This is amazing, Bob. I have always had a hard time when you hear someone say something like, "God saved me (us, my child...) from [blank]." Maybe he did, yes! Or maybe the situation wasn't as dire or final as originally thought. Either way, for every 1 individual that thanks Jesus for saving him from [blank], there are 20 more that He did not save from that same affliction/circumstance. And it rakes at my heart. Pain is one of the essential modalities of the Christian faith, and who can say how or in what way God chooses to bestow His wisdom and grace in each of our lives. If God is for us, who (or what) can come against us (Romans 8:31-39)? Suffering does not separate. It shifts. It does not separate us from Jesus as we see in these verses in Romans. Suffering shifts our perspective and moves us into a place where we can see more clearly. From there, we can now become "more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (vs. 37) in the big and small evils in our lives...one, tiny step of faith at a time.
Thanks Lindsay, good thoughts. I have indeed found the shifting of my perspective in many ways, as well as the challenge to live faithfully and fully in a new season of life. I'm glad you are subscribing to my blogs -- hope all is well with you and the family.
I say 'a shifting of perspective', and it sounds nice on the surface, but most days it's like trying to lift a mack truck with your pinky finger. There's nothing easy about it, and I hope I didn't come across as reductionist. (I was talking to myself more than anything! :) ). We just need Jesus. With every heartbeat. For every measure of pain, joy, and uncertainty. Jesus.
Thank you for your beautiful openness and speaking God's truth into the cracks of life.
We are doing good! Not sure the last you knew....we are in Pittsburgh, PA now. Moved here in August 2021. Jonathan is the Registrar for the University of Pittsburgh. Some things changed at his job at Baylor, and long story short, he decided to look elsewhere. Time and availability of positions factored into the decision...and here we are. Never in our wildest dreams (or plans :) would we have thought we'd be here, but as we know, God has a way of directing our steps far beyond human plans. We still don't really understand why we are here (side note: the change at Baylor has now reverted back to the original way...). However, we have been enjoying it. There is a lot to see and places like Ohio, DC, New York, etc. are pretty close to visit on occasion. Interestingly enough, Pittsburgh has both suburbs and city, which initially all I was thinking was big city living. So it's really nice to have both.
Ally has adjusted well. She's in 6th grade! Middle school. Crazy! Praying for some Christian friends for her :). The church we belong to is smaller--it's a branch campus of the main church--so the youth group isn't very big, and she is pretty much the only consistent 6th grade girl there (rest are boys or older girls), so she's not lovin' it right now. It's also a different dynamic here because there are so many school districts around that we have like 6+ different ones represented in the youth...so she is the only 6th grade girl in her school district at youth (there are a couple other older girls).
I work part-time at our church as the coordinator, just helping with admin type things so that's been nice.
Evil. Consider its source - events in the world, actions of others - worse yet, the evil in me! I really appreciated your thoughtful review on deliver us from evil. As always, thank you Bob, for sharing your thoughts and research!
Thanks, Bob. This really spoke to my situation and some things I have been thinking about over the last months. As you know, I received a life-changing diagnosis from the doctors. Not as dramatic as yours, but still, it has caused me to contemplate a lot of things. One thing that has been on my mind is how I was totally in the grasp of evil at one point in my life. God broke through and saved me from that, and I followed HIm, but I didn't really understand at the time how bad things really were. It's taken me nearly fifty years to understand some of this, and I still have so far to go! Love you brother!
I hear you Mike! As time goes on, we seem to get it more when we reflect on that time without the Lord in our lives. I'm grateful my words speak to you and that we can take this journey together!
Bro. Bob, you write so well. Your body has been damaged, but your mind has not. There was a time when we did not know what would happen. We prayed for you, and God answered our prayers in His own way, and in His own time. At the beginning of this writing, you seemed to be saying that when you had COVID, you thought you could "instruct" God. That is a thought that has never entered my mind. As a child, I couldn't understand why Jesus had to die on the cross for me. I was like a little angel. I was never corrected by my parents or my teachers. Later, I learned about original sin. As I taught for thirty-one years, I neglected my personal life and I strayed away from God. Most people thought I was a very good teacher, and I think I was, but I regret the fact that my relationship with God was neglected. I have made many mistakes in my lifetime, but I believe God has forgiven me.
I still regret that there were times that I could have been a better influence on others. If you were here, I would ask you if it is possible that God lets me remember the mistakes so that I don't repeat them, or is it possible that I haven't forgiven myself. I don't say special prayers. I just talk with God. I feel I get more guidance from Him that way. Of course, I have said "the model prayer" many times, but usually, it is talking. About five years ago, I became very ill. One of my nieces recently told me that the family thought they were going to lose me. I know that no one is promised tomorrow and that the sun shines on the good and the bad alike, but I truly believe that I will live much longer, because I think God has a lot more for me to do. I have been really blessed in my lifetime.
Thank you Mary - and yes, we all remember what the Psalmist calls "the sins of my youth." I think the memory of them can hopefully motivate us to choose another path, and it is also true that, though God has forgiven, we sometimes have a hard time forgiving ourselves. And yes, God has blessed you and you also have been a blessing to so many.
This is amazing, Bob. I have always had a hard time when you hear someone say something like, "God saved me (us, my child...) from [blank]." Maybe he did, yes! Or maybe the situation wasn't as dire or final as originally thought. Either way, for every 1 individual that thanks Jesus for saving him from [blank], there are 20 more that He did not save from that same affliction/circumstance. And it rakes at my heart. Pain is one of the essential modalities of the Christian faith, and who can say how or in what way God chooses to bestow His wisdom and grace in each of our lives. If God is for us, who (or what) can come against us (Romans 8:31-39)? Suffering does not separate. It shifts. It does not separate us from Jesus as we see in these verses in Romans. Suffering shifts our perspective and moves us into a place where we can see more clearly. From there, we can now become "more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (vs. 37) in the big and small evils in our lives...one, tiny step of faith at a time.
Thanks Lindsay, good thoughts. I have indeed found the shifting of my perspective in many ways, as well as the challenge to live faithfully and fully in a new season of life. I'm glad you are subscribing to my blogs -- hope all is well with you and the family.
I say 'a shifting of perspective', and it sounds nice on the surface, but most days it's like trying to lift a mack truck with your pinky finger. There's nothing easy about it, and I hope I didn't come across as reductionist. (I was talking to myself more than anything! :) ). We just need Jesus. With every heartbeat. For every measure of pain, joy, and uncertainty. Jesus.
Thank you for your beautiful openness and speaking God's truth into the cracks of life.
We are doing good! Not sure the last you knew....we are in Pittsburgh, PA now. Moved here in August 2021. Jonathan is the Registrar for the University of Pittsburgh. Some things changed at his job at Baylor, and long story short, he decided to look elsewhere. Time and availability of positions factored into the decision...and here we are. Never in our wildest dreams (or plans :) would we have thought we'd be here, but as we know, God has a way of directing our steps far beyond human plans. We still don't really understand why we are here (side note: the change at Baylor has now reverted back to the original way...). However, we have been enjoying it. There is a lot to see and places like Ohio, DC, New York, etc. are pretty close to visit on occasion. Interestingly enough, Pittsburgh has both suburbs and city, which initially all I was thinking was big city living. So it's really nice to have both.
Ally has adjusted well. She's in 6th grade! Middle school. Crazy! Praying for some Christian friends for her :). The church we belong to is smaller--it's a branch campus of the main church--so the youth group isn't very big, and she is pretty much the only consistent 6th grade girl there (rest are boys or older girls), so she's not lovin' it right now. It's also a different dynamic here because there are so many school districts around that we have like 6+ different ones represented in the youth...so she is the only 6th grade girl in her school district at youth (there are a couple other older girls).
I work part-time at our church as the coordinator, just helping with admin type things so that's been nice.
Overall, doing well!
Evil. Consider its source - events in the world, actions of others - worse yet, the evil in me! I really appreciated your thoughtful review on deliver us from evil. As always, thank you Bob, for sharing your thoughts and research!
Thank you Debbie!
Thanks, Bob. This really spoke to my situation and some things I have been thinking about over the last months. As you know, I received a life-changing diagnosis from the doctors. Not as dramatic as yours, but still, it has caused me to contemplate a lot of things. One thing that has been on my mind is how I was totally in the grasp of evil at one point in my life. God broke through and saved me from that, and I followed HIm, but I didn't really understand at the time how bad things really were. It's taken me nearly fifty years to understand some of this, and I still have so far to go! Love you brother!
I hear you Mike! As time goes on, we seem to get it more when we reflect on that time without the Lord in our lives. I'm grateful my words speak to you and that we can take this journey together!
Bro. Bob, you write so well. Your body has been damaged, but your mind has not. There was a time when we did not know what would happen. We prayed for you, and God answered our prayers in His own way, and in His own time. At the beginning of this writing, you seemed to be saying that when you had COVID, you thought you could "instruct" God. That is a thought that has never entered my mind. As a child, I couldn't understand why Jesus had to die on the cross for me. I was like a little angel. I was never corrected by my parents or my teachers. Later, I learned about original sin. As I taught for thirty-one years, I neglected my personal life and I strayed away from God. Most people thought I was a very good teacher, and I think I was, but I regret the fact that my relationship with God was neglected. I have made many mistakes in my lifetime, but I believe God has forgiven me.
I still regret that there were times that I could have been a better influence on others. If you were here, I would ask you if it is possible that God lets me remember the mistakes so that I don't repeat them, or is it possible that I haven't forgiven myself. I don't say special prayers. I just talk with God. I feel I get more guidance from Him that way. Of course, I have said "the model prayer" many times, but usually, it is talking. About five years ago, I became very ill. One of my nieces recently told me that the family thought they were going to lose me. I know that no one is promised tomorrow and that the sun shines on the good and the bad alike, but I truly believe that I will live much longer, because I think God has a lot more for me to do. I have been really blessed in my lifetime.
Thank you Mary - and yes, we all remember what the Psalmist calls "the sins of my youth." I think the memory of them can hopefully motivate us to choose another path, and it is also true that, though God has forgiven, we sometimes have a hard time forgiving ourselves. And yes, God has blessed you and you also have been a blessing to so many.