Northbrook's Senior Pastor, Mike Bellanti, took time to answer some of our questions about God/faith/religion.
Many of the questions submitted by our group members dealt with the issue of tragedy/suffering and why God allows bad things to happen.
Mike shared that our natural tendency is to try to make sense of our suffering and that it is okay to ask "Why?". But, sometimes, we may never get an answer to the "Why?".
A better way to handle/process suffering is to transition to the question: "How?"
HOW can I process this situation and walk through this?
HOW can I glorify God in the midst of suffering?
HOW can I use this situation/tragedy for God's glory?
Another popular question that Mike addressed was: "How do we keep God present in our children's lives?"
He suggested that we not teach the Bible as just a "rule book", but rather, we should MODEL the living God to our kids. We should present Christianity as awesome and LIFE-giving....not boring and full of rules.
Also, we should keep the "BIG story" of God alive for our kids. We can teach them about God's plan/his story, teach them about sin and holiness, and read the bible and pray with them.
This blog is dedicated to the Moms of Influence group at Northbrook Church in Richfield, WI.
