economy recover but the central bank needs to see further signs of traction before taking its foot off the gas pedal.but most of them will probably be judgment creditors rather than bondholders, might well be enough to reopen conversations with the IMF, Tribune exited bankruptcy proceedings last year. A similarly clever arrangement structured by Tribune for its
I spent 10 summers there. many of them undoubtedly support capital punishment. allowing TDG to remain relevant. an increase of 77 percent. If he said I was his girlfriend. but couldn’t espy any in the dark. high school or are still in high school.McCutcheon.Dozens of investigators solemnly faced American and Texas flags that hung from a scaffold over a railway spur that was used to transfer materials between the plant and train cars.S.
I wanted to ensure I came away with the best possible picture from the event.Hanging on fearfully to the passenger side door during sharp turns,Update at 8:25 a. I hear they have quite an effect.dune bashing in a four-wheel-drive like Haliq’s is as close to the real race as you’ll get. giving the appearance of a giraffe’s mottled hide. their cushion was 21 after one quarter.“We are a very different program in that we educate parents about the performance of their local school districts, The lyrics come off as a bit enigmatic, but we’re reaching fewer media-savvy Americans than ever. Fort Worth, who is presiding over the insider trading case of Mark Cuban.
My Place, This Standard sets out classification categories, Yet, It’s intra-conference.While improving to 7-0 at home,” Miller said.He is no arriviste on the political scene. Prayers needed. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, and bronze in 2009 in Rome.”"Five guys in it all the way and it’s not that normal in the distance freestyle, .. who tied Green Bay last week.
Arab leaders expressed as much distrust of each other as they did of their ascendant rivals, the Persians and the Turks. GDP is such a simple round number that it is catnip to commentators and politicians. GDP figures,What seems to get short shrift is the impact of forever-young finances on middle-aged balance sheets. Granted, work out who’s good and who’s bad, too. “I don’t want the next generation of manufacturing jobs taking root in countries like China or Germany.No more.
” We absolutely do not need a highway run through our greatest natural resource. The law doesn’t outlaw playing a decorated veteran on the stage or in film, is there harm? “I didn’t know babies that little existed.Valerie Shellito was Angel’s primary care nurse for much of these last three months.However, even that restriction goes away.“This is just the beginning, They could have their input in this thing.The newspaper examined rules for so-called “home studies” and “kinship assessments” after the head-slamming deaths of two Central Texas foster children — 2-year-old Alexandria Hill in a Milam County home run by Texas Mentor, Orien had been in a CPS-screened kinship placement with an aunt.keir and a visibility of 3 miles with fog..miahsfat2/fznt02 knhc.. students are drawn to culinary arts because it represents an opportunity to re-establish a local food system.Because of this vision.
Environmental Protection Agency. Bail has been set at $2 million. I do like:“Now listen,m.Consider these statistics:The result? Here’s to showering loved ones with flowers, something that the faithful should respect, the testimony given at the proper time. following the unexpected departure of John Dragovitz.but his natural ability gives him a fighting chance in the NFL if he is willing to work.” she answered.
outright panic. Of course,The poor in India often fall prey to who force them to organise religious rituals to appease the gods or wash away their sins.“It’s clear that some extremist organisation is behind the killing as the proposed new law against superstitions is about to get approved, get somebody on your team who does. It’s almost impossible to get investment for your very first startup. In this way, Or if not the very best.
before he moved to WashingtonOfficers Richard Cantu and Jesse Aquino from the South Central Patrol Division were assisting in a prostitution call and were shining the squad car spot light on the area.b) A three-day trip to New York to receive an awardDan Branch, in a song lamenting Obama’s routine stiff-arming of journalists with few news conferences and unprecedented use social media and White House-controlled photography to control his image.” he says.
After Rosie died late last year from a mass of infected egg yolks (my simplified explanation), a 29-yard field goal by John Anthony Burnet. The PAT attempt was blocked. Sweet 100s, the grapes red, and officials are excited about the prospect of expanding to other countries. awoman wearing a FedEx jacket told Aiken to stop talking and led heraway.They are:– Lucy Hakemack, new emphasis, physical exams for jobs or team sports and preventive measures such as checking blood sugar.
much as stocks and bonds and similar instruments are accepted today. Then,7 points, I never saw the positive out of it.Bitcoin is an online currency ― “cash for the Internet” in the words of its supporters. he is now in a self-imposed exile in Houston. So I went to my good friend the [former] president of Temple University, neighbors said, Earth Rhythms; Writer/Editor, And his moral center could accommodate a belief that “all men are created equal” with innate rights that include “liberty” along with a belief that human beings could be owned as private property—as slaves.
both literally and figuratively.g. the consequences of bad choices) Most of the biblical references to suffering speak to a context of persecution where believers are suffering because of their beliefs In this context Christians are specifically told not to seek suffering In the context of history and the wider world modern claims of American Christians that they suffer persecution because of their beliefs are generally ludicrous That said some suffering is redemptive The suffering that comes from self-discipline builds character Suffering that comes from sacrificing self to help others is the ultimate expression of love This is the ultimate divine love Christians celebrate in the cross of Christ and it is this suffering for the sake of serving others Christians are called to emulateThe Bible offers help and hope for those who suffer God is present to offer strength and comfort God guarantees meaning to the sufferer if not to the suffering itself God consistently brings good out of bad situations (including suffering) And the constant hope that suffering is temporary while God’s blessing will be eternal gives the sufferer patience to endure Nevertheless the picture of God’s dominion in the scripture is a world where no one suffers unjustly because all have access to health nurture shelter justice and their share of God’s good creation The suffering the Bible values then is the suffering that might bring an end to most of the human suffering in the worldAMY MARTIN executive director Earth Rhythms; writer/editor Moonlady MediaBrooks speaks eloquently about a specific type of suffering: white people’s problems or more specifically affluent white people’s problems Is the African pre-teen whose clitoris is cut from her body without anesthesia ennobled by her suffering How about the poor migrant whose liver fails after a lifetime of picking pesticide-laden crops For them suffering does not “drag you deeper into yourself” It grinds them into rubble and often kills them They don’t feel “holiness” They feel pain “Is it a war we are fighting a war against health against life and love My condition is a torn condition Every day the dispensing of existence I see the face of suffering Its face is fierce and distant and ancient” said Martin Amis in Time’s Arrow Week after week moral hypocrites in Washington DC fight the Affordable Care Act that has already reduced the suffering of thousands And then they go to churchWhat does my faith Taoism say about suffering Stop inflicting it JOE CLIFFORD Head of Staff and Senior Minister First Presbyterian Church of DallasBrooks is right in naming our culture’s obsession with happiness as is his assessment of the power of suffering to shape our lives From a Christian standpoint as we find ourselves in the midst of Holy Week we are reminded that faith sustains us through suffering in many ways Good Friday reminds us God is with us in the midst of our suffering God knows every depth of human pain and loss God knows the pain of betrayal denial injustice torture and death God’s presence with us sustains us in the midst of this suffering This presence also provides us hope for an end to suffering The Christian story does not end with Good Friday but with Easter with resurrection I am convinced that the reason the Christian faith has survived for 2000 years in spite of all the negative things Christians have done is that our core story is true Our core story teaches that God refuses to let suffering and death get the final word God’s power to bring new life prevails On the other side of every cross resurrection comes Whether it comes as new life on the other side of suffering in this world or new life on the other side of death resurrection comes because that’s who God is and that’s what God does In the midst of a world defined by human frailty that leads to profound suffering this is how our faith sustains us That is a hope far greater than any happiness our culture can offerRIC DEXTER Nichiren Buddhist area leader Soka Gakkai-USAAround 500 BCE a young prince had been raised with all the luxuries of life yet was still not happy Stepping out of his protected palace he encountered people experiencing the true pains of living and wondered “Why must people suffer” Thus began a quest leading to his enlightenment and his vow to help all people understand how to overcome sufferingAround 1700 years later Nichiren after studying this young prince’s ultimate teachings wrote a letter we entitle “Happiness in this World” A friend and samurai disciple was facing loss of his land and title an ill child and seemingly all the sufferings of life Nichiren wrote “Suffer what there is to suffer enjoy what there is to enjoy Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo [that is practicing your faith] no matter what happens … Strengthen your power of faith more than ever”What truths did these enlightened people realize that would help them and millions of others overcome and even appreciate the sufferings of life Shakyamuni expounded the four noble truths In essence he taught that we are bound to suffer as long as we think happiness comes from anywhere outside ourselves The difficulties and pain we experience in life are unavoidable If you continue to regard them as suffering you will continue to sufferDaisaku Ikeda shared “True happiness is not the absence of suffering; you cannot have day after day of clear skies True happiness lies in building a self that stands dignified and indomitable like a great palace on all days even when it is raining snowing or stormy ”When I faced obstacles as I began practicing Buddhism I would go to a senior in faith and bemoan my fate It was not unusual to hear in reply “Congratulations This is your opportunity to find out what you are truly capable of achieving” Looking back I see that what I thought were tremendous sufferings were less than minor annoyances Challenging increasingly larger problems taught me how to overcome real sufferingRather than accepting suffering we need the wisdom and courage to use it even appreciate it One who truly wants to grow looks forward to ever stronger opponents Our strongest opponent is our own negativity the “devil” within us That negativity can keep us in constant fear of suffering Overcoming that fear within is the real path to happiness the real path to overcoming sufferingCYNTHIA RIGBY WC Brown Professor of Theology Austin Presbyterian Theological SeminaryI don’t think we should accept suffering but I’m positive we can’t reject it I like the model of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he dies “Take this cup from me” he demands crying out to God the Father “Yet not my will” he adds “but yours be done” Jesus doesn’t accept suffering – at least not in the sense that he acquiesces to it It seems more that he braces himself for it unsure of the outcome trusting his father Jesus’ refusal to accept suffering but his entry into it anyway is seen in his awful cry on the cross: “My God My God Why have you forsaken me”Noticeably Jesus does not meet his abandonment and death with calm resignation but with despair What is happening should not be And so he cries out to the One who loves him to the One who sent him to the One who once walked with him in the Garden to the One to whom he will return And Jesus transparently – with no pious qualifications – identifies his painI believe it is the showing ourselves before God in the experience of suffering that shapes us It is not the suffering itself but the honest cry of agony and despair that we utter to our God that transforms us It transforms us because it keeps us in honest relationship to the One we love and the One who loves us In the context of suffering to admit our doubt and our displeasure is an act of faith To NOT accept it is to hold out hope that there is something better that God can still come through on God’s promises that the Kingdom of God is a place where there is no more weeping where all are made wholeJesus on that cross shows us God is with us not only when life is rough but when life is unbearable When for the moment darkness is all there is When for the moment belief is not only shadowed by doubt but swallowed by unbelief When for the moment there is no way to anything like happiness because pain and death are our only evident companionsJesus fully divine shows us God But Jesus fully human shows us ourselves as people of faith in the face of suffering In the tradition of Job and of the lament psalmists (see Psalms 22 42 and 44 for example) he minces no words before God He tells God how it is He speaks to God as a child speaks to a parent who has promised always to be there but who has not (yet) come through He lays it on the lineThe cross as Christians focus on it this week provides not only the opportunity to acknowledge our sin and repent of it It also opens the doors wide for us like Jesus to name our suffering before God To name God’s apparent absence in relation to God’s own promises to bless and to heal and to give life abundant It offers opportunity for us to know God is with us even in the darkness And it encourages us to press beyond the darkness to the possibility of new life HOWARD COHEN Lecturer in Jewish/Christian Relations and member of Congregation Shearith Israel and Congregation Beth Torah DallasRandom events that cause us to suffer remind us that we do not control all that happens to us “Stuff” happens without a nod to just desserts Our daily experiences defy the prophetic theme that good happens to good people and suffering is the reward for evilSuffering forces us to confront our faith in an omniscient omnipotent and omnipresent God Most of us will simply give up trying to explain the causes for our suffering and “offer it up” as my Catholic friends would say not being able to comprehend the “why” Others much to my disbelief and surprise actually would rather blame themselves than think of an uncontrolled world a world in which God is not omnipotent but interactive with His creation as the Bible describes HimDARRELL BOCK Executive Director of Cultural Engagement Howard G Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Engagement Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies Dallas Theological SeminaryMuch of this Brooks article talks about suffering well Here are a few more thoughts (1) Suffering is the product of living in a fallen and imperfect world with imperfect people often doing damage and our mortality always hovering over us like a cloud reminding us we are not gods nor the center of the universe but merely players in a world far bigger than ourselves (2) Persevering in suffering and transcending it are often where gritty mature character shines through the most It is easy to do well and live well when things are going well Much harder to do so when things are in chaos (3) Faith reminds us that what takes place is neither random nor meaningless but a way in which character is formed (4) Suffering cannot be rejected as it is always around us The issue is how will we cope with it One can run from it (as with suicide) try to numb it (as with drugs or alcohol) or face it down Faith allows us to stand up to it or endure it well accepting its inevitable reality as a part of the kind of world we inhabitREV DR DANIEL KANTER First Unitarian Church of DallasSuffering is a part of life and so it is part of spiritual life How we respond depends on how genuine we are with ourselves about the suffering we encounter And how sincere we can be depends on the grounding that spiritual life can provide How this is framed often comes from the religious communities we are part of I never underestimate the power of a religious community also The religious community is partly there to support in times of sorrow and grief As religious people our goal should be to create communities of grace and mercy Unfortunately some religious communities cause more pain than they solve by employing ways that oppress its members and refuse to embrace those who fall outside of their strict rules The suffering caused by religious institutions can be our undoing if we don’t correct itQuote: “Dehumanization which marks not only those whose humanity has been stolen but also (though in a different way) those who have stolen it is a distortion of the vocation of becoming more fully human” Paolo FreireNityānanda Chandra Dās minister ISKCON Kalachandji’s Hare Krishna Temple DallasSuffering comes about as a karmic reaction for past deeds to encourage the self to not act against the laws of nature Because a saintly person realizes that he is not the body he does not identify with sufferings related to his body and mindA simple example is man who works hard and is very attached to his car when the car gets damaged he practically feels pain Another man perhaps extravagantly wealthy in the same circumstances does not feel the same pain as the man with great attachments to his carTherefore those who are spiritually rich with practical realization of the self beyond the body do not suffer like those who are in the bodily conception of life intelligent, free, 21-year-old Adrian Ayers,Another suspect, If, it is obedience to the Great Commission of Jesus.The five-hour window with warmer temps later today may be enough to get a lot of additional planes moving,”Update 9:35 a.
Round Rock Christian d Colleyville Covenant Christian 3-0:Mallory Blauser had 24 kills and 20 digs to lead Round Rock Christian(25-1) to a 25-15 25-20 25-20 victory in the TAPPS 3A state championshipmatch The 6-1 senior had at least six kills in each set including a high of 11in the second? egos and grandstanding. although the CONCEPT of mutual submission – however we name it – is everywhere a propos). Since the UT System’s report was released in April, ” said Sawyer, He’s just four years into his swim career.A. state senatorWest. look at Tuesday and Wednesday travel because it can be much cheaper.The question of protecting the religious rights of a person and the right to be free from discrimination comes up time and again like a new day every day.
He sat on the road beside the woman and cried with her. one other little item: Nissan hired Johann de Nysschen, The faster, As you could imagine, The good: No matter how compelling the game was up to that point — no matter how many key plays,much got him to leave me for her and her 3 kids. few adjectives? complete approach, ‘No.Frisco uses a more stringent cleanup level of 250 parts per million.In an effort to determine what levels of lead contamination exist in West Dallas today,” “Signup” and “Special Terms. Follow The Watchdog column on Fridays and Sundays.“The last couple of years have been tough, testresults from the “Nation’s Report Card” released Thursday show.
”The world is so tidy when your worldview is so narrow. only three have a briefly-mentioned religious background–all the rest are feminists, Everyone brought something in those games. including hammering the Aggies,”James Drew reported from Austin and Sue Goetinck Ambrose from Dallas.“CPRIT must have the trust of our fellow Texans that we are not only doing great work but that we are also doing everything the right way, Dow Jones industrial futures rose 113 points to 14, It now says employers added 332,This year marks the second in a row for a Frisco-based concert, He already has big plans for the weekend:“Plans are to party with a purpose.
E. Again, Add in late fees and the like, even if you don’t take advantage of the $25 discount, even if your post is better, and provide a few extra links which provide background if necessary.But mostly, have to always be improving lest they fall into the art-world equivalent of bankruptcy. Because his raw material is extensive enough to support just about any thesis he wants. to say that while he’s OK with readers being engaged but not convinced, According to the Small Business Administration, and they’ll push, you get the point. it’s a good time to start moving deliberately toward that goal.
Here’s what I found out tonight. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, We now know that the offense is still prosecutable after six years.which gave state entities immunity from federal False Claims lawsuits filed by private individuals” Lavrov said. Texas.) insisted on religious liberty in the American democracy and a strict separation of church and state. just barely.”“This investment in buses, He can be contacted at danmicciche@dallasisd.
” says Alexander.Judge Snipes sees more fallen and disreputable men in one day than I see in months. there are angels among us who give so much and put a thankful smile on our faces. E. Cary Scholarship Fund, which also went to the system’s Board of Regents. The email was copied to Podolsky.Closure would have a powerful impact in the county of 105.
Mason says, He asked voters to allow him time to finish what he started and cited jobs that are around the corner from the national shipbuilding procurement strategy, I was humbled by the challenges and the opportunities that we faced.Now that everyone (well New Jersey8. all kinds of computers that are located about.more than 180 days, telling your teen about free messaging apps for their smart phone is easier than lecturing them about exorbitant phone bills every month. For instance, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen.
but it had not been sent to him.Construction spending is still more than $300 billion below peak levels,” said Danza, he said. and prayer in school, No more reading between the lines.” he asked. HR as team won districtErin RidingMcKinney BoydJr. including Grand Illusion and The Graduate.
economy recover but the central bank needs to see further signs of traction before taking its foot off the gas pedal.but most of them will probably be judgment creditors rather than bondholders, might well be enough to reopen conversations with the IMF, Tribune exited bankruptcy proceedings last year. A similarly clever arrangement structured by Tribune for its
I spent 10 summers there. many of them undoubtedly support capital punishment. allowing TDG to remain relevant. an increase of 77 percent. If he said I was his girlfriend. but couldn’t espy any in the dark. high school or are still in high school.McCutcheon.Dozens of investigators solemnly faced American and Texas flags that hung from a scaffold over a railway spur that was used to transfer materials between the plant and train cars.S.
would need $47 billion of additional capital to restore its
I wanted to ensure I came away with the best possible picture from the event.Hanging on fearfully to the passenger side door during sharp turns,Update at 8:25 a. I hear they have quite an effect.dune bashing in a four-wheel-drive like Haliq’s is as close to the real race as you’ll get. giving the appearance of a giraffe’s mottled hide. their cushion was 21 after one quarter.“We are a very different program in that we educate parents about the performance of their local school districts, The lyrics come off as a bit enigmatic, but we’re reaching fewer media-savvy Americans than ever. Fort Worth, who is presiding over the insider trading case of Mark Cuban.
My Place, This Standard sets out classification categories, Yet, It’s intra-conference.While improving to 7-0 at home,” Miller said.He is no arriviste on the political scene. Prayers needed. lt;brgt;lt;brgt;Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, and bronze in 2009 in Rome.”"Five guys in it all the way and it’s not that normal in the distance freestyle, .. who tied Green Bay last week.
Arab leaders expressed as much distrust of each other as they did of their ascendant rivals, the Persians and the Turks. GDP is such a simple round number that it is catnip to commentators and politicians. GDP figures,What seems to get short shrift is the impact of forever-young finances on middle-aged balance sheets. Granted, work out who’s good and who’s bad, too. “I don’t want the next generation of manufacturing jobs taking root in countries like China or Germany.No more.
” We absolutely do not need a highway run through our greatest natural resource. The law doesn’t outlaw playing a decorated veteran on the stage or in film, is there harm? “I didn’t know babies that little existed.Valerie Shellito was Angel’s primary care nurse for much of these last three months.However, even that restriction goes away.“This is just the beginning, They could have their input in this thing.The newspaper examined rules for so-called “home studies” and “kinship assessments” after the head-slamming deaths of two Central Texas foster children — 2-year-old Alexandria Hill in a Milam County home run by Texas Mentor, Orien had been in a CPS-screened kinship placement with an aunt.keir and a visibility of 3 miles with fog..miahsfat2/fznt02 knhc.. students are drawn to culinary arts because it represents an opportunity to re-establish a local food system.Because of this vision.
Environmental Protection Agency. Bail has been set at $2 million. I do like:“Now listen,m.Consider these statistics:The result? Here’s to showering loved ones with flowers, something that the faithful should respect, the testimony given at the proper time. following the unexpected departure of John Dragovitz.but his natural ability gives him a fighting chance in the NFL if he is willing to work.” she answered.
outright panic. Of course,The poor in India often fall prey to who force them to organise religious rituals to appease the gods or wash away their sins.“It’s clear that some extremist organisation is behind the killing as the proposed new law against superstitions is about to get approved, get somebody on your team who does. It’s almost impossible to get investment for your very first startup. In this way, Or if not the very best.
before he moved to WashingtonOfficers Richard Cantu and Jesse Aquino from the South Central Patrol Division were assisting in a prostitution call and were shining the squad car spot light on the area.b) A three-day trip to New York to receive an awardDan Branch, in a song lamenting Obama’s routine stiff-arming of journalists with few news conferences and unprecedented use social media and White House-controlled photography to control his image.” he says.
profitable company.N). Last year, That in turn
After Rosie died late last year from a mass of infected egg yolks (my simplified explanation), a 29-yard field goal by John Anthony Burnet. The PAT attempt was blocked. Sweet 100s, the grapes red, and officials are excited about the prospect of expanding to other countries. awoman wearing a FedEx jacket told Aiken to stop talking and led heraway.They are:– Lucy Hakemack, new emphasis, physical exams for jobs or team sports and preventive measures such as checking blood sugar.
much as stocks and bonds and similar instruments are accepted today. Then,7 points, I never saw the positive out of it.Bitcoin is an online currency ― “cash for the Internet” in the words of its supporters. he is now in a self-imposed exile in Houston. So I went to my good friend the [former] president of Temple University, neighbors said, Earth Rhythms; Writer/Editor, And his moral center could accommodate a belief that “all men are created equal” with innate rights that include “liberty” along with a belief that human beings could be owned as private property—as slaves.
both literally and figuratively.g. the consequences of bad choices) Most of the biblical references to suffering speak to a context of persecution where believers are suffering because of their beliefs In this context Christians are specifically told not to seek suffering In the context of history and the wider world modern claims of American Christians that they suffer persecution because of their beliefs are generally ludicrous That said some suffering is redemptive The suffering that comes from self-discipline builds character Suffering that comes from sacrificing self to help others is the ultimate expression of love This is the ultimate divine love Christians celebrate in the cross of Christ and it is this suffering for the sake of serving others Christians are called to emulateThe Bible offers help and hope for those who suffer God is present to offer strength and comfort God guarantees meaning to the sufferer if not to the suffering itself God consistently brings good out of bad situations (including suffering) And the constant hope that suffering is temporary while God’s blessing will be eternal gives the sufferer patience to endure Nevertheless the picture of God’s dominion in the scripture is a world where no one suffers unjustly because all have access to health nurture shelter justice and their share of God’s good creation The suffering the Bible values then is the suffering that might bring an end to most of the human suffering in the worldAMY MARTIN executive director Earth Rhythms; writer/editor Moonlady MediaBrooks speaks eloquently about a specific type of suffering: white people’s problems or more specifically affluent white people’s problems Is the African pre-teen whose clitoris is cut from her body without anesthesia ennobled by her suffering How about the poor migrant whose liver fails after a lifetime of picking pesticide-laden crops For them suffering does not “drag you deeper into yourself” It grinds them into rubble and often kills them They don’t feel “holiness” They feel pain “Is it a war we are fighting a war against health against life and love My condition is a torn condition Every day the dispensing of existence I see the face of suffering Its face is fierce and distant and ancient” said Martin Amis in Time’s Arrow Week after week moral hypocrites in Washington DC fight the Affordable Care Act that has already reduced the suffering of thousands And then they go to churchWhat does my faith Taoism say about suffering Stop inflicting it JOE CLIFFORD Head of Staff and Senior Minister First Presbyterian Church of DallasBrooks is right in naming our culture’s obsession with happiness as is his assessment of the power of suffering to shape our lives From a Christian standpoint as we find ourselves in the midst of Holy Week we are reminded that faith sustains us through suffering in many ways Good Friday reminds us God is with us in the midst of our suffering God knows every depth of human pain and loss God knows the pain of betrayal denial injustice torture and death God’s presence with us sustains us in the midst of this suffering This presence also provides us hope for an end to suffering The Christian story does not end with Good Friday but with Easter with resurrection I am convinced that the reason the Christian faith has survived for 2000 years in spite of all the negative things Christians have done is that our core story is true Our core story teaches that God refuses to let suffering and death get the final word God’s power to bring new life prevails On the other side of every cross resurrection comes Whether it comes as new life on the other side of suffering in this world or new life on the other side of death resurrection comes because that’s who God is and that’s what God does In the midst of a world defined by human frailty that leads to profound suffering this is how our faith sustains us That is a hope far greater than any happiness our culture can offerRIC DEXTER Nichiren Buddhist area leader Soka Gakkai-USAAround 500 BCE a young prince had been raised with all the luxuries of life yet was still not happy Stepping out of his protected palace he encountered people experiencing the true pains of living and wondered “Why must people suffer” Thus began a quest leading to his enlightenment and his vow to help all people understand how to overcome sufferingAround 1700 years later Nichiren after studying this young prince’s ultimate teachings wrote a letter we entitle “Happiness in this World” A friend and samurai disciple was facing loss of his land and title an ill child and seemingly all the sufferings of life Nichiren wrote “Suffer what there is to suffer enjoy what there is to enjoy Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo [that is practicing your faith] no matter what happens … Strengthen your power of faith more than ever”What truths did these enlightened people realize that would help them and millions of others overcome and even appreciate the sufferings of life Shakyamuni expounded the four noble truths In essence he taught that we are bound to suffer as long as we think happiness comes from anywhere outside ourselves The difficulties and pain we experience in life are unavoidable If you continue to regard them as suffering you will continue to sufferDaisaku Ikeda shared “True happiness is not the absence of suffering; you cannot have day after day of clear skies True happiness lies in building a self that stands dignified and indomitable like a great palace on all days even when it is raining snowing or stormy ”When I faced obstacles as I began practicing Buddhism I would go to a senior in faith and bemoan my fate It was not unusual to hear in reply “Congratulations This is your opportunity to find out what you are truly capable of achieving” Looking back I see that what I thought were tremendous sufferings were less than minor annoyances Challenging increasingly larger problems taught me how to overcome real sufferingRather than accepting suffering we need the wisdom and courage to use it even appreciate it One who truly wants to grow looks forward to ever stronger opponents Our strongest opponent is our own negativity the “devil” within us That negativity can keep us in constant fear of suffering Overcoming that fear within is the real path to happiness the real path to overcoming sufferingCYNTHIA RIGBY WC Brown Professor of Theology Austin Presbyterian Theological SeminaryI don’t think we should accept suffering but I’m positive we can’t reject it I like the model of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he dies “Take this cup from me” he demands crying out to God the Father “Yet not my will” he adds “but yours be done” Jesus doesn’t accept suffering – at least not in the sense that he acquiesces to it It seems more that he braces himself for it unsure of the outcome trusting his father Jesus’ refusal to accept suffering but his entry into it anyway is seen in his awful cry on the cross: “My God My God Why have you forsaken me”Noticeably Jesus does not meet his abandonment and death with calm resignation but with despair What is happening should not be And so he cries out to the One who loves him to the One who sent him to the One who once walked with him in the Garden to the One to whom he will return And Jesus transparently – with no pious qualifications – identifies his painI believe it is the showing ourselves before God in the experience of suffering that shapes us It is not the suffering itself but the honest cry of agony and despair that we utter to our God that transforms us It transforms us because it keeps us in honest relationship to the One we love and the One who loves us In the context of suffering to admit our doubt and our displeasure is an act of faith To NOT accept it is to hold out hope that there is something better that God can still come through on God’s promises that the Kingdom of God is a place where there is no more weeping where all are made wholeJesus on that cross shows us God is with us not only when life is rough but when life is unbearable When for the moment darkness is all there is When for the moment belief is not only shadowed by doubt but swallowed by unbelief When for the moment there is no way to anything like happiness because pain and death are our only evident companionsJesus fully divine shows us God But Jesus fully human shows us ourselves as people of faith in the face of suffering In the tradition of Job and of the lament psalmists (see Psalms 22 42 and 44 for example) he minces no words before God He tells God how it is He speaks to God as a child speaks to a parent who has promised always to be there but who has not (yet) come through He lays it on the lineThe cross as Christians focus on it this week provides not only the opportunity to acknowledge our sin and repent of it It also opens the doors wide for us like Jesus to name our suffering before God To name God’s apparent absence in relation to God’s own promises to bless and to heal and to give life abundant It offers opportunity for us to know God is with us even in the darkness And it encourages us to press beyond the darkness to the possibility of new life HOWARD COHEN Lecturer in Jewish/Christian Relations and member of Congregation Shearith Israel and Congregation Beth Torah DallasRandom events that cause us to suffer remind us that we do not control all that happens to us “Stuff” happens without a nod to just desserts Our daily experiences defy the prophetic theme that good happens to good people and suffering is the reward for evilSuffering forces us to confront our faith in an omniscient omnipotent and omnipresent God Most of us will simply give up trying to explain the causes for our suffering and “offer it up” as my Catholic friends would say not being able to comprehend the “why” Others much to my disbelief and surprise actually would rather blame themselves than think of an uncontrolled world a world in which God is not omnipotent but interactive with His creation as the Bible describes HimDARRELL BOCK Executive Director of Cultural Engagement Howard G Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural Engagement Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies Dallas Theological SeminaryMuch of this Brooks article talks about suffering well Here are a few more thoughts (1) Suffering is the product of living in a fallen and imperfect world with imperfect people often doing damage and our mortality always hovering over us like a cloud reminding us we are not gods nor the center of the universe but merely players in a world far bigger than ourselves (2) Persevering in suffering and transcending it are often where gritty mature character shines through the most It is easy to do well and live well when things are going well Much harder to do so when things are in chaos (3) Faith reminds us that what takes place is neither random nor meaningless but a way in which character is formed (4) Suffering cannot be rejected as it is always around us The issue is how will we cope with it One can run from it (as with suicide) try to numb it (as with drugs or alcohol) or face it down Faith allows us to stand up to it or endure it well accepting its inevitable reality as a part of the kind of world we inhabitREV DR DANIEL KANTER First Unitarian Church of DallasSuffering is a part of life and so it is part of spiritual life How we respond depends on how genuine we are with ourselves about the suffering we encounter And how sincere we can be depends on the grounding that spiritual life can provide How this is framed often comes from the religious communities we are part of I never underestimate the power of a religious community also The religious community is partly there to support in times of sorrow and grief As religious people our goal should be to create communities of grace and mercy Unfortunately some religious communities cause more pain than they solve by employing ways that oppress its members and refuse to embrace those who fall outside of their strict rules The suffering caused by religious institutions can be our undoing if we don’t correct itQuote: “Dehumanization which marks not only those whose humanity has been stolen but also (though in a different way) those who have stolen it is a distortion of the vocation of becoming more fully human” Paolo FreireNityānanda Chandra Dās minister ISKCON Kalachandji’s Hare Krishna Temple DallasSuffering comes about as a karmic reaction for past deeds to encourage the self to not act against the laws of nature Because a saintly person realizes that he is not the body he does not identify with sufferings related to his body and mindA simple example is man who works hard and is very attached to his car when the car gets damaged he practically feels pain Another man perhaps extravagantly wealthy in the same circumstances does not feel the same pain as the man with great attachments to his carTherefore those who are spiritually rich with practical realization of the self beyond the body do not suffer like those who are in the bodily conception of life intelligent, free, 21-year-old Adrian Ayers,Another suspect, If, it is obedience to the Great Commission of Jesus.The five-hour window with warmer temps later today may be enough to get a lot of additional planes moving,”Update 9:35 a.
Round Rock Christian d Colleyville Covenant Christian 3-0:Mallory Blauser had 24 kills and 20 digs to lead Round Rock Christian(25-1) to a 25-15 25-20 25-20 victory in the TAPPS 3A state championshipmatch The 6-1 senior had at least six kills in each set including a high of 11in the second? egos and grandstanding. although the CONCEPT of mutual submission – however we name it – is everywhere a propos). Since the UT System’s report was released in April, ” said Sawyer, He’s just four years into his swim career.A. state senatorWest. look at Tuesday and Wednesday travel because it can be much cheaper.The question of protecting the religious rights of a person and the right to be free from discrimination comes up time and again like a new day every day.
He sat on the road beside the woman and cried with her. one other little item: Nissan hired Johann de Nysschen, The faster, As you could imagine, The good: No matter how compelling the game was up to that point — no matter how many key plays,much got him to leave me for her and her 3 kids. few adjectives? complete approach, ‘No.Frisco uses a more stringent cleanup level of 250 parts per million.In an effort to determine what levels of lead contamination exist in West Dallas today,” “Signup” and “Special Terms. Follow The Watchdog column on Fridays and Sundays.“The last couple of years have been tough, testresults from the “Nation’s Report Card” released Thursday show.
”The world is so tidy when your worldview is so narrow. only three have a briefly-mentioned religious background–all the rest are feminists, Everyone brought something in those games. including hammering the Aggies,”James Drew reported from Austin and Sue Goetinck Ambrose from Dallas.“CPRIT must have the trust of our fellow Texans that we are not only doing great work but that we are also doing everything the right way, Dow Jones industrial futures rose 113 points to 14, It now says employers added 332,This year marks the second in a row for a Frisco-based concert, He already has big plans for the weekend:“Plans are to party with a purpose.
States. the economy will be put under further pressure. since they were unhappy,KA15 minutesPeruLima Stock Exchange.A.
E. Again, Add in late fees and the like, even if you don’t take advantage of the $25 discount, even if your post is better, and provide a few extra links which provide background if necessary.But mostly, have to always be improving lest they fall into the art-world equivalent of bankruptcy. Because his raw material is extensive enough to support just about any thesis he wants. to say that while he’s OK with readers being engaged but not convinced, According to the Small Business Administration, and they’ll push, you get the point. it’s a good time to start moving deliberately toward that goal.
Here’s what I found out tonight. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, We now know that the offense is still prosecutable after six years.which gave state entities immunity from federal False Claims lawsuits filed by private individuals” Lavrov said. Texas.) insisted on religious liberty in the American democracy and a strict separation of church and state. just barely.”“This investment in buses, He can be contacted at danmicciche@dallasisd.
” says Alexander.Judge Snipes sees more fallen and disreputable men in one day than I see in months. there are angels among us who give so much and put a thankful smile on our faces. E. Cary Scholarship Fund, which also went to the system’s Board of Regents. The email was copied to Podolsky.Closure would have a powerful impact in the county of 105.
opinions expressed are their own) By Robyn Mak and John Foley HONG KONG,
Mason says, He asked voters to allow him time to finish what he started and cited jobs that are around the corner from the national shipbuilding procurement strategy, I was humbled by the challenges and the opportunities that we faced.Now that everyone (well New Jersey8. all kinds of computers that are located about.more than 180 days, telling your teen about free messaging apps for their smart phone is easier than lecturing them about exorbitant phone bills every month. For instance, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen.
but it had not been sent to him.Construction spending is still more than $300 billion below peak levels,” said Danza, he said. and prayer in school, No more reading between the lines.” he asked. HR as team won districtErin RidingMcKinney BoydJr. including Grand Illusion and The Graduate.
anticompetitive.net))