Suffering
The Grace of Suffering
The apostle Peter once wrote of his fellow apostle … [Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.– 2 Peter 3:16b, NIV-1978 It is the case that Paul’s intellect was impressive. Generations of theologians have puzzled over…
Read MoreRejoice in My Sufferings? You’re Kidding. Right?
A week ago, Sunday, I had the distinct privilege of delivering the morning sermon for Victory Christian Fellowship in Lynden, WA. The passage I was asked to speak on is 1 Peter 1:3-7. One of the concepts explored during this lesson, pulled from verse six, is that “Life is pain.” In this you greatly rejoice,…
Read MoreWhy Is My Life So Hard?
Life is hard; it is difficult. That is just the simple truth of it. Jesus confirmed this in John 16, telling us, “In the world, you have trouble”1 – and indeed, we do. You and I have seen and known those who pretend to float from one victory to the next, and if we did not…
Read MoreThe Logic of Suffering from 1st Peter
I am encouraged, comforted, and emboldened by the many faces of Peter. In Peter, we see impulsive and reckless behavior spawned by his desire to protect Jesus (John 18:10). In Peter, we see a dramatic reversal of his bold assertion that he was ready to die with Jesus (Matthew 26:35), as he sheepishly succumbed to…
Read MoreNo Strange Persecution
George Bernard Shaw’s most popular play is, without question, Pygmalion, which can be traced back as far as 1871. Shaw’s play hit the public stage in 1913. It has since been revised and updated multiple times, been performed on stages around the world, and has most recently been reworked as both musical and film. The…
Read MoreSane in the Midst of the Storm
Donning a look of deep concern, my counselor fixed his eyes on mine and said, “With everything you have been through over the past two years, I am amazed that you are still sane.” Sometimes life astonishes us with its ability to inflict pain. During a keynote address at the 2019 West Coast Christian Writers…
Read MoreRethinking the Trials in Our Lives
There have been times in my distant past when all I could do was feign a smile, shoo the kids outside to play, and then shut myself in the bedroom and cry. Nothing in life is as dominating and paralyzing as a sense of hopelessness. Financial devastation. Family destruction. Betrayal. Loss of income. Health. Relational…
Read MoreFour Truths to Bring Us Courage in Fiery Trials
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” – Luke 22:42, NIV The fiery trial was coming. Jesus knew it, and he was not okay with that, but rather submissive to it. It is okay to not want to go through the fiery trials, and it…
Read MoreFour Inspiring Examples of God Bringing Good Out of Evil
When I was very young, my mother gave me my first Bible. It was a small, white, leather-bound King James Bible. Given my youth, and the archaic language in that particular revision of the King James Version, the text was incomprehensible to me. But I knew it was a special book, I cherished it, and…
Read More