Category Archives: The Sufferer

Slavery in America: Book Review

Review: Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” Zora Neale Hurston, (NY: Amistad/HarperCollins), 2018. Ed. Deborah G. Plant. Foreword by Alice Walker. #1 Best Seller in African American History (Amazon.com) I cannot underestimate the importance of this slim volume … Continue reading

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Everything Happens For A Reason (Doesn’t It?) Concl.

[This is the second of a two-part review of Bowler’s Everything Happens For A Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved (Random House, 2018), an account of her diagnosis with cancer against the backdrop of the prosperity Gospel, about which she … Continue reading

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Everything Happens For A Reason (Doesn’t It?)

Book Review: Kate Bowler, Everything Happens For A Reason And Other Lies I’ve Loved, Random House, 2018. Against the backdrop of the American prosperity gospel, about which she wrote a history (Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, Oxford, … Continue reading

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Keeping the Faith in Tragedy

Many of us misunderstand God. Especially if we are strong believers, we appear to assume that our life should run smoothly, without serious setbacks. When we live for God, when we’re obedient to Scripture, when we follow Jesus, no accident, … Continue reading

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms (CFS) II: Guest Blog

On November 24, I published a blog on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). In it I called attention to Paul Grose, our son, who, along with his wife Juli, has experienced the debilitating effects of CFS (now renamed Myalgic Encephalomyalitis ME/CFS) … Continue reading

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): Hope For Treatment

For over 30 years, our family has struggled with our son Paul’s strange illness. His wife Juli has it worse. They lived isolated from friends, church, work, and even family. Misnamed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), this illness has become the … Continue reading

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Broken-heart Syndrome

Can a person die of a broken heart? Will the unexpected loss of a close relative or loved-one create such emotional stress that it jeopardizes the person’s well-being? Don’t people in grief recover sufficiently so that their physical health suffers … Continue reading

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What Words Do You Say To A Grieving Friend?

On Sunday, November 5, 2017, Patrick Devin Kelley walked into Sutherland Springs Baptist Church (TX) during worship, and, and with an AR-15 rifle, killed 26. A neighbor, hearing gunfire, returned with a rifle, wounded Kelly twice, and forced him to flee. Ten minutes … Continue reading

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Morbidity Rate of Depression

If you feel depressed, your life may shorten. According to results of a study released recently which followed the lives of 3400 Canadian adults from 1952 to 1992, people with depression experienced a shorter life span than those without it. … Continue reading

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“We Mend Broken Hearts”

I returned yesterday (6/29/17) from the hospital where I had implanted a cardiac pacemaker. The periodic “pre-syncope” experiences that necessitated this medical procedure included my feeling faint, feeling I’m about to pass out, and, in one case, briefly losing consciousness. … Continue reading

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