Posts with the category “suffering”

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerus...  Read More

In last week’s Pulse, in light of the atrocities in the Middle East, I began a four-part series on lament, a type of prayer God gives us to process our grief. In his book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, Mark...  Read More

Over the weekend, Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas launched an invasion against Israel. We mourn for yet another senseless war, for lives lost and survivors who will never be the same, and we ...  Read More

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV)If you are a fan of the television reality show Survivor, you know every player’s ultimate goal—the one that shapes just...  Read More

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The...  Read More

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your tho...  Read More

Today’s Pulse article is adapted from the December 10th, 2019 Pulse.“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)As a preacher, I often quote from C.S. Lewis, because, w...  Read More

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15)It is hard to know how to best respond to the ongoing tragedies in our country and world. On May 24th, an 18-year-old gunman t...  Read More

“Dear children, let us not love not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).As I was reading Diane Langberg’s Suffering and the Heart of God last week, I came across this dev...  Read More

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,...  Read More

We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)Life is hard, and we can not always figure out what God is up to, or what good He could possibly bring through the difficult situations in which we o...  Read More

Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old  unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. (Lamentations 5:21-22)As I was preparing for the...  Read More

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.” (Psalm 130:1-2)In my preparation for the current sermon series on lament, one reality t...  Read More

I am currently in a preaching series on suffering, loss, lament, and trust. In light of this, some brave men and women of NewLife will be sharing their own stories of learning to trust God through suf...  Read More

This past Sunday, I began a new preaching series on suffering, loss, lament, and trust. In light of this, some brave men and women of NewLife will be sharing their own stories of learning to trust God...  Read More

This Sunday, I will begin a new preaching series on suffering, loss, lament, and trust, using Lamentation and the Psalms of lament as the backdrop. In light of this, I am replaying what I wrote on thi...  Read More

Today’s post is adapted from the August 15th, 2017 post. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God fore...  Read More

Today’s Pulse article is adapted from the September 25th, 2018 Pulse.“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)As a preacher, I often quote from C.S. Lewis, because, ...  Read More

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)This past Sunday, I began preaching through the book ...  Read More

Today’s post is adapted from the October 10th, 2017 Pulse “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)I recently complete...  Read More

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)As a preacher, I often quote from C.S. Lewis, because, well, that’s what evangelical preachers do. I must confess, however, ...  Read More

Today's post is adapted from the January 31st, 2017 post.“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, a...  Read More

During the months of June & July, I want to take the opportunity in the Pulse to remember some of our brothers and sisters in the faith who have gone before us into the presence of Jesus. Paul writes ...  Read More

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart ma...  Read More

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but ...  Read More

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”(1 Corinthians 15:58)...  Read More

And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)In my spare time, I have been taking a class at a time towards a degree in cou...  Read More

This week’s post is written by Houston pastor Mike Ayers and is taken from this site. In light of the flooding and devastation happening in Texas, I thought it would be appropriate to hear from someon...  Read More

As we go through the Psalms this summer, I would love to have some guest writers share about how God uses music to minister to you, or specific songs that help you in your relationship with God. Conta...  Read More

Today’s Pulse is adapted from the March 11th, 2014 Pulse.If there is no God, suffering has no ultimate meaning, since we all will die and cease to exist. But even with a belief in God, suffering can f...  Read More

Today's post is adapted from the November 24th, 2015 post.“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)As a preacher, I often quote from C.S. Lewis, because, well, that’...  Read More

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmiti...  Read More

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but ...  Read More

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire...  Read More

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life...  Read More

Today’s post is reprinted from the September 4th, 2012 blog. It is one of my all-time favorite illustrations, and I find it worth reading and reflecting on often. It is an excerpt from Charles Spurgeo...  Read More

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)As a preacher, I often quote from C.S. Lewis, because, well, that’s what evangelical preachers do. I must confess, however, ...  Read More

This past Sunday I preached on the fact that God is eternal, that He exists outside of time and is fully present to every moment of time at once. He is the Alpha and Omega, the one who was there in th...  Read More

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)Over the past ten weeks,...  Read More

“It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will als...  Read More