Living with Isolation: Surrounding Ourselves with Christian Friends and Resting in Our Redeemer (Randy)

 As we continue our series on Living with Adversity, we will look at the challenge of being socially isolated in a lesson called, Living with Isolation: Christian Fellowship and God’s Redemption.  Through the story of Ruth and Naomi, we’ll examine how we can rely on one another and our faith to weather the pandemic.  We hope you will join us!

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Living with Senseless Suffering: Trusting God (Chris)

In the second installment of "Living with Adversity as Christian Disciples," we further explore the uniquely Judeo-Christian perspective on suffering.  Reflecting on the Biblical Book of Job and the real-world grief and horror of 9/11, we see that darkness and difficulty are opportunities to trust the Lord.  Doing so opens the door to God's blessings including peace, joy, hope, and salvation.

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Living with Adversity Introduction: Why Does God Allow Suffering? (Randy)

The pandemic coupled with recent social unrest has created enormous stress in our daily lives. Polls taken by the American Psychological Association suggest stress levels among American adults are in the 70% range due to fear of catching the virus, economic or work concerns, kids at home and the accompanying education challenges, the government’s response to the pandemic, and more.  Our own class poll suggests we share these concerns with worries over the political climate, stress from our jobs, and fear of catching the virus topping the list.  All of this has created a degree of anxiety and depression in our society – and among our classmates – unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes.  Why has God allowed this pandemic to happen?  What possible good can come from it?  How are we supposed to live with the adversity it has created? How can we find meaning and hope in it through our faith in Jesus?  We contemplate these questions in this series with the goal of providing the class with faith-based resources to transform adversity into a more intimate walk with God.  

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Lesson Plan