I have found great help from two truths God gave me at a time in my life when I was bombarded with a series of unexpected and unfair blows (from my perspective). In my darkest hours, these principles become my anchor of stability, my only means of survival. Afflicted, confused, persecuted, and rejected in that situation, I claimed these two truths and held on to them like wild waves, strong winds, and pounding rain grabbing hold of the mast of a ship at sea.
Read MoreTag Archives: Job
God’s Faithfulness amidst Our Confusion
Elie Wiesel gives readers a tragic perspective on the horror of the holocaust. Wiesel’s book, Night, will grab you and not let you go. In terse, tightly packed sentences, he describes those scenes and his own confusion as he witnessed (in his teenage years) a chapter of life we would prefer to erase.
Read MoreHow to Trust When You’re Troubled
Some of you are facing what could easily be called an unsolvable problem. It’s you I hope to encourage today. Often the situations with no human answers form the basis upon which God does some of His best work. This is illustrated beautifully in the life of Job, who, in my opinion, is a living […]
Read MorePeering Into the Crucible
During a visit to speak at a church, I held up my battered wedding ring to illustrate a point about hardship and trials. You see my poor marriage band has seen a lot of trouble. It once was lost (but now it’s found). It’s been broken, patched, patched again, and broken again. With each round […]
Read MoreLife Is Difficult: A Lesson from the Life of Job
Life is difficult. That blunt, three-word statement is an accurate appraisal of our existence on this earth. When the writer of the biblical book named Job picked up his stylus to write his story, he could have begun with a similar-sounding and equally blunt sentence, “Life is unfair.” No one could argue the point that […]
Read MoreHow to Study a Bible Character: Discovering the People in the Greatest Story Ever Told
God is the greatest storyteller of all time. Using narratives that begin with such lines as, “In the land of Uz there lived a man . . .” (Job 1:1 NIV), He plucks us out of our world and drops us into another. Suddenly, we’re in a different time and culture, yet the characters we […]
Read MoreThe Joys of Generosity
When we realise the vastness of our divine resources, when we acknowledge that the eternal richness of heaven is His gift to us, we won’t be miserly with the things we have. On the contrary, we’ll be eager and free to share. In short, we will know the joy of generosity. A generosity rooted in […]
Read MoreYou Are Not Alone
Today I woke up and wanted to tell you that you’re not alone on the journey of life. So many times I have felt alone. Even after years of timely reminders, I often still wonder if there is anyone out there who understands the challenges of raising a child with special needs. I know I’m […]
Read MoreHandling Adversity
Step into the time tunnel with me and let’s travel together back to Uz (not like the wizard of, but like the land of). Wherever it was, Uz had a citizen who had the respect of everyone, because he was blameless, upright, God-fearing, and clean living. He had 10 children, lots of livestock, plenty of […]
Read More“Lord, Are You Sure?”
Recently, my son Jonathan began asking a particular question after almost everything I said. He asks his question, then follows my answer by asking, “Are you sure?” “Mom, can I go outside?” “Sure.” “Are you sure?” “Yes.” “Mom, can I eat breakfast?” “Absolutely; dive in.” “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” “Mom, can I play X-Box?” […]
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