by Pastor Curt on February 4, 2012
filed under
Acts 29, burnout, discouragement, fatigue, promises of God, trials
Not many gray hairs graced the Acts 29 Network conference I attended this week in Orlando. The brothers above (left), however, Ray Ortlund Jr. and Sam Storms, were among the exceptions. Scott Thomas (right), president of the movement, engaged them in Q & A at the close of the conference. Among the questions submitted by [...]
by Pastor Curt on September 22, 2011
filed under
hope, providence, Psalms, trials
Lately I’ve heard about numerous difficult providences in a variety of believers’ lives. They include things related to marriage, parenting, singleness, childlessness, joblessness, just to name a few. Far too often for my comfort level I grope for explanations to bring encouragement in the face of such gargantuan hurts. Frequently I find myself pointing folks [...]
by Pastor Curt on April 20, 2011
filed under
grief, loss, strength, suffering, trials
Nicholas Wolterstorff, in his little book Lament for a Son, writes of the loss of his twenty-something boy to a fatal mountain-climbing accident. He asks: What do you say to someone who is suffering? Some people are gifted with words of wisdom. For such, one is profoundly grateful. There were many such for us. But [...]
by Kelly Simpson on February 4, 2011
filed under
Faithfulness, hope, perseverance, trials
I’ve been reading old journals lately. Well, actually I’ve been reading the chronicles of my life and pondering the beauty of Swiss cheese and pearls. (Stick with me I’ll promise it’ll make sense soon). I have almost twenty journals recording my life from high school to the present. I laughed at portions and cried in [...]
by Kevin Wilhoit on October 18, 2010
filed under
culture, humility, suffering, trials
Well praise God, they’re out! If you’ve been following the saga of the trapped Chilean miners I’m sure you’re aware that all thirty three were safely extricated from the mine yesterday. The whole incident is quite remarkable on so many fronts: the providential provision of a structurally and atmospherically safe chamber where the men could [...]
by Pastor Curt on August 24, 2010
filed under
cancer, prayer, resolutions, suffering, trials
Recently I introduced a new series of articles based upon my five year anniversary this August from finishing cancer treatment and remaining cancer-free. When I first returned to the pulpit in November of 2005, I preached a series of three sermons from Psalm 116 entitled Seven Biblical Resolutions Distilled from a Battle with Cancer. You [...]
by Randy Woods on July 15, 2010
filed under
death, sovereignty of God, trials
Today in our staff devotions at Z88.3, we were discussing the recent passing of my boss’ sister-in-law and the current status of Josh Hunter’s daughter Ava. Our bible teacher, Dr. Reggie Kidd, spoke about the reality of our limited vision and our non-God eye’s view of things. He spoke about when in grad school, he [...]
by Pastor Curt on March 25, 2010
filed under
happiness, money, perseverance, trials, wisdom
No question about it. The way James describes blessedness doesn’t fit the average American definition. Consider James 1:2-12. 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and [...]
