Hey friends, this is Michael Brown with a very special announcement to all of you listening to

the Courage in the Line of Fire podcast. I am going to begin a brand new teaching series on the

words of Jesus. It's going to be rich. I can't wait to do it. It's going to be impacting from me as I do it.

And we're going to start

with the sermon on the mount that will be coming within the next couple of weeks. And we are

going to sit at the feet of the master and learn together. Can't wait to get into this with you.

Welcome, friends. We are live talking about a really, really important subject.

In a sense, the ultimate subject, the ultimate question, the problem of suffering,

God's answer to the problem of suffering.

This is not abstract.

This is not just theoretical or theological or philosophical.

Many people right now, as at any moment around the world, are in agony, are suffering extraordinary loss.

We think so much about the tragic floods in Texas and not just suddenly so many lives lost,

but the lives of little children, little girls at a Christian camp, in praying and

worshiping and next thing swept away in terror to their deaths and the question of, well, why didn't God

protect them? And, okay, we believe they're in heaven now, but why didn't God protect them?

Or why didn't the families know as they prayed that something was going to go wrong?

There is unimaginable pain for so many. And as I said, at any moment, at any time in the world, there's agony, there's loss.

There are deep, deep questions that don't have easy answers.

So my goal today is not to surprise you with some slick apologetic or, wow, it's amazing. I never knew that. But rather to talk

realistically, honestly, from the heart. So pray with me, Abba, Father, we look to you. Lord,

some right now in terrible pain, terrible suffering, agony that very few of us can imagine.

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