This is becoming much too familiar.

I live on a fault line so earthquakes get talked about fairly often. But in the 15 years since I moved out to the coast I’ve only ever felt one, a single tremor that made the building tremble once and then snap back to center.  I cannot imagine what it feels like to see the ground open up at your feet.  Maybe it’s time to start putting together that emergency pack I started thinking about when I heard the news New Zealand a few weeks ago.

I don’t subscribe to doomsday thinking, but there is wisdom in being prepared.   If you want to put together your own emergency kits there are lists of what to include.  It wasn’t us this time, but who knows when the earth will shift again.

There is always a lot of confusion at a time like this: the chaos of people on the ground trying to find which way is up, and the confusion for the rest of us wondering why this keeps happening.  Where is God in all of this? If you find yourself wondering that this morning, our free interactive lesson Why does God allow disaster? can be a great place to start.

If you world got shaken up today and you need someone to talk to, our mentors are always available.

As I write this post, nearly half of the trapped Chilean miners have been rescued.

CNN showed live video of the rescue and a live tracker on their front page displaying the number of people rescued so far. Similarly, in Canada the CBC has the rescue as their #1 story, with live video and over 300 visitor comments on the story. In Britain, the BBC lists information about each of the miners rescued so far, including:

Mario Sepulveda, who brought a bag of stones from the mine as souvenirs; he ran towards a group of rescuers and led them in song

Osman Araya, who had a hugely emotional reunion with his wife

Jose Ojeda, whose scribbled note – which read “All 33 of us are safe in the shelter” – informed the world the miners were still alive, 17 days after the rockfall that trapped them

Victor Segovia who was welcomed “back to life” by President Pinera

Daniel Herrera, who was embraced by his crying mother as he freed himself from the safety harness

Already an inspiring story of triumph over adversity, these brief glimpses into the personal lives of the men who were trapped, and are now being set free, give us an additional emotional connection to them. It helps us to understand how the hope that they were able to hold on to has now been realized.

Hope is I think the reason that this story has captured the hearts and imaginations of people all over the world. It’s a story that seems far too rare to hear in the news: One of victory instead of tragedy where hope triumphs over disaster.

Has this story inspired you? Where do you find hope in difficult circumstances?

If you are going through tough times, you may be surprised at some of the places that people have found hope. Finding Hope in a Chat Room explores one way that people have connected to others online to help one another through tough times. If you’d like to speak with someone privately, contact a mentor today to talk about what’s bothering you.

Related reading:
Hope and a Future – She was abandoned at age four with five siblings in a hotel. This is her story of hope.
When your World is Not like it’s Supposed to Be – Something about the world isn’t right. That’s a pointer towards a much greater truth.

We’ve all asked “why?” at some point or another.  Chris Keith has been asking why for most of his life.

He was 12 years old when his grandparents decided he was old enough to know the truth.  His whole family – his parents and his older brother Mikey – did not die in a car accident as he has been told.  The were the victims of a murder-suicide at the hands of Chris’ Dad.   Chris learned that his father had shot him point blank in the head as well, that paramedics had declared him dead as well until somehow he moved a little and they realized he was still alive.

Chris is left with a lifetime of whys.  Why did his father do this? Why did his Mom take a violent drunk back into her life again and again? Why did Chris survive while his brother died? Why wasn’t it the other way around?

Learning to live with “why?”

Years of therapy, a strong faith and the love of his grandparents have helped Chris as he walks through his own story, but nothing is ever going to make what happened okay.  In a recent article for CNN Chris describes laying awake at night during his high school years, “just thinking”.

Philosophers, pastors and cynics have all tried to answer the question why, but few of them have had to live it as Chris has.  The search for meaning, the longing for life to have a purpose and a direction is common to all of us.  We want to belong, we want our lives to count.  We need it.  Our very souls crave it.

In his book Soul Cravings Erwin McManus discusses his own search for the answers to these very questions.   He writes, “Our souls crave to know the truth, and we need to pursue it at all cost. Whatever the implication, whatever it takes us, we must search for meaning, strive for understanding, struggle to make sense of life, never give up on the belief that the truth is out there.”

If you find yourself asking the same questions and want to learn more about the search for intimacy, destiny and meaning join us for a special chat series on Soul Cravings Monday nights at 9pm EST. The series starts on August 30th and runs every Monday until September 27.

How do you answer the whys in your own life?

It’s been five years now since the wind and rain of Hurricane Katrina bore down on the gulf coast.

Kathleen Koch is a lifetime resident of Bay St. Louis.  In an article for CNN she writes:

Five years ago, when Hurricane Katrina was bearing down on New Orleans, I prayed. I prayed that the monster storm would veer east and spare the 1.3 million residents of the city and its surrounding parishes. I knew I was praying the hurricane right into my hometown, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Faith had always been a part of her life but when she saw the depth of the destruction in her home town, she struggled to find God in the suffering. For Koch, the devastation was too great and her faith was left in tatters, much like the childhood home she’d always loved.

Her heartache is a tragically common one.  She went on to write:

But Katrina spared no one. And as I watched residents struggle first against the federal bureaucracy and then against many insurance companies, my anger and frustration grew. I couldn’t understand how a loving God could let all this happen.

So for a long time, I gave up on God. I told myself my crazy schedule that kept me working most Sundays was to blame for my absence from church. But deep down, I knew better. I couldn’t look at the suffering and destruction on the Gulf Coast and find anything to be thankful for.

It can be difficult to reconcile the idea of a loving God with a broken reality, but Koch did find God again in what remained after the waters receded.

I took account of my life and how it had changed because of the hurricane. I had reconnected to my hometown and the people I’d grown up with. I had built new friendships with so many who had come to help the Gulf Coast. I was stronger, wiser and more keenly aware of what mattered in life. And it wasn’t the “stuff.”

“It’s just stuff” became a mantra in the region after the hurricane smashed homes and scattered belongings for miles.

People who lost everything found they still had plenty left to keep them going–family, friends, faith and community. They pulled together and in the process most found they had become better parents, better spouses, better citizens of their towns. They, as I, had been transformed by the monster hurricane.

By the end of the article Koch describes herself once more as a person of faith. She found her faith in the rubble.  Her crisis of faith is pretty common.  It’s a question people have asked for centuries, “Where is God when bad things happen to good people? Why is there suffering in the world?”

There are easy answers, ones that fit neatly into greeting cards, but they are little comfort when your world is falling apart.   Philosopher Michael Horner deals with this question in his article, “Why Is There Suffering In the World.” If you find yourself asking this same question, his article might be just what you’re looking for.

If you want to dive deeper into this topic try our free, guided Life Lesson: Understanding Pain and Disaster.  You’ll be matched with a study coach who will discuss your answers with you as you learn

How do you account for the suffering in the world? Can God still be good when it hurts?

Comforting friends who have gone through significant hurt or loss is not easy.

One of my professors, while teaching a graduate course I took called “Evil & Suffering” (not the most uplifting course name ever devised) talked about how he had presided over dozens, if not hundreds, of funerals in his role as a pastor. In all of these instances only once, he said, had anyone ever asked him philosophical questions about suffering. Most times, people need a patient, caring, and generally silent listener, not intellectual answers and advice. Heart care instead of head answers.

But that’s easier said than done. I remember clearly how when my friend’s dad passed away, I found it difficult to know how to respond appropriately in a way that would be most helpful to him.

To help us respond in this kind of situation, Heather Isaak’s article How to Talk to the Broken Hearted provides helpful advice. She explains her own story of loss, what kinds of advice she found unhelpful, and suggestions of better ways to respond.

Further resources:
Confronting our Giants – An online interactive study about finding strength to face life’s challenges
Talk to a mentor – Have a private email discussion with someone familiar with your concerns

Six months ago a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake left nearly a quarter of a million people dead and another 1.5 million people homeless.

Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and former U.S. President Bill Clinton say millions of Haitians still lack access to basic services such as shelter, water, sanitation and health care. Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bellerive, who are the co-chairs of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission, say that so far only 10 percent of the $5.3 billion pledged by governments to Haiti has been disbursed to the Haitian government. (Voice of America News)

CTV News reports that “Out of 1.5 million people left homeless by the disaster, less than 30,000 people have moved into new homes, according to estimates,” so approximately 98% of those who lost homes in the disaster are still living in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps, waiting and hoping for new homes.

Emmanuelle Sony is one of them. Her daughter was killed in the earthquake, leaving her in charge of her five grandchildren. They moved to an IDP camp, where their makeshift shelter couldn’t even protect them from the pouring rain. She was glad to receive a new waterproof tent from a volunteer Global Aid Network (GAiN) worker last month, one of over 600 distributed that day. It isn’t a new permanent home, but at least it’s a start and an encouragement for her and her family. (Read her full story on GAiN’s website.)

However, there are still thousands of people who need shelter, food, clean water, and medical attention. Although it’s discouraging that only a small portion of the money promised by governments has so far reached its destination, ground-level efforts by relief organizations such as GAiN are continuing to work diligently to make a difference and give hope to those whose hope may begin to be waning.

If you would like to help make a difference to the 1.5 million homeless in Haiti, please visit Global Aid Network’s Haiti Project Page to donate or learn more; you can also see videos and photos of GAiN’s relief work in Haiti.

Related reading:
When Your World is Not Like it Should Be – I think you’ll agree that this world seems not quite right.
Does God Care? – Just where is God when disaster strikes?

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “What Can Separate Us? ” on July 21 at 10:30 am EDT Please join us to discuss how nothing can pluck us from the palm of Jesus.

Photo credit: Aaron Rogers / GAiN

In the past, celebrities like movie stars or sports heroes carefully constructed their public images.

Recently William Shatner (better known as Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek series) shared his struggles publicly for the first time:

At 79, the Montreal-born Shatner remains a beloved and seemingly unstoppable force in Hollywood … But despite fame, fortune and wide-ranging creative opportunities, he revealed Tuesday night that it has been a difficult journey.

“My life was a series of pools of loneliness [from] which every so often I was able to emerge with some companionship, and subdue that dreadful feeling that had dogged me for much of my life,” he said. “And frequently even with the kudos I was receiving, I was not happy with the private part of my existence. But slowly I changed. The drill that life puts you through can make you or break you, and fortunately I became more comfortable with relationships and slowly evolved in reaching out to friends and family.” (Globe & Mail)

In some ways it’s easier for stars to expose themselves this way: They are already public figures, and they have audiences who are ready and willing to accept whatever they reveal and offer their support. It almost seems to come with the territory of being a celebrity that airing your dirty laundry publicly is accepted, and won’t hurt your career. For average people with families and employers to worry about, that isn’t usually an option.

If you are going through difficult struggles, and would like someone to speak with privately and confidentially who can sympathize with the challenges you face, please contact a mentor today to talk about it with a caring listener.

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “What Do I Base My Self-Worth On? ” on June 28 at 10:30 am EDT Please join us to discuss where you get your confidence from.

Were the airplanes unfairly grounded?

It’s estimated that the decision resulted in about $1billion in losses. And now some are suggesting that it was a mistake to keep the planes out of the air.

Six days after ash from Iceland’s volcano paralyzed European airspace, aviation experts and academics are arguing over whether the entire mess could have been avoided.

[The] grounding of flights drew a sharp rebuke from Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), who argued that the entire mess could have been avoided had the airlines focused on facts and figures on actual damage caused to jet engines by volcanic ash … Unsurprisingly, the European Union’s transit officials have replied that they’re not willing to compromise on passenger safety. (CBSNews)

One of the commenters on the article says that “The people whose lives were at stake, are better off to be inconvenienced, than killed.” This is true, but assumes that there was a real risk in flying the planes, which is the very point of debate!

However, the debate highlights a common mindset, that people are willing to risk their safety if it means that they will avoid inconvenience. Why do we sacrifice our safety just to avoid inconvenience? How often have you witnessed someone driving around a barrier, or circumventing a security measure, or ignoring a safety warning, because paying attention to it would make them late or cause them to go out of their way? Is it partially due to the pace of modern society that people feel such pressure towards efficiency at all costs and eventually burn out from the stress?

If you were inconvenienced by the flight groundings, please share your experiences! How did you get through it? And if not, have you noticed this tendency to value efficiency above safety, either at your job or in your personal life?

When you find yourself struggling with issues of stress and burnout, in work, marriage, or elsewhere, please consider contacting an online mentor about it. Your conversations will happen through email and will be kept strictly confidential.

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “Don’t Give Up” on April 29 at 10:30 pm EDT Please join us to get tips on how to never give up!

Not all disappointments are created equal.

But some disappointments are much more serious. Relationships fall apart, jobs get downsized, a friend moves far away, a loved one passes on. What do you feel when these things happen? Shock? Grief? Anger? Discouragement and depression? How do you cope with the loss, and how can you start over again?

Rusty Wright faced several such disappointments in a row. Already facing a divorce from his wife, within a month he learned that he had lost his job, and was informed by his doctor that he may have cancer. That’s enough to cause anyone to think hard about their life.

In his article “Starting Over: Facing the Future after Significant Loss” Wright tells about his experiences, suggests practical ways that a person can overcome disappointments, and explains where he found his strength during his time of significant loss.

Have you had significant disappointment lately? If you’d like to talk confidentially to a patient listener, please contact us and you will be matched with an online mentor who will talk with you privately via email.

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “Trying Hard to Measure Up” on March 30 at 4:00 pm EST Please join us to discuss how you are worth it just as you are.

“Perhaps this catastrophe is also a new birth for Haiti.”

Random radio searching while driving today brought this remarkable perspective from a Haitian who has survived the major catastrophic earthquake in his country.

It’s an interesting thought. There is always pain before a new birth. Yet a new birth holds so much promise and potential.

It’s hard to imagine how life changed in an instant for many Haitians. What many of them knew as regular life is now gone. Familiar faces and empty hearts echo the depth of their loss. Home is no longer a place they can return to. We can only imagine the deep void that is left in the hearts and minds of those hurting.

Yet in the midst of it all comes this voice of new birth … this voice of hope.  Perhaps a re-born nation could be stronger; perhaps a new unity among the survivors will generate new possibilities. This voice of hope, randomly caught from the airwaves brings hope also to those of us here, those of us outside the area of devastation.

The aid of the world will bring new hope and new opportunities. Coupled with the hope and help of the Haitian people themselves there is hope for Haiti’s tomorrow.

First, food and shelter to bring immediate relief. Then re-building comes.

Won’t you be a part of the immediate hope for the people of Haiti as well as the hope for the future?

Contribute to Power to Change’s relief efforts in Haiti through our ministry partner Global Aid Network (GAiN). You can also view videos of GAiN’s efforts in Haiti and read their press release.