Personal Concerns
How can we have hope amidst all the violence and suffering?
How can we have hope amidst all the violence and suffering?

The news today is filled with terrible stories of violence and suffering. Violence against Christians, racial strife, airplanes crashed or missing, ongoing conflict in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and several African countries—it’s no wonder ...

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How should the church help people with mental illness?

Most people don't talk much about mental illness. And because of this silence, many of us have the misconception that mental illness is something rare, something that happens to unusual people at the margins of society.

We couldn't be more ...

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Why does it seem that sometimes my prayers go unanswered?
Why does it seem that sometimes my prayers go unanswered?

People pray on bended knee, opening their hearts to God, asking him for a myriad of things: healing of cancer, a job after all these months, a buyer for their house in a frozen market, the end of pain. Some prayers will be answered, and the recipients ...

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How should Christians understand the "food movement"?

Food is on my mind a lot. Besides simply deciding what we might like to eat for dinner, my wife and I give careful thought to where our food comes from. We try to buy organic and local and seasonal produce whenever we can. We do this for a number of ...

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Is there ever a time when we should ask someone in our small group to leave?
Is there ever a time when we should ask someone in our small group to leave?

Are there times when a person should be asked to leave a small group? I think so. But those times should be rare, and it should be done only for the right reasons. So what are those reasons? I can think of a few.

The person is just too needy.

Once or twice ...

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What does it mean to set ministry boundaries?
What does it mean to set ministry boundaries?

The biggest change Christ made in my life is a desire to serve others rather than myself. Before I became a Christian, it was all about me. Afterward, I was drawn to the weak and hurting and constantly looked for opportunities to minister. I took to ...

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How can I overcome my tendency to worry and instead gain confidence about the future?
How can I overcome my tendency to worry and instead gain confidence about the future?

We must learn to rely on God's promises. The following helps you know how to do that.

Joshua could have spent a lot of time worrying. With enemies to conquer, rivers to cross, in-house problems to solve, and land to divide fairly, many people depended ...

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How should Christians think about film and television?

For as long as the church has existed, Christians have embraced the arts as a poignant and effective method for telling the story of the Bible. From visual displays to music to literature, no organization has been more responsible than the church for ...

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How can we embrace our weaknesses?
How can we embrace our weaknesses?

Christians love to talk about strengths. Want proof? Just ask a church leader to list his or her spiritual gifts, talk about his areas of passion, or tell you her Myers-Briggs profile (any other ENTJ's out there?). You're sure to get an enthusiastic ...

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What is the Christian perspective on war?

It was one of the first men to use total war, American Civil War General William Sherman, who used to say, "War is hell!" He was both right and wrong.

It is hellish in its horror and destruction: the unleashing of the forces of evil.

It is hellish in its ...

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How should Christians engage attacks from popular culture?

From beach novels (The Da Vinci Code) to art photography (Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ") to music videos (Lady Gaga's "Alejandro") to video games, Christian outrage and criticism have lifted numerous works up from obscurity—and made household ...

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How should we treat gay people?

We should treat them as we would like to be treated. Sound familiar?

My husband, Brad, met Norman when Brad spoke at an interfaith Easter service. Norman approached him and asked if he could talk. In a short time, Brad learned that Norman had been ...

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Does how I treat my body really matter to God?
Does how I treat my body really matter to God?

A photo of my seven-week-old nephew, Jayden, shows an irritated expression on his face and a tiny black shirt printed with a white rib cage on his little tummy. Jayden's ensemble was a nod to my family's legendary ability to ignore a gently rumbling ...

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Why do I still feel stuck, even though I confessed my sin?

On a sitcom, one regular character carried meekness to a fault. He bustled into the office muttering, "I'm sorry I'm late."

"You're not late."

"Well then, I'm sorry I'm early," he replied.

"You're not early, either."

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

In some cases ...

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Should I accept my disability, or seek treatment for it?

Amy Julia Becker responded to debates over some preliminary research showing that drug therapy might improve cognitive function in people with Down syndrome. Several high-profile bloggers wrote about this research from the angle of whether Down syndrome ...

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The Bible says drunkenness is a sin (Galatians 5:21). But is occasional social drinking okay for Christians?

Although alcohol is by no means a central scriptural issue, the Bible alludes to its use. The problem emerged in Jewish experience after the conquest of Canaan. The land of Canaan flowed not only with milk and honey but with wine as well. The hills of ...

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How can we be thankful when times are tough?
How can we be thankful when times are tough?

A: It's November. The holidays are coming we tell each other, sometimes with a wild, fearful look in our eyes. But think about that word—holidays. Holy days. Its etymology is far removed from its current stress-inducing connotation, but I want ...

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How can I handle discouragement and fear?

Many years ago I was walking in Newport Beach, a beach in Southern California, with two friends. Two of us were on staff together at a church, and one was an elder at the same church. We walked past a bar where a fight had been going on inside. The ...

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How can I reach out to others when I'm an introvert and would rather be alone?

I understand this question because I, too, am an introvert that has to make myself reach out. I first truly understood how difficult this is for me when I was at my friend Mary's house along with a woman who was in campus ministry. This woman told us ...

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What are the signs of abuse we should look for in a woman's life?

The wife of a verbally or emotionally abusive spouse is one whose self-esteem has been diminished by constant criticism, blaming, name-calling, mocking, manipulation, public embarrassment, or humiliation. She may become more withdrawn and isolated under ...

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