Did you have a spiritual crisis and turn to God in grief, “Why Lord?” when a container ship hit the Key Bridge in Baltimore, and six people lost their lives? You were likely saddened and even appalled. My guess is that the disaster was like the many, many other disasters that happen so frequently; theyContinue reading “Is God to blame for the times life goes wrong? – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 1”
Tag Archives: pain
A prayer that reveals God’s heart for the hurting – 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, Part 5
When we are going through difficulties in life, we wonder if God sees or cares. When our difficulties are prolonged and our prayers seem unanswered, we can really doubt God. This week on the blog, we’ve been studying 1st Samuel 1:1-2:11, the story of a woman, Hannah, who was battling infertility, and it seemed toContinue reading “A prayer that reveals God’s heart for the hurting – 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, Part 5”
How and what to pray when you have reached a breaking point – 1st Samuel 1:1-2:11, Part 3
Have you ever observed a stranger weeping? Did you approach them and ask, “Are you okay?” Typically when someone is weeping, we have sympathy for them. Maybe even empathy, because most of us know what it feels like to be so distraught that we are weeping bitterly. Similarly, in our story this week, 1st SamuelContinue reading “How and what to pray when you have reached a breaking point – 1st Samuel 1:1-2:11, Part 3”
A Lament for Dark Days – 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, Preview
“Hello darkness, my old friend.” Can you imagine singing that lyric during a worship service? No? Me neither. It’s the start of the Simon & Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence.” Great song, but we probably wouldn’t sing it as a praise to God in a worship service. What about this line: “Why, O Lord,Continue reading “A Lament for Dark Days – 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, Preview”
The power of words to heal or harm – Speaking life to one another, Part 2
This week I welcome guest blogger, Kirk Marks. Kirk is a retired pastor, having served 30+ years in both local churches with his wife, Debbie, and in denominational administration. He has also taught theology and led a pastoral assessment center for many years. He and Debbie, along with their two daughters and son-in-law are membersContinue reading “The power of words to heal or harm – Speaking life to one another, Part 2”
Confidence in the middle of pain – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving, Part 5
This week we’ve studied the parallel structure of Psalm 30. We’ve found matching points here, here, and here, and now we are left with verse 6, for which there is no match. It is the center of the structure. Because it doesn’t have a match, that means it is David’s most important point. What does heContinue reading “Confidence in the middle of pain – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving, Part 5”
How to pray when you’re down – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving, Part 2
The ancient Hebrews often uses parallel structures in their writing, and we see it throughout the Hebrew Bible, which we call the Old Testament. It seems that Psalm 30 was written with one of those structures. Here’s the way they work. The opening matches the closing. The second main point matches the second to lastContinue reading “How to pray when you’re down – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving, Part 2”
Can you feel others’ pain? – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving
The Netflix show Black Mirror is about the future. Each episode is a standalone, with no connection to the rest of the episodes, so they’re like mini-movies. The theme of Black Mirror is to imagine what the future will be like if medicine, artificial intelligence, social media and electronics continue to advance. In particular, BlackContinue reading “Can you feel others’ pain? – Advent Psalm of Thanksgiving”
How lament provides empathy in our despair – Advent Psalms of Lament, Part 3
This week I welcome guest blogger, Jeff Byerly. Jeff is my pastoral colleague, friend, ThD classmate, and traveling partner! He and his wife Tasha have two daughters, a son-in-law and new grandbaby! In the first post, I mentioned the zeitgeist that we seem to be under—with things beyond our control. It’s always been this way,Continue reading “How lament provides empathy in our despair – Advent Psalms of Lament, Part 3”
When life is bitter pill – Advent Psalms of Lament, Part 2
This week I welcome guest blogger, Jeff Byerly. Jeff is my pastoral colleague, friend, ThD classmate, and traveling partner! He and his wife Tasha have two daughters, a son-in-law and new grandbaby! As I mentioned in the previous post, we will turn our hearts toward lament in order to turn our heads upward toward God’sContinue reading “When life is bitter pill – Advent Psalms of Lament, Part 2”
Engaging Scripture 