Pain

All posts tagged Pain

Mary Had It Worse

Posted by Jim Thornber on February 7, 2011
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 6 Comments

“And a sword will pierce your own soul too” – Luke 2:35

Me and Mom at my wedding

I know it has been a while since I’ve written, but I’ve been in Mississippi the last ten days with my mom. She had been fighting emphysema for years and on Feb. 1, she lost the battle. She died peacefully with me in the room with her, and I’m grateful for the time I could spend with her at the end of her life.

I have to admit, though, that more than once during the week I stood by her side, praying that God would take her quickly and ease the pain of trying to breathe with only 18% of her lungs left. One of the worst possible experiences in life is to watch a loved one slowly die for lack of oxygen. Gasping for air is not a pretty sight, but that was what I had to watch. I prayed and pleaded with God that He would ease her pain and discomfort and take her home quickly. My love and compassion for my mom wanted a comfortable, easy passing, and I don’t regret those prayers. Still, while I stood by her bed and held her hand while she struggled to inhale, it occurred to me that however bad I had it, Mary, the mother of Jesus, had it worse. Continue Reading

Caution: Church Membership Ahead!

Posted by Jim Thornber on November 8, 2010
Posted in: Christian Spirituality, Church, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

It all started when. . .

I had a conversation with a young mother the other day who was dismayed at the way she’s been treated in church by other Christians. She told me the deepest hurts she’s ever encountered in life have come through religious people she thought should know better.

The more I thought about this, the more I think the leaders in God’s Church have done their people a great disservice. As an Evangelical Protestant/Pentecostal, I’ve heard for years the only thing a person needs to do to be saved is to “confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.” I’ve seen people practically coerced into repeating those words, or some semblance of them, only to hear the announcement they’re now saved, cleansed, set free from their sins and ready to live their life for the Lord. Then comes the invitation that almost ruins this new, if questionable convert: “Come and go to church with me.”

Unfortunately, many times in our efforts to get someone to say the magic Salvation Formula, we don’t bother to explain what a Lord is and we forget that none of us knows everything God’s saved us from. We convince people that simply repeating a sentence after us will grant them eternal life and everything on earth is now going to be a big, warm fuzzy feeling of joy and happiness since Jesus paid for your sins and made you a part of the family of God.

Continue Reading