Charity Archives - Page 4 of 4

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People

May 26, 2009 by EnnisP 2 Comments

Humans Have God-Given Power
To Influence
The Balance of Good and Evil

It’s an age old problem. It happens in every generation. Good people die before their time, sometimes in horrible ways, or are disabled by unfair injuries or are crippled by unexpected financial loss…and we really get upset about this! Our sense of justice is offended.

When bad things happen to people we perceive as good, especially children, we become indignant. Why doesn’t God stop all the unnecessary pain and suffering? Why should any child be afflicted with disease, neglect or abuse? Why should any good person at any age endure painful experiences?

And the fact that God created the world in the blink of an eye begs the question. With all that power, why doesn’t He protect innocent people from bad things and prove to everyone how benevolent He can be? To any person who hasn’t become emotionally callous this is a fair and reasonable question but is it really an emotional issue? We can’t reasonably consider this question without asking several more questions first. For example… [Read more…] about Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People

Did Jesus Heal To Show His Power Or Be Helpful?

May 13, 2009 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Jesus performed thousands of miracles. He was constantly healing endless numbers of people. Some He raised from the dead.

He was sensitive to the needy and never avoided or resisted an opportunity to give His support. He even responded to basic human needs that were far from life threatening. He fed thousands who were neither poor nor malnourished on at least two occasions, possibly more. John did say Jesus performed many other miracles that were not reported.

But, the questions are:

Was Jesus being helpful or miraculous?
Was He being supportive or sensational?
Was He demonstrating usefulness or power?

These are important questions. They establish motive and we can never qualify as “followers” of Jesus if we don’t understand and adopt His motives.

Without “Good Deeds” You Are Barren

May 3, 2009 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Of the nine fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23, “Goodness” is sixth on the list and the list is quite impressive. You could say it is the “what’s what” for character qualifies. It includes love, faithfulness and self-control to mention just a few. Despite the association, however, Christians do not discuss in detail or demonstrate often the quality of goodness as Jesus exhibited it. Christians, particularly of the fundamental version, are very concerned about being right but have little interest in being good. [Read more…] about Without “Good Deeds” You Are Barren

The Difference Between “Being” and “Doing” Good

May 2, 2009 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

We Were Created
For Good Works

From the minute we are born we are told what is good, shown how to perform it, commanded to live it, and disciplined if we don’t. Consequently, each of us grows up with a sense of what is good and, more importantly, how we measure up. Usually, our self-assessment is heavily influenced by several factors:

Attitudes Of Authority Figures

If our parents/teachers respond with understanding toward our failures or firm but accepting discipline toward our wayward tendencies, we feel fairly good about ourselves even if we shouldn’t.

Positive responses encourage a “warm fuzzy” that fosters a sense of confidence about how good we are. We feel normal and safe. There’s nothing to worry about.

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If authority figures are constantly critical, however, we develop a sense of hopelessness. “Can I ever be good enough?”

We all feed off the responses of others to our behavior and that’s partly how we develop a sense of how good or bad we are. The assessment may be inaccurate. [Read more…] about The Difference Between “Being” and “Doing” Good

AIDS Treatment No Use To Orphans

March 4, 2009 by EnnisP 1 Comment

There is one very good reason why every person should donate to the Children’s Resiliency Project (CRP). All the work done to solve the AIDS problem has done nothing to solve the orphan problem it caused. AIDS and orphans are two entirely different problems and require two completely different solutions.

All the hype associated with the prevention, treatment and cure of AIDS (which is completely understandable) has overshadowed the stark reality of the plight of orphans. When a cure is finally found for the disease we will still be left with millions of children who have no parents and in most cases no place to go. Unfortunately, solving the AIDS riddle does nothing to eliminate the orphan tragedy. [Read more…] about AIDS Treatment No Use To Orphans