Do we live in troubled times? Of course we do. I don't need to give you a litany of the terrible things happening in our world. You see it 24/7 on your news feed, social media, and from the people around you who are sharing and passing along more of the same. It is a …
Category: suffering
Why Is There Suffering?
If you have taken a breath in life you have at some point wondered why bad things happen. Maybe it was "Why did that earthquake, fire, car crash, or disease, happen to those people?" Chances are it was far more personal, Why did that happen to me? It's possible, even likely, that you cried out …
Death, Destruction, and Dedication in Eastern India
In the fall of 2008 the Indian state of Orissa was rocked by a shocking wave of violence. Tens of thousands of Hindus went on a month-long rampage against local Christians. By the time the violence ended more than 60 pastors were killed, mostly beaten to death by mobs, and 100 churches or church related …
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It’s Still Dangerous to Follow Jesus
You probably remember something from a history class somewhere in your past that during the first few centuries after Christ, that His followers were periodically arrested, beaten, thrown to the Lions and under Emperor Nero, covered in tar and set on fire as street lamps for the city of Rome. But you probably have the …
Provocative Bible Verses: When Submission is a Bad Thing
A recent post on the topic of submission in the Bible has received a fair amount of response in the way of readers and comments. A couple of those readers pointed out a missing piece in what I said. Put simply the question would be, is there ever a time when a Christian should refuse …
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Suffering has it’s Up Side
In fourth grade we had an incubator in class filled with eggs. Day after day we looked into the incubator to see if there were any tell-tale signs of cracks in the eggs that would be the sign that the chicks inside were beginning to hatch. When that first chick started to peck its way …
Provocative Bible Verses: The Fellowship of Suffering
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" Philippians 3:10 We met the first week of sixth grade. I was the new kid in the class and as it turned out we lived two streets apart. In one …
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The Provocative Christian 