This desire for first-hand verification is perfectly normal. It is especially understandable when extraordinary claims such as these are made. To have seen and spoken with someone who was certifiably dead cries out for some kind of proof. That is why it is so difficult for modern man to believe anything unless he has had direct experience of it. The resurrection of Jesus is no easier to believe today than it was two thousand years ago. Some people find it easier to believe than others.

A friend of mine was interviewing for the position of pastor to a church in south Florida. In reviewing his ministry experience he shared with the search committee how each position that he had filled had a particular challenge and mission to accomplish. Each one had been different.

Much to our chagrin, we were locked out of our accounts. So folks who bought Enron on the street could trade, but we could not. So where does that leave me? I can tell you, without pulling punches, something stinks here. There are people at Enron who made millions selling Enron stock, while we, the rank and file, got burned. It's that simple. I am left with a tiny fraction of my $1.3 million, or about $8,000. It's too late in my life to start over to build up my funds."

The book of Genesis reveals to us that God is the supreme initiator of all activity from the creation of the universe, to the creation of the history of a man and his family as the bearers of divine revelation. After getting past the early chapters which set the stage for the history of our salvation: human creation and fall, Genesis introduces us to Abraham and his family.