God does not allow evil and suffering to continue because He does not love us, or is in some way detached and removed from us. God takes our suffering so seriously, that he took it upon himself on the cross. ~ Tim Keller
When I speak to a group about RELENTLESS GRACE, the questions are frequently penetrating and gut-wrenchingly honest. One question is asked more than any other. “Do you believe that God caused your injury?”
God’s Role in Tragedy Read More »
Evangelicals are familiar with Christ’s promise “that (we) might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10b). We associate that promise with the peace, hope, and joy that comes from our reconciliation to God and our obedience to His commandments. Perhaps we are not as familiar with the concept in the first part of that same verse. “The thief comes to steal and destroy,” the opposite to Jesus’ work. The false messiah causes discord, despair, and emptiness. Both the positive and the negative sides of this verse are usually associated with spiritual consequences for the believer or the unbeliever. This verse and others, have a clear application to the health of the physical body.
End of Life Issues: Dying, Death and Euthanasia Read More »
Psalm 39:4 NRSV
Lord, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
Last night, I had what my grandmother might have called a heart spell. My heart began to raise and skip beats. It made a funny feeling in my chest, raised both my pulse and my blood pressure, and was, to be honest, rather disconcerting. Of course, the on-call nurse for my doctor wanted me to drive more than an hour to the insurance plan emergency room (which we didn’t do). I simply wanted it to go away so I could go to sleep.
How Fleeting Life Is Read More »
The following questions and their answers link to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) web site. This does not imply an endorsement of BGEA and its related ministries by CIR or visa versa.
My brother and sister-in-law blame God for the death of their son. How can I help them? 
According to Billy Graham Christian Worker’s Handbook
Jesus Christ has changed the meaning of death, as Scripture shows. At death, the spirit of the believing Christian enters immediately into the
presence of the Lord. Physical death is but a transition from life on earth with Christ to life in heaven with Christ. Death does not alter the continuity of relationship; it only enriches it.
I recently lost a family member. How can I get over my grief?
One of the hardest crosses to bear in this life is losing a loved one. “If only we could have one more day…” That is a common theme in the life of a surviving spouse or family member. It becomes even more difficult to bear when there is some type of guilt that lingers. “I wish I had just…”
I recently lost a family member. How can I get over my grief? Read More »
This is a very comprehensive prayer. You may want to break it down into 7 parts and pray one part each day for one week.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Daily Prayer for Protection Read More »
Please click on the link below.
Second Coming (Online Video) Read More »
note: Members can discuss this workshop in the Message Boards HERE
Welcome to the latest CIR Workshop: Survival from Life’s Tragedies and Abuses.
Each month CIR has a live workshop and discussion with a published author or expert in the Christian recovery field. The sessions are approximately one hour long: 1st part of the session the guest speaker will presents a premise or principles of their work and the 2nd part of the session you get a chance to ask questions and get answers with emphasis on life application in recovery.
Tonight our guest speaker is Jan Coates. She is the author of
Survival from Life’s Tragedies and Abuses Workshop – Transcript Read More »
Grief is an intense emotional suffering caused by personal loss. It involves acute sorrow, deep sadness, suffering, pain, and anguish. Bereavement can be defined more specifically as the grief that follows the death of a loved one. This chapter will focus primarily on that aspect of grief.
Bereavement is a difficult time. The bereaved person will often feel that his or her experience is unique, that no one has ever endured such a loss or suffered as he or she is suffering. There are cycles of healing to the pattern of grief, which permit the sorrowing person to recover in due time. For some, however, complete recovery never comes.
The cycle of healing from grief usually proceeds as follows:
Grief & Bereavement Read More »
