Pastor Roger Thompson of Berean Baptist Church and I have been writing a book we’re calling Steering through the Potholes: Navigating Life’s Adversities. It’s a book about the challenges we face and how to navigate through them. Like potholes we hit in the road, adversity is unavoidable and often leaves lasting damage. If you’ve ever asked of God, “Why is this happening to me?” then you’ve hit a pothole and this book is being written for you.

I say “is being written” because we are literally in the middle of writing it and we would like your help. We want to do something a bit unusual and invite you into the writing process. Beginning Sunday, September 26th, for eight consecutive evenings, Roger and I will be teaching from the material in the book and leaving behind, each week, a draft chapter for you to chew on. We will ask you to react to the material as you experience it live and also as you read the chapter the following the session. Your feedback will be invaluable to us as we continue to develop this project.

That’s it. That’s the journey we’re on and, if this topic is of interest to you, we invite you to be a part of it Sunday evenings at Berean Baptist Church, Room 114 from 5:30-6:45 p.m. Click for directions.

I hope to see you there!

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The Pharisees and Jesus were almost like oil and water. You don’t have to read the Gospels for long to pick up on the tension between the Son of God and those belonging to the highly legalistic religious order of His day. Jesus described them as hypocrites, vipers and whitewashed tombs (Mark 7:5-6, Matt 12:34, Matt 23:27) and pronounced their self-acclaimed righteousness as below minimum standards (Matt 5:20). Despite the growing acrimony the Pharisees had toward Jesus, at one point some of them came to Him out of concern for His well-being. As Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem, they informed Him that the evil tetrarch Herod Antipas had issued a death threat against Him and suggested that He flee to another place (Luke 13:31).

When even your enemies start to look out after your welfare, you know your challenges have escalated to a new level. “Go tell that fox,” Jesus responded, “‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” (Luke 13:32-33). This was more than just obstinance on Jesus’ part. It was determination. The difference is in the worthiness of the goal. And, thankfully, our eternal life was of such paramount worth to Jesus, it kept Him on track, right up to Calvary.

Your thoughts? When it gets so bad that everyone around you agrees it’s time to quit, is your goal worthy enough to say, “I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day?”

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“It’s not fair.” That’s the refrain parents often hear from their children when a privilege is withdrawn or a chore is added. I’ve heard that protest from my own children and, for the life of me, I have no idea where they learned it. Neither Anna nor I run around grousing that life isn’t fair, yet somehow a sense of injustice materializes at a young age. I’m sure I said it to my parents, and they probably to theirs. Perhaps we’re wired with a innate equation of justice—do good and good will be done to you. But the real world doesn’t seem to honor that equation. There are plenty of times when no good deed goes unpunished. As the apostle Peter suggests, we ought not to be surprised when trials come. At least for now. Soon, a time is coming when the equation will be restored and every tear will be wiped away (Rev 21:4). Until then, our faith must suffice to quiet the protesting child within us.

Your thoughts? What trials do you find surprising in your life?

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I grew up at the foothills of inspiration. Right outside my front-door loomed Colorado’s majestic Pikes Peak. One of the first things I noticed when I moved to Minnesota was that there were no mountains — lots of gorgeous lakes, but no mountains. It was disorienting. For as long as I could remember, the mountains meant “west.” Absent of that reference point, I felt lost and confused.

Metaphorically, goals are our mountains. They inspire a daily, almost subconscious, orientation in our lives. It’s important we have them. But in the shadow of the mountain, lies the foothills and valleys. This is our day-to-day terrain. It’s where we learn the hard lessons of life — those of disappointment, loss, failure, fear, fatigue and death. Good things are learned here too. We learn that we are not alone. We have a Guide who takes us through our valley of shadow and death (Psalm 23:4). We learn about perseverance and, its twin discipline, trust. And we learn that the more attentively we follow our Guide through this terrain, the more strength we gain to reach the summit.

Your thoughts? In what ways are you gaining strength in your personal valley?

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When you hear someone complain about their situation, have you ever found yourself tempted to say, “You think you’ve got it bad…”? One person’s devastating trial can be another’s inconvenient paper cut. Yet, few of us can top the trials the apostle Paul endured during his lifetime. On more than one occasion he was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, persecuted, robbed, and left naked, cold and hungry (2 Cor 11:24-27). That’s enough to drive anyone to despair. Yet, even in the midst of all this pressure, he was not crushed. Even though he was as perplexed as we often are, he didn’t despair. Like him, we may not know all the “whys,” but we can know the “Who”—and that’s enough to get us through any challenge.

Your thoughts? How have you seen God get you through your challenges?

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The Gospel of John describes a time when Jesus received word that his dear friend Lazarus was deathly ill. Yet, instead of rushing to his friend’s aid, Jesus waited. The Book of John describes it this way: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” (John 11:5-6) Of course, we know the story—Jesus performed a resurrection-style healing of his friend. But at the time, his friends didn’t know that. His delay may have felt to them like indifference. In fact, Martha put it right out there to Jesus. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21) We might identify with Martha’s frustration in waiting for God. What we often forget, however, is that God is waiting too. Even though he loved them, he allowed the agony of their waiting and loss in order to show an even greater demonstration of the love he had for his friends.

Your thoughts? In what ways might God be waiting with you to reveal His love during a trial you face?

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