I went through an awful season some years back. I needed some answers from God Himself — it was one of those “crisis of belief” times that Henry Blackaby so eloquently talked about in “Experiencing God.” This blog deals with that.
You can’t be a cynic and a Christian.
I know a drowning man who not only won’t reach for a lifesaver but isn’t content until he drowns someone else along with him.
Get up, and do the next thing.
I thought of a name for my autobiography, if I ever decide to write it: Well, That Didn’t Work. My life is full of things that didn’t go the way I’d wanted or planned.
The solution to every problem you have.
Here’s what is true. You are carrying a burden that gnaws at your mind and heart.
The first dead person I ever saw.
Papa Wilson, my grandfather, died when I was eight years old. This was in 1964. I don’t remember many details about his actual death, but I do remember that he was 84 when he died. I thought that was positively ancient.
Embrace suffering. Keep smiling.
We often view success and good fortune as milestones, markers that indicate we’re moving in the right direction. But let’s flip the script for a second. Pain and suffering can be just as transformative, if not more so.
The Danger of Over-spiritualizing Mental Health
I see a trend in the Church that troubles me. The response of much of the Church to mental illness is to over-spiritualize both the problems and the solutions.
When Disaster Strikes
As Christians, our first response to personal disasters should be to stand firm in faith. Disclaimer: That ain’t always easy.
Forgiving God.
Forgiving God may seem like an unusual concept in Christian theology. After all, isn’t God, who is perfect and sinless, the one who forgives us?
No shame to ask for prayer.
The thing is, it’s not like faking being sick to get out of school or work. I’ve been having to fake being well.
Why are we living in fear?
When Jesus was arrested, the disciples bolted and ran. At the crucifixion itself, I’m guessing some of them felt close to despair. They deserted Him because they were flat-out scared, and the best some of them could manage while Jesus was on the cross was to watch from a distance.
How to suffer well.
Christianity doesn’t give us a free pass out of suffering. You will suffer. I guarantee it. It’s right and proper to acknowledge you’re hurting, and hurting bad. Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean your suffering will be any easier or more endurable What it does mean is that you can see your suffering as one point in a timeline that stretches out into eternity. For Christians, that means that the best is still ahead of us.