In Spike Lee’s 2002 movie ‘The 25th Hour’ Edward Norton stars as a New York kingpin, who is convicted for drug distribution. The film follows Norton’s character Monty as he spends his last 24 hours before reporting for his 7 year prison sentence. In this last day,...
Suffering
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Women
Some Spiritual Applications of Running a Marathon
On November 15, 2014, I had the opportunity of running my first marathon. On that chilly morning of November 15 as I lined up with everyone else who trained for several months leading up to the same goal—completing 26.2 miles—I felt a commonality among us....
Conformity to Christ: It’s An Inside Job
If conformity to Christ requires us to face our own tendencies toward idolatry, then how does facing personal idolatry relate to spiritual disciplines, suffering, and community? “God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery,...
The Holiday Blues
It’s inevitable for most people. We break out of the routine and spend lots of time doing little more than anticipating and preparing for the biggest holiday in our culture. Some of us get energized (and rightfully so. It does celebrate the birth of Jesus and a...
Healthy Ways to Capture Memories
In the end, grief is about how we remember. Memory is powerful. It shapes our lives in many ways. Memory impacts our emotions. Memory shapes the significance we give to current events. Memory influences what we expect from the future. So the effort to grieve well...
Thoughts on “Shame Interrupted: How God Lifts the Pain of Worthlessness and Rejection”
Your dad says he’ll pick you up Friday afternoon and the two of you will go camping for the weekend. You don’t see him much because your parents are divorced and you live with your mom. The thought of your dad taking you camping feels so great. In fact, it makes...
The Absence of Providence
Bill & Connie were devastated by the miscarriage on their first pregnancy. It was especially hard sense their closest friends were pregnant at the same time. In fact, the loss was devastating to both of them. But now that Connie was pregnant again the painful...
Suffering to Sin?
“Do not commit the crime for which you now serve the sentence”—Priest In one of my favorite movies the Count of Monte Cristo the aged and dying cellmate and mentor Priest, of hero and protagonist Edmund Dantes played by Jim Cavaziel (Jesus in Passion of the Christ),...
Facing Life’s Pain
When I was in my twenties I used to think that when I got older life would become easier. I thought that at least it would remain the same. When I pondered retirement I thought with the idea that my body and mind would be in its present condition and that I would...