The Pitfall of Misapplying God's Word

During the months since my amazing experience that I call The Parallel Journey I have been driven back many times to the familiar Scripture, Jeremiah 29:11.  God undoubtedly used it in obvious ways to give me peace and courage before facing major surgery for lung cancer, and even again later to encourage me on the slow path of rehabilitation.

Suffering

This week I had the opportunity to respond to some missionary friends who had written about going through a fiery trial.  A family member who had what was to have been a short surgical procedure now has a serious infection and faces a long recovery period.  Their plans for continuing in a critically needed ministry in Africa are now delayed and, possibly, significantly changed.  Our temptation is to question why God would allow this to happen, as though suffering were some foreign thing to those who strive to live an obedient Christian life.

The Day I Gave Up – Afterthoughts

When I wrote in my last post about my experience of finally giving up – not hope, but the struggle to do things my way – I can imagine some readers wondering if that was, in fact, the moment when I became a true follower of Christ…when I was saved from eternal separation from God.

The Day I Gave Up

I’ll never forget the day I gave up.  I had been struggling for weeks to work my way out of this situation.

It all began during my first term in grad school to earn a master in EE (electrical engineering).  The transition had been hard for me because I had majored in physics at a liberal arts college – two very different disciplines and worlds.