One of the challenging aspects of Christian life is the fact that becoming a follower of Jesus does not make us immune to life’s trials and tribulations. We know that God is love,1 yet even those who have faith in Him still suffer disease, injury, financial hardships, worry, fear, and death just like everyone else. […]
When I met Jesus, life became like a bike ride. It was a tandem bike; I rode in the front and steered, and Jesus was in the rear seat, helping to pedal. I don’t remember just when it happened, but Jesus suggested we change places. Life hasn’t been the same since. Jesus makes the ride […]
As Christians, we aren’t exempted from the difficulties of this life, even if some think we should be. If we have the expectation that our faith should shield us from problems, struggles, and suffering, this can lead to somewhat of a martyr complex when things go wrong, until we start to wonder, How could anyone […]
My first encounter with Nadia was seven years ago, when a friend brought her to our home at 10 o’clock one night. Her skin was sallow; her eyes sunken and empty; her hair, obviously cared for meticulously at one time, was now dry and stringy; and her clothes, facial expressions, and body language told us, […]
They’re not coming back! I remember how I felt when it finally hit home. Alone. Afraid. Unsure. For years I had been working on a social service project in an impoverished South Asian nation. I was busy and made a contribution to the work, yet it didn’t depend upon me; I was a cog in […]
The lake next to my home is a quiet, contemplative setting that’s perfect for a pensive moment. One day when I’d been going through a particularly difficult time, I sat reading on the pier, feeling very alone and in need of answers—or at least a sign of God’s presence, some reassurance of His hand on […]
When I was growing up, I was a loner with acute social anxiety and never had a close friend. I wanted there to be someone with whom I would feel comfortable enough to share anything, and who wouldn’t be afraid to tell me all her secrets—a friendship where I would be understood and accepted, and […]
I have been rubbing shoulders with death lately. My father-in-law passed away a month shy of his 99th birthday. My wife and I had been staying with him and my brother-in-law for the last five months. He was a grand old man who wanted to live to 100, but his body just didn’t last the […]
Liz was mom’s best friend. I knew her from the tennis club where I worked after school and on weekends. She used to take time to chat as peers, which earned her high marks with me. The late ’60s saw me morph from a conservative, shy, middle-class kid into a searching and very intense hippie. […]
To die is landing on some silent shore Where billows never break, nor tempests roar; Ere well we feel the friendly stroke, ’tis o’er. —Sir Samuel Garth (1661–1719) It is impossible that anything so natural, so necessary and so universal as death, should ever have been designed by Providence as an evil to mankind.—Jonathan Swift […]
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.—2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT If loved ones emigrate across the globe, cutting off all contact, we expect to miss them, to yearn for news of […]
When I was on earth, I told My disciples that I was going to prepare a place for us to be together forever.1 This place is for all of you who have invited Me into your hearts and lives‚ and I want it to be the most wonderful place there has ever been, perfect in […]