I sat in the restaurant and poured out my problems to my friend. She listened and cried with me. But her question jarred me. What do you want God to …
Choose Grace
My mother, an English major and history minor, enjoyed tossing around old sayings. “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” She used that one …
The Gift of Pain
“God has given me the gift of pain.” The speaker lived with a chronic debilitating disease as she struggled in a difficult marriage. But she saw the value of her …
In Search of Life’s Easy Button
I have to admit-given the chance, I’ll take the easy way. The path of least resistance. I really don’t like to struggle. Just give me that big red easy button …
Disappointment With God, Part 3
When we face overwhelming, painful circumstances, we typically don’t see our “Lazarus rise from the grave”–our loved one doesn’t sit up in his coffin and walk away from his own …
Disappointment With God, Part 2
When disappointment strikes and discouragement claims my heart, I often face the internal assault of the hard questions. Why doesn’t our all-powerful, always good and loving God stop our pain? …
Disappointment With God, Part 1
My fourth grade teacher called me to her desk. “I see you’ve always made A’s on your report cards–since you started in first grade. Well, I don’t believe a student …
Struggle Well
Doctors embrace an oath to “first do no harm.” When they can’t figure out what’s wrong or find the correct treatment, doctors fall back on this foundational principle. As Christians, …
Be Glad
Thank you for the flowers and the green grass, thank you for the trees, thank you for the birds, thank you for my house, thank you, thank you, thank you, …