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easter is it for real who is joe boot depression on a pill and a prayer march ­ april 2009 newsstand price cdn $4.95

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unleashed unleashed module 1 biblical manhood module 2 sexual purity module 3 husbanding module 4 fathering one on one leadership coaching from experienced and wise men of god peer mentoring with other men on the same journey as you are a smaller more focused event limited to approximately 50 participants with small groups of up to only 8 participants build meaningful relationships with each other and with the promise keepers canada leaders in depth training to energize your faith and help you discover the freedom and courage to live dangerously for god 4 unique modules that together equal 100 hours of discipleship training taken separately each module is designed to equip you from god s word in one of the key areas that define a man what is discipleship training do you have a desire to grow deeper in your faith do you want to learn more about the key areas of a man s life en ring m me nt o man ve no to lea behind n ing me equipp n tor me to men go to www.promisekeepers.ca or phone toll-free 1-888-901-9700 for information on a module taking place near you

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contents march ­ april 2009 on the cover 14 easter is it for real publisher brian koldyk managing editor doug koop pulse editor robert white addressing our culture s disdain for the resurrection story features 18 defending the faith how to face hard questions 22 dealing with doubt faith in god used to be no-brainer now 24 profile joe boot i don t separate the evangelist from the apologist 26 on a pill and a prayer depression and the canadian male advertising account executives william leighton william@christianweek.org darrell friesen darrell@christianweek.org jim hicks jhicks@christianweek.org unless otherwise indicated neither christianweek nor promise keepers canada guarantee warrant or endorse any product program or service advertised editorial advisory board ron hannah promise keepers canada kirk giles promise keepers canada jeff stearns promise keepers canada phil wagler kingsfield sandra reimer reimer reason communications doug koop christianweek distributed by promise keepers canada columns departments 5 pk podium god changes lives 8-12 pulse curious events interesting people good ideas 6 help wanted caught in the middle 1295 north service road po box 40599 burlington on l7p 4w1 905 331-1830 subscriptions@promisekeepers.ca postmaster please send address changes to po box 40599 burlington on l7p 4w1 issn 1916-8403 cover copyright © 2005-2008 focus on the family all rights reserved international copyright secured used by permission illustration by luke flowers lukeflowers.com 13 reviews one good read recommends another 29 out of my depth i apologize for my faith 32 money matters when markets are volatile 34 what women want rough patches on the road to romance 30 power play tools toys and technology 33 shape up get fit and stay fit editorial and advertising office 204-424 logan avenue winnipeg mb r3a 0r4 phone 204 982-2060 800 263-6695 admin@christianweek.org dkoop@christianweek.org design indigo ink studios www.indigoinkstudios.com seven is a christian magazine for canadian men that exists to help men lead more fulfilling lives and leave enduring legacies the name reflects the seven promises that form the basis of the promise keepers organization which works with churches to minister to men across canada one ­ a promise keeper is committed to honouring jesus christ through worship prayer and obedience to god s word in the power of the holy spirit two ­ a promise keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises three ­ a promise keeper is committed to practising spiritual moral ethical and sexual purity four ­ a promise keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love protection and biblical values five ­ a promise keeper is committed to supporting the mission of the church by honouring and praying for his pastor and by actively giving his time and resources six ­ a promise keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity seven ­ a promise keeper is committed to influencing his world being obedient to the great commandment see mark 12:30-31 and the great commission see matt 28:19-20 seven ­ issue five march-april 2009 page 3

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helping to build men of integrity 7 magazine men god life men of integrity devotional world class speaker cd series promise keepers canada presents you asked for a christian men s magazine that was for canadian men a quality magazine that was relevant exciting and biblical we listened especially written for men easy to read personally challenging and eternally rewarding 5 minutes per day that s all it takes make the most of your commuting time by listening to these inspiring messages on the critical issues facing christian men today now available as a mp3 download ® visit wisechoices.ca or call 1-888-901-9700 to have these pk resources sent to your home.

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pk podium god changes lives for the better amazing things begin to happen when a person receives jesus christ as lord by ron hannah as i begin to write this article for seven i am reminded of the sudden fact that this will be my final article after 11 years with promise keepers in canada i will be retiring at the end of march so what does one say in their final commentary certainly i can express what a joy it has been to serve god in his ministry to men in canada it s been awesome to witness the amazing transformations as the holy spirit has ministered in so many men s lives over the years i could write about the wives and family members of men people who have written or phoned to share the joy they have experienced because of the changed man god placed in their lives or i could share about the number of fathers who rebuilt relationships with theirs sons or sons with their fathers as the lord opened previously locked and sealed doors that harboured old baggage and negative experiences all of these would make very interesting reading and demonstrate how much our god loves and cares about each man willing to come to him and ask for his love forgiveness and guidance but alas i have too little space to properly tell the stories and the amazing grace that comes with each one of them instead i will attempt to answer some penetrating questions that are on the minds of many people both christian and non-christian those questions are so what does it mean to have/live a transformed life will other people know or see it how the answers to these questions ultimately define what it means to begin the christian walk now let me give you my best answers to these questions based on what i have seen and experienced in my own life and during my time at promise keepers canada amazing things begin to happen once a person receives jesus christ as personal lord and saviour asks god to change his life by the power of the holy spirit and willingly renounces the devil and all his works and ways the old self begins to disappear and the new self begins to grow and blossom okay but how do we know the change is taking place scripture is very clear in defining the fruits of the new spirit versus the fruits that were from the old human nature galatians 5:19-26 the new person begins to understand love in the eyes of god as opposed to the desires of man and acts accordingly 1 corinthians 13:4-7 he starts to experience a joy in their life that was mostly absent or counterfeit before there is a peace that passes all human understanding he becomes more patient with others he has a kinder gentler heart and display self-control in areas that previously would reveal reactive anger or a violent nature does this happen all at once no but there is constant progress and a genuine repentant heart when they slip that is what i have learned and experienced over the years about transformation many have claimed to have new lives many have gone out of their way to claim to be christian many have even left their jobs and become pastors missionaries or workers in christian ministries still others march hold vigils for moral and ethical issues and finally some may even try to force their newfound faith on others none of these on their own mean anything in the end scripture tells us you will know them by their fruit don t claim them live them and show by example what a transformed life is ron hannah is president of promise keepers canada until the end of march his passion is to serve god and challenge men to be followers of jesus christ before joining promise keepers in 1998 ron was a vice president at duracell inc he and his wife joei reside in burlington ontario while his two sons daughter-in-laws and four grandchildren live in winnipeg manitoba seven ­ issue five march-april 2009 page 5

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help wanted out of the closet stuck in the middle cheating friend by rod wilson my brother in-law has just come out of the closet and wants to bring his boyfriend over to our house for christmas he can do what he wants with his life but i feel uneasy about exposing our 13 year-old and 5 year-old kids to his choice how can i explain that without upsetting him and my wife s family healthy families learn to have doors that keep the participants protected from the outside world and windows that allow family members to see what is going on in the broader culture the relationship between these metaphorical doors and windows will often depend on the age of children as parents need to decide what they would like their children to know and understand at various developmental levels when it comes to moral and ethical issues like homosexuality all parents need to determine whether this lifestyle fits their own values and convictions and whether they want to communicate positive or negative messages to their children in this case it is clear that you both want to affirm that your brother-in-law can make his own choices but you do not want those choices put in front of your children in a way that they will not understand if your brother-in-law has any understanding of the broader cultural and religious issues around homosexuality he will know that bringing his boyfriend will create tension for you and your family so a conversation ahead of time seems in order while you may wish it otherwise it is also likely that while you may wish it otherwise your 13-year-old will have had some exposure to this lifestyle already and so this event may provide an opportunity for helpful conversation around ethics and morality your five-year-old who probably has not been tainted by the sexual obsession of the culture may not frame this situation in a problematic way at all one of the reasons that parenting is so challenging is because we want our children to think through all moral and ethical issues wisely this desire forces us to interact with the call to righteous living outlined in the bible and invites us to understand the culture represented in a christmas visit seven ­ issue five march­april 2009 page 6 friends of ours have just separated they both want our attention and our sympathy we feel caught in the middle and it is now straining our marriage how do i get out of this mess when friends separate their extended relationships can get very confusing instead of being together with both the husband and wife you can feel the pressure to divide your time energy and loyalty this is not easy and there is no simple way to extract yourself from the mess be aware that your primary responsibility is to love your neighbour both of your friends need your love more than your loyalty sometimes your love will mean that you listen to and express support and sadness while at others it will mean being direct and honest ideally loving your neighbour should not be dependent on their marital status and needs to be given freely without conditions or expectations resist the huge temptation to take sides when marriages dissolve it always involves two stories often friends communities families and churches act as if there is only one story but that is never the case your connection with the husband or the wife requires that you listen to each story story all the while being aware that there is another one it is not your task to decide who has the right or appropriate story but to be understanding toward both of your friends if both you and your spouse adopt this approach you will not have marital conflict about the other marriage finally be realistic about how these circumstances usually unfold when couples separate they often develop new friends change churches move to a new area and begin a new life separation in the marriage gets generalized beyond that relationship and influences all of life this may be the season of attention and sympathy but it will pass eventually and the crisis of the moment will lessen i think my friend is cheating on his wife but i am not sure i m afraid of mentioning it to either of them what should i do true friends want us to flourish grow and develop in virtuous ways if we are married they are concerned that our commitment to our spouse other is strong and they want to do all that they can to protect that covenant relationship while there is connection and communication with superficial friends true friends recognize that there are times when you have to cut through fear and anxiety and speak truth because it is only truth that will bring freedom so when we have a sense that a friend is cheating on his wife we need to recognize that this is the arena of friendship and while fear of mentioning it is a natural human response the higher call to helping others live virtuously needs to transcend the fear prayerfully consider your own leanings to sin and frailty so your confrontation is not arrogant select a setting where your friend is comfortable and one where he cannot easily wiggle out of the conversation admit that you may be wrong or misreading the situation but that you have some questions questions are a better good place to start because they both put the responsibility on the other person and also prevent you from formulating a water tight case before you have heard the facts focus on what you have seen or heard rather than innuendo or surmise so he will have to deal with what has happened rather than what you think has happened be prepared not just to find out if there is a problem but also be ready to provide some suggestions as to who he might talk to or where he might go to deal with his infidelity rod wilson is president of regent college in vancouver where he also serves as professor of counselling and psychology he is the author of how do i help a hurting friend practical help for leaders and laypeople bakerbooks 2006 could you use some help don t shy away from asking send your questions to dkoop@christianweek.org.

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pulse curiousities personalities ideas information by robert white pulse editor the man in the mirror turns 20 three years after he started a men s bible study patrick morley took his experiences from that group and wrote the man in the mirror a book destined to be one of the most influential texts in the men s ministry movement this year three million copies later the man in the mirror celebrates a low-key 20th anniversary we made a [celebration out of the 20th anniversary of the bible study that started in 1986 we pinpoint that as the beginning of our work says morley a 38-year-old businessman at the time morley only felt led to start the study not lead it until he couldn t find anyone else to lead it now except for days when he s traveling morley teaches a group of about 150 men in winter park florida podcast through www.maninthemirror.org both the book and the bible study led to the start of the man in the mirror ministry in 1991 around the time the secular and christian men s movements both took off according to morley while the secular men s movement like a shooting star streaked across the sky and disappeared the christian men s movement survived because we have an answer for tuesday walking with christ the [secular men s movement included going into the woods painting themselves up playing tom toms talking to trees and giving existential cries but on monday men would return to real life by tuesday the weekend was a distant memory and they d be back to their existential pain says morley nobody was more surprised than me when the book came out he says still amazed at the book s continuing impact i still receive correspondence each week from men who are now reading it for the first time the most frequent comments i get are `i feel like you ve been reading my mail or `you ve been eavesdropping on my conversations what it reveals is that men think they re the only one going through what they re going through when actually we re all going through a common experience says morley except for some of the illustrations which he d update to make more current morley says he wouldn t change anything else if writing the man in the mirror today intensity in building a successful career as a professional photographer i think i just photograph harder than most people intensity is the difference between taking pictures and making photographs it s a combination of passion skills aptitude experience and perhaps calling that final word calling is important i ve observed a surprising number of people who have missed their calling or have failed even to recognize or explore what their calling actually is photographer jim mathis in cbmc s monday manna faith under fire earns argo award toronto argonauts quarterback kerry joseph got benched and was at the centre of a personnel storm last year how did he endure it by focussing on how god could still use him he says others noticed his unshakeable integrity and nominated joseph for the athletes in action gord barwell award that was presented at the aia grey cup breakfast last november barwell a saskatchewan roughrider receiver helped start aia s ministry in the canadian football league every year team chaplains send in their nominations for the award given to the player who shows exemplary christian conduct on and off the field past recipients include anthony calvillo milt stegall danny barrett and mike pinball clemons i felt he was a great witness in how he dealt with so much adversity says argos chaplain dave hudson who nominated joseph he never complained through the quarterback controversy and some negative press he took everything in stride though it was rarely reported he often shared with the press how his faith in god kept him strong and how he trusted god in all things says hudson who also talked about how joseph handled his benching he showed his true character going out of his way to encourage his replacement on the field and in the press along with taking part in weekly bible studies and pre-game chapels joseph shared his faith at the in the pocket with kerry joseph and argo faith day events he also spoke to students at toronto-area high schools and the football teams at york university and the university of toronto joseph was surprised to win the barwell award saying it was an honour to be mentioned with a great class of guys like milt stegall who won it last year i have a lot of respect for him this was a tough year for me my christian faith was really tested you know everybody is looking at you putting the spotlight on the things you do looking to see your character not only in the good times but in the tough times says joseph it really means a lot to me to get a lot of respect from my peers seven ­ issue five march­april 2009 page 8

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humility humility isn t about thinking less of yourself as a person true humility allows you to be confident in your abilities and yet focus on others and their needs robert a rohm personality insights inc how to survive the economic meltdown the world markets are in an economic tailspin with some countries more affected than others people are getting laid off men can t find jobs people are taking pay reductions budgets are getting slashed home values have plummeted investments have gone up in smoke and that s just in my family it s a long story but i was able to avoid bankruptcy here are some survival strategies that worked for me then and can work for you now get out of debt you can t borrow your way out of a problem you borrowed your way into it takes more energy to earn a living and service debt than to just earn a living my strategy for overcoming debt was simple i made getting out of debt my overarching goal remain accessible many people in financial straits dodge calls don t return calls don t do what they promise and miss deadlines this creates a fantastic opportunity for you to distinguish yourself and get some mercy don t wait for creditors to call you call them and if they do call not living within your means frankly denial is a much stronger force than most people understand denial means that you actually believe a story that you ve made up a lie we live in unexampled times the world s best and brightest are trying to fix this but human ingenuity alone probably won t be enough [we need to humbly ask god for his wisdom mercy and intervention in any event you should go ahead and do that now patrick morley is the author of 16 books including the man in the mirror and most recently how to survive the economic meltdown reprinted with permission self-satisfied a survey of american high school students by the josephson institute revealed students have low ethical standards for themselves 93 per cent surveyed say they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character these ethically satisfied students included 64 per cent who have cheated on a test in the last year 30 per cent who have stolen from a store and 83 per cent who have lied to a parent about something significant www.integrityresource.org we re all asking the same question how can i survive the current crisis maybe you ve lost your job or fear it maybe you ve watched your investments or paycheque shrink perhaps your business is way off or maybe you re okay but still worry how it s all going to play out i m the survivor of an economic meltdown when the american congress passed the tax reform act of 1986 liquidity vanished car dealers closed the savings and loan industry was liquidated many insurance companies failed and business people like me had trouble making ends meet every day for the seven years i didn t know if i d be forced into bankruptcy pick up the phone communicate communicate communicate stay in touch with friends one of your biggest tendencies in a meltdown is to withdraw to go it alone and not want others to know your struggles you simply can t do that and survive live within your means people either live above at within or below their means if you ve been living above or at your means it s time for a change the first step is to get out of denial that you re lying at work part of the fabric a british survey found eight out of 10 office workers lie for their bosses every day and more than half have taken flak for a boss s mistake the results reported in the january 5 issue of the globe and mail suggest lying is now part of the corporate fabric says lisette howlett managing director of hirescores.com the british recruitment tracker that commissioned the survey fears over job security mean employees may be more ready to cover for the boss seven ­ issue five march-april 2009 page 9

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pulse despite what their moral compass tells them protecting their boss s job may by default safeguard theirs we ve this institutionalized dishonesty which is interesting considering how much energy we spend promoting honesty and openness and transparency in the office says howlett in the globe and mail lying has its snags warn randy cohen who writes the new york times magazine s the ethicist column and nan demars author of you want me to do what when where and how to draw the line cohen says small lies can snowball and hurt your reputation tread carefully and know what to say if you d rather avoid lies if your boss asks you to fib or cover something up repeat in more frank terms what he s really asking you to do says de mars you re telling them you know exactly what they re asking you to do she says i like to say there are many many ways to say no but there s only one reason to give `because i may have to be held accountable demars conducted a similar survey of 1,200 u.s employees and found out of the 35 per cent of respondents who said they were asked to lie at work less than half actually did reaction was mixed on the globe and mail s reader forum one post said honesty may be the best policy but it s hard to find a company where everyone s 100 per cent honest another said job security was real reason for lying the fact the boss asked you to lie is evidence the boss is prepared to act unethically what s to stop him from acting unethically in getting rid of you two posts upheld workplace ethics when i became a manager i told my staff i wouldn t lie to them and i haven t when accidents or mistakes happen i take responsibility for the actions of my team wrote one person the final word goes to the person who posted a man who d answered the phone was asked by his manager to say `he s not here the man responded `you tell him yourself sir the manager was outraged until his subordinate answered `sir if i could lie for you i could lie to you that employee became the most trusted staff member in the organization the globe and mail cos suggests about 20 per cent of job seekers and employees facing background checks exaggerate their educational backgrounds www.integrityresource.org jealousy defined when someone else has more of your idol than you do www.integrityresource.org reacting well to controversy your daughter wants to read the twilight series stephenie myer s four-volume saga about a girl in love with a vampire a coworker who read the secret suggests you read it you see yet another christopher hitchens or richard dawkins attack against christianity liar liar historically when the employment market tightens falsifications elaborations and expansions tend to increase says peter levine a professional background checker in a wall street journal article about resumés adversity brings out the worst in people in the reality of a tough job market it s not uncommon for desperation to set in it s tempting to embellish accomplishments hoping this will make their application more attractive and give them an edge kroll inc the investigative arm of marsh mclennan you know there will soon be another shot in the battle of worldviews a book movie or television show either purposely attacking christian teaching or subtly challenging christian points of view the usual reactions use a number of strategies passing around pamphlets brochures or e-mails urging a ban or boycott recommending christians read the book or see the movie or shrugging our shoulders avoiding contact with the offending ideas but there are ways to engage what seems an ever more hostile culture in a meaningful way seven ­ issue five march­april 2009 page 10

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first become well-stocked with as much information about the issue as possible for some this means either reading the book or seeing the movie others won t turning to other resources instead for patricia paddey and her family it came down to a question of dollars and sense we didn t want to give our money for a film whose strategy is to create a market so that even more virulently anti-christian movies can be made you can find information in through publications such as seven christianweek christianity today touchstone magazine websites like www.christianity.ca www.lifesite.net and the television show listen up don t forget to check local christian publications televisions or radio shows whatever the issue an internet search will usually turn up resources just be sure they re found on reputable websites the idea is to find out exactly what the issue is hitchens dawkins and the rest of the militant atheists deliberately attack christianity authors like philip pullman the golden compass j.k rowling the harry potter series or myers create works from their own world views which may clash with a christian worldview writers like rhonda byrne the secret or eckhart tolle a new earth explore spirituality but neglect organized religion and orthodox christianity a good supply of information will help you engage with culture it can create understanding about what people who aren t christians believe and shed light on why the two cultures are in conflict in the end christians need learn how to think critically as toronto sun columnist marianne meed ward writes as the philosopher john milton said you can t ban bad ideas they ll find a way in better to arm people with the ability to think discern assess and decide for themselves life continually involves problem-solving creativity is the key to figuring out how to get from point a to point b when you have never done it before without creativity you run the risk of becoming obsolete in our rapidly changing marketplace that seems intent on continually reinventing itself pastor and author rick warren the purpose driven life in cbmc s monday manna confessions of a teenage evangelist i spent much of my high school years telling my fellow classmates exactly what their eternal destiny was and it wasn t heaven my early zeal came from an early salvation experience i was one of those statistics cited at sunday school conferences if you lead a child to jesus by time they re 12 they ll most likely stay the spiritual course living a long and full christian life attending a church with the world salvation smack dab in the middle of its denominational title could have been another cause where sunday night sermons urged us to keep on being saved and get others saved a final influence was the sense of an early call to full-time pastoral ministry which for a variety of reasons and situations ended up as a career as a full-time christian journalist no matter the reason i spent much of my spare time in school preaching to my fellow students about where they d probably spend eternity not that it made much difference in the small southwestern ontario town where i spent my teen years the main interests were in no particular order playing hockey hanging out partying driving to the nearest city to hang out and planning on getting out of the town as quickly as possible after graduating you might think my continual sharing would have resulted in scores of conversions nothing could be further from the truth i can think of maybe two students who may have converted years later one of them made contact to let me know he was living a lifestyle far outside the boundaries of god i ve never heard from the other in university and the workplace i added more ammo to my salvation salvos i learned the four spiritual laws the roman road the verses in romans that charted the path to salvation the bridge illustration jesus death on the cross as the bridge between the chasm of our sin and god s grace and evangelism explosion i had all the answers when one method failed i quickly moved to the next and the next ad infinitum i ended up with as much success as i had in high school probably even less it s taken almost 30 years but i think i ve finally learned the key to effective evangelism god gave me two ears and one mouth so i should listen twice as much as i talk that s my newest method to listen for the question before giving the answer i still remember everything i ve learned i can still draw a bridge illustration on a coffee shop napkin quicker than you can say double-double but instead of whipping out the ballpoint at the first hint of spiritual interest i wait with a tongue scarred from where i keep biting it now excuse me i have to meet a friend for coffee robert white seven ­ issue five march-april 2009 page 11

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pulse soccer star turns down millions apparently professional sport is more than just a business at least it can be when top athletes play for more than just money and fame ricardo izecson dos santos leite is one of the most talented successful soccer players of his generation those familiar with the sport know him simply as kaka at 26 he has already won the italian championship champions league and world cup in 2007 he was named world footballer of the year he also happens to be an activist against poverty and a missionary for christian values kaka s principles were put to the test when manchester city the richest sports team in the world offered almost $200 million for his services in january they also dangled an annual salary of more than $26 million in front of him hoping to pry him from ac milan they needn t have tried ever since he recovered an accident in 2001 that nearly ended his career kaka has been open and forthright about his christian faith he has never passed up an opportunity to express his love for god and celebrated milan s champions league triumph in 2007 with a t-shirt that read i belong to jesus he did the same after winning the world cup in 2002 and the scudetto in 2004 he has also served as an ambassador against hunger for the united nations world food programme upon retiring from soccer he plans to enter the ministry in his native brazil so what did he do when he was put to the test when a staggering fortune was within his grasp he said thanks but no thanks already content with his home and his lifestyle he thought it inappropriate to grab a fistful of money while much of the world wrestled with economic turbulence manchester city were baffled after all they had taken kaka to the top of the soccer mountain and offered glory and riches beyond comprehension but they completely missed the point kaka could not be bought not by anyone not at any price his principles were not for sale sure he had always talked the talk professing his faith at every opportunity but the temptation before him offered a chance to walk the walk he didn t disappoint ­jerrad peters get seven delivered to your home sign up at www.wisechoices.ca seven ­ issue five march­april 2009 page 12

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reviews prophecy power courage what in the world is going on 10 prophetic clues you cannot afford to ignore by david jeremiah pastor and prophecy teacher david jeremiah looks at headlines from throughout the world and sees troubles all around however he believes disaster can often be avoided when signs are recognized and appropriate warnings are issued consider this book such a warning jeremiah highlights 10 key prophetic images from the bible and applies them to 21st century realities he includes chapters on israel crude oil islamic terrorism the rapture a new axis of evil and armaments at armageddon jeremiah filters the data through his bedrock belief in the ability of the bible to help people put together pieces of the jigsaw puzzle and make sense of our times his final chapter resonates with the assurance of the return of the king be encouraged be anticipating we are secure we belong to christ to hard questions about what a man is and how he acts he writes his wide-ranging discussion embraces many expressions of authentic masculinity braveheart the godfather gladiator and more a man s role is to do what he s supposed to do not just what he wants to do he concludes taking bad circumstances and turning them into good ones is what a man does mention the resurrection can get old the fact remains it s easy for christian believers to become passé about the greatest story ever told enter ottawa resident david kitz whose novel re-telling of the old old story will capture imaginations afresh he takes readers on a fast paced ride through christ s passion week and leads readers to the very foot of the cross unleashing courageous faith the hidden power of a man s soul by paul coughlin author paul coughlin laments the slouching spine of north american masculinity as a form of cowardice we mistake for gentleness however he insists the potential for great courage is present in every man like the cowardly lion in the wizard of oz who needed to find his heart many men need to discover the courageous and animating spirit of thumos while that greek word has no direct english equivalent it describes a full-orbed understanding of courage that embraces the mind as well as the heart it s an unsentimental approach to life that melds the gentler verges with the tougher forging a more muscular manly form of love the love dare by stephen kendrick and alex kendrick power of a man using your influence as a man of character by rick johnson many men grow up with no clear understanding of their role as a man so what is a man asks rick johnson and what exactly is a good man what character traits roles and actions distinguish a man who is a good man from one who isn t so good to take it one step further what makes a great man power of a man is johnson s response to those basic questions men young and old need straight answers the soldier the terrorist the donkey king by david kitz as fantastic as the story of easter may be familiarity can bleach it of its power while it s hard to imagine how a thrilling tale of betrayal rigged trials and gruesome crucifixion not to in the movie fireproof kirk cameron stars as a firefighter with a deeply troubled marriage out of respect for his father the lead character reluctantly agrees to go through a love dare journal before filing for divorce it proves to be a very demanding process and he is often tempted to bail but his 40-day commitment pays dividends and the couple s relationship becomes more stable viewers asked for more positive response to the movie has created demand for the journal now the love dare journal is available for any couple willing to take a 40-day challenge to understand and practice unconditional love each day comes with a new dare designed to foster intimacy and solidify commitment it s catching on this little marriage-builder journal sold more than 1.5 million copies in four months four months of tough economic times the only way love can last a lifetime is if it s unconditional insist the authors the truth is this love is not determined by the one being loved but rather by the one choosing to love go ahead take the dare seven ­ issue five march-april 2009 page 13

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features easter is it for real incredibly the resurrection story is credible copyright © 2005-2008 focus on the family all rights reserved international copyright secured used by permission illustration by luke flowers lukeflowers.com seven ­ issue fifth march-april 2009 page 14

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by david s daniels could you come over and explain the real meaning of easter to our boys i don t want them to think that easter is only about the easter bunny and chocolate eggs though expressing no open commitment to christianity this young couple instinctively knew that the story of jesus dying and rising again was at the heart of easter that it was something important for their young boys to know christians at least in the evangelical branch in which i was raised tend to make a great deal of fuss over christmas while observing good friday and easter with relatively little fanfare and yet easter presents our greatest annual opportunity to talk about the heart of christianity it is at easter that we celebrate the death burial and resurrection of jesus christ the one who gave himself for our sins a couple of years ago i was discussing judaism and christianity with an orthodox rabbi he challenged me by asking prior to his crucifixion and alleged resurrection why would a first century jew have believed that jesus was the messiah in calling the resurrection alleged my rabbi friend was stating he did not believe it to be true however though i doubt he meant to do so his comment underscored the importance of the resurrection as the crucial watershed issue in establishing the credibility of christianity always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have given its vital importance could you comfortably defend the resurrection of jesus would you be able to provide reasons for believing jesus rose from the dead let s look at several common lines of evidence for believing in the physical resurrection of jesus christ the old testament scriptures clearly predicted the death and resurrection one of my favorite stories about old testament predictions of jesus comes from the conversion story of a secular jewish man who came to faith in jesus and currently pastors a canadian evangelical congregation after hearing a christian read a portion of scripture he responded by saying that is talking about your jesus imagine his shock when he learned that the text being read was isaiah 53 it was the crucial event leading to his ultimate salvation jesus really died it may seem strange to raise this as evidence but many refute the resurrection by claiming that jesus never really died these skeptics contend that jesus fainted swooned or passed out on the cross when he was removed to the coolness of the tomb he revived and walked out quite alive the scriptures are clear about jesus truly dying mk 15:37 lk 23:46 dr alexander metherell a former research scientist at the university of california after carefully researching the details around christ s crucifixion on a roman cross concurs with the biblical record his research concluded that there was absolutely no doubt that jesus was dead as to any theory that jesus merely swooned metherell says it s impossible it s a fanciful theory without any possible basis in fact quoted by lee strobel in the case for christ a journalist s personal investigation of the evidence for jesus zondervan publishing house 1998 the empty tomb where is his body the scriptures record that jesus was taken from the cross and buried in a nearby tomb that at the request of the jewish religious leaders was sealed with the official seal of rome and guarded by roman soldiers despite these extraordinary precautions three days later the tomb lay open and empty dave branon quotes paul althus in saying that the resurrection proclamation could not have been maintained in jerusalem for a single day for a single hour if the emptiness always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have continues on page 16 seven ­ issue five march-april 2009 page 15

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