During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrew 5:7 Before Easter, I often think of what Jesus went through in the Garden of […]
Read More...When we tell the truth, a truth that needs to be known but that no one wants to hear, we’ll most likely lose friends—possibly a lot of friends. We’ll be ostracized. That’s what happened to Jesus. And that’s what happens to people who call out for Jesus’s truth to be heard today. With pain […]
Read More...To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21 At times we face unjust suffering, not as extreme as Jesus’ crucifixion, but painful, nevertheless. This calls for us to look to Jesus as our example – to fix […]
Read More...When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:33-34 (First published […]
Read More...Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, […]
Read More...…if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10 In the early days of Living Room* I spoke much about what I called other-centeredness – the opposite of self-centeredness. This […]
Read More...I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11 I wondered to myself: As Jesus hung on the cross, did he feel compassion from anyone? Did anyone […]
Read More...Very sad, but very true. Too many, even those close to her, question the truth of her story. And I wonder, how can a hurting person possibly convince others when wrongdoings have taken place behind closed doors? How can a person with mental health issues possibly defend herself against a powerful leader – a […]
Read More...You never completely lose the memories of trauma, they say. And I know that to be true. Triggers come at the most unexpected times, even during a sermon at church. There’s not anything particularly different about the sermon. But at times it does lead one’s mind to reliving experiences in your life – […]
Read More...I know I wasn’t going to write any more of my story. I claimed that I had recovered. However, traumatic memories don’t go away so easily. Writing whenever I felt bad was helpful. But yesterday bad memories – especially one – came back, leaving me weeping in church. And I had nowhere to go […]
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