We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.

The Gift of Bearing Witness

Lumen Christi

Eustaquio Santimano via Compfight

Our friend, Jonathan Martin, was featured in She Loves Magazine in a piece he wrote called At Least One Person Waiting. It’s an extraordinary reflection on sitting with the ones we love when they are suffering and we are powerless.

From Jonathan’s reflection:

We all have different skills, different things to offer, different limitations. I know there are suffering people near to every one of us, and that what they need right now may be nothing more or less than someone who is willing to be with them—someone who will not be squeamish about their wounds. My sense is that when we are willing to stand by others through their greatest suffering, somewhere, somehow we will also bear witness to the reality of resurrection.

If we wait long enough.

Also, Jonathan’s book, Prototype was recently published. Here’s a trailer to give you an idea of what it’s about:

Jonathan Martin | Prototype from Caravan on Vimeo.

Related Reading

Hearing and Responding to God: Part 6

Greg has a couple additional thoughts about this topic so here’s part 6 and we’ll post part 7 tomorrow. Today, Greg discusses a way for us to discern the will of God. You can view the previous videos here, here, here, here, and here. Good stuff!

Violence: What Did Jesus Do?

Thomas Quine via Compfight Here’s a spot-on reflection on what Jesus taught us about responding to violence. Whatever you think about the justification of violence in particular situations, as Christians we simply cannot escape the fact that Jesus demonstrated another way. From the reflection: And though he had access to unlimited power to have himself released…

The Suffering of God

NYC.andre via Compfight This seems like a good follow-up post from what Greg posted yesterday. Charisma posted this reflection on the problem of evil and the suffering of God. It’s a great summary of our thinking about what accounts for the kind of world we see where tragedies like Newtown occur. From the article: C.…

God-Talk When Disaster Strikes

Kent Annan posted 5 God Excuses to Avoid After a Natural Disaster and Conor Finnegan shared some social media God-speak that was posted in the aftermath of Sandy’s devastation. Disasters like this reveal so much about our picture of God. Let’s be careful to reflect the love of God when we speak in the midst…

When Prayers Go Unanswered

Recently Frank Viola published a free e-book where 21 Christian leaders responded to the following question: Why is it that God doesn’t often answer the desperate prayers of His people for deliverance, protection, healing, etc.? You can download the free ebook by clicking here. The following excerpt is Greg’s contribution to this book: _____________________ Two very ill children are…

Lord Willing?

Lord Willing? Wrestling with God’s Role in My Child’s Death, by Jessica Kelley In November 2012, I received one of the most touching emails I have ever received. A young mother named Jessica Kelley explained to me that her four-year-old son had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. Despite his parents’ and doctors’ valiant…