“I believe Jesus has forgiven me, but I still feel guilty. I haven’t committed any crimes or done anything seriously wrong, but I still feel burdened by this nagging feeling that I don’t measure up. What’s wrong?”
“I’m a single mom with a couple of small children. I know I’ve messed up my life big time, but I don’t know what to do about it. Is there hope for me? I know you’ll say I need God, and I probably do, but I’d feel out of place going to church.”
“I’d probably decide to follow Jesus if I ever met someone who really took it seriously. All the so-called Christians I’ve ever met didn’t seem to be any different from anyone else. Why should I believe in Jesus if it won’t make any difference to me? ”
“No one in my family has any use for God. They even make fun of people who go to church or say they believe in God. But I have a yearning inside me to know God, although I know they’ll just laugh at me. I don’t know why I’m writing, but maybe you can suggest something. I am 16.”
“I’d always looked forward to retirement, and had done a lot of financial planning to be sure we’d be comfortable. But I’ve been retired two years now, and I’m bored to death. Does the Bible say anything about retirement?”
“My sister and I are having a debate about what God is like. Is He basically kind and loving (which is what I think), or is He strict and judgmental (which is what she thinks)? It probably doesn’t matter, but I’d still like to know. Can you help? ”
“I don’t believe anything happens after we die. When we die, that’s the end, and hopefully we’ve had a good time along the way. People who think we’re going to go on living in some perfect world are just kidding themselves, in my opinion.”
“I’ve heard people talk about knowing God personally, but what does that mean? I believe in God and try to live a good life, but when I think of God, I imagine Him being way up there, not someone near me.”
“My faith is like a yo-yo, constantly bouncing up and down but not going anywhere. I’d love to have a solid faith like some of my friends do, but it isn’t happening. What’s wrong with me? Maybe I’m just not the religious type.”
“I work in the emergency room of our local hospital, and to be honest, I’m about burned out. I get very discouraged because most of the people who come here are here because of their own bad decisions—too much drinking, drugs, fighting, you name it. We patch them up, but two weeks later they’re back. Why bother? Should I change careers?”
“How much money does God expect us to give to our church and to other groups that are doing good things? We aren’t wealthy by any measure, and frankly I can’t imagine that the little amount we give actually does much good.”
“When we got married 40 years ago, it seems like my husband and I talked all the time about everything under the sun. But now we sometimes go for hours without saying much of anything. We still love each other very much, but has something gone wrong?”