I had an uncle who lived a terrible life—fathering a couple of illegitimate children, treating people like dirt, you name it. Well, on his deathbed he claimed he received Christ and was forgiven, and believed he'd be going to heaven. He seemed happy, but was he right? Why should he go to heaven just like someone who's been a Christian all their life?
I used to be very active in my church and I taught Sunday school for over 30 years, but now I'm in my 80s and crippled from arthritis and other problems, and I can't even get out. Why is God keeping me here? I'd rather be in heaven. Is it wrong to feel this way?
My husband and I are very disillusioned with the churches we've been in. We've moved around a lot in the last 10 years, and almost every church we've gone to either had some kind of conflict going on or else it just didn't have much to offer. I know you tell people that it's important to go to church, but we've about given up. Any advice?
Recently, I read about some missionaries in a foreign country who were captured by some rebels there and then beaten and left for dead. Why would they put themselves in such a dangerous place?
In recent months, I've had a real problem with arthritis, and some days I can hardly get out of bed. My doctor tells me I need to get on some kind of medicine but I don't want to do that. I've prayed and prayed for God to heal me, but nothing happens. Why won't God answer?
What do you think is the greatest need in our churches today? Do you think it's better preaching, new styles of worship, more youth work, or what? I'm on the board of our church, and we've been debating this recently.
I don't have any use for hypocrites. I'm in jail right now, and I've seen several guys supposedly get religion here, but they admit privately that the only reason they're doing it is to impress the parole board. They're just phonies.
I have confessed every sin to God that I can think of, but what about the ones I can't remember? I'm sure I've forgotten some things I've done that God didn't like. I'd like to know God has forgiven all my sins, but how can I?
My son is in fifth grade, and he's having a lot of problems in class right now. I blame it all on my divorce last year, which upset him greatly, but the school says he might need medication to calm him down. How do I know what's right for him? I'm not sure I like him being on a drug.
What is your definition of worship? Our church has just started an alternative worship service (in addition to our usual one) with contemporary music and all that, but I have a hard time thinking of it as worship. Am I just out of date?
We have really gotten ourselves in a hole because we took out one of those sub prime mortgages a couple of years ago to buy our house, and now we can't make the payments. It sounded like a good deal at the time, but we didn't read the fine print. Will God help us get out of this somehow?
I agree with you when you say we are separated from God, but I don't think we should think of God as some great power "out there" that we need to be reconciled with. God is within every one of us, and we just need to look within ourselves to discover our true oneness with the Divine.
