By Frederick Buechner (1926-2022) in Wishful Thinking (1973). Above painting of Job by Russian painter Ilya Repin (1844-1930) ********************************** Job 1:14-19 — One day, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, […]
2899) A Brief Summary of the Book of Job Read More »
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809-April 15, 1865) remained skeptical, and at times even cynical, about religion until into his forties. So it is a most striking thing how personal and national suffering drew Lincoln into the reality of God, rather than pushing him away. In 1862, when Lincoln was 53 years old, his
2859) Driven to His Knees Read More »
Affliction is God’s shepherd dog to drive us back to the fold. –Anonymous God sweetens outward pain with inward peace. –Thomas Watson When we grow careless of keeping our souls, then God recovers our taste of good things again by sharp crosses. –Richard Sibbes God measures out affliction to our need. –St. John Chrysostom, Homily
2799) Thinking About Our Troubles Read More »
By John Piper, at http://www.desiringgod.org, January 21, 2013 The racial world I grew up in and the one we live in today are amazingly different. Racism remains in many forms in America and around the world. But in the days of my youth the segregation was almost absolute and the defense of it
2761) “I Have Seen the Promised Land” Read More »
Image above: The death mask of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). Pascal, a mathematical genius and inventor, suffered from many ailments and died at the age of 39. He became a Christian as an adult, and is the author of “Pensees”, a collection of thoughts on his faith and the reasons for his conversion. This powerful prayer
2756) Praying to Make Good Use of Sickness Read More »
Above photo: Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon in Beach Party, 1963 ********************** Annette Funicello (1942-2013) in The Mickey Mouse Club, 1956 ———————— “The Asterisk in an Obituary” by Robert Petterson, in The One Year Book of Amazing Stories, Tyndale, 2018, pages 537-538. ——————————– She was as cute as a button, the first crush for a
2669) America’s Favorite Mouseketeer Read More »
In the classic Life Together Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes how we should live together as Christians. In the following selections, he describes how to deal with those difficulties we all face in our relationships: bearing with people who are a burden to us, forgiving those who have wronged us, and praying for others, especially for those we
2614) When Others are a Burden Read More »
From Loving God, by Chuck Colson, 1983, Zondervan, pages 242-243 In the fourth century there had been an Asiatic monk who had spent most of his life in a remote community of prayer, raising vegetables for the cloister kitchen. When he was not tending his garden spot, he was fulfilling his vocation of study and prayer.
2490) One Monk vs. the Gladiators Read More »
Pictured above: A young Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln ———————————— “The Slow Fires of Misery: Enduring the Pain of a Flawed Marriage” By John Piper, A Godward Life, pages 33-35, Multnomah, 1997. Quotes are from “The Struggle for Lincoln’s Soul,” by Mark Noll, in Books and Culture, September/October 1995 issue. ————————————————- Abraham Lincoln’s marriage was
2465) The Lincoln’s Unhappy Marriage Read More »
(…continued) Three months later (pages 99-100): Thirteen weeks after the accident David told me the details. He told me quietly, peacefully, matter-of-factly that he had seen the car coming at him and Johnny. I was stunned. I wonder how many of these scenarios are packed away inside the minds of the
2457) Patience, Until… (2 of 2) Read More »
