Cry for Help Community, Hard times, Help, obstacles Create a buddy system obstacle game in which pairs are established and cell numbers are shared. Blindfold one buddy while the other one leads… READ MORE
The Suffering Servant’s Obedience Fasting, Jesus, Luke, Temptation In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the elf servant Dobbie is sorely mistreated by his master Lucius Malfoy. Despite how poorly he… READ MORE
The Product Of Struggle Fruit, Purpose, Struggles, Suffering Wine makers state that the best wines come from grapes that struggle and experience stress. “If you take a grapevine and make its physical… READ MORE
A Testament of God’s Goodness God's Goodness, Gratitude, Grief, Loss, Perspective, Suffering In Richard Lischer’s memoir of his first pastorate, he tells the story of his second son Adam’s birth. Born big and robust, within hours… READ MORE
The Good Surgeon Great Physician, Healing, Job, Sanctification, Suffering, Trusting God Why do the righteous suffer? John Piper writes about this passage: “Elihu puts the pain of sickness and visions of the night side by… READ MORE
Trusting God In The Midst of Grief Grief, Pain, Suffering, Trust, Trusting God There is the great challenge for us as we navigate the valleys of pain, death, suffering, and hardship: not to give ourselves over to… READ MORE
Reassessing Our Struggles Inspiration, Perspective, Struggles, Suffering, Trials, Trusting God Inspirational stories about those who have overcome obstacles can motivate us to reassess our own struggles. For nine-year-old Ezra, his struggles are real but… READ MORE
What We Deserve Discipleship, Examination, Lent, Repentance, Sacrifice, Suffering We do not live in a culture that elevates self-denial. Most often we are told we “deserve” to indulge, to be happy, to put… READ MORE
The Good In Pain Healing, Hurting, Pain, Suffering Most of us like to avoid pain at all costs. But world-famous surgeon Paul Brand will tell you that pain is an important and… READ MORE
Tension Already And Not Yet, Grief, Hope, Joy, Perseverance, Perspective, Suffering, Tension, Trials Living with joy and hope amid pain requires an ability to live in tension. We can’t just deny the pain and pretend like all… READ MORE
A Worthwhile Suffering 1 Peter 4:12-19, 1 Peter 5:10, 2 Corinthians 4:17, 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, Endurance, Eternity, Glory, Pain, Patience, Priceless, Revelation 21:4, Reward, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:18, Romans 8:28, Suffering, Trials, Value, Worth “Would you go through all the pain of childbirth again, just to be able to have that beautiful child of yours?” For most mothers,… READ MORE
Tested And Proven 1 Peter 3:7, 1 Peter 4:12, 1 Peter 5:10, Attitude, Challenges, Endurance, Faith, Fire, genuine, Hope, James 1:12, James 1:2-3, James 5:10, Job 23:10, Persecution, Purity, Refinement, Refining, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:18, Suffering, Tests, Trial Our faith is not only tested, but it is tested to the point of being proven genuine. Persecution and suffering may feel like they… READ MORE
Christ’s Humanity 1 John 4:2, 1 Timothy 2:5, Christ's Humanity, Easter, Galatians 4:4, Good Friday, Hebrews 2:9, Hebrews 4:15, Incarnation, Jesus' Humanity, John 1:14, John 19:28, Philippians 2:7, Suffering, Vulnerability Have you ever been in a group of people who are traveling or stuck somewhere when meal time rolls around? What happens to those… READ MORE
Blessed Are The Persecuted 1 Peter 4:12-14, 2 Timothy 3:12, Church, Eternity, Faith, John 15:18, Love, Luke 6:22, Matthew 5:10, Persecution, Perseverance, Religious Freedom, Remembrance, Shelter, Suffering In a review from Christianity Today on the book They Say We Are Infidels: On the Run from ISIS with Persecuted Christians in the… READ MORE
God’s Suffering 1 Corinthians 15:3, Acts 3:18, Hebrews 13:11-12, Isaiah 53:3-12, Love, Luke 17:25, Omnipotence, Power, Powerlessness, Sovereignty, Strength, Suffering, Support, Sympathy, Weakness One of the 20th century heroes of our faith is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German pastor who led several efforts to condemn, resist,… READ MORE
On The Other Side 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, Comfort, God's Healing, God's Love, God's power, James 1:2-4, John 16:33, Loss, Preaching, Revelation 21:4, Romans 5:3-5, Suffering, Suicide, Sustain, Tragedy When Rick Warren preached his first sermon after the suicide of his son, Matthew, the world was watching. Hearing how the pastor talked about… READ MORE
Forgotten Truth 1 Peter 4:1, 1 Peter 5:10, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Comfort, Faithful, Pain, Philippians 3:10, Remember, Restoration, Romans 5:3-4, Romans 8:18, Romans 8:35, Scripture Memorization, Suffering In the film The Fellowship of the Ring, the elf queen Galadriel says, “And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost…. READ MORE