Tag: <span>suffering</span>

Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel, Allenport PA (first heard the gospel here) Now to quote a Christian thinker Dr. Ed Smith, a Baptist Minister, referring to wounds and healing, “To facilitate emotional renewal, we need to identify the three basic elements in the renewal process: (1) the present emotional pain, (2) the original memory container and (3) the original lie(s) implanted in the memory container.” What is he saying? Apparently a wound sticks in a memory container and in that container are lies? What kind of lies? Can I conjecture? On the one hand, raw barbaric self lies, or contrarily, socially acceptable fig-leaf cover-up lies, take your pick. These two, emerging out of a man’s heart, both poise to interpret a devastating slam, when it occurs. (The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.) Psalm 58:3 So, on one side, emotions of…

My precious pastor taught me about grace. I wept for joy many times listening to its lovely flow. He told us a story about a cup of grace and it goes this way: A young boy took abuse in a home with drug addicts as parents. Apparently these derelicts needed most of their money to feed their habits, so food portions were scantily distributed. This young boy was limited to a morsel of food that was far from adequate, and badgered with “eating too much will result in dire consequences.”   Thankfully the abusive situation was uncovered by the authorities. The child was placed in a foster home, separated from his perverted parents, and one day our pastor got a call from that safe haven. It seems, they couldn’t get their new member to eat.   Well, Pastor arrived, puzzled about the problem. It was explained to him: the boy…