An 11-year-old little girl lies dying in a hospital bed. Her red hair matted, and her frail body shrinking under the power of leukemia. As the hospital workers pass in the hall, their eyes are drawn to the countless wires and tubes, and to her precious, painful eyes. Whatever their mood before, now a dark, sinking feeling pulls them down from inside. Oh, that poor little girl, they think to themselves. What a terrible thing.

So, what would you say to her or to her parents? What would be your message of hope? Do you have one? Continue Reading »

[This is Part 2 of a 2-part article. For Part 1 click here.] 

Why didn’t God stop Adam from sinning in the first place?

So we have an explanation of death and suffering’s entrance into the world. But, if God is so powerful and so good, why didn’t he just stop Adam from sinning in the first place or suspend the consequences of Adam’s actions? Good question.

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[This is Part 1 of a 2 part article. Click here for Part 2.] 

You may not know this, but Ted Turner once planned to be a Christian missionary (if you aren’t aware-that is, if you live on Mars-he is now a vocal atheist). His slide from faith started when his younger sister, Mary Jane, came down with a horrible disease. The National Review put it this way:

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I was 25 when it all fell apart. Raised in a poor family in Virginia, I had pulled myself up by my bootstraps and should have been on my way to the top. Six years before I joined the Air Force to escape my hometown, the town that held so many years of bad memories for me. I worked hard while in the service: I won awards, was promoted early, and worked my way through school. The day I left for home was the day I graduated from college! I was proud and wanted to go out and earn my fortune and never look back. But, apparently, I wasn’t the only one with a plan.

My first job was with a rich, shrewd businessman named Bob. Bob hired me to do sales for his company and managed to get me to sign all sorts of employment agreements. When Bob was done with me, I was bound by all sorts of legal agreements-bottom line: leaving Bob would be a costly affair.

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Like many of you, I’m sure, I struggle to find peace in my life. It seems like no matter how ‘good’ things are going, my mind finds a way to worry or be anxious. The other day I jotted down some of the things that have helped me over the years to get my life in the right perspective. After I wrote them down I prayed through the list twice and asked God to make these principles active in my life and grant me peace. It really helped. Maybe they will help you too.

1. No one has any power over your life but God. Not your boss, or your husband, or your wife, or the government, or the company, or the cancer. The immense, overwhelming, never-dying God has your life in His hands.
2. God is in the future now working good for you. You are worried about tomorrow because you can’t control it. The Lord has no such limitation and is already working things to bring good for you. He won’t tell you what; you just have to trust Him.
3. God will be there tomorrow when you get there. You’ll need help tomorrow, like you need today. And the Father will be there, active, involved, engaged in whatever He has for you on that day. Continue Reading »