You finally found some time. If you find more,,,,,please share. I am continually faced during witnessing to others with the same arguments, and the one you spoke of concerning WHAT KIND OF GOD WOULD LET THESE THINGS HAPPEN, is a constant and predictable response. While witnessing to a drunk guy at the fairgrounds the other night, which by the way is difficult and probably not advised, but thats alright. I was faced with this question once again. People do get desease, they do get cancer, they do die in crashes, they do contract things unwillingly, they do, they do, they really do. For example, the child that gets cancer because of his mothers lifestyle before birth. The child that gets cancer from years of bad water, or bad air, or bad anything. The child killed by a drunk driver, the wife beaten by her husband, the list goes on and I dont have time. Thats what usually brings me to this thought. What kind of GOD would we serve, that decided everything we do, say, feel, like robots. This wonderful GOD, gave us a wonderful thing. CHOICE. Almost everything that happens in this world, happens as a result of choices. Including being born again. It was the same in the Garden, as it is today. We have a choice. "ARE YOU SAYING THE BABY BORN WITH CANCER HAS A CHOICE?,,,,,,,,,,,, No, I am saying that the innocent child that contracts a desease for whatever reason, has a GOD that understands the childs situation full well, and that in the end, justice will be served at its origin, where it began. Good choices, bad choices, decisions. And how many will perish without understanding their own Father, their own creator. How many people will comment on the Bible and determine their own fate by reading a few chapters, and then debating on the entire word of GOD. There are people in this world who are'nt even through the book all the way,, and they know, they just know. Ignorance is also a choice (sometimes) but GOD understands that persons situation full well also. Why are people born retarded?. Why,,,,,,,,,, is that a bad thing? is that a sad thing? GOD has a discernment beyond anything we can possibly comprehend, so who are we to say WHY?. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, What an awesome GOD, that gives us a choice, to choose him, or be against him, with nothing in the middle.

As I wrapped up the conversation with the intoxicated individual, who by the way sobered up during the hour conversation, (my wife waiting patiently). After his final argument was spoken,,,,,,, I looked into this child of GODs eyes, and said with utmost confidence, "How can you sit there and deny the simple fact, that you were made in his image?,,,,,, how can you sit there and look me in the eye, when you know he lives inside me, you know there's something different, YOU KNOW HE'S REAL,,,,,,,,, As I pointed out to the man, that he had created a GOD in his own mind, for his own convenience, to suit his needs, and so he could continue to love sin, more than his creator. And as I pointed out that the GOD of his mind did not exist, but the GOD of the bible did. I ended with, "you my friend are broken, and in perfect need of a savior". Expecting ridicule and denial, I was completely shocked, but only briefly, to see this man, nearing sober, break down into tears, and ask the LORD into his life. Why does GOD let bad things happen to good people?, the same way he allows good things to happen to bad people. WE HAVE A CHOICE, and a great country to practice it.

People do spell disease wrong, sometimes twice, but am I self conscious, did I spell conscious right?, Is this my conscience, did I spell that right?. I'm dead to that. I'm dead to that. jC

Brad,

Why did you leave early from Promise Keepers??? I was looking foreward to listening to your thing.

My Geography teacher is a libril democrat. She let's the rest of the class, who are all republicans, discuss their points of view and tries to argue the point. I think the three Brad Stine DVD's should be the ultimate conversion tool. So I loaned them to her, with her assurence that I would get them back in one peice. She's probably not going to like me after this, but then again, she never did. :)

i'm just grateful i dont have lukemia, and just an auto-immune disease. it could have been lukemia, which would have affected my bone marrow, which would be the reason why my platelet count is abnormally low, but no. God was gracious enough to only give me ITP. and that's probably the most tame of autoimmune diseases (not to mention that i'll probably grow out of it). praise God it wasnt lupus!!! :D

Here is a good analogy I received via email:

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists.”

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things." The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber.

"I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.”

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me.”

"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer.

"That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.”

Agree, starting from the garden of Eden! My favorite passage in the Bible is an invitation from the Master Himself, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." --Matthew 11:28-30 Yes, even in the midst of turmoil we can have peace through Him who loves us. --Ziobuck lovin' Him!

AMEN jC