Posts Tagged ‘suffering’
The Problem of Other People’s Suffering
by Matthew W. Bassford I first encountered the classical statement of the problem of human suffering in a religious studies class in college. The professor wrote on the board, “If God could stop suffering and chooses not to, He is not perfectly good. If God wants to stop suffering and can’t, He is not perfectly…
Read MoreHow do I deal with fears of suffering before I die?
Question: I’m afraid of the amount of suffering I might have to go through when I die one day. I wish God would let me die in my sleep so I don’t have to be sick with something like cancer. I have depression over my fears. How do I deal with this? Answer: “So do…
Read MoreThe Good Side to the Down Side of Life
by Tau Alpha Kappa (i.e. anonymous) Sentry Magazine, September 1999 I Peter 1. 6- 7 says something extraordinary in that it points out there is a good side to the downside of life. ”Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial…
Read MoreThere Will Be Difficult Times
by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreSongs in the Night
by Judy Chappelear Sentry Magazine, June 2002 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken … ” That scripture was taken from Acts 16:25-26. We recall that Paul…
Read MoreIn the Hour of Trial
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 22:54-62 I. Without a doubt, Peter loved Jesus A. When others sat in the boat in fear, it was Peter who wanted to go out to meet Jesus – Matthew 14:28-31 B. When Jesus spoke of his abandonment on the Mount of Olives – Matthew 26:31-32 1. Specifically Jesus told Peter that…
Read MoreThe Difference Between a Man and a Dog
by Jeffery Kingry Sentry Magazine, June 2000 Mark Twain once quipped, “If you find a shivering, starving dog, take him home to your hearth and make him prosperous, he will not bite you if you attempt to pick him up. This is the main difference between a man and a dog. ” Photo by Jordan Koons…
Read MoreHow can trials be counted as joy?
Question: I struggle with the idea of being joyful during trials. I know James said, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4),…
Read MoreMabel’s Story
by Tom Schmidt (abridged) The state-run convalescent home is not a pleasant place. It is large, understaffed, and overfilled with senile, helpless, and lonely people who are waiting to die. On the brightest days, it seems dark inside and smells of sickness and stale urine. I went there once or twice a week for four…
Read MoreLessons from Illness
by Jefferson David Tant Some years ago, while recuperating from two emergency room admissions and two subsequent surgeries, there was been plenty of time to think and reflect on some lessons that such experiences can teach us. Lesson #1 – Life Is Uncertain We all have plans for great things we are going to do…
Read More