Suffering, Part III: Deliverance from Suffering is Not One-Size-Fits-All

Dave Shive lives in Catonsville, MD, and has been married to Kathy for 52 years. They have 3 married children and 11 grandchildren. Dave writes, not as a clinician or therapist, but as a pastor. His thoughts on suffering emerge from his study of the Bible, reading widely, pastoral counseling, and personal experience. This is Part III of a multi-part series on suffering. Have you ever felt like you aren't "getting over" your suffering as fast as someone else? Have you ever felt pressured to move on in your grief by those around you and you just weren't ready yet or ...

Suffering: Toward a Biblical Theology of Affliction, Part 1

Dave Shive lives in Catonsville, MD, and has been married to Kathy for 52 years. They have 3 married children and 11 grandchildren. Dave writes, not as a clinician or therapist, but as a pastor. His thoughts on suffering emerge from his study of the Bible, reading widely, pastoral counseling, and personal experience. This is Part I of a multi-part series on suffering. In a few months, precisely April 1, 2021, I will celebrate the 30th anniversary of my entry into what I would come to label my “night shift.” On that day I was initiated into the spiritual crisis that ...

Joy Matters

Can you remember a time when something happened that instantly stole your joy? If joy was a scale, what number are you today? 1-10? One being not even on your radar and 10—your cup runneth over with joy.Answer this question. “I’d be full of joy all the time if only ____.” Friends, do you know your joy matters to God? Do you know the Bible has a lot to say about joy? For those of you who are in Christ, do you know that Jesus was inspired and motivated by your future joy?Joy reflects Who you know and what you ...

When Justice Rolls Down… Like Molasses: One Pastor’s Perspective on Time, Justice, and Faith in Inner City Baltimore

Today’s guest post is written by Pastor Ronjour Locke of First Baptist Brooklyn for the past five and a half years located on the south side of Baltimore, MD. He is a graduate of Washington Bible College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is happily married to his wife, Annie with whom they have four children. I have a neighbor who was involved in a verbal fight with a woman in front of his house. In mere minutes she had a group of fifteen at his ...