Category: Suffering

Losing Control

Change, I do not need you! Alteration, variation, transformation, you are not my need!

Human life has an interesting relationship with change. When life is good, we fear it. When life is bad, we earnestly seek it. Change is uncomfortable and often inconvenient but life would literally cease without it. And in our most difficult times, it is change we tend to focus on as our life-line from troubled waters. Yes, as long as we are alive we can be sure that change is here to stay. Continue reading “Losing Control”

New Thinking, New Faith

The next several weeks of blogs will be based on the animated reading posted last week. To see the full text of Kairos or watch the video, click here.

Troubled traveler seeking solutions – thoughts racing, heart pounding, body exhausted.

I thought my world was caving in and I feared my sanity was starting to crumble. My normal ways of coping were failing and I was losing control of my life. So I retreated to the one place where I had always found solace in difficult times past—the wooded outdoors. Only this time it was different . . . very different. In Kairos, I try to capture a sense of this unexpected divine encounter and its impact upon my life. Continue reading “New Thinking, New Faith”

Never Alone

In the wind His voice is now drawing . . .

I am not alone; you are not alone. God takes companionship seriously. We serve a God fiercely committed to those who trust him with their lives. Whether we are in the heights of elation, the depths of despair, or somewhere in between we are never beyond his reach or distant from his thoughts (Psalm 139:7-12). Continue reading “Never Alone”

When Faith Feels Unwarranted

His hammer of mercy came crashing right down.

Many people who yearn for a deeper and more relevant faith often fail to realize such hopes because of their inability to reconcile their faith with their experiences of suffering and loss. Suffering strikes at the heart of our faith because we wonder how God would possibly allow such affliction upon those who’ve trusted him with their lives.  If we’re not careful, this question of theodicy (why an all-powerful and all-loving God allows suffering) will literally strangle our faith. Continue reading “When Faith Feels Unwarranted”

Stewarding Memories

The next several weeks of blogs will be based on our most recent filmed reading, “Standing in the Place of Stillness.” Click here to see the full text and here to watch the video.

I remember the silence and peace … it covered me.

Sometimes, we just need to close our eyes and remember the good. Maybe it was a carefree season of childhood years, a vacation at the beach, or simply a time not yet touched by suffering and loss. Do we relish those times with frequent recall of their joy or only lament them as over and done? We would do well to remember the past is never “just the past.” It retains an uncanny ability to influence our present and shape our future. Continue reading “Stewarding Memories”

Distracted to Death

Until I’m alive to your love once again.

Sometimes we take for granted the things we cherish most. We live with such jam-packed schedules that the time and energy needed to nurture our greatest treasures are often relegated to the margins of our calendars. Such is true of our families, friends, and even our relationship with Christ. Continue reading “Distracted to Death”