Nourishment for the Soul

Joni Eareckson Tada announced this week that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. (Read her blog post, written in her typically Christ-centered way.) 

Over the years Joni has become a dear friend to Nanci and me, and we also deeply appreciate her husband Ken. I interviewed Joni and quote from her often in If God is Good, and she is one of the people I dedicated the book to. (She is the founder and CEO of Joni and Friends, a wonderful ministry to the disabled. Check them out at www.joniandfriends.org. JAF is a ministry worthy of support, an investment in eternity.)

The Best and the Worst

Fold a paper in half. Then write on the top half the worst things that have happened to you and on the bottom half the best. Invariably, if you’ve lived long enough, if enough time has passed since some of those “worst things” happened to you, then you’ll almost certainly find an overlap.

The Eyes of Faith

When we view life through the eyes of faith, we can say, “Things appear one way, but my God is sovereign, loving, merciful, and kind. Through his grace and empowerment, I will cling to him."

Affliction was Necessary to Me

I want to share the following, written by my friend Denny Hartford, the director of a terrific organization I highly recommend, Vital Signs Ministries (FYI, that's not Denny in the picture, it's Martin Luther). Denny works in the ministry with his wonderful wife Claire.

Trusting in the Sovereignty and Love of God

I spoke this last weekend about Romans 8:28-29 at my home church, Good Shepherd Community Church here in Oregon. (Listen to the message.) I used as an example our precious friend Joni Eareckson Tada.

Why Doesn’t God Do More to Restrain Evil and Suffering? Part 2

Our birthright does not include pain-free living. Only those who understand that this world languishes under a curse will marvel at its beauties despite that curse. C. S. Lewis’s final article, published after his death, carried the title “We Have No Right to Happiness.” Believing that we do have such a right sets us up for bitterness.

Joe Bayly Still Speaks to Me

Those who read my post The Christian Book Expo, and "Stunned by J.I. Packer" might be interested in checking out Tangle.com, which has posted the entire video of the panel discussion "A Guided Tour of Heaven and Hell." It's a ninety minute panel, but Dr. Packer's part that stunned me was toward the end of his opening statement. If you break in at about twenty minutes into the session and watch it for a couple of minutes you'll see it, and my reaction.

When I was a young Christian, one of my favorite writers was ...

In Everything, Give Thanks

Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, and I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating all that God has done for you. Perhaps it’s been a challenging last year for you and your family, but all the more opportunity for God to demonstrate His faithfulness and His grace.

What to Pray for, beyond Physical Healing

My friend Barry Arnold pastors Cornerstone Church here in Gresham, Oregon. Last year he sent an email to his church regarding prayer. It’s worth quoting:

I think our prayers are unbalanced—in the direction of just physical needs. We can and should pray for people with infirmities—but it might be wise to change the emphasis of our prayers from physical healing alone to God accomplishing His purposes in and through afflictions.

Here’s a partial list of things the New Testament tells us to pray for:

Pray for people who give you a hard time (Matthew 5:43-44 ...

Jim Harrell, Perspectives in Suffering, part 1

In the past year I've gotten to know Jim Harrell, a friend I've exchanged emails with and talked with once on the phone. I interviewed Jim on the subject of suffering for the book I'm currently writing. Jim has read some of my books, including Heaven, and wrote me telling his story. Turns out we have a mutual friend, Chris Mitchell.

One Saturday morning in 2003, Jim received a call delivering the kind of news no one wants to hear. His doctor told Jim he had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's ...