“Like most people, we got flooded toward the end of the year with appeals from organizations wanting money. Usually we’re generous, but this year we threw them all away after hearing about a charity that turned out to be a fraud. How can we know which are legitimate? Or are they all a bit shady?”
“Does God punish us when we do something wrong? I’m beginning to think He does, although I always assumed He was kind and loving. I came from a Christian family, but I admit I turned my back on God once I left home, and now nothing is going right.”
“I don’t have any problem until I get around some of my old friends, who always tempt me to do things that mess up my life. They just laugh when I tell them to stop. Why do they keep pushing me like this?”
“About a year ago I left the military after two tours of active duty. I feel so useless now. I can’t find a job, I’m getting more and more depressed, and sometimes I wonder if I have any future. My wife says I need God. Would He help me?”
“I have a physical disability that the doctor says will eventually cripple me. I can’t face this. You’ll probably tell me to turn to God, but what good will that do? God isn’t going to heal me. I don’t think He even cares.”
“I believe we have to make up our own minds about what’s right and wrong. What people thought was right a couple of thousand years ago isn’t necessarily right for us today. Times change, and so should our moral standards.”
“How can I prove to my college roommates that the Bible is the Word of God? Whenever I try to tell them what the Bible says about Jesus, they say that’s just my personal opinion because the Bible is just another book. ”
“What can I do about the harsh and hurtful things my husband says to me?”
“Several members of my family have died from cancer, and I’m afraid it will hit me also. I know I should go to the doctor and get checked out, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Why can’t I get up the courage to do this?”
“By the time you get this Christmas will be over, and my husband and I will be drowning in debt. Every year we say we won’t overspend at Christmas, but we still do, and it takes us the rest of the year to pay it off. Does God care about things like this?”
“Maybe God exists and maybe He doesn’t, but I don’t see what difference it makes. We have to figure out on our own how we want to live, and whether or not we believe in God won’t change that, as far as I can tell.”
“I memorized a few simple prayers when I was a child, but now I’m facing some hard times and those prayers don’t seem to mean much. Will God be upset if I just tell Him what’s going on in my life without using fancy words, like I was taught?”