Do you agree – – “time” is the aspect of suffering that makes it so difficult? I have been preparing for months a sermon series: A Journey With Job: Seeing and Savoring the Beauty of Christ Amid the Long Walk…
Job: Preaching Propositions
During our upcoming series on Job in the Fall, we will see that Christ alone is sufficient to sustain us through whatever suffering we may face. He is the only one who can truly see us through the inevitable pain…
9 Reasons Tim Keller’s Book on Suffering is Superb
I am not given to hyperbole. I’m the guy who starts a debate when someone uses words like “ever” or “all.” But here goes with a strong statement anyway. As a pastor, who who shepherds people, I would assert that…
“Men seek an explanation of suffering in cause and effect”
Francis Anderson, in his splendid little commentary on Job, compares how human beings view suffering with the biblical view: Men seek an explanation of suffering in cause and effect. They look backwards for a connection between prior sin and present…
“Once you are in a crisis, there is not time . . .”
This Fall, I am super motivated to be used by God to help people prepare for the sorts of crises we will all inevitably face. Tim Keller writing on the importance of preparing for a crisis before it happens: Once…
When Suffering Avoid “I Hate Thee” and “I Hate Me”
Good theology will help us avoid blaming God (“I hate Thee”) or improperly blaming ourselves (“I hate me”) when we face great difficulty. I continue to prepare for my Fall series on the book of Job. As a part of…
“Job is a fireball book”
I continue to think about the family in our community who lost everything in a fire at the same time that their twelve year old’s son was broken in an accident. At the same time, I am preparing my fall…
Does the book of Job offer an explanation for why people suffer?
I am preparing to preach this coming fall on the book of Job. This week, I am studying with a group with Dr. John Walton of Wheaton College. One of the first questions that comes up when studying Job is…
Hurting On Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is a wonderful time to be thankful for maternity. But the celebration of Mother’s Day can also focus pain.* I am taking the time this week to pray on my knees for women in several categories. I know…
Christian Books on Pain and Suffering
Christian books on pain and suffering shouldn’t give simplistic answers. Yancey is right, “Why?” is a question that doesn’t go away. I am preparing for a series on Job this fall at the Red Brick Church– – and I’m a…