Predictions for 2008

I am a student of history and culture but I usually keep my opinions to myself. But in a break from my usual timid, non-opinionated nature I am going to share with you ten predictions for 2008. I know that I am going out on a limb and I want to make it clear that I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet but I will share them with you today.

10. We will endure a seemingly endless cycle of presidential ads that will mysteriously and mercifully end on November 4, 2008. (Hopefully)

9. A major catastrophe is going to occur somewhere in the world momentarily united us behind a cause and causing famous, pretty people to raise money that will be misspent by nonprofit organizations.

8. We will continue to be frustrated with the decisions in Washington and Sacramento (feel free to substitute your state capitol here) but will feel powerless to change things.

7. “New” discoveries will occur causing people to question the accuracy of the Bible only to be disproved minutes later to absolutely no fanfare.

6. Most people’s New Year’s resolutions will be but a faint memory by January 13, 2008.

5. Celebrity scandals in Hollywood will make news and once again fascinate us as we buy our groceries.

4. Hollywood will put out movies that will offend and shock people and push a violent, immoral agenda and yet people will continue wonder why we are becoming and increasingly violent, immoral culture.

3. New technology will be unveiled that will make the old stuff you bought in 2007 seem archaic and obsolete.

2. Cost of living will continue to increase causing you to be frustrated and reminisce about the good old days when gas and bread were cheap.

1. You will follow through with your commitment to read your Bible and pray daily resulting in deep spiritual growth and a revival in the church.

Of course much of what I have written was done so with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Almost everything that I wrote will happen without exception and there is not much we can do about it. The one exception is your own commitment to your spiritual growth. What is amazing is that God has given us the means necessary to grow and draw close to Him if we will avail ourselves to them. In this New Year I encourage you to commit to draw near to God in an fresh and deeper way than you may have ever done in your life.

There is much in this world that we will never be able to affect change. Baring divine intervention or the return of Christ the world will continue to move on its present trajectory. However, God has put it within our reach to change the fundamental direction of our hearts and lives by His grace through constant commitment to reading your bible, praying, being in fellowship, worship, serving others and giving. Will you join me today in making a renewed commitment in this New Year that will last beyond a few weeks and will result in a changed life?

Pictures of Alexander and Grace

Wait, wait, I'm not ready yet!


Okay, now I'm ready. Make sure you get my good side mom.


This was taken on November 30, 2007. It is Alex's first attempt to eat rice cereal. He has been growing by leaps and bounds. He was at the 5th percentile on the preemie chart two months ago now he is at the 25th percentile on the non-adjusted chart! Simply amazing. He was 5 lbs. 12.9 oz. at birth and at four months is at 13 lbs. 10 oz. He is definitely an eater. He is only 10 lbs. behind Grace!


Don't let him fool you, he's only posing for the camera. He is so cute when he is sleeping.


This is a picture of Alex with his uncle Charley at thanksgiving. We even caught Charlie with a smile on his face!


This is Alex's great-grandmother. How she loves her great-grandchildren.


Grace found her Nana's reading glasses and put them on. She is a ham in front of a camera. Definitely not shy.


I love this shot of Jenn and Grace. Grace is so loving right now. She loves to walk up to us and give us spontaneous hugs then run off again a second later. This was one of the times I had my camera in my hand.


Grace has to hug and kiss Alex twenty times a day. We'll enjoy it now because there will be days we'll have to remind them how much they love each other.


This was Grace's first solo flight on a ride. I was afraid she wouldn't want to go on by herself. I should of been afraid that she'd never want to get off. she ended up riding three times in a row.


I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California girls


Just getting ready for our trip to Wisconsin over Christmas. Go Green Bay!!!


Reminiscing about my childhood!


Alex is plum tuckered out. Sleep, eat and go to the bathroom. That's a baby's main job. Oh yeah, looking cute too.


All the cousins of the Martikan clan.

20 Reasons to give thanks

As our country was first being formed our forefathers saw fit to make a day of thanksgiving to express to God their gratitude for His providential goodness to them. God had delievered them and shown Himself faithfulness in the midst of difficulty. Thanksgiving is a type of praise that focuses on the goodness of God and expresses our appreciation for that goodness.

But how about us today? Why should we give thanks? Sometimes we find ourselves discouraged by our circumstances or think that there is nothing that is going right. What should motivate us to give thanks to God in the midst of difficulties? Why should we give thanks to God both now and all our days? Let me briefly share with you twenty biblical reasons why we as Christians should give thanks always.

1. We give thanks to make God known.

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.” (1 Chronicles 16:8; cf. Psalm 9:1; Psalm 105:1)

2. We give thanks to Praise God.

“Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name.” (2 Chronicles 22:50)

3. We give thanks because God is good.

“O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Then say, "Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name, And glory in Your praise." (1 Chronicles 16:34-35; cf. Psalm 106:1)

4. We thank God because it is too late to do it on earth when you are dead.

"For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?” (Psalm 6:5)

5. We thank God because it is practice for eternity.

“That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.” (Psalm 30:12)

6. We thank God corporately because it shows our solidarity and strength.

“I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng.” (Psalm 35:38)

7. We express our gratitude because it glorifies God.

“I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.” (Psalm 86:12)

8. We thank God because it is a good thing to do.

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;” (Psalm 92:1)

9. We offer thanksgiving because God gives us the ability to express our praise.

“With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; And in the midst of many I will praise Him.” (Psalm 109:30)

10. We thank God because His is God 24/7/365.

“At midnight I shall rise to give thanks to You Because of Your righteous ordinances.” (Psalm 119:62, cf. Psalm 121:4)

11. We thank God because He created us.

“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14)

12. When we thank God it reveals we are righteous.

“Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.” (Psalm 140:13)

13. We thank God because His anger is turned away from us.

“Then you will say on that day, "I will give thanks to You, O LORD; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:1-2)

14. We thank God because Jesus did.

“and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.” (Matthew 15:36; cf. Luke 22:17-19)

15. We thank God because it is a sign that we are true believers.

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Romans 1:21)

16. We thank God because He has given us victory in Christ.

“…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57 cf. 2 Corinthians 2:14)

17. We thank God for the blessings of our inheritance.

“…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” (Colossians 1:12)

18. We thank God in the midst of suffering for Christ as a sacrifice of praise.

“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

19. When we thank God we reveal the pattern demonstrated in heaven.

“And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,” (Revelation 4:9)

20. We thank God because as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords He will establish His kingdom.

“We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.” (Revelation 11:17)

So this Thanksgiving and every day offer your praise and thanksgiving to God because He is great and greatly to be praised.

Superdome and Qualcomm Stadium

I received an email today asking me if the Chargers Stadium (Qualcomm) was like the New Orleans Super Dome. Here is part of my reply.

It couldn't be less like the Super Dome if you could imagine that. I volunteered at the Salvation Army emergency relief station and people who were coming up for everything from clothes to toothbrushes and toothpaste could not be more gracious or grateful. I would say 1 in 100 had a bad attitude and we saw thousands of people. At its height there were about 12,000 people staying there. We had so many supplies it was almost comical.

(By the way, the picture I found randomly online actually has our station in the picture. If you look in the background you will see the back of my head. I am wearing a dark blue shirt. I organized all those diapers that you see in the background. That was only a small portion of what we had at the beginning of the day!)

It is almost a festival type atmosphere there. They have teachers volunteering to offer kids activities in a safe zone (they are even screening the teachers before allowing them to work with the kids). There were table set up for free massages and acupuncture. Several companies had free internet and cell phone use to anywhere in the country. There was grief counseling and I saw signs for AA meetings. There were impromptu orchestras putting up signs for a little music practice and concert. There is face painting, balloons for the kids and comedians putting on shows.

FEMA was right on the spot, there is a police and military presence second to none, and ample supplies. The insurance companies all have booths set up to help process the claims.

I think there are a number of reasons for the difference.

1. The tragedy didn't affect everyone in San Diego. 1 in 5 people were evacuated but that made 4/5th of the people who were unaffected and able to help.

2. Without sounding racist, I think that those displaced here were higher education and income. They have the means to recover and not slip into a helpless victim mindset. They know things can and will get better so they are not angry at the system.

3. The government (local, state, and federal) learned from Katrina and the Super Dome. I think that in that tragedy as with this one that it starts with the local politicians and moves out to state then federal. The federal government is like trying to move a mountain. To expect them to be nimble and immediately responsive is to misunderstand the role or effectiveness in government. It reminds me of when I was a kid and we approached a mega church about doing an outreach. They told us if we started planning now it could happen in 12 to 18 months.

4. Interestingly, it was the Christian community that moved in force to step in and help. I walked around and talked to high school students and adults and the vast majority were from Bible believing churches. It seemed like at every volunteer organization from Red Cross to Salvation Army to everything in between when I asked them why they came out they were a part of a youth group, church or ministry.

5. Finally, there was an outpouring of help that staggers the imagination. People drove to Target or Wal Mart and bought hundreds of dollars of supplies. So much so the police had to turn them away for a while on Tuesday because there was an hour wait to get into the stadium and traffic was too backed up. Cars, vans and trucks waited for hours to get in. They were afraid that there were so many donors that the evacuees couldn't get in!

I have to tell you my heart swelled with pride at being an American that day! This is what people will do if they have an opportunity and know a need in a tragedy. America is still the most generous, most compassionate nation on this planet. I say that knowing that statistics bare this out. We often only look at government donations to relief efforts around the world. But when you add in private direct donations to relief efforts we blow the rest of the world away! Don’t let the media tell you otherwise.

I'll go back today again just to make sure they don't need anymore help. I've been there the last two days so I do need to get some church stuff done. Our church wasn’t affected so that allowed us to help others.

I may take my camera today (which I forgot the last two days) and take pictures.

Sincerely,

Dave

P.S. There were some negative stories of people trying to take advantage of the situation. Driving their cars in and filling up with donated supplies. Then there is the looting. Sad but it reminds me that sinful people will always find ways to do evil, even in a tragedy.

Birth Control to 11 year olds

(Click Title above to connect to the original story.)

I just read the article this morning that the Maine junior high is going to start offering contraceptives to their 11, 12 and 13 year old children. If it wasn't so shocking I would this that this is some kind of hoax because sane adults would try to discourage kids that aren't even teenagers yet from having sex rather than supply them with contraception. Now keep in mind, we aren't talking about condoms here but giving girls the pill or the patch.

Wait a second, the school nurse cannot distribute an aspirin or Tylenol because it is unsafe and they don't want to take the legal liability. But they are willing to pump an 11 year old girl's body full of hormones that can have side effects. I know many adult women who have a time adjusting to birth control in the weeks leading up to their wedding.

What bothers me most is that the school CANNOT tell the parents that they are distributing birth control pills. Don't the parents have a right to know what medicine their child is receiving by a medical professional? Don't parents have a right to know what their kids are doing that they need birth control at age 11. We are talking about kids who legally cannot consent to have sex in the first place.

Furthermore, we have seen that at least some of these kids who are getting pregnant so young do so because they are being abused by someone who is much older. In order to protect the children from emotional and psychological harm isn't it in the best interest of the child and the parent to discuss this and decide?

We’ve taken the erroneous idea that they are going to do it anyway so we need to give them contraception to its logical absurdity. As a society we have bought into the idea that it is inherently immoral to tell a kid "no" or "stop doing that." Furthermore, we assume that kids cannot be influenced by positive moral teaching and are going to do it anyway. We also undermine any structured moral teaching given by family and church when we tell them that these services are available. Beyond that, we end up teaching them that other 11, 12 and 13 year olds are having sex when we tell them these services are available.

The article says only a small percentage of kids are having sex at that age. I believe that national statistics would bear that out. However, as we have become sexualized as a nation and have shielded kids from less and less adult material they have an even greater awareness of sex at a younger and younger age. However, when a teacher or health official tells them that these services are available, they not only are speaking to the small percentage of kids but to the larger percentage who are not engaging in sexual activity as a child.

Suddenly there is an awareness and curiosity of who is doing this coupled with the natural curiosity that is stirred within themselves. Ah, but it might be argued that it is only the kids who come to the health office that will be told these services are available. But that won’t do either. If you wait until they come to you then it is already too late because they won’t come to you if they don’t know these items are available. The only other reason they will come to you is if it is too late and they are already pregnant. So you must inform everyone in advance which does the very thing that I disagree with in informing everyone about the sexual activity of a few and stirring curiosity.

Let me make one other observation that is at least as controversial as my first point, what we are missing in this society is a sense of morals and a sense of stigma towards those who violate these moral standards. People are motivated to do right or avoid wrong by two forces, one external and the other internal. The external one is the expectations that have been placed on them and the fear of consequences for doing the wrong. The internal one is a sense of morals and values that have been instilled and cultivated over the person’s life.

We have removed all sense of shame and guilt from any behavior (because we have no absolute standards only personal “values”) and then we don’t teach any enduring morals that we believe that people are able to strive toward and keep. We don’t want to teach any values that might smack of religion or traditional morals so we take the cop out way and just hand out condoms.

We miss the point of previous generations that some actions brought shame upon myself and my family. We have a "guilt free" society that doesn't like the idea that others might look down on a person's behavior or, heaven forbid, say that a certain action is wrong. Well, 11 year olds having sex is wrong, dead wrong and someone needs to stand up and say something. The people who want to give out contraception rather than informing the parents ought to be ashamed of themselves.

We put Band-Aids on cancerous melanoma rather than getting to the root issue and dealing with the disease. The moral decay and our inability to articulate moral values in our society has brought us to this new low point of giving 11 year old girls the pill rather than redirecting their lives to something more fruitful and productive.

Happy 2nd Birthday Grace Rose

Dear Grace,

As I watched you run and play today I can believe you are already two years old.

You are the happiest, most precocious little girl I have ever known. But you have to understand how ridiculously biased I am.

I don't have a lot to say to you but I want you to know how much I love you and how precious you are to me. You are daddy's little princess. I'm under no disillusion that you are perfect. Trust me, you get into more mischief than I know what to do with. You somehow manage to know exactly what I don't want you to touch in a room and you make a beeline straight to it.

Lest I forget your high pitched scream that could wake the dead when you don't get something that you want. You've gotten more than one spanking over that (even in California!). But every time I look at you or you crawl up in my arms and put your head on my shoulder I just melt. Lately you have started to just walk up to mom and me and spontaneously give us hugs. Just your loving heart tells me that we're doing something right.

If I could communicate one thing to you today that you will know and remember for the rest of your life is that I love you. I never want you to forget that or question that fact. Your daddy loves you with his whole heart and I can't imagine my life without you.

Happy Birthday Grace Rose!

Love,

Daddy

God's sovereignty and the Problem of Evil

Dear friends,

I want to share a portion of a letter I wrote to a friend who has recently lost his daughter. He was struggling know that God is sovereign and that his daughter's death was within God's planning and purpose yet struggling to reconcile that with this fallen, messed up world we live in. Perhaps these words that were directed at him might help in the situations you are facing as well:

Dear Jeff,

I have been thinking about what you asked and I have some further thoughts concerning this. Let me begin by sharing some thoughts on a well known verse, Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Keep in mind that this is not the only verse that addresses the issue of God's sovereignty and human freedom so I don't want to make it seem like it says everything that needs to be said but we can glean some important truths.

First, notice the confidence that Paul has when he says, "we know." There is a confidence that transcends the momentary and our circumstances. The reality of God and the goodness of God intrude in on our misery and pain and every circumstance that we face. We must not lose this confidence regardless of the situations that we may face on a daily basis.

Secondly, Paul notes that God is at work causing all things to work together for good. God is behind the circumstances that we are in. He is sovereign. Now here, it does not say that God is the direct cause of all things that happen. Some things occur as a result of living in a fallen world, other things happen because of the sinful choices of man. And at times God directly and immediately intervenes directly causing an event to happen. However, when God acts directly it is never for evil. Even when He brings justice by pouring out His wrath it is for a good cause, namely, establishing justice and punishing evil.

Having said that, in an ultimate sense God is in control of every situation. Even our free choices are under the permissive will of God. If we wanted to do something and God did not want it to happen it wouldn't happen. God could choose to intervene and stop an evil from occurring. When He doesn't it is because it is in His permissive will and in some way within His sovereign and mysterious will. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

This is why after being mistreated, left for dead and traded to the Midianites by his brothers (not to mention falsely accused of rape and thrown in prison for a few years!) Joseph could say, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." (Genesis 50:20) You see, Joseph didn't diminish the fact that what they did was in fact evil. Yet he also understood that God was in an ultimate sense behind it and worked through all that happened. God's sovereignty over an event doesn't take away human responsibility.

Thirdly, God is able to cause all things to work together for good. We need to understand the good in question here in a kingdom sense and not necessarily in a personal and individual sense. If I lose my job or get cancer it is hard to argue that this is good. Granted God may do amazing things in my life and use me to minister to others. But I believe the good that is in view goes beyond just the individual. God is using the good to impact the world for Christ and ultimately bring glory to Himself. That is why being tortured for your faith can be seen in an ultimate sense as good. Those tortured or martyred for their faith suffered and died yet it is the blood of the saints that has become the seeds for the church to grow as was said centuries ago.

Also, the good that God is going to bring out of a tragic situation is not always immediately present. I would never be so brash to suggest to someone that they see the good in a tragedy (or worse yet, to call it good immediately). Some things are not readily evident and at other times the good that God is going to bring out happens months or years later. Our confidence is that God will bring good out of every situation but we should not necessarily expect to see it immediately. Some things we may not see or understand on this side of eternity. That is why we have to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7, cf. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Fourth, notice that the good that God promises to always work out is in regards to the genuine believer in Christ. God has particular and special love for His children. He is gracious in many ways to all even those who reject Him (Matthew 5:45) but He places His special favor on those whom He calls His own (John 16:32-33; Matthew 11: 27-30; Hebrews 12:5-10 even God's discipline reveals we have a special place before Him.)

This brings great comfort and hope. We know that God sees everything, knows everything, is at work in everything and for the believer everything has an ultimate purpose that is good. Even when we only see the evil of the moment we can rest assured that good will come of it.

Finally, related to my fourth point is the final phrase, "to those who are called according to His purpose." This relates to what we have already seen concerning those who love God but it looks at us from a different perspective. We were reminded that this promise relates to the true believer, the true lover of God. Now we see our standing from God's perspective. We have been called by God in a special, personal way. We have become His children not because we first loved Him but because He first loved us (1 John 4:10, 19)

Also, God has a purpose for our lives. All of the details of our lives are working towards that purpose. We know that our lives are to glorify God and every detail of our lives is in some mysterious and incredible way working towards that end. That we will glorify God fully and completely with out lives.

Having said this let me answer your question directly. It is appropriate and right to say that your daughter's death was a result of living in a sinful, fallen world. However, it is also correct to say that God, in His inscrutable mercy, chose to take your daughter home. Not that we may understand the reason why.

If you read my blogs from June-November 2005 you will see that we thought we were going to lose our daughter at 19 weeks. In fact, the doctor came in while my wife was in the hospital and told us that we almost definitely would. We cried and prayed throughout the night fully expecting to have lost our daughter by morning. As it turned out her complete heart block was not the onset of a miscarriage but rather due to a rare antibody my wife carries for a disease she has never had. They delivered our daughter 5 weeks early and six weeks later she had heart surgery and a pacemaker put in. What should have been routine turned into another week's ordeal as she had an infection and was in the neonatal intensive care unit for a full week and could have died.

God has used that experience to teach us so much and to use us in the lives of others.

There is much more that I could say but I have probably said enough for now. There are some deeper issues that I have not explored namely the relationship between Divine sovereignty and human freedom, the reasons why God would freely choose to create this particular world with human beings (and angelic beings) that would rebel against Him, and in what sense are we truly "free." What does the term "free will" really mean? How can we be "free" if Jesus said we were slaves to sin?

Let me know what you are thinking and feeling. I am concerned because I don't want all of this discussion to interfere with the process that you are going through in dealing with the loss of your daughter and the healing that needs to continue to take place. These are important issues to wrestle with but not to the exclusion of those other necessary things.

Love,

David Monreal

What are the Keys to Youth Happiness?

Below is an article I read today about an extensive study by AP and MTV regarding what makes people between the ages of 13 and 24 happy.

What is so surprising about the article isn't what they found, what is so surprising is that they are surprised by the results. As a Christian it is self-evident that faith and family are the cornerstone to true happiness.

I included the entire article below for you to read or you can click on the title above to read the original.

Another "startling" find is that students between the ages of 13 and 18 who have sex say that it makes them less happy. I would observe that our permissive society that promotes casual sex has tended to deny the emotional scars that this lifestyle leaves in its wake.

Poll: Family Ties Key to Youth Happiness

Monday August 20, 2007 3:16 AM

By JOCELYN NOVECK and TREVOR TOMPSON
Associated Press Writers

NEW YORK (AP) - So you’re between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock ‘n’ roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.

Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey - more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 - conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America’s young people.

Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.

“They’re my foundation,” says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. “My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she’s still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed.”

Other results are more disconcerting. While most young people are happy overall with the way their lives are going, there are racial differences: the poll shows whites to be happier, across economic categories, than blacks and Hispanics. A lot of young people feel stress, particularly those from the middle class, and females more than males.

You might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But almost no one said “money” when asked what makes them happy, though people with the highest family incomes are generally happier with life. However, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.

And sex? Yes, we were getting to that. Being sexually active actually leads to less happiness among 13-17 year olds, according to the survey. If you’re 18 to 24, sex might lead to more happiness in the moment, but not in general.

From the body to the soul: Close to half say religion and spirituality are very important. And more than half say they believe there is a higher power that has an influence over things that make them happy. Beyond religion, simply belonging to an organized religious group makes people happier.

And parents, here’s some more for you: Most young people in school say it makes them happy. Overwhelmingly, young people think marriage would make them happy and want to be married some day. Most also want to have kids.

Finally, when asked to name their heroes, nearly half of respondents mentioned one or both of their parents. The winner, by a nose: Mom.

Family Photos

Here are a few family photos that Jenn's sister Kim took for us a few days back. I hope you enjoy!

Alexander Jonathan Pictures

Okay, I've been taking heat for not posting more pictures of Alexander. By the way we don't mind him being called "Alex" just not Al or Zander.







If you want one of the pictures just click on it and a large jpeg image will appear. Right click on it and select "save as" and a location and you can have a copy for yourself.

Good Night Alexander Jonathan Monreal

Dear Alexander,

You breezed into this world today. The doctors kept changing their minds when they wanted you to be born but you decided that today was the day. Your mother and I enjoyed time with your grandparents before preparing for you arrival. We have been praying for you since we first found out God had given us the gift of another child. It only seemed fitting that we would say one final prayer asking for God’s hand of blessing before you entered this world.

The mood was light and celebratory as we entered the delivery room. The doctors chatted about the housing market and I held your mother’s hand and caressed her face as we waited for the delivery to begin. After the doctors brought you out of the womb they told me I could stand and take some pictures, and what a sight! The first thing you did was cried your lungs out to show that they were working then you immediately began to demonstrate that your bladder was working too!

The fountain ran dry, or so we through, but apparently you didn’t like the nurses poking at you because you found your reserve units and let them have it too. I couldn’t help but smile, five minutes old and already having fun. After they cleaned you off (and themselves) they let me hold you. I cried when I first heard you cry and I started to again when I looked into your face and held you tenderly in my arms.

Your mom and I held you and savored the moment. Like so many others it was too fleeting and is now only a memory forever etched in our minds. I went with you into the next room for some more tests, you passed them with flying colors but I expected nothing less. Mom came out a short time later and we sat there holding you and standing in awe of God’s amazing grace.

People traveled near and far to visit with you those first hours. God in His providence brought family and friends to see you. People traveling from Mexico and Chicago were on hand in addition to family and some of our closest friends. What a time marveling at God’s goodness.

Finally things quieted down and I was able to hold you and talk to you. Remember to always love God with your whole heart and be considerate to others. It is never out of style to be a gentleman and always remember your manners. Open the door for a lady and care for those in need. If you have a generous heart God will always supply your needs. Never forget that your mother and I love you with our whole heart and we will always be there for you as long as we are alive.

Your big sister and I have a little thing that we do every night. After we lay her down in her bed I lean over and whisper in her ear that I love her. I only say it loud enough for her and I to hear. Tonight, as I lay you down in your crib for your first night’s sleep, I leaned over and whispered in your ear, “I love you Alexander Jonathan.” And one more time today I began to cry.

Love,

Daddy

Alexander Jonathan will be here tomorrow!

On Thursday, July 26th we will be delivering Alexander Jonathan at 3:00 PM.

This once again has taken us by surprise. Let me share a little timeline to this moment.

Monday afternoon, 3:30 PM we have three appointments scheduled to determine if Alexander can be delivered on Friday. The doctor decides to move the main one to Wednesday morning at 6:15 so it could be done at the hospital.

Wednesday morning, 6:15. The doctor does the test and the initial results are that we should wait another week but more tests will be done with the amniotic fluid.

Wednesday, 8:00 AM. Things are going fine so they give Jenn her morning shot of blood thinner. Shortly thereafter she has a few contractions due to the amniocentesis and Alexander's heart rate dips momentarily. This happens a few more times within the next few hours. The doctor considers delivering today but Jenn would have to be put under because she received the blood thinner.

Wednesday, 11:00 AM. Jenn is officially admitted to the hospital. We may have the baby today. I run home to grab the camera and her bag that she was getting ready last night.

Wednesday Noon. The doctor reverses course and tells Jenn she can eat and we won't have the baby until Friday.

Wednesday afternoon. The nurses have misinformation from the doctor's office that the c-section is scheduled for tomorrow. Until they clear it up we are not sure if it is Thursday or Friday.

Wednesday evening. The doctor confirms that it is Friday at 7:30 AM and that we are on the schedule. Everything is set (or so we thing!).

Wednesday, 8:00 PM. I had picked Grace up from the sitter, given her dinner and spent the evening with Jenn. I just got home when she called and told me the doctor called her and would prefer to deliver tomorrow. He will check with the schedule and call us back.

Wednesday, 8:30 PM. It is now "official." We are having Alexander Jonathan Monreal at 3:00 PM on Thursday, July 26th. However, he said it could be earlier!!!

Aren't you supposed to know in advance when you are having a c-section? At least the Lord knows!

Lord willing I will post some pictures tomorrow of our new son. Please be in prayer for us as we receive God's gift to us.

One other thing, the first test showed that Alex's lungs were not quite ready, the second test showed that they were slightly underdeveloped but the third and most extensive test showed that his lungs were at 38 weeks maturity. If the third, most specific test, came back negative we would be in a holding pattern with Jenn in the hospital for the duration. At the moment they expect a normal delivery and for Alex to be home in a regular time.

Love,

Dave

Alexander could be here on Friday...maybe

Dear Friends,

I will share with you what I know at the moment but unfortunately it isn't too much. At present the plan is to deliver Alexander on Friday morning, possibly as early as 7:00 AM by C-section.

However, that is not a certainty yet! We were supposed to have a test done yesterday which would have definitively told us if his lungs are mature enough to be born but he decided to wait until tomorrow (Wednesday) to have the procedure done.

Why are we having the baby more than three weeks early? Good question and here is the answer.

1. In addition to the previous c-section with Grace Jenn also had a previous surgery years ago but they don't know how multiple surgeries will affect the uterus during labor so they want to avoid Jenn going into labor.

2. If Jenn did go into labor they would have to give her a general anestesia instead of a spinal because of the medication she is taking. With a planned c-section they can switch her medication which is easier to control and clears quicker.(from Lovenox to Heparin for those interested)

3. The doctor doesn't want Jenn on Lovenox any longer than she has too as it is harder on her body than her normal medication she can take when she isn't pregnant.

4. In high risk pregnancies it is better to have the baby out of the womb in case there are problems or complications with either the mother or the child. If he is ready to be born there is no reason to wait any longer in this situation.

So there are the reasons. The only question now is, "Is Alexander Jonathan ready to be born?" We will know that tomorrow. If he is then it is a go for Friday. If not, then we will have a better idea after the test. Of course the test itself could cause contractions and labor so...

Check back then for more information.

Dave

It may be sooner than you think!

Jenn just returned from the doctor's office and it is looking like we will be having Alexander Jonathan earlier than we all thought. A month ago he told us we could have a c-section a week before the due date of August 20 which would have been on August 13. Two weeks ago he told us that we should plan on having Alex two weeks before the due date on August 6.

Well, today he told us he would like to have us do an exam on July 23 and if all goes well we have the baby on July 27! Yup, that's what I said! July 27th. Of course, if he doesn't like how things look on July 23 that date could be moved back but at present that is the plan. Any questions please drop me an email and I'll fill you in.

Sincerely,

Dave

31 Weeks and Counting

Dear friends,

Just a quick update on Jennifer and Alexander. I know you haven't heard a lot from me lately but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The pregnancy is going along absolutely without a problem so far. We have long past the major threshold of 18-20 weeks and are moving along well.

At twenty weeks the doctor said, if we can make it past 23 weeks we should be safe. Then at 23 weeks he said that we are "probably" safe but no guarantees. They are always afraid of promising something and then that long shot ends up happening.

Most likely we will deliver at 39 weeks which is typical for a scheduled C-section. We don't have a date on the calendar yet but we should know within the next few weeks. I still haven't worked out all the details of caring for Grace while the baby is being delivered but I am sure we'll figure something out.

We've been in our new home for six months now and it seems like things are just humming along at the moment. Keep us in your prayers!

Love,

Dave

Evil and Personal Responsibility

Much is being said today about coming up with a psychological profile of Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui but in all of the discussion we are missing a very fundamental point, to explain a behavior does not justify that behavior. We can look at all the various factors that led up to the gunman’s maniacal rampage but all that does not make it any less heinous or evil.

We have an odd tendency in our culture to want to humanize villains and make them more understandable. Somehow this allows us to continue functioning in our society. What is shocking to me is that it should do quite the opposite. If we really begin to understand that these people were like us in many ways what does that say about our own capacity to do evil?

Beyond that there are some other considerations I would like to address. It is more foundational than what I presented in my previous post. Namely that we need to stop trying to explain away evil behavior under an avalanche of psychological babble and call it for what it is. This slaughter was an evil, premeditated mass killing by a wicked individual who was warped and twisted at his core. The personal responsibility for his actions rests with him, not with his circumstances.

Let me explain where I am coming from. We can look at his background such as his being an immigrant that moved here from South Korea with his parents at age 8. We can evaluate his socio-economic situation to see that perhaps he was “under privileged.” We can scrutinize the verbal, mental and perhaps even physical abuse that he endured growing up (although physical or sexual abuse hasn’t been mentioned yet I am sure if they look hard enough they will find someone who will say he was skipped in the lunch line or pushed at recess). We can dissect his psychological condition looking for depression or other indicators.

Again, all of these are factors that may explain his behavior but we are missing one key element in the whole discussion, that of personal responsibility. All of these are external factors to one degree or another. What we are missing is the reality that as human beings we have a will that governs our decisions and because of which we are ultimately individually responsible.

Cho chose not to talk to others growing up. Cho chose not to take the mental health when it was offered to him. Cho chose to take pictures of girls in his literature class and get kicked out. Cho chose to buy two handguns. Cho chose to plan a homicidal attack on his fellow students. Cho chose to make a 23 page manifesto and add video and still shots of his planned rampage. All of this flowed from his heart which was evil and which he freely chose to do. He may have been influenced by these other factors but the bottom line is that the evil choices reside with him.

We have what philosophers or theologians refer to as “will,” “volition,” “choice,” or “personal responsibility.” These decisions flow from our heart or the seat of who we are as a human being. Cho was neither mentally incompetent nor was he coerced into his behavior. This means that he is personally and fully responsible for his actions.

We are looking for people to blame for this tragedy. It is fine for us to consider these other factors in society that shape a person’s heart towards deeper levels of evil or the influences that inform a person’s actions. Each of us has a propensity towards evil that the Bible calls our “sin nature.” However, God in His mercy has also given common grace to us so that we are not as evil as we could be. Yet there are influences that we consciously or unconsciously allow to shape our heart and ultimately we become the people we have chosen to be.

My mention of violence in our culture is one of those influences that has and does shape who we are as people. A steady diet of violence has a small but steady incremental impact on us individually and as a society. But we must recognize that we have chosen for it to be so. Again, identifying a factor or factors that influenced a behavior may explain it but does not justify it. For that we must stand alone in judgment of our behavior. As a society it would do us much better to call evil for what it is rather than dismissing it based on its factors.

Virgina Tech and Our Culture of Violence

Have we become an increasingly violent culture? The evening of the Virginia Tech massacre my wife Jenn and I were discussing this and I mused, would this have happened 50 or 60 years ago? We know at least once it happened in the 60’s, which was over 40 years ago, so it is not unheard of. But I was thinking a bit further back than that. I was thinking back to the 50’s, 40’s and before. My main question is how has our culture changed where school shootings and other mass homicides are becoming increasingly commonplace?

In part I think that there is a copycat syndrome that occurs. One mentally unstable guy (sorry ladies for being sexist but it is always guys), get the thought in his head to do harm and recalls the level of media attention that the last crazed gunman received when he killed 5, 10 or more people in a maniacal blaze of glory. This then becomes the outline or script for his rampage. I think this in part explains what happens. However, I think that there are underlying issues as well.

We have become a nation saturated with violence. We see violent images on television, movies, video games and hear the messages in our music. Before any of you react to what I am saying let me make one think clear. Do I think that violence in media CAUSES violence in our culture? The answer to that is NO. Violent content in these mediums does not MAKE people violent nor does it MAKE them commit violent acts. However, I believe there is a persistent and undeniable INFLUENCE of these mediums in our culture. This is a fine but important distinction.

Let’s take violence in movies and on television. It has been widely reported that the average person sees 40,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence on television and movies by the time he is 18. Although that may seem like a lot on first blush, consider movies where there is a body count of 50 or 100 in just the opening scene. Or consider movies like Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, or the recent movie “300” and the number seems very believable. Watch TV for a night and get a count from all the cop and forensics shows and keep adding up the numbers. Maybe that count is actually too low.

These movies and television shows do not cause violence, so what does a steady diet of violence then do?

1. A steady diet of violence desensitizes us to violence and violent acts. The first time we see something we are shocked and disgusted. The second time we are mildly ill. The third time we are slightly irritated. The tenth or fiftieth or thousandth time it barely has an effect. Doctors, soldiers, and police deal with these things as a matter of necessity but they do not do so for entertainment. Further, their intention is to help others or make things better. Even so, as one police officer said to me recently, “you can’t help but be affected by seeing this stuff every day.”

2. A steady diet of violence gives us a script to follow in real life. People see their favorite actors shooting up the place, pulverizing the bad guy’s face in or punching another guy’s lights out when provokes. When we find ourselves in similar situations these same reactions now become acceptable responses in a situation. They become a script for us to follow. We “act out” the things we see on TV or the movies. We view ourselves in the “roles” we see. How many times have you repeated a line you saw in a movie? How often do you compare something you are going through to something you saw on TV? I find myself repeating lines I’ve seen on movies without even realizing it.

3. A steady diet of violence exposes us to new types of violence and torture. I recently talked to a friend who had gone to see the movie Hostel. Even though he wasn’t a Christian or wouldn’t claim any strong moral convictions, he told me he was shocked and sickened by what he saw. He thought the only reason for the film was to freak people out with gratuitous violence. He said it really made him consider how twisted and evil people can be. All this just to be entertained.

4. A steady diet of violence gives us vicarious emotional experiences of violent acts. With a good movie you are caught up with the characters and events of the story. You begin to sympathize with the hero in whatever plight he or she might be in. You feel for the character and identify with him. If something bad happens you feel bad. If something good happens you feel happy. In the best movies you are lost in the story and don’t even think about things as they are going on. You become lost in the moment. Having to consciously think about what is going on takes you out of the experience and is annoying.

The point is, you vicariously identify with the character. When he feels you feel, when he acts you act. Have you ever jumped when something startles you in a movie? Why? It is only a picture on a screen. It is because “you are there.” In a sense, when the good guy kills the bad guy you are there too and emotionally you identify with the hero and you are vicariously killing the bad guy. If you’ve never thought about it before you might think I’m totally off but just think about it the next time you watch an action movie.

5. A steady diet of violence encourages those already on the edge to step over the edge. In other words they become “precipitating events” that spur the deranged person to action. Just because I’m not going to go out and go “postal” after seeing a violent movie most people say “it doesn’t affect me.” Fortunately the vast majority will never go out and commit a gruesome violent act. However, there are those who have mental problems and what they see is just enough to influence them to action. That is why we often hear of the serial killers or mass murders having violent videos or video games at their residence. Something triggers them to act. The movies may not have been the CAUSE but they are often an influencing FACTOR.

6. Violence in movies and television are emotional not cognitive. We have already discussed this before but let me make a further point. Rarely do you hit the pause button while watching a DVD to discuss the morals and ethics of the main character’s actions. Perhaps you might talk about it afterwards but most people are reluctant to do that because it ruins the experience. When you dissect a movie it often diminishes or changes your emotions about the movie. We want to remember those emotions and not have them soiled by critical evaluation. In fact, when we think about if we liked a movie or not we usually think about our emotional reaction to the movie not its intellectual assets. Even when we say, that movie really made me think we often mean it made me FEEL deeply about an issue.

Since I am already stepping on toes let me throw in another related issue of violent video games. What do these do to our thinking?

1. They give repetitive training on how to effectively kill. The military realizes this and actually has found in this high tech 21st century military it can be an asset. That’s great if you are in the military fighting a mortal enemy. But getting in “mortal combat” in our schools or neighborhoods is not a good thing. The military found that the “kill rate” increases dramatically if you can train a person to become desensitized to the idea of killing another person through repetitive training in real-life situations. Guess what, that is exactly what we are doing through the repetition of video games.

2. Unlike movies, video games are played 1st person so you are directly doing the “killing.” I mentioned the vicarious nature of movies already but it is magnified through video games. Unlike movies where there is a step involved in “becoming” the main character, in video games you ARE the main character. You ARE the shooter. You ARE the driver. Video games have moved away from you watching the action as an observer to seeing the action through the eyes of the character. This is happening to “you.” People are shooting at “you.” “You” are the one doing the action. Again, we need to consider the repetitive and emotional nature of this.

3. Again they teach us strategies on how to kill effectively and amass a higher body count. As you play a game you learn what does and doesn’t work in a situation. You find out what will get you caught or killed quickly and you don’t do that next time. You have the opportunity to have a dry run, hit the reset button and try again until you get it right.

4. Often the killing is realistic and not necessarily in a military type setting. The more controversial of these games involves the gamer to “kill” innocent bystanders or even to make that the point of the game. There are differing levels of violence. Some violence is more cartoonish. Other violence is sci-fi violence. Some violence is in a military setting. And other violence is against innocents or civilians. The most controversial of these is where you play the bad guy and you have to rape, rob and murder innocent bystanders. Other than money why would people create games like this? Also, what motivates a person to play these most egregious types of games? What does that say about us as a society?

Much of what I have said could equally be apply to violence in music so I won’t rehash my arguments here about those. But I can’t count the times I’ve been walking in a parking lot or down the street and hear about body counts and killing cops. As the people mindlessly sing along, what is going on in their minds? If nothing is, why not?

Well, what are some of the effects of violence in these mediums?

We all know that we are affected and shaped by what we see, hear and experience. If this wasn’t the case advertisers wouldn’t spend millions of dollars showing you products, stirring your emotions and trying to motivate you to act (buy my product!). If I could put it in poetic and biblical terms, everything we do shapes our heart. And from our heart spring our motivations, actions, reactions and decisions.

A steady diet of violence on television, movies, video games and in music has had a subtle but consistent shaping affect on our thoughts, responses and interactions. No one movie or video games is going to go out and “make you” act violently. It is much more subtle than that. But each experience shapes us in small, almost imperceptible ways. It is only when you stand back and see the cumulative effects can you even notice how it works. It is the repetition that makes it effective (and insidious).

Beyond that, as a culture it raises the acceptable level of violence in a given situation. In movies the “hero” never walks away from a fight. No, he strikes first and strikes hard. So if some jerk comes up to me on the street what do I do? I do exactly what I am “expected” to do or what I expect myself to do. Violence becomes an acceptable response in a situation. In some subcultures it is a given.

Our culture has become so desensitized to violence it doesn’t even get the same reaction out of us. Much like drugs where the person has to continue to increase the dose to have the same experience, so too in our culture movie makers have to come up with even more graphic ways to shock and entertain the audiences.

Granted most people are not living on the edge. These mediums won’t “push us over the edge” because we are not on the edge. Parents often can’t or won’t tell their kids no or stop them from buying these games or videos because they can’t come up with a good reason not to. One game won’t make a difference. Perhaps not. But a steady diet of them over the course of years most definitely will. This is why we need to keep our kids from them and keep ourselves from them as well.

Has our culture changed? To me the obvious answer is yes. I don’t blame it solely on the mediums I’ve mentioned but I think that these have been a persistent and driving force in the shape of our culture and the direction it will continue to go in the future. Virginia Tech won’t be the last mass murder we see. Of course we’ll start a crusade and go after the wrong issue. In the days ahead we will hear scores of people wanting to ban guns. However, you will hear few people discussing the factors that are truly influencing us to be an increasingly violent society.

Crossing the Threshold-So far, so good!

Dear Friends,

I just wanted to give you a brief update on Alexander Jonathan as we are now entering the 21st week of the pregnancy.

So far everything looks excellent and there are no indications of heart block developing which occurred with Grace at week 19.

When Jenn was pregnant with Grace we found out that Jenn carries an antibody for a disease she does not have. There are very few known side effects from this antibody. However, one known side effect is that it causes heart block (usually 3rd degree or complete heart block) during pregnancy and almost always between weeks 18-20.

They say that there is a one in twenty chance of this occurring with a child but it increases to a one in six chance if you already have a child with heart block. We fall into that category.

The further we move away from week 20 without any heart blockage problems the likelihood reduces drastically. If we can get through the next month without a problem we should be fine. They will not guarantee it but doctors never do.

By the way, here are some fresh pictures of Grace at Old Town State Park in downtown San Diego yesterday. As you can tell we’ve been having some bad weather. It was only in the upper 60’s!

By the way, she is past the walking stage and moving into the running stage just in time for the last half of Jenn's pregnancy! Yea!

She is doing great and has absolutely no problems with the pacemaker. In fact, I may not have mentioned that they took her off the betablocker medicine because the other underlying problem she had (long QT interval) is gone! It hasn't shown up at the 12 or 18 month tests! We praise the Lord for that.

Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement,

Love,

Dave, Jenn, Grace and Alexander

Week 19 and All is Well!

Above is the latest picture of our new baby. We are now approxiamtely on week 19 of the pregnancy for our baby. Here's the latest on the baby's health:

We are crossing the threshold for the development of heart block. For fuller details of this possibility I will refer you to the blogs from May – September 2005 with our first child, Grace.

We have been doing weekly ultrasounds and heart tests since week 14 and so far there are no indicators that heart block will develop. The most significant window for the development of heart block are weeks 18-20. After week 20 the probability of full heart block goes down dramatically. They will not rule out the possibility of full or partial heart block but they will say it lessens dramatically.

Here are a few other details in case you’re wondering. The due date is August 24 (sometimes they say August 20th so we don’t know what to think for sure). At first they were saying the 24th then the 20th now they are saying the 24th but they won’t change the date back since it is less than two weeks between the two. Go figure.

Also, we know definitely that we are having a boy! They actually told us at week 14 but I was hesitant to say anything just in case they were wrong. I’ve heard stories of people who have painted their rooms and bought tons of clothes only to find out the doctors were wrong. But with this many ultrasounds and with the confirmation of two different technicians and the perinatal specialist I am fairly confident they are right.

Have we decided on a name yet? The answer to that is yes. So what is it? Well, last time we told people that if we had a boy we were going to name him Dolf Egbert. Were we serious about that? Heck no. But we were in the D’s and E’s when people asked us so that was the first odd names that came to Jenn’s mind. We had decided to tell people the weirdest name we could think of to get people’s reaction. It worked. I was rebuked and pulled aside by friends to warn us not to do such an evil thing to our child. Of course, our first child was a girl so that freed up the name until now.

We have decided to name the baby Alexander Jonathan Monreal. In addition to them both being strong names they also are the names of two very close friends whom we respect dearly and admire their close walk with the Lord. I guess we’ll have to save Dolf Egbert for next time!

The New Taboo-Criticizing Homosexuality

Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave an interview on Monday to the Chicago Tribune. Among the topics discussed was the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that has been a part of the military for over a decade. The present policy is that a person will not be asked his sexual orientation and does not have to tell provided that he or she does not engage in homosexual activity. This was a compromise position enacted in 1993 under President Bill Clinton after criticism erupted over his attempt to overturn the longstanding tradition of not allowing homosexuals to serve in the military.

Pace said he supports the present position about homosexuality. He then added, "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. I do not believe that the armed forces of the United States are well served by saying through our policies that it's OK to be immoral in any way." He then compared homosexuality to adultery which, he stated that in his view was likewise immoral.

Immediately General Pace was criticized for his position and there is incredible political pressure for him to retract his statement and apologize for what he has said. Here’s my problem with what is going on. First of all, I happen to agree with the General. In fact, there are a great number of Americans who would also agree with what he has said concerning homosexuality. In a free country we are within our rights to hold to our convictions and moral standards. We have a right to publicly and privately express our moral beliefs. He never said this was the position of the military or necessarily this is why the military has this position. The stated reason for the policy is to not disrupt the cohesion in combat and would also hurt morale and recruitment.

Secondly, why is it that homosexuality has suddenly become the new protected class? We have blurred the lines in our arguments and have tried to join together racial issues such as discrimination against blacks or other minorities and moral issues such as homosexuality. Homosexuality is a behavior and a lifestyle, it is not a race. We should not allow the thought police to put it into the same protected category as racial discrimination or racism. One can have a view of homosexuality as inherently sinful or immoral or whatever and not be a bigot or homophobe. One does not need to go to sensitivity training or to rehab if he believes that it is wrong (or if he happen not to like homosexuals).

I believe there are a lot of complex reasons and circumstances that causes homosexual orientation and homosexual behavior. However, explaining some of the reasons behind the behavior does not mean that we have to then accept the behavior as normal and moral. I could give a detailed analysis on why someone is an alcoholic (dare I use the word “drunk”), looking at his family background, circumstances etc., and still be completely justified to say that the behavior is harmful and that person should change his behavior. Likewise, I could study all the reasons and circumstances that have lead a person to homosexual behavior including the increased health risks and still be perfectly justified in saying that the behavior is wrong and the person would be better to change. (In addition to added sexually transmitted diseases there are a host of psychological problems known to exist among practicing homosexuals.)

My point here isn’t to debate homosexuality (although I’d be willing to discuss it if you like). Rather to address a larger issue that a person should not be automatically castigated for speaking out his personal moral opinions. Opinions I might add that have been held by many throughout history. I hope that the General sticks to his guns and doesn’t cave under the thought police and the politically correct crowd.

Titanic Claims! Jesus' supposed burial box!?!

Click on the title above for links to this story

The ossuary show above is claimed to be the burial box that contained the bones of Jesus. Below is the box they assert Mary Magdalene, his supposed wife, was buried along with their "son" Judah in a third box.


James Cameron, director of movies such as Aliens, Terminator and Titanic, has announced his project to reveal the burial box of Jesus, his wife Mary Magdalene and their son. As a Christian and a pastor, what is my reaction to this?

Honestly, my first reaction is to just shrug and say, here we go again with just one more attack on the person of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t surprise me or shock me and quite honestly it doesn’t shake my faith whatsoever. People are quick to embrace any unusual idea concerning the person of Jesus. However, show that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead and ascend to heaven as Scripture says and receive either ridicule or indifference.

Why here, why now? I think in part it is because the movement among liberal “scholars” has been to move towards Gnostic thinking regarding Jesus, Christianity and early church history. In the second and third centuries there was a group of people that had pantheistic leanings and strong feminist tendencies (among other beliefs, many which contradict each other) that challenged the accepted and orthodox teachings about Jesus. Although these loosely connected groups did not win the day and eventually faded from history we have much of what they have written. In fact, The Da Vinci Code book and movie (along with other books these are based on) are based on several of the ideas gleaned from Gnostic writings.

Among other things the Gnostics wanted to both humanize and spiritualize Jesus. They tried to turn him into an enlightened, spiritual man who was very “modern” in his thinking and permissive in his morality. “True” Christianity was not about morality but instead was about spirituality. Unlike the “Victorian” orthodox Christians, the Gnostics were enlightened about sex and spirituality. They play very well to the modern mindset.

So what about these burial boxes (ossuaries) that supposedly contain the bones of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their son? It is amazing to me that people will readily accept ideas that fly in the face of all the established facts of history because they fit into their presuppositions. Find anything that confirms the Bible’s accounts of historic events and it is dismissed out of hand but reveal any “evidence” that disproves the Bible and it is accepted prima fascia.

I am not prone to believe in conspiracy theories. I do not think that James Cameron is part of any larger plot to undermine Christianity. I think that he released this 25 year old evidence because he really believes it is true (and he wants to be back in the limelight, what was his last hit movie?).

However, I do see another affect at play here. I think that all of these ridiculous claims from the Da Vinci Code to these ossuaries will have a cumulative effect of confirming people’s doubts and suspicions about the claims of Christianity. We live in a post-modern age where any Truth is questioned. It is all about perspective and opinion. Any idea purported will eventually have its counter-claim thereby nullifying it. This goes for science, history and religion. Sow enough seeds of doubt and at least one will sprout and grow.

Some, I believe, do hope that Christianity will “die the death of a thousand paper cuts.” What I mean is, most people don’t think they are going to bring down the whole structure of Christianity, however, they can continually whittle away at it until there is just an overwhelming amount of miniscule doubts that undermine belief and faith in Christ. Do I think this will actually happen? Of course not. But I do think that is the hope and intent of some. In some ways I think that is the motive behind the attempt to remove all symbols of Christianity from the public sphere. The old, “out of sight out of mind” strategy.

Here are just a few of the problems with the assertion that Jesus didn’t die on the cross and rise again.

1. There is the matter of all the biblical and extra-biblical testimony that Jesus was in fact tried, executed and buried.

2. There are the claims by Jesus’ followers of the empty tomb. The clear universal testimony of the followers of Christ was that the tomb was empty because He rose from the dead.

3. Jesus’ disciples truly believed that Jesus died, was buried and rose again. If He wasn’t and was still living in Jerusalem then why did they form Christianity and why did most of them die a martyr’s death? It is hard to follow a risen savior when he is your next door neighbor raising a kid.

4. If Jesus never really died, why didn’t the Roman authorities or the Jewish leaders just drag Jesus out and reveal the hoax foisted upon a foolishly believing people? If he was crucified and didn't rise bringing out the corpse would have quieted the rumors. If he was living down the street they could have just paraded him around the city a few times until people got their stories straight.

5. If Jesus truly didn’t die but instead married Mary Magdalene and had a child, why didn’t this supposed truth come out during his lifetime or shortly after? Why did it take hundreds of years to reveal it by people far removed from the events? Eyewitnesses believed Jesus was the sinless Son of God but people hundreds of years later have proof he was just another guy.

6. Archeologists are far from lining up behind James Cameron to assert that these boxes are the final resting places of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their son Judah.

7. Christianity hinges on the death and resurrection of Jesus. The early disciples knew this and staked their life on it. Beyond that, one has to explain all of the other attendant issues surround Jesus’ trial, death, burial and resurrection. Was Jesus ever really tried? Did he actually even hang on the cross? Was his whole life an elaborate lie and hoax? Did his disciples know that it was a farce from the beginning? Was there ever really a tomb? How much of Jesus’ sayings are actually true? How did this simple carpenter ever even have such fanciful stories told about him in the first place? If none of the Bible claims actually happened how did all the myths and stories get built up in the first place?

It isn’t enough to just make these counter claims to the biblical account of Christianity, if someone is going to make these claims there is a burden of responsibility to answer all of the other issues as well. Lets assume these ossuaries are not forgeries (no one would ever make fake copies of something like this!), that doesn’t prove that these boxes actually were that of the same Jesus as the Bible. That name, along with Mary, were very common names.

My guess is that this story will have about a one month shelf life. After the program airs we will hear people going back and forth about it until after Easter and then it will be mostly forgotten (other than the lingering questions people have who heard about the story). Have you even noticed that these stories tend to come out about a month before Easter? Last year it was “The Gospel According to Judas” and this year it is the burial box of Jesus. Interesting timing. Always interesting timing. Hmm.

Well, these are my initial thoughts on the story. The show airs in early march so don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last you hear of it.