Earlier in Jesus’ ministry the disciples asked Jesus a question concerning a man who was born blind, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” The common belief among the Jews during this time was that great calamity fell upon those who had greatly sinned before God. Jesus [...]
One of the unfortunate symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis is the miscommunication that takes place between the peripheral nerves (say, the small nerves in your feet) and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). It is common for a person with Multiple Sclerosis to feel as if worms are crawling on the skin, bolts [...]
On March 3, 2014 I slowly walked into Dr. ******’s office at Wheeling Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia. Someone had cancelled their appointment and the neurologist was able to “fit me in.” I was thankful, because the day prior I was told I would not be able to see a neurologist in the immediate [...]
During their second missionary journey, Paul and his fellow missionaries attempted to go into several areas in order to preach the Gospel but were prevented by the Spirit each time (Acts 16:5-8). Finally, Paul received a vision in which a man of Macedonia “…prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (9). [...]
One of the mental hurdles sufferers have to overcome is the age-old question, “Why me?” The longing to understand “Why me?” often transforms itself into a different question, “What did I do to deserve this?” For Christians who are suffering, these questions can often be translated into “What sin have I committed to deserve [...]
In the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold S. Kushner writes conversationally to the sufferer and establishes himself as someone who has “skin in the game” as he recounts how his son Aaron suffered from a disease called Progeria (“rapid aging”) which led to his premature death. Kushner knows suffering, his [...]
The goal of this post is not to stoke the fire between “liberals” and “conservatives.” I am not into politics unless I am watching this video (click) or this video (click). I purposely waited for the Planned Parenthood videos revealing adults negotiating prices for dismembered “fetal tissue” to largely disappear before posting this article. [...]
That’s not typically the first thing you think of when suffering – at least, I know it wasn’t for me. Sometimes our suffering overwhelms us and we can’t think of anything else. Sometimes we just prefer to wallow in our self-pity, questions, and sadness. But, more about that in a moment. To begin, [...]
In times of difficulty and suffering there are three vastly different types of comforters: 1) There is a group of comforters I like to call the “self-absorbed comforters.” They appear unfazed and unconcerned about those who are suffering around them (Luke 10:30-32; Jas 2:15-16). Initially, their lack of empathy/ sympathy is very hurtful to the [...]
American society frequently uses the phrase “thank God.” More often than not, the phrase is used for a meaningless event in one’s life. “Thank God!” when a favorite show is ready to start a new season, and “thank God!” when the wait at a restaurant is short. Other times, it is used appropriately by [...]
