“How can I be sure my mother is in heaven? She told me several times that she had accepted Christ when she was young, but she had a hard life—a broken marriage, bad health, money problems, and so forth—which eventually made her bitter toward God. I pray she's at peace now but I worry about it sometimes.”
“I know we should forgive people, but I can't ever forgive my father for what he did to us: physical and emotional abuse, leaving my mother penniless after being repeatedly unfaithful, you name it. He was an evil man, so why should I forgive him? I don't know where he is anyway.”
“My husband and I got a pocketful of credit cards sent to us when we graduated from college, and now three years later we're so far in debt I don't see how we'll ever get out. I know this isn't a spiritual issue, but do you have any suggestions for us?”
“How can I get the Holy Spirit in me? I gave my life to Jesus about two years ago at a church camp, but now a friend of mine is saying I need to get the Holy Spirit also or I'm not going to be saved. She has me worried, so maybe you can explain what I need to do.”
“I don't believe any religion has all the answers, and in fact, I don't have much use for any of them. I know some religions do some good, but I've seen too many hypocrites to believe religion makes any difference in most people's lives. I know I'm a free thinker but it's the only way that makes any sense to me.”
“I know people ask you from time to time what you think heaven is like, but I'd also be interested to know what you think hell will be like. I have a friend who says he's looking forward to hell, because all his friends will be there and they'll have one big party. He's not right, is he?”
“How can I keep my prayers from being so selfish? It seems like every time I pray, I find myself asking God to do something for me, and I know I shouldn't be like that. Does God even hear prayers like that?”
“I moved to America almost 10 years ago, and I love it here. A few months ago, I even got my citizenship. The only thing that confuses me is that I thought America was a Christian nation, but most of the people I work with don't have much religion. Can you explain this to me?”
“Is it ever right to be angry at someone? Maybe I shouldn't feel this way, but my brother did something dishonest to me several years ago that cost me a great deal of money, and I haven't spoken to him since. Why shouldn't we be angry when someone wrongs us?”
“Do you think God has a plan for every person's life? I find that kind of hard to believe. There are so many people in the world and I don't see how He could keep track of them all. Why would He care what they did anyway?”
“We had to put our dog to sleep after almost 14 years, and it's really been hard on us. When I told a friend about this, however, she just laughed and said it was silly to grieve over an animal, because God didn't care about things like dogs. Is she right? I admit her words hurt me.”
“How can I keep from doing what I know is wrong, but I do it anyway because others are doing it? Now I'm in jail because some friends talked me into doing drugs, and it seems like I'm always getting into trouble because I go along with the crowd and do things I shouldn't.”