This Sucks!
Apologies for using slightly vulgar language for my title today. My mom said this several days ago, when she was trying to walk but her legs wouldn’t seem to hold her up. Such frustration and anger! I can understand the feeling . . . her body has been faithful and strong all these years, and…
Being God for Someone Else
Dennis Jernigan once said, “I don’t want to be God. His job is too hard!” (Apologies for a bit of a misquote.) I know his words are light, but look to the deeper meaning as related to caregiving.
Thrown to the Lions
All right, I admit it. I wasn’t really thrown into the den of lions a la Daniel in the Old Testament. Sure felt like it, though. The aloneness, the anxiety, the fatigue all conspired to ask me if I had done something to make God turn His back. And I know, though it may have…
Is God Really in Control of It All?
How can God possibly not be in control? Think about the kings of old. They were in charge of the country, but not in control of every one of their subjects. They had the authority (by rule) and they delegated that authority to officers of the kingdom. Those could be directly under the king (like…
Hey, Who’s in Charge Here?
Talk about a concept being misunderstood and then misused! People are always quoting the scripture about all things working together for good. But they stop too soon. The verse (Romans 8:28) continues on to specify . . . for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes. It does…
Faith or Fatalism?
If the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise . . . God willing. . . Lord, if it’s Your Will . . . Have you ever prayed for God’s will to be…
A Dangerous Woman
One of my absolute fave bumper stickers reads something like this: I want to be this kind of woman: When she gets up in the morning, Satan says, “Oh, crap. She’s awake!” Does this thought stir something in you? And just what does it stir: excitement, anger, fear, encouragement? It’s always given me mixed emotions…
Does God Give Up?
Boy, just when you think you’ve gotten through all the junk from your past, something else smacks you in the face! Why? Six years after finishing a long, long round of counseling and emotional healing, I figured I was all fixed. Sure, I had a few rough areas left–who doesn’t–but surely those would take care…
Separation from God
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” These haunting words of anguish send chills to my spine. From a medical standpoint, I understand a lot about how much physical pain Jesus suffered for us. Crucifixion was torture to the entire body: Nerves pierced by nails in the wrists. The brachial plexus…
Should a Christian Have Pain?
I finished reading “The Problem of Pain” by C.S. Lewis last week. What inspiration! He expounds on animal versus human pain, on heaven and hell, and on the fact that our fallen world is a place of pain. We live surrounded by it. We experience it. Unfortunately, we’ve also often been misled by ministers who…