like Calvin and Augustine.
Per Ian Cron, coauthor of The Road Back to You, “How did Calvin put it, ‘Without knowledge of self, there is no knowledge of God” (p.15). This has been quoted by many-an-enneagram enthusiast. Which is very concerning (for two major reasons)!
Firstly, we should always test what we hear alongside the original source. Therefore, instead of readily accepting Cron’s words about Calvin, let’s check-out the original source for Calvin’s words. Wouldn’t that be responsible?
Secondly, nowhere in the Scriptures does God advocate for us to look within for Him. Looking into the heart is like being in a deep pit and looking down for a rope. We need to look to Him, not within.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9
“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
Matthew 15:18-20
Here is Chapter 1 from Calvin’s Institutes:
“the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards;” (Chapter 1 of Calvin’s Institutes).
Therefore, to answer the question posed in the title of this post: No, John Calvin did not say that in order to know God, we need to look within. When we examine John Calvin’s own words we find a DIFFERENT message. As the Veinots and Marcia explain on p.42 of their timely book, “in short, Calvin asserted that we are sinners in need of a savior!” Calvin’s words are being utilized incorrectly.
Friends, in lieu of readily believing secondary voices, everyone should prioritize going to the source and testing whether the secondhand information is tenable. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Christians should view the Scriptures as Jesus views the Scriptures…as God’s authoritative word, true and unchanging (Mark 7:8-13; Matt. 26:54; Luke 4:21; John 7:38).
With this important fact in view on Valentine’s Day, Christians should always look to God’s Word (Bible) as our Dictionary in defining what love is, and from Whom it comes! Not Netflix!
Below is an impactful video by Mama Bear Apologetics I strongly encourage you all to watch…especially with your tween and teens!
✔️Mowing our neighbor’s lawn. ✔️Shoveling a widow’s snowy driveway. ✔️Taking meals to new parents. ✔️Giving money to combat human-trafficking. ✔️Sharing our dinner tables with those who are new to town. ✔️Listening to a grieving friend for as long as it takes. ✔️Forgiving those who have wronged us.
Yes, let’s keep doing all of the above, and more!
And…
Let’s always be prepared to share the #reason for the #hope that you have, with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). Let’s be prayerfully prepared to explain why we love in these ways, and from Whom this love comes! For His glory, alone.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16
💡“Why is there evil and wars?” 💡“Is the Bible true?” 💡“How is the Bible relevant?” 💡“How do we reconcile science and faith?” 💡“If God created the universe, who created God?”
💡What if someone hasn’t heard of God? 💡“Do dogs go to Heaven?”
…and more!
Shared below is a 60m clip of Christian Apologist, Dr. Sean McDowell, speaking at a church in Singapore…answering 12 difficult (yet, common) questions pertaining to God and Christianity.
It’s an incredible resource to have on-hand for the treadmill, when folding laundry, while eating lunch, or as your prepping for dinner. There’s always time to prioritize researching these pivotal worldview issues, as well as learning how to answer the tough queries people ponder.
“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” – 1 Peter 3:15
More pertaining to the scientific veracity of the Enneagram:
According to an interview with Dr. Rhenn Cherry, a Biblical Counselor who wrote his PhD dissertation on the Enneagram, approximately 139 doctoral-level mental health professionals, with an average of 26 years experience, participated in a peer reviewed study in 2015 which found the Enneagram placing 2nd to last place on the first round of testing and last on the 2nd round…out of 36 protocols.
The Enneagram is not a valid scientific tool pertaining to Personality, even if marketed as such.
If someone played Beethoven poorly, would you play blame Beethoven?
As Frank Turek suggests, “Of course not!”
The fact that Christians are unable to live-up to Jesus’s standards, only affirms our desperate NEED for Jesus and what He did on our behalf (Isaiah 53; 1 Co 15; 1 John 4).
If we are completely transparent, friends, we should all admit that we can’t even live up to our own standards, consistently…let alone, God’s.
Let this sink in:
God lovingly came down because WE need Him. We need freed from the sin which enslaves us (Eph 2; Rom 5; 1 Cor 15). It’s a work only God can do. And it’s a gift given to humanity!
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 Jn 4:9-10).
I grew-up with Santa (and adored him). But when I became a mom, I was faced with the reality that if Steve and I pretended Santa was real, we would be lying to our children. 🎅🏼
But if we didn’t participate in the Santa tradition, would we be robbing something incredibly fun from our children? This was a genuine concern!
Let’s process through this concern together!
1.) Would we be stealing fun from our children by not acting as though Santa is real?
First of all, we need to identify the false dilemma fallacy of thinking that fun is solely dependent upon thinking Santa is real.
For example, we can watch movies and read books containing fictional storylines (ie., Chronicles of Narnia, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc.) and thoroughly appreciate them, without them being nonfiction.
Therefore, can children watch Frozen the movie and enjoy it without believing Elsa is real? Of course!!
Friends, we can hopefully agree that enjoying the fictitious story of Santa is NOT reliant upon believing he is real. For more information pertaining to the false dilemma fallacy, please click here for Kathy Gibbens’s podcast.
2.) Should the desire for fun supersede honesty?
Most parents view Santa as a “white lie.” The thought that we would be purposefully deceiving their children would genuinely grieve us. With this being said, we can agree that deception is most often NOT the motivation. Instead, experiencing an awe-inspiring activity is.
This brings us having to our first question: “Can we enjoy Santa without believing he is real?”
Parents, the last thing I want is for anyone to feel condemned if they have promoted Santa to their children. To reiterate, I grew-up with a sincere fondness for Santa Clause, and am not upset with my parents for nurturing the idea that he was real.
The purpose of this post is to lovingly put forth questions that we all should consider. For we all earnestly desire that our children trust our words. Especially, regarding what matters most: their trust that God exists, and that Jesus came to save them from their sins (1 John 4).
Let’s allow the reality of what God has done on our behalf lead the way! We don’t need to add fluff to God’s incarnation, as if it lacks awe-inspiring qualities. It’s a true, historical event which is filled with more than enough awe and wonder to last a lifetime!
Our family on the Polar Express Train with Santa. By the way, the kiddos have always known Santa as a fictional character, who is different from the real man, St. Nicholas .
The next time you grab for a slice of bread, think upon God’s sovereignty… Why?
Bread has been an important staple in our diets for thousands of years. God knows this fact and therefore draws upon it to teach us!
In Matthew 4, for instance, we get to hear Jesus proclaiming the imperative need of humanity for God’s words. Jesus responds to Satan’s twisting of Scripture, with rightly divided Scripture:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”(Deut 8:3; Mt4:4)
And it’s within the Scriptures where we witness the profoundly reassuring sovereignty of God pointing to Jesus as the Word of God (Jn 1) as well as our Bread from Heaven (Jn 6:22-59).
And where was God incarnate born? Just as promised 700 years prior through the prophet, Micah, the Bread of Life was born in Bethlehem, which means, “the house of bread.”
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.”
Micah 5:2, 4-5
With all of this in view, by God’s grace alone, let’s pray for His help to prioritize the Scriptures above all of books and shows. This doesn’t mean we go without other books, but as a brilliant preacher of late once exhorted,
”Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
Keep living in the Scriptures and deriving sustenance from your Creator and King. And therefore, when you grab for bread for a meal home or out at dinner, please be diligent to remember the one who gave His life so that you and I could find life in Him. He is the bread of life (Jn 6:51)!
“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lordyour God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.
When we are walking through a trial (notice the word, “when”), we long for the rock-solid security which holds us upon shaking ground. We long for a real hope which steadies our emotions and reigns-in our reactive tendencies. The hope God gives us through His work upon the cross is not a myth nor is it a sales tactic. The hope our God provides is an anchor through the storms and a comfort in our pain. It’s an anchor provided by a real God who really came down to save. There’s no blind faith in this historical reality.
For this reason, the faith Christians have is a gift which isn’t built upon either myth or human emotion. The Christian faith is based upon evidence God provided through actual events. This faith is rock-solid, as is the hope which results.
Friends, it’s by trusting in God’s work that we can truly rejoice in hardship. It’s not blind, wishful thinking…It’s real.
Hold Fast Apologetics 