Randy Alcorn

Earlier this year I shared on my blog about a group EPM supports, MedSend, that funds qualified healthcare professionals who address the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world. They recently sent us this powerful story from a physician assistant who has served in Southeast Asia for seven years.

Though it’s been several years, I still think about what a blast I had writing my book Heaven for Kids and recording the audio book. I loved including more material from The Chronicles of Narnia than I used in the big Heaven book.

Why do God’s children undergo pressures, suffering, and deadly peril? Paul answers clearly: “that we might not rely on ourselves but on God” (2 Corinthians 1:11). God uses our weakness and inadequacy not only to build our character, but also to manifest His strength and grace to us and through us.

A few weeks ago I had a delightful conversation with Dr. Lee Warren for his podcast about my book Happiness. Now may seem like a strange time to be talking about happiness, especially with so much heartbreak and sadness in our broken world. Please don’t misunderstand: nothing in this interview minimizes the reality of suffering.

Brian Stewart, ACTION USA’s Executive Director, writes, “The suffering of the Ukrainian people has greatly increased, but so have the opportunities to share the Gospel and minister to urgent needs.”

Nanci and I have had end-of-present-life conversations going back years and again in recent months. She is ready to meet Jesus. After what I have seen in the last several days—which has been so hard on her—I feel ready to let her go, even though in another sense of course I can’t be ready.

Wanneer Jezus ons waarschuwt geen schatten te vergaren op aarde, is dat niet alleen omdat rijkdom verloren zou kunnen gaan. Het is omdat rijkdom altijd verloren gaat. Hetzij dat het ons verlaat tijdens ons leven, hetzij dat wij het verlaten wanneer we sterven. Zonder uitzondering.

We’re told that we are aliens and strangers in this world, and should be longing for a better country (Hebrews 11:13-16). However, that better country isn’t up in the clouds—it’s down on the New Earth.

God’s Word contains countless expressions of concern and anguish about the hard times people experience and the fact that they sometimes don’t feel God’s closeness. In this fallen world, “Why?” is a common question.