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Randy writes, “God’s goal is that your life would be lived by the grace of Jesus.” When we are so captured by that grace, it’s not a chore or burden to give–it’s pure joy. 

I love Pastor Heath Lambert, and I also love his love for his family. This had to be a hard sermon for him to give, but what good words to say about his daughter and the father of her child! This response is full of grace and truth, and made my heart sing.

Everything our bodies need will function perfectly, but there are likely to be several parts of our bodies which will no longer serve a purpose…tonsils, perhaps some other glands as well, may become irrelevant. 

The best thing you can do is replace those lies with the truth, and let the truth be what you focus on. Randy has shared this quote attributed to Martin Luther: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.”

My daughter Angela and I were able to attend a Steven Curtis Chapman concert with some friends last month. Steven had asked to meet with me before the show to talk about how the Heaven book and Safely Home ministered to their family after their daughter Maria’s tragic death 16 years ago.

People normally give to ministries with the intention that the money would be used to help people, educate people, or do whatever the ministry does, and in a reasonably short period of time.

Living with a chronic neurochemical issue successfully is exhausting, as you well know. You asked why God allows this, and it’s an honest question which everyone who’s ever struggled with the effects of Adam’s choice asks. 

Francis Schaeffer wrote, “We must remember throughout our lives that in God’s sight there are no little people and no little places. Only one thing is important: to be consecrated persons in God’s place for us, at each moment.”

The article you shared repeats the same tired platitudes about joy vs. happiness that Randy addresses in his books. It all sounds spiritual… but writing such as this is based on very little other than frequently repeated half-truths in the Christian world!

Our hearts go out to the people of western North Carolina and in other communities who’ve suffered so much from the effects of Hurricane Helene. One of the ministries EPM recommends is Samaritan’s Purse, which is based in Boone, North Carolina. It’s amazing that their organization, which is always responding to disasters around the world, is directly impacted by the disaster in this case.

Sometimes when we are in deepest grief, we think Jesus is not showing up but trust what you know about Him to be true. Read the Scriptures that remind you that He walks with you.

In a culture that so often switches the price tags so what’s valuable looks worthless and what’s cheap demands a high price, we must regularly withdraw to Scripture and ask God’s Spirit to train our minds and consciences to recognize what’s truly good and what’s truly evil.

My best friend and I had a divine appointment not long ago—through a series of unusual circumstances. I told the person we met, “This is no accident that we are here talking with you. God had this planned. He does things like that. This is what we call a divine appointment.”

There are many reasons to obey what God commands us in Scripture. Here are five of them I’ve reminded myself of over the years.