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Several weeks ago, Nanci and I returned from the illumiNations gathering in Washington, DC. Attending and speaking at the event was a wonderful experience. I want to share some things about it, and explain how you too can be a part of impacting eternity by supporting Bible translation.

We share this in common with Job—God doesn’t specifically explain why He permits evil and suffering to fall upon us. He wants us to trust Him. In one sense, Job is everyman.

Jesus is not our personal assistant charged with granting our wishes. While He often doesn’t give us what we want, He always gives us what we need.

We can think of the Bride as one entity. But it’s like all the students of a school can be called together “the school.” Many students make up one school. Or even better, all believers in Jesus can be called together “the Church.” It’s one thing made up of many members.

With our finite understanding, it’s a logical conclusion that if the souls of the martyrs can be seen, in a certain location–under the altar—and they can cry out with a loud voice, then they have bodies to make those things possible. God may have a different way to make those things possible, but we have no particular reason to think so.

In hard times, God is absolutely sovereign and loving, but more than ever we need the right kind of friends to visibly live out God’s heart and wisdom for our encouragement, and to help us keep our eyes on our King.

Several years ago I was asked what things believers can do to pursue an authentic, meaningful relationship with God. Here are my suggestions, which are the same now as they were then.

If God offered us constant explanations for the circumstances we face, our lives would not be free or normal, and would not allow for faith or trust.

I am not a Star Wars naysayer, and it might seem self-evident that “these movies aren’t based on reality.” But I’ve found that while almost no one ends up believing that the particular aliens onscreen really exist, matters of worldview are much more subtly conveyed. So I encourage parents to talk with their children about this, since many of them don’t yet have the filters in place to screen out what’s false.

Recently I was filmed reading from Luke 2:1–21 for a video for our home church, Good Shepherd Community Church. I was joined by my wife Nanci and our Golden Retriever, Maggie (who as you’ll see, to our surprise, was very well behaved!).

I enjoyed these Christmas reflections from my friend Greg Laurie, and think you will too.

When I first read the story of Jesus as an unbeliever—having been raised with no knowledge of God—part of what drew me to Christ is how the gospel accounts seem so contrary to typical human reasoning.

I greatly appreciated these thoughts EPM staff member Shauna Hernandez recently shared about the loss of her mom and trusting God in grief. What she wrote is beautiful and powerful, and applicable to any who have suffered loss and pain.

The true gospel cannot be improved upon. Theologian J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937) said, “In the gospel there is included all that the heart of man can wish.”