Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
Acts 12:1-5 Introduction Is life fair? I suppose that depends on what we mean by ‘fair.’ When we complain that life is just not fair, what we normally mean is that we feel that it is not right that this bad thing is happening to us or someone we care about. We might say the … Read More “When Life is Not Fair” »
2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Introduction I am no medical doctor, although I have had plenty of experience with the medical care system, both with my own health concerns and those of family members. We have had to face a number of health issues from injuries to illnesses that have been caught to those that probably had … Read More “Chronic Suffering” »
1 Kings 19:1-18 Introduction What kind of life should Christians live? More specifically, how should Christians respond when life becomes difficult? There is no fully agreed on approach to this question. There are Christians who believe that we should always be happy, even when life seems to be falling apart. We have a duty to … Read More “When Life Gets Rough” »
Perhaps one of the first Christian “celebrities” that I ever heard of was Joni Eareckson Tada. She has an amazing story and has accomplished much more than many people without a disability. However, early in my Christian walk I was involved in a number of Pentecostal churches. While this is not indicative of all (or … Read More “A Place of Healing – Review” »
I recently did something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I read together two books by C.S. Lewis on a similar subject. I read both The Problem of Pain and A Grief Observed. The Problem of Pain was written in 1940. It is a solid apologetic treatment of the reasons for suffering. … Read More “C.S. Lewis on Pain and Suffering” »
Some people claim that the problem of evil is devastating to the claims of Christianity. The problem of evil is often presented in this way. God is all powerful. God is all good. Evil exists in the world. Therefore, God does not exist. The problem is that there is this tension between God being all … Read More “The Forgotten Part of the Problem of Evil” »
A devotion based on Philippians 1:12-13. Paul had a rough life. A number of times in his life he went through some very difficult circumstances. Beatings, imprisonment, you name it, Paul had it. Philippians is one of the prison epistles, that is it was a letter that he wrote from jail. How would you feel … Read More “Devotions: Philippians” »
From time to time, we hear stories of people giving up their faith because of some difficult circumstances. To be honest, more often I hear about people who give up after observing other people’s suffering rather than from their own experience. I am currently going through some health issues. I potentially have a life threatening … Read More “Suffering and Faith” »
James 5:7-12 Introduction I want you to imagine the perfect life, the life of comfort and ease where everything goes according to plan and you always get your way. I want you to take that image and I want you to wake up. It is never going to happen. I am not a pessimist, I … Read More “Patience in Suffering” »
The Beliefnet web-site has a very interesting “blogalogue” between Bart Ehrman and N.T. Wright on the issue of suffering. Both are respected biblical scholars but Ehrman is a former evangelical who has left the faith and has become an agnostic while Wright is an evangelical Anglican bishop. Their conversation is quite stimulating. Ehrman makes some … Read More “Bart Ehrman and N.T. Wright on Suffering” »
