Category: Life Issues
J. C. Penney: A Life of Integrity
At the age of 22, James Cash Penney (1875-1971) worked as a clerk for a “Golden Rule” store. His honesty and work ethic led the owners to eventually offer him a partnership, and he opened his own store. James was so successful that he bought out...
“He Cannot Be My Disciple”: Jesus’ Conditions for Following Him
I recently traveled across the country to attend an international conference for the association that our local church is part of. When I arrived at the rental agency, they presented me with certain terms and conditions for my contract. I needed to be at least 25...
Understanding Suffering: Insights from Job
Where does suffering come from? Doesn’t God promise to protect us from suffering? The Book of Job provides divine wisdom meant to help us wrestle with these difficult questions by exploring the moral complexities of one godly man’s suffering. Here are five observations from Job’s suffering...
The Best Conversation I Ever Had
I am surprised that after so many decades I still remember one remarkable conversation as the best I’ve ever had outside of my immediate family. I’ve often reflected on it with amazement. A cousin by marriage met me in a restaurant in a suburb outside of...
The Christian’s Marital Conflict Resolution Triangle, Part 2
Remember the “triangular” conflict resolution strategy we are discussing in this four-part series, with the three equally important sides being truth, humility, and love. In Part 1 we began discussing the first side of the triangle — truth — with two points: First, marriage must be...
His Father and Ours
We probably all have a story of accidentally leaving a child behind somewhere. Maybe you arrived home from church with one less child. I once knew a guy who left his wife behind at a rest stop. Accidentally. When twelve-year-old Jesus was left behind at the...
Learning From Job: How We Should Think About Suffering
“Just as sure as sparks fly upward, likewise man is born for trouble” (Job 5:7). All of us are either coming out of a trial, in the midst of a trial, or will soon be going into a trial. When suffering comes, where will we find...
Purpose Until Death
I queried an older man who had become a dear friend with a pointedly stark question: what is your purpose in life? He is advanced in years. He ought to know by now. The question struck home, and he teared up trying to answer it. He...
“You Don’t Have to Say Something Biblical Right Away,” and Other Better Ways to Encourage Newly Suffering Believers
Believers suffer for the benefit of other suffering believers. Paul told the Corinthians that the affliction he and his team experienced in Asia was so difficult that “we despaired of life itself. Indeed we felt that we had received the sentence of death” (2 Cor 1:8b-9a)....
Come to Jesus…Right Now!
Perhaps you have heard the gospel before. But you have not yet come to Jesus or believed in him to save you. What can you do? First, hear the gospel again and be sure you understand who Jesus is, what he has done to deliver sinners,...
