Writing books is hard work, takes lots of time, and involves a great deal of angst and emotional turmoil, for not much financial reward. It does feel good to finally have the finished book in hand and to see it on the shelves. But the real reward, the thing that makes all of it worthwhile, is getting letters like this:

Just read your book and attempting to find Christian faith again after a long gap. Did you ever have to get over the feeling with finding Jesus that perhaps it is “too good to be true”? For me, I know that if I were to come to faith it would bring meaning and hope back to my life, but I have a block on this point. I was very moved by your story, and I am hoping to have the same experience.

J.

Dear J,

Thanks for writing to me. The answer to your question is an emphatic YES!!! In fact, thinking it was all too good to be true was my final stumbling block in coming to faith. I was brought up to believe that reality is harsh (which it most certainly is), and that the famous Dawkins comment on the “pitiless indifference” of the universe is ultimately true. I was also pretty sure that I myself was not someone worthy of any “special treatment” like love or protection.

But what the Holy Spirit did for me (as you read in Chapter 9) was to convince me I was wrong. After all, I already knew that there were things about me and every other human being that just didn’t fit into the purely “naturalistic” and materialistic concept of universal mediocrity. Why do I cry while listening to music, and why do I seek love and not just sex? (The latter is easy – the evolutionary pressure to procreate, but love? where is that from?) What is the source of passion—mine, yours, and everyone’s? Sure, we can explain it all away with just-so stories about brain chemistry, but that isn’t actual science. Actual science has no answers to these questions.

Frankly, even now I sometimes hear a voice telling me “You’re just fooling yourself. It really cannot be true because it’s too good.” But now I can answer that voice: “I can demonstrate that goodness is real, and you cannot tell me where it comes from, so how do we know how far goodness can go?” And the voice has no answer.

So I have faith, and I pray, and while I know that doubts will never disappear, I take comfort in the joy I feel when I get a letter like yours, and when I see so much evidence of Jesus’ effects on His people.

My suggestion (not original) is to try acting as if you do have faith and see what happens. Pray your thanks when something good happens, and when in difficulty, pray for Jesus to stand with you. I believe after you try this for a while, God will answer you, as I was answered. I have no idea what form that answer will take, so be prepared for something unexpected. God is real, and God is good. Blessings,

Sy

Dear Sy,

Thank you so much for your reply! I find it to be very relevant and meaningful and you have given me a lot to think about.

Thank you again for writing this book and for this response. You have reached me and helped me more than you can know.

Best Regards,

J.

And that is why I write.

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