Leap of Faith: Lee Strobel’s Case for Christ

Photo credit: Risen Magazine

Leap of faith. That’s what it took for Lee Strobel to turn his life around from being an atheist to a believer of Christ. Along with the myriad of evidences he unearthed to disprove God’s existence.

I left the movie house feeling awe-inspired and moved that I could say this was one of the best movies if not the best that I’ve seen in a long time. It’s the kind of movie that even after it’s over, will leave you wondering and pondering about what just happened and about life itself. It is truly a touching, transforming, life-changing film that will leave you feeling renewed and revitalized ready to face a life ahead with a changed perspective in mind. At least for me that’s the case.

It’s stories like these that really move a person to the core. Based on true events, The Case for Christ follows the story of Lee Strobel’s journey from a troubled atheist to a devote Christian who even until now, never stopped being one but continued relentlessly to share his life-changing testimony to everyone who is eager to listen.

For Christians, this movie is one that should not be missed. It strengthens one’s faith. It’s not just a movie but a journey worth to be experienced. It is a reminder of God’s goodness and love, a story of the impossible, of hope, and of perseverance to pursue God and to keep praying amidst uncertainties and opposition.

For those who are in the middle, for those seeking for God, who are doubting, or whose faith are shaky, this is a great reassurance to never stop seeking and pursuing Him. Even better for skeptics who rely on facts, proofs, and evidences, this movie will lead one to Lee Strobel’s actual works themselves with regard to the validity of Jesus Christ’s existence and most importantly, his resurrection.

But for the secular who have made up their minds already, I am not sure how they will receive the movie. Perhaps they will just shrug it off. Perhaps they will look at the movie based on the plot, the acting, the cinematography, and everything involving about what a great film should be but miss the message. Or perhaps, there might be a little tug in the heart to perhaps reconsider their stance.

This movie affected me so much (in a good way) because I have always been fascinated by stories like this–how God transforms the heart and the mind of a person when you thought it impossible by human standards. I have read, seen, and heard people’s testimonies and their transformations and they never fail to leave me breathless.

I have read testimonies from a heavy metal guitarist who had everything–fame, money, drugs, alcohol, women, but threw them all away for Christ. From dubbed as one of Britain’s most dangerous convicts to becoming a follower of Christ. I have seen my brother transform from a young little kid with a very bad temper to becoming so bold, so valiant, and so confident in Christ. I have heard of testimonies of former homosexuals who turned their life around and changed their lifestyle after encountering Christ (well this can be a sensitive issue and not everyone may agree with me and that’s totally understandable but it’s not meant to ignite an argument but just saying it as it is).

Stories like these inspire me and give me hope that as long as a person is alive, no matter how awful and how terrible that person has done, there is still hope for him/her to change if willing.

Aside from that, what also struck me most about Lee Strobel’s life is how he changed from an atheist trying to disprove God’s existence to becoming an unapologetic apologist. It seems that the best apologists are the ones who went through a path of atheistic  beliefs who sought out the root of those beliefs. Apologetics. I have always been fascinated by this. I have never doubted my belief in God but I have met a handful of atheists wherein I got entangled in arguments/debates with quite a few of them. I know it is futile to argue especially if both parties have made up their minds but if they have some questions about my faith or make attacks, I want to be able to respond to them and defend my faith. That the grounds of having believed in what I believe in are rooted in sound doctrines and backed by facts. The problem with most atheists I’ve encountered/observed is that most of them disbelieved in God because of some horrible personal experience that has happened to them (why God allowed them), the sufferings of the world, the wars and other atrocities ignited by religion (or using religion for personal motives and agenda), and the supposed constrictions of faith (it’s easier to not believe in God if you want to live a hedonistic lifestyle contrary to Christ’s teachings).

There are also some who think that there are no logical or historical evidences of God’s existence. But when you provide them with resources that prove otherwise, they would just leave it at that and refuse to divulge any further.

What I admire from Lee Strobel is his persistence to disprove God to save his marriage. What he found in his research was quite a surprise to him. Albeit he didn’t like what he found at first but eventually he cannot deny the facts anymore that he conceded to God and received Him in his life.

What’s even more admirable is how God totally transformed and changed his life forever. How God orchestrated everything that happened for His glory alone. After all, in the end, everything is all for Him.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:26 –

Abstractions

 

Where is hope?
It’s lost in your eyes
In the demise of your plight
Amongst the darkness in light

Where is joy?
It’s forsaken in the lands
In the hands of timeless clocks
Where you fall in sands and rocks

Where is meaning?
The purpose that breathes
In the heat of toil under the sun
It begins when suffering undone

Where is love?
It’s stolen from your heart
Beneath the deepest corners
Hiding throbbing beating apart

These abstractions, the unseen
Do you ponder them?
In your heart
In your mind
Conceive them like a piece of art

The world has lost its soul
But did it ever had to begin with?
They just let them roll
In their sleeves where they bleed

Tragic Melancholies

                                                                                                      Photo credit: Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison

I dreamt of you last night.
You looked different but the way I look at you is still the same.
I adored your soul still. But I found it odd to dream of you.
When I have longed forgotten you. When I have moved on with my life. Or so I thought.

My dream was very vivid. We were together in your land.
We made plans and you talked of things of the past.
You said you only had one love after me.
It was perfect but alas she moved away and you cut ties with each other.
You say, she wasn’t as persistent as me.
But not persistent enough to hold on to a love that wasn’t supposed to be.
Now here we are together again in this dream.

I found it odd to dream of you. I am perplexed. But it doesn’t matter at all.
It just evokes feelings long buried in the past and forgotten.
But were they ever really forgotten? But how when it’s been so many years already?
It isn’t rational to think of such things. It doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps because when I met many others, none surpasses how you made me feel.
Just yet. But still. How tragic. How sorrowful.

Yet hopeful. Hope still gleams amidst the horizons.
And I press on and keep moving forward and live the life I ought to live.
It may be me on my own alone.
It could be someone I knew all along.
It could be someone new.
It could be you.

Dear Future

I was feeling poetic. I was feeling sentimental. I was feeling romantic. So I captured the moment. I captured the feeling. I captured the words. But alas, it was too late for me. Too late to submit my entry to a Love Letter Writing Contest held in our company. Oh well. At least I have this trusted blog which seemed forgotten but not. I am just not good in consistently maintaining it. Sometimes I would write. And then my mind would go blank. And partial words were left to rot. In dark places. In deepest corners. But I digress. Here is my supposed “love letter” ideally writing:

Dear future beloved,

Oh how I longed for this moment. When we met, I knew then and there that you are the one. It’s not a perfect love, but it is the perfect timing and everything feels so right that I could not think of any reasons why I shouldn’t be with you. It’s only a matter of time that you will also realize that I am the one for you. That your heart matches mine. That your beautiful soul complements my restless, tired one. I wouldn’t say you complete me because I believe I am already complete with God in my life. But I could say that you are one of the greatest blessings that He gave me here on earth. You are a God-given grace when I thought I could never find a love like this. When I thought I don’t deserve this. When I thought I could never find love at all. 

In a seemingly hopeless and broken world, you gave a new meaning and hope in my life. You painted more colors in my mediocre world and put vibrancy into it. You swooned me over just only by being who you are and you showed me love unconditionally. Just the thought of you carves a smile on my face and erases every worry and problem in my head. Every time. I am still so smitten by you. I want to be there for you. To be your best friend. To be the only love of your life. To be your everything.

Sincerely,
Your love for life

If I Die Tonight

Photo credit: Anders Eriksson

If I die tonight
Then heaven have mercy on my soul
As yonder gaze on my insides sifted on my soul
That befell this fate, this agony beneath me crawls

If I die tonight
Then say farewell for me to those
Whose fate are intertwined with thine truly
And life taken out cruelly

If I die tonight
Then let me have that one last kiss
One long kiss to make thee remember mem’ries of the past
Mem’ries that’ll stay forever and last

If I die tonight
Then may God forgive me of my sins
For painful hurts and tragedies befell
Of ones loved where they dwell

Patterns

Photo credit: Sharon Battaglia

why is it like this?
when you showed yourself so true
and you didn’t have a clue
that everything is turning to blue

and bluer than blue it turns
waging war within amidst calm seas
the upside down of bliss
consoled with only a kiss

but thus it never happens
crushing your heart to pieces
and everything else ceases
all you’re left with are empty wishes

you showed yourself true
you put your best foot forward
only to be welcomed with shards
and broken pieces marred

they say time heals wounds
but that it doesn’t heal at all
they say it will be when you fall
again at another one’s call

I say all those things can
but only God can
who can make you stand beneath it all
and gives hope despite the downfall

In My Imagination

In my younger years (yes, I am old, I feel old for that matter), I used to write a lot of poems. So to fill the silence, the gap in this blog, here is a poem I wrote eons ago:

Photo Credit: Ines Kotarac

you went near me
i went away
you stared into my eyes
i looked away with lies

you want to say something
but i prevented you
you sang songs
i pretended i didn’t hear

you waited for a long time
but i wasn’t aware
you tried to make me laugh
and i ignored it

you were finally gone
i was confused
you were nowhere to be found
i found myself so down…

Malapascua Moments

Going to Malapascua Island comprises of many hours travelling by bus or by boat but the experience you get in soaking in its wonders is totally worth it. Here is an account of my journey to this beautiful island with a good friend together with the expenses we incurred and the travel time it took to get there.

Malapascua is located at the North of Cebu City so we had to ride on a bus heading to the Maya Pier which is where a boat will take us to the shores of Malapascua. We headed to the North Bus Terminal where we can either opt for an air-conditioned bus or a non air-conditioned one. We opted for an air-conditioned one and it costs 190 PHP per pax. We left at 2 PM in the afternoon and we arrived at the Maya Pier at around 7 PM. The travel time is around 4-5 hours so it’s best to go there as early as possible to be able to catch the boats at the pier as the last boat leaves at 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

We weren’t able to go early because my friend’s flight from Mindanao was delayed so unfortunately we had to stay the night at the Maya Pier. Good thing there was a nearby lodging house and we were able to sleep there overnight at only 700 PHP (fan) for two persons. If one would choose to avail the room with the a/c turned on, it would be 1000 PHP but we’re on a tight budget so we opted for the fan. It wasn’t really an established lodging house but rather, it was a rest house converted to a lodging house if needed. The owner of the rest house was very accommodating. He offered to sell some of his food stocks and offered us his bread for free as the food in a nearby shop (local karenderya) was quite expensive and he has mentioned some tourists who stayed at his house for the night got upset stomachs after eating from the shop. So we opted to have some of his instant pancit canton, 2 bottled waters and ate some of his bread as our dinner. We only paid 20 PHP for our dinner and it was already enough for us to be full for that night.

Then we woke up early to catch the earliest boat which is at 7:30 AM. We paid a lot a more for the trip since we were only a few and if we wanted to pay the standard rate, we’d have to wait for the 8:00 AM trip. And if the boat won’t get full at that time, we’d have to pay for the same rate and so on. Instead of paying the standard rate of 80 PHP, we paid 150 PHP each.

And so off we go to Malapascua Island.

Praying In A Busy World

It’s been quite a while since I haven’t prayed and meditated on the Bible. I have been busy with work, family, friends and other stuff that I have to attend to in my daily living. But I know they should not be made as excuses to not pray and read the Bible. This has been one of my struggles and I will keep on working on making it a habit to do every day.

A newsletter from FaithGateway reminded me of this and put things in perspective. In this world, there are so many things trying to catch our attention. Not only do we attend to matters concerning our health, our job, our future, and our loved ones, but we tend to shift our attention to things that satiate desires in our hearts and in our minds. Oftentimes, we fail to recognize and satiate the desire of our spirit as we look in the here and now.

As a Christian, the desire in our spirit equates to desiring God and His presence in our lives. And one of the ways in satiating this desire is through prayer. To truly live the life that God wants for us is to cultivate a disciplined life of prayer. Oftentimes, when we become too comfortable or too contented or too busy with our lives, we have a tendency to disregard prayer altogether only doing it when we are feeling uneasy and uncomfortable with how things are, when we are in dire need of something, when we are troubled, or when we have been blessed.

But instead of letting our situation dictate our prayer life, we ought to let our prayers lead our daily life. Despite of the mundanity of our every day life, it is somewhat eminent to still live a life of prayer. We may not have deep struggles or we may not realize profound blessings and joy in our lives, but disregarding prayer at times of contentment with the busyness of the world ebbs away the very core of our soul and slowly drives us away from Him who loves us. It slowly penetrates our hearts and feeds it with self-reliance, no longer hanging on to God.

“Prayer is accessing the limitless wisdom of God; prayer is an invading of the impossible; and prayer is the way your spirit recharges, confidence and courage replenish, and vitality is restored to your soul.”

Through prayer, amidst the noise we hear externally, we get to hear the music that’s been vying for our attention invigorating our spirit and replenishing our soul.

Hello World!

Well, this is my third blog since college and hopefully, this one would be stable enough to be maintained for 5 years (Yep, that’s my goal). For my past blogs, it seemed that I have lost my interest in maintaining those blogs. Perhaps because of changes in my life, boredom, laziness, or perhaps I just don’t ‘feel’ like having to do with them anymore. I didn’t set any goals with those two blogs anyway so that’s prolly why I stopped. I was demotivated and life got in the way. This time, hopefully, I can update this one regularly until 2020. So till here and I hope anyone who stumbles in this little corner in the internets find this amusing, insightful, useful, or inspiring. =)