suffering | Got Potential?

Jesus and the Third Grader

Steve S. — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:13:31 +0000

Last week I told you about my friend Roger and that Roger’s son, Eric, died as child, unexpectedly. That was twenty-five years ago; Roger hasn’t ‘gotten over it’ but he has learned to live with it. The promise that has allowed him to come to terms with the tragedy is that he knows he will, […]

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When a Child Dies

Steve S. — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:18:54 +0000

I like to think I’m pretty good with words, but a few times in my life I’ve been speechless. At those moments anything I could have thought to say would have been less than required. Words of advice or comfort or empathy would have been wooden and miserably weak. There wasn’t a thing I could […]

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Why Did God Allow This to Happen? Part 2

Steve S. — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:05:39 +0000

Last week I wrote about why God would allow bad things to happen to people. Whether bad things were initiated by another person or by nature â€“ like a tsunami or an earthquake. I also mentioned David Pawsonâ€™s book, Why Does God Allow Natural Disasters. The book came from a three hour TV series in […]

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Why Did God Allow This to Happen?

Steve S. — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:57:55 +0000

I had lunch with a friend last week and he had a question for me. He mentioned, Jaycee Lee Dugard, the little girl in California who was kidnapped by Phillip and Nancy Garrido and used as a sex slave for eighteen years, bearing two children by Garrido during the time. My friendâ€™s question was, â€œWhy […]

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Forget About Tithing

Steve S. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:10:37 +0000

â€œWoe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spicesâ€”mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the lawâ€”justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow […]

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Light Shines Better in the Dark

Steve S. — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:03:25 +0000

Thriving in Tough Times Part 10 â€œFor the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.â€ (James 1:11) Thereâ€™s nothing pleasant about tough times. Employment is better than unemployment. […]

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Thriving in Tough Times Part 7

Steve S. — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:48:55 +0000

Tempering Your Faith in World Systems â€œWhat he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spiderâ€™s web.â€ (Job 8:14) I was eating lunch at a restaurant in Orlando one summer day a few years back when a thunderstorm knocked out the electricity. Power outages from lightning arenâ€™t uncommon in the Southeast in […]

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Thriving in Tough Times 1

Steve S. — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:03:19 +0000

Part 1: Adopting a Christian Worldview â€œI have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.â€ (John 16:33) At one point I was a child of this world â€“ a citizen of its system. To understand […]

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Making a Great Sponge

Steve S. — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:15:51 +0000

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4) I used to work for a company that made sponges from foamed polyurethane […]

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Success is a Tricky Business

Steve S. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:35:28 +0000

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) I was on the phone with my buddy John last week and he mentioned something Jesus said in 2 Corinthians. Being the red letter expert I am, I informed him that Jesus didn’t say anything in 2 Corinthians; […]

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“Would You Condemn Me to Justify Yourself?”

Steve S. — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:34:33 +0000

“â€˜Would you discredit my justice?Â Would you condemn me to justify yourself.'” (Job 40:8) I received a sad comment this weekend. It was a response to a Purpose Weekly letter “Has God Forsaken You?” You can read the letter and the comment (feel free to comment yourself) at: https://gotpotential.org/gods-purpose/has-god-forsaken-you. Here’s the comment from John: Bull____. […]

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I Will Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills

Steve S. — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:32:26 +0000

“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2) I took advantage of the relative quiet over the last two weeks of holiday to finish pre-press edits for the North American edition of Unlocking the Bible by David Pawson. It’s a […]

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THE SHACK – In Defense of William P. Young

Steve S. — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:16:55 +0000

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15) Throwing the Baby out with the Bathwater Purpose Weekly, August 21, 2008 Vol. 2, Issue 30 For the last few weeks we’ve been talking about trusting God when the circumstances seem […]

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Has God Forsaken You?

Steve S. — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:17:30 +0000

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1) When God Turns His Back Purpose Weekly, August 13, 2008 Vol. 2, Issue 29 Ever feel like that? It was David doing the talking in Psalm 22. Something […]

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Do People Who Haven’t Heard of Jesus Go to Hell?

Steve S. — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:22:21 +0000

“Before I formed you in the womb I knewï»¿ you, before you were born I set you apart …” (Jeremiah 1:5) Purpose Weekly, August 5, 2008 When the Questions are Too Big Vol. 2, Issue 28 I received a response to last week’s Purpose Weekly, “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God.” Last week’s letter […]

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Courage Part 3

Steve S. — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:51:00 +0000

Purpose Vol. 2 Issue 18 May 2, 2008 The Weekly Newsletter of True Potential Publishing Courage Part 3 â€œIn those days Israel had no king; every one did as he saw fit.â€ (Judges 17:6) â€œWe have met the enemy, and he is usâ€ – Pogo Weâ€™re going to hang with the Judges for one more […]

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Courage Part 2

Steve S. — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:41:00 +0000

â€œLet me die with the Philistines!â€ (Judges16:30) Purpose Vol. 2 Issue 17 The Weekly Newsletter of True Potential Publishing Courage Part II What Makes a Hero? Remember last week? Gideon fought the bad guys, the Midianites, and won. He was a Judge, remember? There was another Judge in old Israel, a few Judges down from […]

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Fruit of the Spirit – Self Control

Steve S. — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:48:00 +0000

Purpose Vol. 2 Issue 10March 7, 2008 The weekly newsletter of True Potential Publishing Self-Control â€œBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.â€ (Galatians 5:22-23) Itâ€™s probably fitting that â€œself-controlâ€ is the last fruit of the Spirit in our […]

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