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The research article you sent is very interesting. However, I do note that in their limitations section, they say, “Sample sizes were small for some subgroups, resulting in limited power to examine specific beverage types in different phases of the menstrual cycle, or to assess interaction.”

A dad who loved his daughter on Earth is unlikely to love her less when he’s been freed from sin’s grasp and has finally experienced love in a way none of us can before we join God in His presence. It’s hard to know how that will change us—though I’m sure it will. Yet I’m also sure it will be a change for the better and one we’ll enjoy, not regret.

“In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Faith is like a forward memory, allowing us to believe as if what is promised has already happened. One day we will see how Romans 8:28 was true all along, even in those moments we most doubted it.

Aren’t we all weary of the onslaught of politicians, religious leaders, and commercials promising more than they can deliver? We have our expectations raised only to be crushed time and time again. Yet we continue to hope for better things than life’s track record suggests possible.

We’ve received many notes from readers over the years, who recently lost or are anticipating the loss of their animals, and are grateful for the perspectives I shared about pets—especially after the deaths of our Dalmatian Moses and our Golden Retriever Maggie.

In late 2021, I shared on my blog about increased Christian persecution in Nigeria. Almost a year and a half later, our brothers and sisters in Christ there continue to face daily dangers. Here is a letter sent last month by a dear Nigerian brother we’ve known for years.

The unifying testimony of the human heart throughout history is belief in life after death. Anthropological evidence suggests that every culture has a God-given, innate sense of the eternal—that this world is not all there is.

Please remember that it takes time to reach that place of perspective. Be patient with yourself during this process. It can take three or more years just to get past the fog and confusion of a major loss.

Steve Saint texted me last Sunday, reminding me that it was the 67th anniversary of the death of his father Nate Saint and the other missionary martyrs in Ecuador: Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming. Their story touched me deeply as a brand-new Christian. 

I confess I grow weary of some believers’ responses to good news, especially related to evangelism. Instead of believing the best, as Christians sometimes we seem to chronically believe the worst. I remember the negative responses I received years ago when I shared a follow-up report on my Facebook about “Harvest America,” Greg Laurie’s crusade in Texas.

One of our staff recently sent me this Twitter thread, from a pastor named Michael Clary, who serves at Christ the King Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. His words are powerful. What he shares reminds me of this warning from J.C. Ryle: “Let us watch against pride in every shape—pride of intellect, pride of wealth, pride of our own goodness.”

It’s true that Scripture describes Hell in graphic terms (raging fires, worm that doesn’t die, darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth). We don’t know exactly what the nature of the present Hell is, just as we don’t know exactly whether the present Heaven is a physical place or not. 

Jesus, the sinless one, willingly gave Himself over to be tortured—not for anything He had done, but to save those least deserving. We are not merely misguided subjects; we are rebels and traitors against the King. Yet God adopts us as His children and happily gives us a seat at His table. If this seems less than amazing, less than wonderful, then we really don’t grasp the meaning of grace.

Joni Eareckson Tada says, “Suffering is meant to press us up against Jesus. It’s not so much about us...it’s about how I can hear His heartbeat and identify with Him in His sufferings.” And, “My paralysis is about knowing Jesus better.”