“Our son was killed in Iraq three years ago, and I don’t think we’ll ever get over it. It was his second tour of duty, and we were proud of him for wanting to serve his country. But now it all seems so hopeless.”
“Why does the devil keep fighting against God? Hasn't he figured out that he's going to be defeated someday, so why does he bother? Or is the “devil” just a symbol for evil, so that what we call “the devil” isn't actually real?”
“Is it true that God cursed one of Noah’s sons, who became the founder of the black race? My uncle is very prejudiced against people of other races, and he uses this to defend his position.”
“When my grandfather died, he willed the old family Bible to me (we have a large family, and none of us got much of value). I don't know what to do with it. It's too big for me to read (although I know he read it every day), and the language is very old-fashioned. Why keep it? I guess I'm not a very sentimental person.”
“I’m graduating from college in a few weeks, and I’ve already been offered a very good job, at least as far as pay is concerned. But a former employee of this company told me I’d be pressured into doing things that aren’t honest or ethical. How can I know what to do?”
“I know this isn't a spiritual question, but how should we deal with someone who talks all the time? We have a family reunion coming up, and our aunt always dominates the conversation (talking mostly about herself).”
“We'd like to be friendly toward a family that moved into our apartment building a few months ago, but they're from a foreign country and have a different religion, and we're not sure what to do, if anything. Any suggestions?”
“Is it possible to be addicted to things other than drugs or alcohol? Or are some of the things we do just bad habits that we could break if we really wanted to?”
“My grandmother used to say that the longer we live, the closer we'll be to God. Is that true? It was with her, because she became more devout as she got older, but I've known others who just got grumpy and hard to live with when they got old.”
“My neighbor just confessed to me that she’s carrying on an affair behind her family’s back, and is thinking about leaving them so she can marry her lover (who’s also married). I want to help her, but how can I? She claims she’s at peace with her decisions.”
“My aunt went into a nursing home a few months ago, and whenever I go to see her I come away saddened because so many of the people there are lonely and never have any visitors. Should I encourage our pastor to start visiting there?”
“My aunt is in hospice with untreatable stage 4 cancer, and she keeps asking me why God doesn’t just let her die and go to be with Jesus. I always try to be optimistic and tell her she’s going to get better, although we both know she isn’t. What can I say to cheer her up?”