Topic > Christian Living > Trust in God >
How did Paul overcome feelings of hurt and abandonment?
Have you ever felt abandoned by someone you cared about? It can be difficult recovering from that type of pain and disappointment. Join us today for an encouraging conversation on “Discover the Word.”
Paul uses surprisingly harsh words
In his previous letter, Paul chose to use words like “love,” “hope,” and “peace.” But in his final letter, the apostle closed with some pretty shocking terms! On “Discover the Word” today, we’ll have an honest discussion about people who disappoint us, as we unpack Paul’s harsh words for a former friend.
In The Same Boat
When the cruise ship pulled into port, the passengers got off as quickly as possible. They had spent the last few days enduring an outbreak of a virus, and hundreds of people had been sickened. One passenger, interviewed as he disembarked, said: “Well, I don’t mean to complain so much. I mean I know everybody was in the same boat.” His seemingly unintentional pun made the reporter smile.
What Does It Mean to Hope?
I recently bought a pair of shoes online. Naturally, I waited in great anticipation for the shoes to arrive—like kids do when anticipating the arrival of Santa on Christmas Eve. (Okay, it’s just an analogy; I don’t actually believe in Santa Claus.) Every morning, I would check the delivery status and hope to receive the […]
Facing The Impossible
In 2008, house values were tumbling in the United Kingdom. But 2 weeks after my husband and I put our home of 40 years on the market, a buyer offered us a good price and we agreed to a sale. Soon our builders started work on the house I had inherited, which would be our new home. But a few days before the sale of our old home was finalized, our buyer pulled out. We were devastated. Now we owned two properties—one whose value was tumbling rapidly, and the other a virtual ruin that we could neither sell nor move into.…
Don’t Worry!
George Burns, American actor and humorist, said, “If you ask, ‘What is the single most important key to longevity?’ I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress, and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.” Burns, who lived to be 100, enjoyed making people laugh, and apparently followed his own advice.
When We’re Let Down
On August 4, 1991, the MTS Oceanos cruise ship ran into a terrible storm off the coast of South Africa. When the ship began to sink, the captain decided to abandon ship and left with his officers, failing to notify those onboard of any problem. Passenger Moss Hills, a British musician, noticed that something was wrong and sent out a Mayday signal to the South African coast guard. Then, taking matters into their own hands, Moss, his wife Tracy, and other entertainers on board helped organize the evacuation of all passengers by assisting them as they were lifted into helicopters.
When Nothing Makes Sense
Written By Leslie Koh After spending a number of years in the media, Leslie finally decided to move from working with bad news to good news. He believes in the power of words (especially when they’re funny). He works as an editor in Our Daily Bread Ministries. Have you ever found yourself in a situation […]
Solid-Rock Faith
My wife and I both have grandmothers who have lived past 100. Talking with them and their friends, I detect a trend that seems almost universal in the reminiscences of older people: They recall difficult times with a touch of nostalgia. The elderly swap stories about World War II and the Great Depression; they speak fondly of hardships such as blizzards, the childhood outhouse, and the time in college when they ate canned soup and stale bread 3 weeks in a row.
Come To Me
Charlotte Elliott wrote the hymn “Just As I Am” in 1834. She had been an invalid for many years, and though she wanted to help with a fund-raiser for a girl’s school, she was too ill. She felt useless, and this inner distress caused her to begin doubting her faith in Christ. She wrote “Just As I Am” as a response to her doubt. The crux of her distress is perhaps best expressed in these words:
When Anxiety Gets the Better of Me
Written by Christie Frieg, USA “The map says it’ll take me 15 minutes to get there? Challenge accepted. I can do it in five.” (Oh wait, I forgot about stuff like traffic lights and speed limits. Now I’m late.) Living my life on the edge has brought me a lot of anxiety. I’m usually late, […]
Why Me?
Written By Jason Chen, Taiwan (Originally in Traditional Chinese) Why Me? That was the grabbing title of a book I read recently; a question which triggered a lot of memories. Implied in those two words is the larger question: Why does God allow people to suffer unbearable pains? There was once I asked God that […]
The “Giant” Beside Me
Written By Amy Ji, Singapore During one of my church’s mission prayer focus sessions, I heard an interesting testimony about a young missionary whom I shall refer to as “M”. Just shy of her 30th birthday, God called M to South America where she rented an affordable apartment near her office. There was only one […]
God’s Clocks
Ivisit two elderly women from time to time. One has no financial worries, is fit for her age, and lives in her own home. But she can always find something negative to say. The other is crippled with arthritis and rather forgetful. She lives in simple accommodations, and keeps a reminder pad so she won’t forget her appointments. But to every visitor to her tiny apartment, her first comment is always the same: “God is so good to me.” Handing her the reminder pad on my last visit, I noticed that she had written the day before “Out to lunch…
