Topic > When Life Hurts
Trading guilt and shame for rescue and relief
Have you ever practiced “self-protection,” where you hide your failures and try to control how people perceive you? Today on Discover the Word, the group talks about how King David’s attempt to hide his sins put him in a precarious place with God. That is, until he confessed and was able to trade his songs […]
Broken and Shaken, but Far from Forsaken
I grew up in Chile; life was good then. My father had an important position in a large company and my mother worked as an army nurse. We led a carefree existence in a neighborhood away from civilization.
I Have Depression and This Is What I Want You to Know
I never thought that I would have depression. It seemed like something only strangers had. Even when a close friend of mine struggled with depression a few years ago, I couldn’t relate to what she was going through. I just thought of it as a really low period some people had and would eventually get out of, if only they tried hard enough.
Reliving the Horrific 2015 Nepal Earthquake
25 April 2015. It was the day my friend came to Nepal to visit me (I was mid-way through my one-year missions stint in Nepal). It was also the day the world witnessed the most horrific earthquake to strike Nepal since 1934.
Fiery Trials
Fire can be one of the worst enemies of trees. But it can also be helpful. Experts say that small, frequent fires called “cool” fires clean the forest floor of dead leaves and branches but don’t destroy the trees. They leave behind ashes, which are perfect for seeds to grow in. Surprisingly, low-intensity fires are necessary for healthy growth of trees.
Similarly, trials—pictured as fire in the Bible—are necessary for our spiritual health and growth (1 Peter 1:7; 4:12). James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the…
A Letter To All First-Year Students
Hey there, You made it! You’ve survived the plane, bus, or train ride and have arrived at a new season of life. Welcome to university—your home for the next three to four years!
A Bubble Break
A young boy showered my husband, Carl, and me with bubbles as he came running by us on the Atlantic City boardwalk. It was a light and fun moment on a difficult day. We had come to the city to visit our brother-in-law in the hospital and to help Carl’s sister who was struggling and having trouble getting to her doctors’ appointments. So as we took a break and walked along the seaside boardwalk we were feeling a bit overwhelmed by the needs of our family.
Then came the bubbles. Just bubbles blown at us whimsically by a little boy…
“Because You Prayed”
What do you do with your worries? Do you turn them inward, or turn them upward? When the brutal Assyrian King Sennacherib was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, he sent a message to King Hezekiah saying that Judah would be no different from all the other nations he had conquered. Hezekiah took this message to the […]
Navigating The Storms Of Life
Although it would be nice to believe otherwise, problems and trials are an inevitable part of life. In this excerpt of True North, author Gary Inrig encourages you to fix your compass on God as your constant reference point in navigating the storms of life. Discover how you can stay on course and weather the storm when His Word becomes the active tool for directing your life.
Chin Up
Emil was a homeless man who spent a whole year looking down at the pavement as he plodded around the city day after day. He was ashamed to meet the eyes of others in case they recognized him, for his life had not always been lived out on the streets. Even more than that, he was intent on finding a coin that had been dropped or a half-smoked cigarette. His downward focus became such a habit that the bones of his spine began to become fixed in that position so that he had great difficulty in straightening up at all.
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Why Does God Allow Some to Suffer More Than Others?
At a recent political conference, I had the opportunity to meet individuals from different countries, many of whom were currently living amid political uncertainty. Listening to the struggles they faced in their own countries, I was intrigued.
Test Match
A test match in the game of cricket can be grueling. Competitors play from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with lunch and tea breaks, but the games can last up to 5 days. It’s a test of endurance as well as skill.
The tests we face in life are sometimes intensified for a similar reason. They feel unending. The long search for a job, an unbroken season of loneliness, or a lengthy battle with cancer is made even more difficult by the fact that you wonder if it will ever end.
Perhaps that is why the psalmist cried out, “How long, Lord,…
Dealing with the “Death Knock’”
The words “death knock” is enough to make my knees go weak and my hands go clammy. A “death knock” involves a journalist showing up on the doorstep of a family who has just lost a loved one for a story.
“Time heals all wounds” . . . or does it?
It’s a common expression “Time heals all wounds,” but is it really true? Today on Discover the Word, author Jeff Manion maintains it’s not time that makes the difference during times of transition but the choices we make while we’re in that “Land Between.” Jeff rejoins our team to talk about that precarious land where […]
God’s not put off by our honest complaints
Any pastor can tell you that too much whining in the wilderness wears a leader down. It did for Moses. He complained to God and told Him the load of leadership was too much to bear! Today on Discover the Word, the group and pastor and author Jeff Manion discuss how God’s not put off […]
