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Book Review: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
“They say Aslan is on the move—perhaps has already landed.” ______________ Children easily lose themselves in imaginary worlds. In the days before video games, we lost ourselves in worlds of cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, little green army men, etc. My wife tells me she would get lost in worlds of dolls and Barbies. It’s sad that most of us seem to lose our imagination gift as we grow older. Perhaps we simply fail to continue the practice. (Plus, they frown upon playing cops and robbers at my bank.) But if I no longer can conjure my own imagination at will, then let me find a book into which…
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Making Room for Pain
“You’re not jumping two phone books high! Jump higher. Let these kids know how much you love Jesus!” And then I felt it—the water gun hit my back, mingling with the copious amount of sweat already drenching my t-shirt. Yes, that’s right—a water gun. Camp staff members were squirted if they didn’t jump high enough to show their enthusiastic love for Jesus while welcoming the kids to camp in 100-degree sticky heat. It was the start of a very difficult six weeks for me. In the midst of what my doctor diagnosed as chronic depression, I had been hired to serve as camp counselor for middle school girls. I had…
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If God is So Good, Why Does He Let Me Hurt?
This is probably the biggest question, and the biggest obstacle to trusting God, in Christianity. It’s a legitimate question, and it deserves a thoughtful answer that honors the amount of pain attached to it. Disclosure: I am writing this while beset by the most physical pain I’ve experienced since post-polio syndrome started attacking my body with the “unholy trinity” of pain, weakness and fatigue. It hurts to stand, it hurts to walk. Every single step. Why does God allow it? And my pain is nothing compared to the horrific suffering of millions around the world. Doesn’t He care? Why doesn’t He stop it—surely He can. He could stop it all…
