Jesus and Your Suffering
I still remember seeing family members weeping, sobbing, and even wailing, but I had no idea why. My brother and I were here to visit my little sister, who had been having bouts of strep throat on and off. This time something was different. This time she had ended up in the hospital. It had […]
The World and the Way: Living in Hope When Facing Antagonism
The Way of Jesus is fundamentally loving. If you’re reading this as a follower of Christ, this is probably (hopefully) not a very new or controversial statement. In Jesus’ own words, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples: if you love one another.” Or if you prefer the hymn’s translation of John 13:35: “They will […]
When Life Falls Apart: A Lesson from the Game of Jenga
When life falls apart, it can be a frustrating but fruitful time of reexamining what your life is built on. Ever played Jenga? The more fragmented and extended the stack of blocks gets, the more fragile it becomes. The tower sways with every attempt to make it taller. Then there is that panic moment when […]
Why Does God Allow Suffering?
Why does God allow suffering? God allows suffering because it is a byproduct of sin. Sin happens because God gave us free will, even though he opposes sin and helps us overcome it when we are willing. God gave us free will because he loves us. And although suffering is not a good thing in […]
Feeling Attacked? A Fight or Flight Response Is Too Weak.
When we as Christians feel our faith being attacked, it’s easy to get tense and slip into the natural “fight-or-flight” response. Doing this can narrow our focus to where we stop seeing crucial things around us. I noticed a theme that followed me throughout one of my days recently. See if you can catch it: […]
When a Story Is Cut Tragically Short
Helping my 4-year-old son at bedtime means I’ve had to become a creative story machine. Sometimes the machine is out of order. I’ve found myself coming up with a passable premise for a story, getting halfway through, and then running out. “The end,” I’ll say to buy myself some time. He will then facepalm and […]
Learning Faithful Faith from the Church in Niger
“And when [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” (John 16:8) The Holy Spirit creates an amazing contrast for the world. He brings the dead back to life, and He replaces a sinful nature with the divine nature of Jesus Christ. […]
A Spiritual Slaughter We Aren’t Talking About
*Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of articles pointing our focus on the persecuted church in many parts of the world. This first article, however, reminds us that the Devil’s tactics are not exclusive to physical persecution in foreign countries. He is busy in the Western world as well, with subtle yet […]
