In 1860 Andersonville, Georgia was a little town of less than 20 people. It would have long ago disappeared and been forgotten, had it not been for one thing. In 1863 the Confederate States of America built near Andersonville their main prisoner of war camp for captured Union soldiers in the American Civil War. […]
580) Gratitude Even in the Worst Circumstances Read More »
Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us. ‘We have all we want’ is a terrible saying when ‘all’ does not include God. We then find God to be an interruption. As St Augustine says somewhere, “God wants to give us
(continued…) If one looks only on the surface, only at whether or not the people in the story get what they want, then God’s distribution of blessings and afflictions in the Bible and in all of life is indeed strange, and not at all fair. II Kings 15 tells of the reign of
545) Suffering Builds Character (part two) Read More »
Years ago when my kids were at home and would tell me their troubles, I’d listen sympathetically. I would give them whatever advice I could come up with at the time, and then I’d say, “And don’t forget, as the Bible says, suffering builds character, so in the long run all this trouble
544) Suffering Builds Character (part one) Read More »
Buddhism says, “Those who love a hundred have a hundred woes. Those who love ten have ten woes. Those who love one have one woe. Those who love none have no woe.” Christianity says, “He who does not love remains in death.” –Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, page 92. ******************************* John 13:34-35 — (Jesus said), “A
494) Buddhism and Christianity Read More »
By Randy Alcorn, from his January 3, 2014 blog at http://www.epm.org In this conversation from my novel Deception, Jake and Clarence challenge Ollie’s desire for both freedom to choose and freedom from evil’s consequences: ——————————————————— “You believe in free choice?” Jake asked. “Yeah.” “Doesn’t free choice demand the freedom to choose evil?” “Not
279) Real Choices Without Consequences? Read More »
By C. S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain My own experience is something like this. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary contentedly godless condition, absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends or a bit of work that tickles my vanity, a holiday, or a new book,
112) On Why We Must Be Afflicted Read More »
Today’s meditation is again from the book “Sometimes Miracles Hide” by Bruce Carroll (see meditations #39 and #40). It is another of the letters that Carroll received from someone with a handicapped child. Dear Bruce, My life is in your song. When I first became pregnant, I had no idea what the Lord
Pictured above: Scars of a whipped slave named Peter, photo taken at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1863. In his own words, “Overseer Artayou Carrier whipped me. I was two months in bed sore from the whipping. My master come after I was whipped, and he discharged the overseer.” The slave pictured here escaped from a plantation
34) Two Slave Preachers and Their Masters Read More »
