Articles Tagged 'Hard' (Page 6)

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Praise and Perspective

Where do you get the perspective to praise God during tough times?

Kimberli Brackett reminds us that even in the worst of circumstances, God is at work trying to make something out of our situation and we can see if we will praise God and ask for his perspective.

All Those Terrible Stories?

Are we listening to what we are saying?

Rubel Shelly is asked a hard question about the awful stories of the Bible and reminds the questioner that it is truthful, gritty, real life story of the human race while offer God's grace to redeem us.

Too Much Rain!

What can you do when the rain falls and the floods come?

Katha Winther reminds us that life can be full of periods of bad things and rainy days with floods, but God has not forsaken or abandoned us and will see us through.

When Endings Are Complicated, God Is Still Gracious

What do you do when the endings are not always happy ones?

Ron Rose reminds us that not all faith stories have happy endings and that sometimes we have to wade on through tragedy with faith.

How Long, Lord?

Can you keep hanging in there?

Tom Norvell leads us to Psalm 6 and helps us ask, "How long, Lord?" because we all have times when we can barely hang on any longer.

God Is Our Hope

When you sift through the rubble, what hope do you find?

Tom Norvel shares several observations from being out of his house for more than six months and how it relates to our spiritual lives.

Facing Reality?

Most folks just don't want to think about this, but they're going to have to do so!

Paul Faulkner reminds us that funerals are great times for us to face the reality of our final destination.

More Valuable than You Know

How important are the little things you do for others?

Rubel Shelly reminds us how important it is to do simple acts of kindness and not simply look for the splashy and big things to do to bless others.

Making the Best of It

How do you handle hard times?

Mike Barres reminds us that hardship can often be a time God is using us to make a difference in the lives of many others.

Our Need to Remember

Hopefully remembering the horrors can help us prevent them.

Phil Ware uses Memorial Day to think about the cost of war and the ultimate sacrifice of a friend named Roy who lived through World War II, the assault on Normandy Beach and the Battle of the Bulge.

Help! I've Become My Mother

Do you sound familiar?

Marsha Jordan reminds us that folks need to know that we care and really are not looking for us to pour out our advice and give them all of our solutions.

The Bigger Picture

Can you see beyond the hard times you are now facing?

Alan Smith shares a Leith Anderson story about going to the only perfect World Series game and how he saw it as a disappointment because his team lost and then Alan compares this to our sometimes not seeing the big picture of what is really happening when

Even if It Means a Cross

Do we really only want the Cross to define us?

We want a Christianity without the Cross, a Savior without a Lord, and a Tinkerbelle Jesus.

The Fullest Possible Way

Where do these ups and downs come from, anyway?

Life is a combination of ups and downs and all arounds but Jesus is in the middle trying to bring us full life all the time!

Happiness?

Can we really find true happiness here?

We are killing ourselves trying to find happiness in things and miss it because it is not found there.

In This World

Where can we find peace with what we are facing right now?

There is trouble in this world, it crashes in on us and we cannot ignore it, but we must remain focused on Jesus who has overcome the world.

George and the Dragon

Are we a dragon to those in need?

A hard-hearted person to someone in need reminds Alan of how important it is that we be kind and compassionate to others in our actions as well as in our thoughts.

Flexible

Just how much can you bend with life's strong winds?

Life brings storms that threaten to break us, but will we be flexible and look for God's other alternatives and opportunities?

Gallows?

Why in the world would anyone keep this around in their basement?

The old Gallows of the city of Chicago were left in the basement for years and years and this reminds Patrick of things that we allow to sit around in our hearts and fester and destroy us for years.

What Do You Expect?

How in the world are we supposed to know what God expects of us?

How do we know what God expects of us or what it takes to please him? By listening to what he tells us to do in Micah 6:8.

Tough Times Toughen

Wow, tough times can be hard, but is there a payoff to them?

Tough times, even when they are filled with temptation can help us grow and better appreciate good times when they come.

How's Your 'Ratitude'?

Can you give thanks?

Cary reminds singles that they can give thanks in almost any situation.

Will the Hurt Never End?

How long will all this mess last, anyway?

In the times of hardship and trial, it is hard to wait on the Lord because it seems so long before his deliverance, promised and sure as it is, comes to free us from our pain and suffering.

Exercise Gives Energy

Why in the world would anyone want to go to such an effort?

Serving may be hard work, but like good exercise, it develops us into a healthier people.

Rest from Your Labor!

Shouldn't you take a little rest at least once per week?

We work hard and that is good, but we also need to rest faithfully and easily and enjoy the rest God has called us to keep.