Risen - The Movie

“I have seen two things which cannot reconcile. A man dead without question. And that same man alive again”
                                                - Clavius, Roman Military Tribune

The Resurrection from a Skeptics Perspective
If you haven't yet seen the movie "Risen", I highly recommend it. With a great cast, impressive production budget, and of course a great story line, you will be entertained and find yourself pondering the events surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

This movie isn't just for Christians. The producers worked hard to maintain Scriptural authenticity while balancing it with cinematic creativity. They had a broader cross section of cultural society in mind for an audience (rather than Christians only) as they produced the movie, and I believe they hit their mark.

A Personal Journey
The movie is the story of a man's personal journey. Clavius is a military leader assigned with the task of ensuring that three criminals being crucified are dead before sunset, even if he has to hurry it along. He apparently is aware that one of them claimed to be a king of some kind, but he is indifferent. By the time he arrived at the site of the crucifixion, Christ had already died.

To me, the scene of the crucifixion is amazingly haunting and thought provoking. And of course as a Christian I was moved by the depth of love that Christ exhibited for me (and all his followers) by suffering and dying that way. Later in the movie I was also moved by the tenderness of the resurrected Christ towards Peter and Thomas as they wept over their earlier denial and doubt, respectively, of their leader Y’shua (Jesus). It is a beautiful picture of Y’shua's posture towards all of us who follow him, yet are imperfect.

But I get ahead of myself! After Christ's body disappeared from the tomb, Clavius was ordered to find the body at all costs in order to put down a rumor beginning to circulate that the man Jesus had risen from the dead. So Clavius began a relentless search, which required him to play the role of detective. He aggressively chased down and interrogated anyone who had spoken of Christ being alive again, and also searched for his disciples and close followers who may have known where the body was. But the evidence he found was not what he expected, and eventually it led him to write down the words quoted at the top of this post.

The Implications of The Resurrection
This movie is not preachy or cheese ball as some Christian-themed movies of the past have (unfortunately) been. But it does explore a historical event that is foundational to Christianity. For as the Apostle Paul himself said: "...if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1). But he then went on to say: "But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries." (2) If that is true, then the implications of the resurrection are profound for your own life and is at the very least worth serious consideration, including an examination of the strong historical evidence for the resurrection of Christ. (3)

However, regardless of what you think of the resurrection story, this movie is worth viewing.


Footnotes:
(1) 1 Corinthians 15:14
(2) 1 Corinthians 15:20
(3) William Lane Craig wrote an excellent article on the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ at this link:  http://www.reasonablefaith.org/the-resurrection-of-jesus

Below is a lecture by William Lane Craig on the same topic, presented at Yale University.

Why I Write This Blog

...they continually say to me, "Where is your God?
                                                                                                     Psalms 42:3

My high school graduation
picture, 1978, a few months
before leaving for the
university.

My University Experience
When I started attending the university in 1979 I was exposed to ideas that challenged my beliefs as a Christian. The secular worldview was strong, especially in some of my biology and physics classes, and I began to assume that most "educated" people probably didn't believe in God. I certainly doubted if any professors did. The atmosphere was stifling and it was a bewildering time for me.

But there were a couple of professors who I learned did believe in God. Dr. Richard Ikenberry and Dr. Glenn Underhill at Kearney State College (now the University of Nebraska-Kearney), where I started college, were Christians. There is a certain irony in the fact that one of them was a biologist and the other a physicist!

Now, many years later and as a professor myself, I suspect that some students at my campus and other college campuses may experience similar circumstances and feelings as I did. However, I don't want them to assume as I did that "educated" people don't believe in God. In fact, many PhDs and professors have strong faith in God, and I am fortunate to personally know a number of them.

Dr. Glenn Underhill, one of my college
physics professors, who was also

a Christian.

Is Your University Experience Challenging Your Faith?
If you are a college student and your faith is being challenged by the secular environment of the university, you are not alone. As a college student and even afterwards, I wrestled with the claims of secularism/atheism/agnosticism/naturalism firsthand. But my faith in God is now stronger than ever.

It is not all bad to have one's faith challenged. As Timothy Keller said, “Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts... It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them.” The evidence for the Christian faith is amazing (1), and God is big enough to handle your questions. You can make it your own!

It is another thing to have your beliefs maligned or diminished. C.S. Lewis, who was an atheist before converting to Christianity, knowingly said "Atheists express their rage against God although in their view He doesn't exist." That can be confusing to a college student, especially if the criticism is coming from a professor. However, you don't have to take their word for it! I would encourage students to use this as an opportunity to critically examine for yourself the claims of and evidence for Christianity (1).

Why I Write This Blog
Therefore, I write this blog largely to encourage students (and others) who may be facing doubt and unbelief in the face of the dominant secular environment of our western universities and, increasingly, in our culture. Many of my blog posts address this topic.

I also write for those who may not believe in God - or perhaps haven't even considered it. I sincerely believe if they examined with an open mind the evidence for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity, they may be quite surprised.

Footnote:
(1)  There is much information available about evidence for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity. For example, the authors William Lane Craig (www.ReasonableFaith.org), John Lennox (http://www.johnlennox.org/), Lee Strobel (e.g., The Case for Christ), C.S. Lewis (e.g., Mere Christianity), Timothy Keller ("The Reason for God" and many of his sermons at http://www.gospelinlife.com/), Frank Turek (http://crossexamined.org/), to name a few, all address this in their books and websites.

Is There Any Evidence That God Exists?

"To the majority of those who have reflected deeply and written about the origin and nature of the universe, it has seemed that it points beyond itself to a source which is non-physical and of great intelligence and power. Almost all the great classical philosophers - certainly Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Locke, Berkeley - saw the origin of the universe as lying in a transcendent reality. They had different specific ideas of this reality, and different ways of approaching it; but that the universe is not self-explanatory, and that it requires some explanation beyond itself, was something they accepted as fairly obvious."
                                                                    Keith Ward (1)

Dr. William Lane Craig (2) has developed an excellent 4-minute video that addresses the question of the existence of God through a combination of logic and scientific evidence ("The Cosmological Argument"). Cosmology, which is the science of the origin and development of the universe, has in recent years discovered compelling evidence that the universe is not here by accident (click YouTube video at left or on this link: https://youtu.be/6CulBuMCLg0).

There is more evidence in cosmology that indicates the existence of God, but I will address that in another post!

Footnotes:

(1) God, Chance and Necessity, Oxford, One World Publication, 1996 p.1.

(2) Reasonable Faith with Dr. William Lane Craig (http://www.reasonablefaith.org/)

Japan

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Tokyo, Japan, to present at a conference sponsored by the fine folks at Toyo Green Co., LTD (1), a company that sells products for turfgrass maintenance (golf courses, sports fields, lawns, etc). They also invited Dr. Bert McCarty, a turfgrass scientist and professor from Clemson Univ. They kept us busy most of the time, but we did visit several sites around Tokyo.

Japan is another amazing example of God's beautiful creation. I would love to visit this country again. Below is a sample...enjoy!!

Nijubashi Bridge, entrance to inner grounds of the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo. It was cold and snowing when we visited. The public isn't allowed into the main grounds except for Jan. 2 and Dec. 23 (we were there on Jan 30). The Palace is where the Imperial family resides, and is surrounded by walls (left) and a moat. Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

A view of Tokyo from the Kokyo Gaien National Gardens,which surround the Imperial Palace. The backdrop of the city across the black pines and snow-covered lawns was breathtaking!

The black pine trees in the Kokyo Gaien National Gardens had very interesting shapes, and provided a beautiful and stark contrast to the snow! Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

This sign indicates how close the famous bridge on the Imperial Palace grounds is to Tokyo Station.

We caught a subway at Tokyo Station, which is the busiest in Japan in terms of number of trains per day (over 3000). It is in the Marunouchi District in Chiyoda, Tokyo, within easy walking distance from the Imperial Palace.

Our first meal in Tokyo, at the Purana Barca Pizzeria and Bar. Very nice restaurant and friendly staff! Bert McCarty is on the left, with our wonderful Japanese hosts from Toyo Green (left to right): Shoichi Kimura, Taro Fujiwara, Yuichiro Tsuchida, and Shutaro Akishino.

Bert McCarty (left), Mika Seta (center), me (right), and Taro Fujiwara (facing away from camera), visiting on the grounds of Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, in Tokyo. The buildings in the background were built after the stadium was already there, and have caused a severe shade problem for the turfgrass (bermudagrass) growth. Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

A view down the bustling, shop-lined street named Nakamise that leads to the main gate of Sensoji Temple, which is a famous Buddhist Temple. This is in the Asakusa district, where an atmosphere of the Tokyo of past decades survives. Bert McCarty stands a bit taller than the average Japanese! It was raining just enough to need the umbrellas.

This many-tiered pagoda came into view as we walked down Nakamise street towards Sensoji Temple. Japan is about 71% Buddhist, 84% Shinto, and only 2% Christian; many people belong to both Buddhism and Shintoism.

The famous Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. The snow, which had been falling all morning, had built up on the steep roof and was sliding down and falling in huge chunks onto the sidewalk and steps leading into the temple (at far left). The police were trying to keep people from walking under the eve so they wouldn't get hurt!

Narrow streets in the Asakusa shopping district, near the Sensoji Temple.

Shin-Nakamise, or "New Nakamise", a covered shopping archade in Asakusa. The covered street was a welcome reprieve from the cold rain that was falling outside. Many Japanese wore surgical masks when out in public, apparently to protect themselves from sickness (or maybe to protect others if they were sick).

We saw several two-wheeled rickshaws in Asakusa, which were pulled by a person!

We were excited to go up into the Tokyo Skytree, which is the tallest tower in Japan and second-tallest structure in the world. Unfortunately it was cloudy, so we didn't go. But it was amazing to look up and see it disappear into the clouds!

Assortment of fish, squid, and shellfish at the famous Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.We got up at 4:30 am to see the fish auction but were too late. Admittance is strictly regulated and you had better get there earlier than we did (maybe 3 am) if you really want a spot. We were disappointed, but enjoyed walking around and looking at the fish and bustling activity as shop owners prepared for a busy Friday at the Market.

A shopkeeper slices product in preparation for the day, while a tuna appears to look on from the icebox!

Shutaro (center left) and me walking the narrow streets of the Tsukiji Fish Market at 5:30 am on a Friday. These shopkeepers get up very early and work hard to make a living!

I couldn't resist stopping by this tuna along the street. I love tuna and had no idea they were this big! I was told this wasn't even a large tuna. Shutaro liked to ham it up for the camera, and here he proudly presents the tuna!

A view of the Tokyo Tower from the nearby Zojoji Temple (Buddhist) in Tokyo. Tokyo Tower is 1,093 ft tall and is the second tallest structure in Japan.

The shadow of Tokyo Tower falls across this nearby soccer stadium on a beautiful Saturday morning in Tokyo.

This colorful and delicious sushi was definitely authentic. It was in a nice restaurant near the Tokyo Tower. Most of the sushi was raw (not cooked), which is something I wasn't use to. I ate more raw meat in my 6 days in Tokyo than I ever had before, but it was good to expand my culinary horizons!

My debut with the audience at the Toyo Green conference for golf course superintendents. They were very gracious and I really enjoyed presenting to them. Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

This was immediately after the 2-day conference. From left to right: Kibow, who translated our talks into Japanese; Bert McCarty, me; and Takao (Tak) Yamada, the president of Toyo Green Co. I am so grateful for their invitation to present at their conference! Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

A view of the Tokyo Skytree from the Tokyo Tower. We wanted to go to the Skytree but it was closed because of high winds. Nevertheless, we weren't disappointed by the views from Tokyo Tower! Photo by Shutaro Akishino.

A stunning view of Tokyo Bay from the Tokyo Tower. It was very windy on the day we went up in the Tower, and we could feel it sway in the wind! The Zojoji Temple Grounds are in the foreground (bottom).

 Footnotes:
(1) Here is Toyo Green's website for the conference: http://www.toyo-green.com/english/turf-seminar.html

Jesus and Joy

At Christmastime, we Christians celebrate Jesus' birth as a real baby 2000 years ago. God comes to Earth in human form. (1) (2)

But why did he come? There is a lot more to it, but we are given a clue in Hebrews 12:2:

Because of the joy awaiting him, [Jesus] endured the cross, disregarding its shame.

And what was the joy awaiting him? (Sorry, as a professor I can't help but to ask questions!)

A little background is required here. At the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden (3) (hinted at at the beginning of the video in this post, or at this link: http://youtu.be/gmnSnNC8UJk?list=FL54WMG1VODIB2lLnCmBkn5w), something profound was lost. We lost our ability to commune with our Creator - God.

But God lost something too...

He lost us.

And losing us was more than He was willing to bear. He loved us too much to not offer a rescue, even though such a rescue would be costly.

Adoration of the Lamb, painting by Jan van Eyck (1432).
More information at: http://www.artbible.info/art/large/187.html

Jesus Christ, the Son of God and perfect Lamb (4), would have to die an atoning death on the cross in our place. It was the only way.

He came to pay a debt he didn't owe, because we owed a debt we couldn't pay.

Back to the question: What was the joy awaiting Jesus by enduring the cross?

The joy awaiting him was relationship with US...our restoration with God for eternity, for those who receive him! (5)

He finds JOY in making us whole! (6)

No wonder the Bible is about Him, that so many songs have been sung and so much has been written about Him, and that so many lives have been transformed by Him throughout the centuries.

What a comforting truth to hold onto at Christmastime and throughout the coming year!

Footnotes:

The Problem of Pain, Suffering, Loss

“Pain is unmasked, unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt.”                       C.S. Lewis

My wife Jannis (right) and her sister Carol at their mother's
graveside a few months after their mother died of a brain
aneurism. Jannis was 6 years old.

After the 2004 tsunami, one of my good friends in Indonesia returned home to find his home swept away along with most of his family...his wife, only son, and father...and they were never found.

What are we to do with the suffering caused by the twin problems of: 1) seemingly random natural forces (earthquakes, brain tumors, etc); and 2) moral failure (crime, genocide, etc.)? It all seems so cruel and unjust.

One thing we don't need is pat answers. Yet, as theologian Tim Keller notes, when suffering hits there are two basic ways that people respond: secularism and moralism. Neither are satisfactory.



Secularism: There is No God
The existence of pain, suffering, and loss is a problem for the Christian. Many people conclude that because of suffering there can be no God. After all, why would he allow it? But the existence of pain is a problem for the atheist too.

I can understand why a person could conclude God does not exist when faced with suffering, at least to a point. It does seem to solve the immediate, intellectual problem, although it does little to help the emotional problem. That is just the way it is, and nothing more. As atheist Richard Dawkins put it: 

“In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.”

If that is true, then we must, as atheist Bertrand Russell stated, build our lives on a firm foundation of unyielding despair.

Implications of Secularism
Although the conclusion that there is no God may seem to solve the immediate question of "why suffering?", it does not make the pain go away.

In fact, it could be argued that it intensifies suffering. Because the atheistic worldview believes death is the end, it removes all hope for anything better to come.

It also removes justice, as noted by Dawkins above. After all, if there is no God, no good, and no evil, and morality is only an illusion set in place by our selfish genes to perpetuate our species, then our sense of injustice is an illusion too, at best our own opinion. Yet most of us have strong reactions to injustice in the world. But if there is no evil and justice is illusory, then as former atheist CS Lewis noted, the argument against God collapses too—for the argument depends on saying the world is really unjust, not simply that it is my opinion it is unjust. Lewis concluded that consequently, atheism is too simple; it can't explain our strong sense of morality, injustice, and the existence of evil.

(Listen to Tim Keller contrast what Christianity, other major world religions, and atheism have to offer the suffering person - click on YouTube video above left or click here:http://youtu.be/IwH_6uDWnl8). 

Are There Grounds for Believing There is a God?
Despite the grim implications of secularism, it could be our reality and we just have to face it. My wife may have to just accept that her mom has been snuffed out of existence and she will never see her again. But because the implications of this worldview are so stark, I'm not prepared to accept it until I also face whether there is any evidence for believing God is real.

To me, the solid historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, as evidenced by the empty tomb, more than 500 witnesses, and the explosive growth of the early church even in the face of severe persecution, offers astounding evidence for the existence of God (see my post on the Resurrection). The Resurrection of Jesus tells us that death is NOT the end, and offers us hope for a new body and future in which all pain will be removed. (1) 

But Why Would God Allow Evil?
Couldn't God have created a world in which there was no evil or suffering?

CS Lewis argued that God could not create a world of love and goodness without also creating creatures that could freely give or withhold such love. (2) To eliminate free will, God would have had to make us robots instead of people. Blaise Pascal called it the "dignity of causation", the freedom to do good or to do bad.

Moralism: Why is God Punishing Me?
What did I do wrong? Maybe if I had more faith, prayed more, or lived better, then I wouldn't be suffering. Accordingly, the religious moralist responds by striving to improve the way he/she lives. It is based on the belief that if we live a good life, then good things will happen to us, and vise versa.

Job was told as much by his religious friends after he lost his children and possessions to raiding marauders and natural disaster. He also became very sick. (3) But Job's friends couldn't have been more wrong, because earlier in the story it was made clear that Job was a righteous man. His suffering had nothing to do with the consequences of his own behavior, but rather was caused by the enemy of our souls, Satan. This point is extremely important, because even Christians often blame themselves ("I blew it") or God ("God is punishing or holding out on me") when they suffer. Christians often forget the Bible teaches we have an enemy who wants to kill, steal, and destroy our lives. (4) This also helps explain why it appears as though the world is under assault, where we have a mixed picture of human nobility and depravity, beauty and evil.

Jesus also addressed this moralist viewpoint when he asked his disciples whether some worshipers who were massacred in a local temple were worse sinners than their peers. Or if 18 people who died when a building collapsed on them were worse citizens than their peers. Jesus, with the full authority of the Son of God, answered his own question with an empathic "I tell you, no!" (5)

That makes it pretty clear we are not to jump to conclusions when we or someone else is suffering. It is indeed cruel to tell the mourning and brokenhearted that they are worse than others.

It is important to note that Jesus didn't say we are not sinners at all. We know that sometimes we bring suffering on ourselves by the way we live (such as consequences for not taking care of our health, or other poor choices). But sometimes we just don't know the cause of suffering.

Perhaps the real question is whether there is any evidence we can trust God in our suffering.

Jesus went on to tell his listeners: "But unless you repent, you also will perish". God gives each of us a finite life span and along with it, opportunity to respond to Him. I encourage you to consider Jesus' warning.

Trusting God With the Ragged Edges of Suffering
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, or God in human form. (6) His crucifixion on the cross has a solid basis in history. (7)

It is worth contemplating what God was doing on the cross. There is much more to it, but at the very least it tells me that God has not remained distant from human suffering, but has become part of it.

This is a crucial point that is utterly unique among world religions. Only with the cross can we even begin to comprehend how God can help us endure suffering. It is a window into the heart of God (8) (Watch John Lennox discuss this powerfully on the YouTube link to the left or here: (http://youtu.be/tmP5WfEiOe0).

As Christians we believe that because Jesus is God Incarnate, he rose from the dead, which tells us death is not the end. We also believe Jesus will be the righteous judge of all people, and that justice is real. (9) This also addresses the twin problems of moral and natural evil. The terrorists who blew up the twin towers, and those who murdered school children in shooting sprees will not get away with it - there is to be a final judgement; this is a moral universe. We also have the promise of restoration. There will one day be a new heaven and a new earth, where all pain will be abolished. (10)

The Scriptures tell us that each of us exists because God wanted us. (11) And that includes those who have perished, whether due to moral evil or natural causes. Such as my friend's family who died in the tsunami, my wife's mother, and my older sister whose heart stopped beating two weeks before she was to be born. Perhaps John Lennox summarized it best when he said: "Even though on the one hand I have major intellectual problems with many questions [of pain and suffering], I think there is enough evidence to believe that when we see what God has done [in heaven] with the innocents who have perished, we will have no more questions." (8)

Footnotes:

Our Cigarette-Smoking Angel

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."           Hebrews 13:2 

Santiago, Chile!

Sweeping view of Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal, a huge park in the city.

"I can't believe we're lost already!", I told Steve (1) as we drove through the streets of Santiago. We had left our hotel only minutes ago and almost immediately got lost. Our plan was to drive north to the Portillo ski resort high in the Andes mountains near the Argentina border, and then drive west across the country to the coast by nightfall. But it was already mid-morning and we could feel precious minutes ticking away. Suddenly my spirits lifted as I saw come into view...a Starbucks coffee house! True, this wouldn't necessarily help us find our way, but we both loved coffee and we reasoned we could study the map whilst sipping on fine coffee and finding our way back on track.

Our First "Angel"
As we hurriedly studied our map at Starbucks, it wasn't immediately clear which way to go. Finally, Steve asked a fellow coffee drinker for help. After hearing our plan, this gentleman grabbed a pen and started scratching a map on a napkin. "You can get there faster if you take the bypass north out of Santiago. It will cost you a little but it's worth it."

The road north out of Santiago. The beautiful Andes mountains were on the
horizon and traffic was light.

In a short while we were on our way. There was very little traffic on the bypass and we made good time. "Maybe this will help us make up lost time", Steve said as we motored through the beautiful Chilean countryside towards Los Andes. "I hope so", I sighed, trying not to think that by now it was late morning and we still had a long way to go.

We made it to Los Andes without a hitch, but as we approached our intersection where we were to turn towards Portillo we ran into road construction. Unfortunately a detour took us off the main road in the opposite direction we needed to go. We soon realized we had no idea how to get to the road we needed. We tried to ask the construction workers directing traffic how to get to our road, but with little success. Steve knew a little Spanish, and I knew even less. They seemed amused at our attempts to communicate and I couldn't tell if they really couldn't understand us or if they didn't want to.

Road construction on the way to Portillo. Lots of big trucks, and progress was
slow. The scenery was spectacular though!

Here we were nearing Portillo. In the distance is a series of switchbacks in the
road, which made for harrowing driving because the snow made the roads
slick.

Our Second Angel
"Great, we're lost again. This is beginning to feel too familiar!" I said. "Pull over here and I'll ask someone for directions", Steve directed as we approached a gas station. He exited the car and went to a couple of motorists before one seemed willing to speak with him. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but soon Steve came back to the car and said to follow the guy to the next intersection, where he would turn left but we were to turn right. "Are you sure he understood you?" I asked as we pulled out of the station behind our new guide. "I think so", Steve answered as we came to a halt again behind a long line of stalled traffic due to the road construction. "He didn't know any English, but seemed happy to help us". Our progress was slow as we inched our car along, and after what seemed like an hour (but was probably only 20 minutes), we saw we were approaching an intersection. "Do you suppose this is our intersection?", I asked? "Apparently so!" Steve answered as he noted our guide was holding his arm high out of his window and gesturing towards the right. Relieved, we both waved back heartily in gratitude and turned right towards Portillo.

Steve Keeley at the Portillo ski resort high in the Andes mountains.

Portillo At Last!
Traffic was heavy and there was a considerable amount of road construction along the way to Portillo, but the drive was beautiful. It turned much colder and began to snow as we climbed higher and higher. Soon we saw what looked like a military checkpoint along the road, with a tunnel through a mountain just beyond. We soon realized we had missed the ski area and had apparently arrived at the Argentina border. We pondered driving through the tunnel just to say we had been in Argentina, but the military presence made us a little uncertain, and we were running late, too, so we turned around before we got to the checkpoint and headed back to the ski area. We were a little concerned they might get suspicious and try to pursue us, but that didn't happen (phew!).

The Aconcagua Valley is an important wine-growing valley in Chile; here we
are driving past a vineyard with stunning mountain scenery in the background.
I wish we would have had time to stop and enjoy it!

Rising Apprehension
Traffic was also heavy and slow going back down, and it was late by the time we got to the Aconcagua Valley, just west of San Felipe. "Maybe we should find a place to stay around here", I said as the sun sank towards the horizon, "It will probably be well past dark by the time we get to the coast, and finding a hotel then may be difficult"; we hadn't reserved a room anywhere. But as the miles passed, we didn't see anything resembling a motel, hotel, or bed and breakfast. We even detoured into the town of Catemu (I think), but didn't see anything we felt comfortable with.

As we left the town and pulled back onto the main road, my mind started racing about our options...could we find our way in the dark to Con Con, our destination on the coast? What would we do if we couldn't find a hotel? I knew there was a Radisson Hotel there, but we had no way of knowing if it had any rooms or even if we could find it. Would we have to sleep in the car that night? If so, how could we find a safe place? Steve was probably thinking the same things but neither of us really wanted to talk about it. We were still holding out hope.

Do We Have a Prayer?
But hope soon vanished as we came upon more road construction and a long line of stalled traffic. Tired, hungry, and discouraged, I finally breached the silence and asked Steve what he thought about our situation. As we talked, it dawned on us to pray. PRAY!! Steve and I are both Christians, and we were surprised we hadn't thought of praying about this before now. So we prayed. We asked Jesus to help us find our way to Con Con, that he would help us find a place to stay, even a nice hotel to stay in. Even as we prayed I was fearful we would end up sleeping in the car somewhere. I mean, clearly we deserved it, right? Since we didn't plan better. Oh me of little faith.

Our Third (Cigarette-Smoking) Angel
When we finished praying, we noticed the driver of a small tour bus directly in front of us get out to smoke a cigarette. Written across the back of the bus was "Con Con", which seemed almost to taunt us. We sat there for a few moments when Steve suddenly jumped out of the car and ran over to the bus driver. I was surprised by Steve's sudden exit from the car and wondered what he was up to. But he soon returned to our car and said "The bus driver is going to Con Con and said we could follow him". I was skeptical about whether we could keep up with or not get separated from him since it would be dark soon, but decided we had nothing to lose. Soon the traffic started moving and we followed him. At first it was easy to keep up with him. But then we entered a series of turns that ended at a toll booth. As we stopped to pay the toll, I could see the taillights of bus start to fade into the distance.

One of the few pictures we shot of the cigarette-smoking angel's bus.
Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of him!

"Dang, I really don't know where we are Steve. I have no idea how to get to Con Con from here". But Steve was pointing ahead and shouted "Look! He's waiting for us and is flashing his hazards so we know it is him!" Sure enough, the driver had slowed for us, and then continued to take great pains to make sure we stayed behind him, flashing his hazard lights and using his turn signals to alert us well before exits or turns were approaching. As we drove, Steve said "I think there is something going on here. I think the Lord is answering our prayer". It was then he told me that while we were stalled in construction, he had felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to go ask the bus driver for directions to Con Con. At first he (Steve) had resisted the Spirit's promptings, but then relented and went over to ask the bus driver. As he said this my spirits started rising, although I knew we weren't out of the woods yet.

Our cigarette-smoking angel was the antithesis of the cigarette
smoking man, who was the main villian on the X Files TV
series.

Con Con
I could tell from the road signs that we were approaching Con Con. Traffic was heavy on the four lane road we were traveling when, amazingly, the driver pulled over to the shoulder, jumped out of the bus, and came back to make sure we understood this was the Con Con exit. We thanked him profusely and tried to give him money as an expression of gratitude. At first he refused to take any money, but finally relented after we insisted. I was so thankful for that man's help that I could have hugged him! We called him our cigarette-smoking angel, and realized that following him gave us tremendous assurance we were going in the right direction.

Sleep in the Car After All?
By then it was pitch dark, and as we drove towards Con Con we knew we still didn't have a place to stay. After what had just happened, we agreed we should pray. So again we asked God to lead us to a safe, even nice hotel. I even uttered "the Radisson Hotel" under my breath. I knew it seemed almost selfish to request that, and maybe somewhere in my mind I felt God may expect us to sleep in the car or somewhere else uncomfortable. Suddenly Steve said "There's the Radisson, right there!" I almost couldn't believe my ears, but I could see he was correct...it was directly alongside the road we were traveling! So we pulled in to see if they had any rooms.

Me standing by the window of our hotel room with the mighty
Pacific Ocean just outside the window.

Extravagantly Answered Prayers
The clerk behind the counter was friendly, but told us that this was a busy time of the year, and especially on weekends. Since this was a Friday night, my apprehension began to rise again. Gosh, I thought, after after all of this we still might end up sleeping in the car. "This must be your lucky night", he said as he checked the roster, "we have one more room left."

The view outside our second-story window. I could have jumped directly
into the ocean, it was that close!

"I'll take it!", I exclaimed almost before he had finished speaking. Relief began to flood over me, and already I was thanking God for his provision. But God wasn't finished answering our prayers yet. While the clerk was preparing the paperwork, Steve had wandered over to the window and came back to report that the ocean was right outside the hotel. Cool, I thought momentarily before the clerk spoke again. "The room is on the ocean side". Double cool. But all I could really think about was hauling our baggage up to the room and go find something to eat. We were both famished after the day's adventures. It wasn't until we got up to the room that we realized the hotel was indeed right beside the ocean, and the windows could be opened to see the ocean, hear the surf, and smell the salt air! This wasn't a small answer to our prayer, but an extravagant answer.

My love note to my wife from the southern hemisphere.

...oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him...! Ephesians 1:19


We headed back out and soon found a nice seafood restaurant right beside the ocean, with a beautiful view, friendly waiters, good food, and even a local resident playing the restaurant's piano. His music wasn't professional but it sounded beautiful to us! After calling our wives back in the States to assure them we were okay, we headed back to the hotel. It was an incredible ending to an incredible day.

Epilogue
We left the window cracked open all night so we could hear the surf. In the middle of the night I got up and stood gazing for awhile out the open window. The southern stars were blazing, and a crescent moon was setting over the Pacific Ocean. I could sense God's presence and I praised him for his amazing creation, answered prayers, and the many "angels" he had sent to help us that day.

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