“I know Christmas is still weeks away, but I’m already dreading it. For us, it’s just one hassle after another, plus spending money on relatives we almost never see. I know I shouldn’t feel like this, but I can’t help it. How can I change my attitude?”
“Why are some Christians so grumpy? We have some neighbors like this—always complaining about something and making life difficult for everyone around them. I’m sure they’re sincere about their faith, but I wish they weren’t so unpleasant.”
“What does it mean to follow Jesus? My life is so busy that I can’t imagine taking a couple of hours every day to pray, like I guess saintly people are supposed to do.”
“Why do we need Jesus? Isn’t it enough to believe in God? I don’t see where Jesus fits into the picture.”
“How bad do you have to be before God won’t have anything to do with you? I’ve lived a pretty wild life and I’m in jail now. Two men on my block have become Christians and are urging me to do the same, but I honestly can’t believe God could ever forgive me. ”
“How can you tell if you need God? My friends think I have everything anyone could ever want, but down inside I still feel an emptiness that nothing seems to satisfy. They’d think I was crazy if they knew I was writing you, but something’s missing and I don’t know what it is.”
“I used to think heaven was a place of rest, and I’ve always looked forward to going there. But recently I heard someone say that God has work for us to do in heaven. I’m having a hard time with this because I’m tired of working.”
“I know this isn’t a spiritual question, but I just can’t seem to get ahead financially. I can’t blame the economy because I have a good job and everything, but I keep making dumb decisions that only get me deeper in debt. Praying about it doesn’t seem to help. What should I do?”
“I’m facing some important decisions in the next few months, but how can I know what I ought to do? Does God care about things like this, or does He just leave them up to us to sort out on our own?”
“People like you seem to think that if we’d just turn to God, all our personal problems will vanish. But isn’t this simplistic? Turning to God might help some people, but most of the religious people I know have just as many problems as the rest of us.”
“Why can’t nations get along with each other? Is it because some people don’t have enough? If we could eliminate all the poverty in the world, then maybe we’d be able to get along.”
“Why is Jesus any different from all the other religious leaders and philosophers who’ve ever lived? I know His teachings have had a great impact on civilization, but the same could be said of other religious leaders. ”