Those Who Weep
“I’ve learned more about God from the tears of homeless women than any . . . systematic theology books ever taught me,” said Shane Claiborne, explaining what drew him to sharing life in community with the poor. His words take me back to the first time I attended a church service in a poverty and violence-stricken neighborhood in Chicago. During the service, several people stood up to testify of their grief and longing for their community’s healing. As we prayed and worshiped with a depth I had never experienced, I realized that I too was broken and deeply in need of this kind of community—where pain is freely shared and together we encounter the One who meets us in our brokenness.
Comforted To Comfort
“Pastor, the results came out positive. My wife has breast cancer.” When a congregation member broke this news to me one Sunday morning, I was speechless. What could I possibly say to comfort my friend in light of this bitter news? After a moment of silence, I quickly remembered the words that most comforted me when my own wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. And so with a level voice, I replied, “I want you to know that I’m here for both of you, no matter what.” He wore the same expression of gratitude that I had worn years before when a friend encouraged me with those identical words.
let go!
As the story goes, a man was hiking alone when he slipped and fell down a steep cliff. In desperation, he grabbed a tree limb and began shouting for help. Finally, he heard a booming voice answer, “Yes, I’m here.” The hiker was elated. “Who are you?” “It’s the Lord.” “Oh, thank you, Lord!” the hiker gasped. “What do you want me to do?” “Let go.” The terrified hiker couldn’t release the only security he thought he had, so finally he meekly asked, “Is there anyone else up there?” Life is tough. Circumstances often seem unfair, and there are times when we feel close to death. It’s usually in the midst of these moments of desperation that God urges us to “let go” of our feeble solutions and trust Him. In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Paul shares an intimate account of the difficult time he had in Asia and of how he felt close to death. He also reminds his readers, however, that God is our source of comfort and that we can use our growth through trials to help others (2 Corinthians 1:3-6).
safe
Overwhelmed with work and tired from a busy weekend of ministry, I couldn’t stop the tears when I came home to a leak in the kitchen ceiling of our new house. Hardly an insurmountable problem, especially since our house is under warranty, I still felt my vulnerability anew. Not only had we recently encountered the challenges of moving to a new town, we had also faced considerable pushback from our neighbors for having a Bible study in our home. So as I watched each drip fall from the bulging sheetrock onto the tile floor, I longed for something to be easy.
you choose Q: how can i handle chronic pain?
Q: How do I handle physical body pain over the years even though I've been praying for help ? —Joseph
A: Chronic pain is a challenge that has a great impact on every aspect of life. There's no simple solution for dealing with it. A person in pain must be ready to acknowledge pain’s effects—including the limitations it imposes—but also strive to live as fully as…
the one who sees
I recently stumbled across an online thread titled “I Am So Freaking Tired of Being Hurt.” It’s part of a website that invites people to share difficult life experiences such as battling cancer or facing a marriage crisis.
God forbid it!
This world is fallen and full of suffering. The decaying of this earth is evident all around us, even though todays science tries to convince us that the earth started out as decay and has progressed to its current “superiority.” Most of our life’s mission is to remove suffering from mankind. We have decided that with enough education and control…
runaway garden
Last summer, I tried to grow tomatoes (yet again). I bought heirloom starter vines and a wooden trough planter. I talked to farmer friends about best practices and even concocted an organic fertilizer mixture that was supposed to make my plants flourish. The growing season ended, however, and I had plucked a grand total of one tomato—a scraggly, little fellow, slightly larger than a golf ball.
the comfort of God
Sometimes I wish life was like more like an episode of the television drama House. The show is about an egotistical but genius medical sleuth (Dr. Gregory House) who diagnoses and treats mysterious, life-threatening illnesses.
sydnie & me
Last year I went through a bone marrow transplant (BMT). By God’s grace, I didn’t go it alone. Family and friends walked with me through the procedure and subsequent months of recovery. But there was someone else who shared the journey—Sydnie. This precious little girl, a daughter of friends of ours, needed to have a BMT at the same time…
writer's block
Writer’s block will wear you out. During a recent bout with it, everything I wrote ended with the electronic equivalent of throwing a crumpled sheet of paper into the ol’ “circular file” (trash can). Any hint of an idea died on the page before I could finish the first paragraph. My brain swam in circles every time my fingers touched…
fearing God
Several years ago, I went to the doctor for a checkup. I’d been feeling poorly for a while—tired, blue, and lethargic. I knew I needed to lose weight and return to exercising. However, sitting in that sterile medical room, across from a serious-looking doctor, my predicament finally sank in. My cholesterol was high, and my weight was out of control.…
a different Christmas
With gifts wrapped and under the tree, Christmas Eve came to a close. God’s goodness had been evident, but this year was different. Unfolding blankets and sheets, my husband and I created beds of the two couches in our family room. My husband’s parents, who live in town, were using our bedroom upstairs. Three months earlier, their oldest son—and only…
museum of broken relationships
A garden dwarf, a glass house, and a box made of matches. These items and many others are on display at the Museum of Broken Relationships in Croatia. It exists so that everyone who contributes a memento from a shattered relationship has the chance to “overcome emotional collapse through creation.”
The Bible offers even more constructive insight on how to…
