“How seriously should you take it when someone says she's decided her life isn't worth living? Our teenaged niece has been saying this recently, but her parents say she's just going through a phase and we ought to ignore her. Are they right?”
“A year ago, my girlfriend dropped me and married someone else, and it was a real shock. The problem is, I still love her, and now she and her husband have moved only a couple of miles away. Would it be wrong for me to get in touch with her privately and try to see her occasionally?”
“One of my two sons never had much to do with me after my husband and I divorced, and after his father died he cut off all contact. I don't even know where he is. With Christmas approaching, I'd give anything just to get a card from him, but I know I won't. What did I do wrong?”
“I wanted to buy my nephew (who is 16) a nice Bible for Christmas this year, but I just got confused when I got to the bookstore and saw all the different versions, and ended up not getting one. What would you recommend I do, if anything?”
“I’ve always been extremely shy, and I try to avoid people I don’t know. I became a Christian a couple of years ago, but I can’t face going to church. I know you’ll say I ought to start going, but I can’t help how I feel, can I?”
“The doctor says I'm living on borrowed time (because of my heart), and I guess he's right. I'm a Christian and I know I'll go to heaven when I die, but what should I do in the meantime? I don't think God just wants me to sit around and do nothing until I die, does He?”
“I grew up in a Christian home and even went to a Christian school, but I threw it all overboard when I began experimenting with drugs. I'm in my 40s now and I know I've made a mess of my life, but is it too late for me to get back on track?”
“Who is stronger in your opinion, God or Satan? I suppose you'll say God, but I wonder about that, because the devil sure has a lot of control over my life. Whenever I try to do better, he stops me every time.”
“Our son says he can't see anything wrong with living with his girlfriend, which is what he's planning to do. He says they'll probably get married some day, but living together has become so common that he doesn't think we ought to get upset. What would you say to him?”
“Somewhere I heard that in God's eyes it isn't enough for us to be sorry for our sins. Is this true? I certainly hope God has forgiven my sins, but this makes me wonder. Maybe you can explain it to me.”
“I hope you won't think I'm trying to put you on the spot, but we lost almost everything in Hurricane Katrina, and with Thanksgiving coming up I'm having a hard time being thankful about much of anything. What would you say to someone like me?”
“We moved last year and got involved in a new church that's more formal in its worship than our old church. Now they are preparing for what they call the "advent" season, and I'm too embarrassed to admit my ignorance and ask someone what it is. Maybe you can explain it to me.”