Death & the fear of it

Recently I experienced the deaths of four friends over a span of a couple of months.

In fact, the services for two of them were held at the exact same time so I could only attend one.

Some of the friends were close, with years-long relationships. Some were not. Some involved several visits to a local hospice. Some included a single visit in a hospital. Notification came from friends, or through finding their obituary in the newspaper just a few days after another friend had told me they weren't doing well.

All of this to say that I've been thinking about death lately, on purpose.

Neel Burton, writing in Psychology Today, makes the point that "While we may be able to somewhat postpone our death, there is absolutely nothing that we can do to prevent it altogether. In the words of the ancient philosopher Epicurus, ‘It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we men live in a city without walls.' All that we can do is to come to terms with death in the hope of preventing it from preventing us from making the most of our life."

So, if this is the case, then it seems that a lot of us in western culture are living as if death doesn't exist.

Kelvin Chin, who heads up the Overcoming the Fear of Death Foundation, says that oftentimes when we say we're afraid of death, we're actually afraid of something else. But death is still the trigger.

Various belief systems all have a particular focus on death.

Muslims and Christians both believe in life after death. That we continue to exist after our physical life has ended. (In fact, the apostle Paul very clearly emphasized that the Resurrection of Jesus was the cornerstone upon which the entire Christian faith rests.)

The Jewish faith, in general, doesn't have a specific teaching on the after-life. Depending upon if you're Orthodox or Reformed there are different flavors of this interpretation.

Buddhists believe that you are reincarnated and continue to experience life after your current physical life has ended, only in another form. It depends upon the sum total of your karma.

Practically all faith traditions hold that it's important to live a moral life. That living a moral life has consequences - both in this life, and in the life after this one.

So, maybe the issue of fear of death partly holds on what you believe?

Realizing this, the philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-62) offered what has become known as Pascal's Wager. He said a rational person should live as if there is a God because if there is, they only experience a finite loss of some pleasures in this life, in exchange for everlasting joy in Heaven.

The converse of the Wager is, that if there is no God, then at least the person has lived a moral life. No harm, no foul.

But regardless of Pascal, the crux of the matter seems to be that some fairly fervent followers of a particular faith are still anxious about death. Why?

Here's my two cents:

1. It's entirely possible to say we believe in a particular faith tradition while not actually believing it. If we don't agree with what our faith stream has to say about the after-life, we aren't going to be affected or consoled by it.

2. It's possible to believe in a particular faith tradition but not strongly enough to live like it. In this case, where we worship doesn't have much to do with how we behave the rest of the week. This isn't so much a case of a cognitive disconnect, but an emotional one.

3. If our faith doesn't leave room for reasonable doubt, we could remain in a continual state of denial or guilt or confusion. This is particularly true among followers of fundamentalist strains of any faith stream. There isn't much room for discussion of fear, including fear linked to death. Unresolved fear often festers into frustration and denial.

In all of the above scenarios we're leaving ourselves open to anxiety. Especially anxiety linked to death.

It doesn't help that in North America advertisers know how to capture our attention using this bait. Watch commercial television if you need evidence. All pain can be taken away instantly. New cars turn you into a beautiful/handsome person. The best cologne or perfume makes you irresistible. Drink the right soda and you suddenly become popular, social and charming. You only need the right products and material possessions to alleviate all anxiety.

As if there is actually such a thing as a fear-free, absolutely secure life.

Come to think of it, the current administration in Washington has done a great job of cashing in on this belief. It's this unspoken premise that is fueling the mantra that our country is the greatest on earth and deserves to be put first above all others. This fear expresses itself in an administration that is asking for an additional $54 billion in defense spending at the expense of cutting essential social and environmental programs.

When you think about it, war is actually a fear of defeat, or death. Ironically war turns out to be a fairly good source of death itself. Not to mention it's very, very expensive.

One thing we know for certain is that death is unavoidable.

It's perhaps the ultimate fear.

But we have the choice to admit we're afraid of dying and begin to free ourselves from the emotional consequences of living in fear of it. As Neel Burton said, "we can come to terms with death in the hope of preventing it from preventing us from making the most of our life."

How about you? What's your view on death?

Photo Credits:
Top - www.DeviantArt.com
Middle - thefamouspeople

The Case for Christ & Women in Ministry

THE CASE FOR CHRIST is
about the life of Lee Strobel, and his transformation from hard-nosed investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune, to becoming a follower of Jesus.

THE CASE FOR CHRIST, at times, seems a bit over-the-top. But then, to be fair, it shows a very topsy-turvy part of Strobel's life so some melodrama is going to be part of the telling. Overall, THE CASE FOR CHRIST does a great job chronicling Strobel's journey. And leaves it up to the viewer as to the preponderance of evidence for the Resurrection.

I left the theater with two major take-aways:

I wanted to know more about Leslie Strobel, Lee's wife.

As portrayed in the film, she finds Jesus first and, more importantly, remains steadfast in her convictions despite dealing with her husband's almost two-year long mission to discredit her faith. (The majority of the film focuses on that timeframe). Between Leslie's acceptance of Christianity and Lee's he was a confirmed atheist. He was anything but understanding and oftentimes quite belligerent in his insistence that God, and Jesus, in particular, were a hoax.

After viewing the film, I considered Leslie to be the anchor of her family. The one, who, by example, led her husband to believe in God and Jesus. By the way, during Lee's period of investigating the couple already had a four year old with another child on the way.

Ironically, in an interview on Pure Talk, Leslie said, that, after she prayed the "Sinner's Prayer" with her neighbor Linda, she was unsure for about a year if she was "saved" or not. "I just didn't believe that it took," she explains.

Regardless of whatever was happening in her heart or spirit, outwardly, she continued to pray for her husband and extend mercy to him during a time when Lee, by his own telling, often came home drunk and angry. Perhaps out of frustration that his investigation into disproving the validity of Jesus wasn't bearing any fruit.

Things got so bad between them that it got to the point where Lee flat-out told his wife that he didn't see them staying together if she didn't change her tune.

She didn't. But he did. Eventually giving up his quest and turning to God. (In the film, there's a scene where Lee stands in front of a giant whiteboard, filled to the brim with questions and clips of information about Jesus. He raises his hands in the air and says, "OK God. I give up!")

I walked out of the theater lobby wanting to know more of Leslie's story. Even if it's not as dramatic as her husband's there is definitely something there worth exploring.

In an interview for a Jesus Calling podcast, Leslie said, "I just wanted to be a mom and raise kids." Her own transition to becoming a Christian was almost uneventful, in comparison to Lee's, which was much more of an intellectual exercise. "For me it was relational," she said. "It was never a question of needing any facts or proof."

She sums up, "It's been such a privilege and honor to be used by God. To have our story touch hearts."

Leslie & Lee Strobel

Which brings me to a second and final take-away, not necessarily linked to the film, but definitely nudged by it.

Why don't we hear more about women in ministry and their own faith journeys in mainstream Christian media? (I realize there has been great breakthrough in this area, at least in America, over the past 20 years, but it seems a lot more could be done).

Having just celebrated Easter, it bears repeating that it was women who first encountered the risen Jesus.

All four Gospel writers agree.

Matthew names Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" going to the tomb. (Matt. 28.1). Mark mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Solome (Mark 16.1). Luke records "the women" went to the tomb, and later mentions Mary Magdalene, Jonnna, and Mary the mother of Jesus as being there. And John tells us that it was Mary Magdalene who first encountered the risen Jesus

So, in a culture that was men-centric, it's very significant that four male writers record that it was women who first spread the word about the Resurrection.

Years later the apostle Paul wrote: "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1 Corinthians 15:14).

For us, living in the 21st Century, this fact might not seem like much, but for the time in which Jesus was living, it turned the culture upside down.

Women had no rights. Were seen as men's property. Were not given leadership positions.

But yet Jesus and God chose to ignite the beginnings of what became the Christian Church by and through women. You could almost make another case: That if it weren't for the women among Jesus' followers, we might not be following Jesus now.

Here's the trailer for THE CASE FOR CHRIST.

Photo Credit: top, Pure Flix

Natalie Vellacott: Author & Missionary

Natalie Vellacott served as a police officer and detective in the UK for ten years before resigning in 2011 to become a Christian missionary. Her book, Planet Police, contains humorous and revealing stories from the front line. 

Natalie has lived and worked with street people in the Philippines. Her true story They’re Rugby Boys, Don’t You Know? (published in 2014), relates her encounter with a group of street teenage boys abusing a solvent called "rugby" to help them forget the pain of hunger and poverty.

Natalie served on the Logos Hope Christian mission ship for two years. She published her adventures in The Logos Life in 2017.

What was your motivation to become a missionary?

The short answer is that I believe God called me into mission work. I had been involved in street evangelism with my church since I was saved as the urgency of sharing the truth with others became my priority in life. I had begun to find it more difficult to share with people while working as a police officer due to legal and organizational restrictions. I believe all Christians are missionaries in one sense and that if someone isn’t evangelizing at home, they won’t be motivated to do so if they travel abroad.

In your book, you mention becoming ‘definitely converted’ to Christianity when you were 23. Can you share what happened?

If you want to read the full story, my personal testimony is included at the end of all of my books. I was raised in a Christian home but drifted from God just after my baptism when I was seventeen. I spent six years living a worldly life—smoking, drinking, gambling and involved in non-Christian relationships. I was seeking satisfaction and meaning in those things but ended up miserable and empty inside. I knew the truth due to my upbringing--that my sin was an offence to God and that I was separated from Him. I reached a point where I couldn’t continue as I was, mainly due to witnessing changes in my younger sister that I knew could only have come about by God’s intervention. I basically did a 180—I confessed my sin to God asking for His forgiveness through Jesus and resolved to make major changes in my life. My story has similarities to the prodigal son story in the Bible.

What was the hardest part of your initial experience with the ‘rugby boys’?

Definitely seeing them abusing solvents right in front of me and being powerless to stop them. I knew they were potentially doing irreversible damage to their bodies and minds. Even after we had been working with them for some time, they still used this as a way to hurt me when they were angry or upset and it worked every time. I would have done anything at that point to stop them doing it. It was a painful and effective form of emotional manipulation that I had to learn to ignore.

Originally, you started your Filipino missionary work in Olongapo. Would you be able to share how things are in Olongapo now?

I last visited Olongapo in late 2015. The large group of children abusing solvents under the bridge hasn’t returned which is a mixed blessing. Some of the children did leave the streets, returning to their families or back to school, others are living permanently at the youth center. However, the solvent abuse continues with smaller groups of children now operating less visibly in other areas of the city.

I eventually had to leave Olongapo in 2014 because I couldn’t find a church to settle in and I needed more of a support network for the work I was doing. I joined a church in Manila (the capital city) where my new pastor suggested that I should try to focus more on working with girls. This was a low point for me as I had believed God was calling me specifically to work with the “rugby boys.” It wasn’t that I wanted to work with boys as such, but most of those abusing solvents were boys. After prayer and consideration, I realized that I must submit to the authority of my pastor--his point was valid because the boys I had been working with had grown older.

I continued working with several of the original boys after leaving Olongapo and visited some of them in rehab in Taguig and in the youth center in Olongapo. I am still in touch with many of them via social media and as I recently revised They’re Rugby Boys, Don’t You Know? I included the boy’s individual updates in the back of the book.

For those who haven’t read your book, what have you been doing since Dec. 2013?

I have struggled on and off with ill-health due to having an under-active thyroid. This necessitated several trips back to England and affected me in other ways as only those with the same problem will understand. After leaving Olongapo, in April 2014 I joined my church’s program in Manila, working among the street homeless. This included some “rugby boys” and girls. I joined a medical mission to Tacloban (the area that was hit by the devastating typhoon) and just generally took part in help and hope projects in the area. I left the Philippines in February 2016 for a furlough/break and haven’t returned to date.

My writing has become more of a ministry partly due to my health issues although my health seems to be stabilizing and I’m keen to get back to the mission field. I comment on contemporary Christian topics in my blog and write honest Christian-perspective book reviews using Goodreads as my main platform. During my recuperation, I had time to write Planet Police—my auto-biography about being a police officer in England for ten years and also more recently The Logos Life detailing the aspects of life on Logos Hope not covered in the “rugby boys” tales. I’ve tried to include humor and cultural oddities but all of my books have an evangelistic slant. Some readers find that off-putting but as that’s the main purpose in my writing I’m afraid it’s there to stay!

I have also been volunteering for an organization that shares Jesus with enquirers in chat conversations via the internet and I have spent several lengthy periods in South Carolina, America volunteering at the ministry center that supplies the Logos Hope ship with books.

What motivated you to move to the Philippines to do full-time, independent missionary work? How long did you remain in Manila?

Maybe I have covered this already in part. On joining the Logos Hope ship in 2011, I prayed that God would lead me to a country for full-time mission work at the end of my two-year commitment. On becoming involved with the “rugby boys” in the Philippines I started to believe that God was calling me to return to the country. The ship moved on from the Philippines in December 2012 and I prayed that if God wanted me to go back I would get further opportunities to spend time there. I was sent to Manila on a challenge team in April 2013 and when I arrived it felt like I was coming home. The ship then unexpectedly sailed to other ports in the Philippines that had been postponed so I had further opportunities to experience the culture and start learning the language.

Why did I go independently? That could be a long answer! I do believe there is a place for mission organizations in the society that we have created but I also believe that the church could fulfill that role. I prefer to operate by traveling from church to church rather than there being a third party involved. That is the reason I moved from Olongapo to Manila because being in a good Bible-believing church is essential for any missionary and I struggled to find one. I need a place where those who I witness to can be taught and discipled and to grow and be held accountable myself. Christians cannot function in isolation.

I was only in Manila for just under two years in the end. I am praying about whether or not to return to the Philippines at this time.

Would you be able to comment on what it’s like in Manila now, with the recent war on drugs (Giyera Kontra droga se Pilipinas)? Do you see it helping things?

I am only aware of what I see in the media and from occasional updates from Filipino friends. I believe the current leader Duterte is extremely dangerous, more so because the shame and honor culture will result in many Filipinos submitting to him. Although Filipinos are more aware of their human rights due to the invasion of Western culture, they are still a relatively shy people. Most hesitate to share their views or stand up for their rights unless repeatedly prompted. Many also tend to go along with the stronger personalities as they avoid conflict. This creates a power vacuum that Rodrigo Duterte seems to have stepped into.  In terms of the solvent abuse, as far as I’m aware, it isn’t covered under Duterte’s war on drugs—he is dealing with harder drugs. The country needs our prayer.

From your perspective, how widespread is the problem of solvent abuse in Manila? In the Philippines?

Solvent abuse among children and young adults is rampant in the Philippines and other third world countries. It is cheaper than food and stops the hunger pangs that they feel. It also allows them to escape their meaningless lives into a fantasy world where they can fight imaginary beings and feel invincible. They don’t think about anything beyond the twenty-four hours in front of them and most don’t care whether they live or die. Many are also covering the pain and rejection of problem families or other abuses by using this drug.

Can you talk a bit about the sort of projects funded through your Olongapo Christian Help & Hope charity?

My charity was set up with broad scope to share the Gospel and help the poor. We have purchased Christian literature and Bibles for distribution, bought clothes and food, funded medical procedures, helped some apply for jobs, sent others on a youth camp and even replaced a church roof in a slum area.

How has your relationship with God changed since you wrote your first book? Since moving to Manila? Since coming home to England?

I hope I have learned to trust God completely although sometimes I feel like a child learning the same lessons over and over again. Trusting God by Jerry Bridges is a great book for those struggling in this area. I have definitely realized that God’s ways are not my ways and that I cannot see the bigger picture as He can. I have stopped asking “why did this happen to me?” and started saying “okay that’s happened, what next?” I think that is biblical because we are told not to worry and not to be anxious and yet that is what we spend a lot of time doing without achieving anything.

Even now, I’m back in America at Operation Mobilization’s ministry center packing books for Logos Hope for the third time in the last twelve months. I’m here because I’m waiting for God to show me what is next but I don’t feel anxious in the way that I might have done in the past. I know God has a plan and that He will reveal it when the time is right. I just need to be obedient and serve where I am to the best of my ability.

Is there any wisdom you’d like to share with readers who may be considering missionary work?

The most important thing is to keep the Gospel central, it is far too easy to drift into help ministries but I believe that help without hope is the ultimate tragedy. People can be materially comforted, medically improved or successful academically with better career prospects, but if they die without Jesus they will still go to hell.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul.” Mark 8 vs 36 (KJV)

I have included all of my spiritual lessons in my two mission related books. The Logos Life has a list of ten lessons towards the end of the book which I hope will help those considering mission work to adequately prepare themselves. I actually wrote the book with potential missionaries in mind believing that they could learn from my mistakes, challenges and experiences.

I also read a book recently which highlights some important areas, Letters Missionaries Never Write by Fred Kosin, I recommend this as a resource for those serious about mission. I met the author recently—he and his wife Jenny are missionaries to missionaries, they travel around the world encouraging and supporting missionaries on the field. They live by faith—praying for their material needs and waiting for God to provide--which is becoming a lost concept in current mission circles. They are well-equipped to offer advice with their wealth of experience.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

I just want to encourage those that are considering mission work to pray, take advice from Christians you trust and then go. If God calls you then he will provide for you. I have experienced God clearly opening doors and closing others which is what makes me believe that He will do the same in my current uncertain situation. The missionary life is hard but it is also rewarding and what greater work is there than to be sharing the Gospel--offering hope to those that are perishing?

Natalie served on the Logos Hope Christian mission ship for two years. She published her adventures in The Logos Life in 2017. A Kindle Countdown deal is now on at: 
https://www.amazon.com/Logos-Life-Nat...

Lent's Purpose

According to Baylor University's Center for Christian Ethics, the season of Lent may have had its roots in the tradition of the early Church encouraging fasting for 1-2 days before Easter. Although there is some evidence to link Easter with baptism, the practice was not widespread.

It was Athanasius of Alexandria, in a series of letters (334 AD) who encouraged a forty-day fast, linked to Easter.

Interestingly, according to Christianity Today, the season of Lent didn't always begin on Ash Wednesday. It was Gregory the Great (540-604) who moved the start of Lent to a Wednesday, and instituted the spreading of ashes on the forehead. A symbol of the self-examination and denial, linked to Genesis 3:19, "remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return."

The fasting portion of Lent also has undergone changes.

After the Council of Nicea, church leaders instituted a standard for the 40-day fast of one meal each evening, with no meat, fish or animal products. Today, in the West, that is not the standard, and Christianity Today points out, many Protestant denominations (outside of Episcopal and Anglican) do not mention or practice Lent at all.

Regardless of the history, the main focus of Lent is on reflection and denial. The United Methodist Church's organizational website notes that Lent is a "season of repentance, fasting and preparation for Easter," reflecting on our relationship with God. It often involves giving up something to help this effort. 

So, what's the significance of Genesis 3:19?

Shortly after the Fall (when our spiritual ancestors sinned against God for the first time and were cut off from intimate relationship), God told them: "...For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return."

Indicating that from that point forward, the human race would experience death.

We can take this to mean, on a physical level, that at some point, we will all leave this earth. That our life, as we now experience it, will be over.

Everything we have, materially, at one point, will be gone. The instant we leave this world. (While it's true that some possessions may be forwarded on to relatives or friends or designated institutions, for the most part, those things will no longer be ours).

That's a sobering thought.

It's been said that most of our life, at least in Western culture, is spent ignoring the fact that we're going to die. Death represents the unknown and it often frightens us into accumulating material things.

However, for a person of faith, death isn't the final chapter.

That's the purpose behind Lent.

On the one hand it's a reminder that life is fragile and fleeting. On the other, it asks us to examine the kind of life we are living and our relationship with God. And the spiritual reality of Easter Sunday.

For followers of Jesus, Easter Sunday is a celebration of the life to come. Of death being conquered. That there is much more to this world than material reality.

Lent asks us to remember that this life will someday end. It asks us to slow down and examine where our priorities are. Lent asks us to acknowledge that there is more to living than consuming. We can choose to live lives of service to others. Lent is an invitation to examine the spiritual reality beyond everyday life. Lent is a reminder that we don't have to be afraid of death if we're lived the kind of life to prepare for it.

And by pointing ahead to Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus, Lent offers a resounding "YES!" to the age-old musing, "There has got to be more to life."

How about you? How do you observe Lent?

Photo Credits:
United Methodist Church
episcopalchurchofthetransfigurationofvail.org
catholicreview.org