When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty, by Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes. Zondervan Publishing House, 1997.
Written by a woman who has been in a wheelchair for more than the past thirty years and her closest friend and pastor, Steven Estes, this book addresses the topic of suffering in an enlightening and interesting way. They show that when events in life go well, it is easy to trust God, but when seemingly senseless suffering comes one’s way, trust seems to disappear. These authors don’t want that trust to evaporate, but hope it can
even grow stronger. God is still at the helm and wants humankind to know that the suffering are not sent by God nor does God abandon the soul that is suffering.
After the introduction which is called “I’m Hurting Bad,” the authors divide the rest of the book into four sections: Who is this God? What is He up to? How can I hang in there? and concludes with appendices. There is a special section called “Before you put this book down” where the readers are encouraged to know that God is in charge, a God who has given the promise that He will always be nearby. “His decrees and ordinances shape
good and evil for life in such a way as to warn us of hell, woo us toward heaven, and fit us for life here and in the hereafter.”
Readers are asked what they want to do about God’s promise. “Is your heart warmed toward Him? Is your anger moving God-ward?” The authors insist that this book is about decisions, even when God backs one up against the wall and seems to force one to make tough decisions and good choices. “I am the answer to your deepest longings”, is the love song that permeates this book.
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Lenten Prayer Guide
In contrast to many other Lenten prayer guides, this booklet is more than a series of rote meditations. Instead, you will find brief reflections to use as springboards for your own unique meditation on the gospels of the Lenten liturgy. To enhance your meditation, a brief commentary or background on the gospel passage is also provided.
- 40 page perfect-bound paperback; digital options.
Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio: February 25. 1502-1600.
Sebastian’s roads and bridges connected many distant places. His final bridge-building was to help men and women recognize their God-given dignity and destiny.
Sebastian’s parents were Spanish peasants. At the age of 31, he sailed to Mexico, where he began working in the fields. Eventually he built roads to facilitate agricultural trading and other commerce. His 466-mile road from Mexico City to
Zacatecas took 10 years to build and required careful negotiations with the indigenous peoples along the way.
In time Sebastian was a wealthy farmer and rancher. At the age of 60, he entered a virginal marriage. His wife’s motivation may have been a large inheritance; his was to provide a respectable life for a girl without even a modest marriage
dowry. When his first wife died, he entered another virginal marriage for the same reason; his second wife also died young.
At the age of 72, Sebastian distributed his goods among the poor and entered the Franciscans as a brother. Assigned to the large (100-member) friary at Puebla de los Angeles south of Mexico City, Sebastian went out collecting alms for the
friars for the next 25 years. His charity to all earned him the nickname “Angel of Mexico.”
Sebastian was beatified in 1787 and is known as a patron of travelers.
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An idol is a representation of something in the heavens or on the earth. It is used in worship and is often worshiped. It is an abomination to God (Exodus 20:4). Idolatry is bowing down before such an idol in adoration, prayer, or worship. In a loose sense, idolatry does not necessitate a material image nor a religious system. It can be anything that takes the place of
God: a car, a job, money, a person, a desire, etc. Idolatry is denounced by God at the beginning of the Ten Commandments.and a full divine nature."
