suffering

An apology to the people of New Zealand

November 18, 2016 // 46 Comments

As a New Zealander, I was deeply saddened to hear about the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit north Canterbury in the early hours of Monday morning. As a Cantabrian, I groaned with the thought of “Not again.” In times of disaster it is natural to ask why. Why do bad things keep happening? And why Canterbury? [...]

Relief in your troubles

November 3, 2016 // 50 Comments

The first check I ever got from coaching basketball, I didn’t cash it. I kept it as a souvenir. But the second, third, and every other check went straight into my bank account. That’s a nice story, but imagine if I told you that first check was for a million dollars. If you came to my house and saw a check [...]

The “patience” of Job

September 30, 2016 // 41 Comments

The Bible is full of humor and wisdom and if you don’t believe me, read this: As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (James 5:11) This verse makes me laugh and [...]

Is God sovereign?

January 4, 2013 // 271 Comments

A friend of mine lost several million dollars in a bad investment. He is well into his seventies and this was his retirement money, so this was a big blow. What happened? He took some bad financial advice and put his money where he shouldn’t have. But my friend doesn’t see it like that. He told me, “God is [...]

Where was God in the Connecticut School Shooting?

December 18, 2012 // 33 Comments

Yet another school shooting has resulted in the loss of innocent lives in America and now questions are being asked: Where was God? Why didn’t God stop this? Why didn’t God protect the lives of those 20 children? For a grieving parent, these are normal questions. When you have suffered the greatest loss any [...]

The Christchurch Earthquake: 4 questions Christians can answer

February 22, 2011 // 69 Comments

An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck my hometown at 12:51pm this afternoon. I don’t live in Christchurch anymore, but I heard about it within 10 minutes. We were on our way to Auckland airport at the time. Christchurch had a major quake last September and about a thousand aftershocks since then, so I didn’t [...]

James 2:24

September 20, 2010 // 37 Comments

In this study on James chapter 2, we have been comparing works done under law with works done under grace. Understanding this distinction is essential if we are to reconcile Paul, the preacher of grace, with James, who said this… You see then that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. (Jas [...]

Exodus 4:11

August 13, 2010 // 73 Comments

A little while ago we looked at a sincere lady in the Bible who mistakenly believed that God gives us things like death and poverty. As I explained in that post, God does not give us bad gifts. Not ever. But what about Exodus 4:11? This time it’s not a misguided person speaking, but the Lord himself: “Who [...]

Does God Give and Take Away?

August 2, 2010 // 537 Comments

Image source The whole Bible is good for you, but to understand the written word, you need to know the Living Word. Try to read the Bible without an appreciation of Jesus – who he is and what he has done – and you may end up taking someone else’s medicine. Some verses will appear to contradict others and [...]