Much of the support directed toward former President Trump in his survival of the assassination attempt includes a sentiment that reflects God’s “protection” of the former President. I’ve also heard “divine intervention” and “God’s providence” attributed to the failed assassination attempt. This all could be very true. But to … [Read more...]
Life Will Grow out of Pittsburgh’s “Tree of Life” Tragedy
There is something for us to pay attention to given that the worst anti-Semitic mass killing in U.S. history occurred in a synagogue named “Tree of Life” during a service of circumcision when life is celebrated. As an adherent to the Christian faith, I’ve had a deep love and respect for the Jewish faith and have been blessed … [Read more...]
VLOG: Three-Minute Thought on The Holy Snort Cry
If Jesus doesn’t miraculously fix our problem, He will ugly cry with us through our problem. Or, he may do both: miraculously fix and ugly cry. The scene in John 11 of Jesus and His friends dealing with the death of their friend Lazarus gives us great insight into the question “Where is God?” when we find ourselves in the middle … [Read more...]
Vlog: Expectations and Breaking Up with God
Many relationship problems can be traced back to incongruent expectations. The same can be said regarding a relationship with God. We expect certain things from an all-powerful, all-loving God. And if God doesn't meet our expectations, we break up. But as a scene in Acts 12 shows us, we may be ascribing the wrong expectations to … [Read more...]
Questions of God’s Goodness
Hurricane destruction, like that of other natural disasters, starkly displays the conundrum that we live in with regard to bad things happening under the watch of a good God. One family prays for preservation and rescue and is preserved and saved. God is good! Another family, maybe even next door, prays the same … [Read more...]
Exploring Loss and Suffering with Teens
Today’s teens experience loss in varied shapes and sizes: loss of innocence, loss of security, loss of dreams, as well as daily frustration losses like loss of homework, loss of phone, loss of friendships. And all too many teens face the ultimate loss through the death of classmates, friends, and parents. In my own work as a … [Read more...]