The concept of suffering is as relevant in 2021 as it has ever been in human history. We see it continually addressed in books by self-help gurus, Christian theologians, and Buddhist monks. The issue of theodicy, or “why do we suffer”, will probably always remain a question. But one question that can be answered is, […]
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Verses for Hope: Tapping into the Power of God
The Bible is a book of many messages, and one of the strongest messages is the importance of having hope. St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13, states that hope is one of the three most important qualities to have, along with faith and love. Unfortunately, hope gets a bad rap in our age of […]
Waiting: The Hardest Part! Some Verses to Help Us
As we learn the Scriptures, and commit them to memory, we draw closer to God. I offer the following short and meaningful verses that mention waiting, followed by a few verses mentioning patience.
God’s Finest Creation
You are just as complex as any technological triumph out there – and actually more complex. You have the ability to decide between right and wrong, a faculty for moral judgment; you have imagination, the capacity to think of and understand the abstract; you can appreciate the beauty of this world and envision the beauty of the next.
God will enlighten my darkness — Reflections on Psalm 18
Suffering, hardship, struggle, adversity – and simply, pain – are all part of the texture of life. But we are blessed, for there is light that comes to us from God in these periods of darkness.
You brought us to a place of abundance — A look at Psalm 66:12
“We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” (Psalm 66:12, NIV) Hopefully you have not had the experiences of being trapped in an inferno or of drowning. However, the psalmist here uses his amazing capacity for metaphor to capture the way we feel during adversity and suffering. […]
The Lord is my refuge and my fortress – Reflections on Psalm 91:2
Psalm 91 was the favorite psalm of General Charles Gordon, a symbol of heroism and chivalry during the Victorian period in Great Britain. His indomitable courage took him to suppress bloody civil wars in China and the Sudan. The psalm is filled with military metaphors, and presents a thundering image of our triumph through God.
The coronavirus: If you want peace, prepare for boredom!
Today begins the fourth day in which strict regulations have been put in place regarding the coronavirus: curfews for businesses, restrictions on gatherings, and forcefully suggested closures. However, by just noontime yesterday – only two and a half days in – I was being told again and again by different people how bored they were. […]
Healthcare: America’s Most Serious Illness
Several years ago, when living in Shanghai, I wrote a series of articles for the Global Times newspaper about the state of healthcare in China. A friend of mine was so appalled by reading about the conditions in China’s healthcare system that she jokingly gave me the following advice on how to handle it: “Don’t […]
Getting Closer to God: Trusting vs. Understanding
I was recently asked how we can understand God better – specifically, His decisions and what happens to us. The answer is that “understanding God” is essentially a contradiction in terms. No amount of theological study can bring us to understanding the ways of God. If it did, the human race would most probably have […]