The Crucible
The Gift Of The Triune God In Our Suffering
by on Oct 20th, 2010 at 3:40 am
This afternoon, I was in a meeting with the worship design team as we prepared this coming Sunday’s service. A conversation arose concerning the topic of suffering, and I don’t mean the occasional bad day type of suffering. We discussed the weight that comes with prolonged suffering: chronic pain, incurable disease, broken relationships, death of a loved one, the onset of poverty from long-term unemployment, the abysmal economic conditions that lead business owners to see the crumbling of their life’s work as well as the decisions to send people into unemployment, and the thousand other deep cuts that come from living in a sin-soaked world.
As we talked about suffering and the instruction we receive from Scripture about it, an interesting dialogue developed. We began to concentrate on God’s role in our suffering. What we found led to a time of reflection and praise that might one day soon turn into a necessary sermon for our church. I thought that I would share just a simple demonstration of the fruit that came from this discussion (and more importantly, from Scripture).
God does not allow useless suffering to overcome the lives of His children. This truth can be easy to accept in times of plenty and peace, but for people who are plunged under the waterline with suffering for periods that exceed their ability to keep their breath, this truth must be the lifeline to which they cling. You might be one of those people, and if you aren’t, you might very well become one of these people. Therefore, this topic is worth pondering.
The triune God is active in all of our suffering, and His activity must be recognized, trusted, and received with joy, which is a state far more complex and full than a simply “happy” emotion. Let’s look at the role of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our suffering:
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When Patriot Blood Overflows...
by on Nov 17th, 2010 at 12:50 am
This site is dedicated to stirring up young men of God to pursue biblical manhood with vigor and a complete lack of shame. I try to focus on spiritual issues since the manhood I am promoting is not born of machismo, adrenaline, or testosterone, but of the Word and Spirit of God. However, there are times when my love for country overflows and I can’t help but record my thoughts. Today is one of those days.
Yesterday, at 2pm, President Obama bestowed the Medal of Honor upon Staff Sergeant Salvatore Guinta, U.S. Army, for exposing himself to enemy fire in order to save the lives of his fellow soldiers after they were ambushed in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, on October 25, 2007. He is the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.