How Does God Use Suffering for Our Good? Personal Life Lessons with Clay and Jean E. Jones
I Don't Have Enough FAITH to Be an ATHEIST
Dr. Frank Turek
4.9 • 5.5K Ratings
🗓️ 27 February 2026
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What does a ministry-minded Christian couple do when they experience five miscarriages, numerous disappointments, doubts, unanswered prayer, and incurable cancer? They PRAISE GOD and write a comforting and brilliant new book, 'How Does God Use Suffering for Our Good?', that will help thousands of others who are experiencing pain and suffering.
This week, Frank sits down with Dr. Clay Jones and his wife of 50 years, Jean E., to explore the hard realities of suffering and the even harder truth that God can use the most devastating events in our lives for good--both now and in eternity. Clay and Jean E. share lessons from their own lives and the Scriptures while answering questions like:
- If evil and suffering are happening to you is it all your fault? Do you just need more faith?
- What was Clay’s first major life crisis and how did it shape his worldview?
- How did Clay process learning he had incurable bone cancer and how is he feeling now?
- How are some Christians misrepresenting the Gospel?
- How did five miscarriages change Jean E.'s perspective and what good came from it?
- How does suffering lead to glory and what does it REALLY mean to give glory to God?
- What is God’s "Plan A” for your life?
- How did keeping truth journals help Jean E. stay anchored in Christ during hard times?
- What does it mean that Christians will ultimately reign with Christ?
- What is the Jones' best advice for those experiencing pain and suffering?
One thing is certain in this life: We will all experience hardship and pain. If you’ve ever asked, “Why me?” this episode is just for you. This is as real as it gets, folks. Read, listen, and be encouraged!
If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY USING THE LINK BELOW. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!
Resources mentioned during the episode:
Donate to CrossExamined - https://donor.crossexamined.org/
How Does God Use Suffering for Our Good? (book) - https://a.co/d/0emTpsAm
Why Does God Allow Evil? (self-paced online course) - https://bit.ly/4gYjT5v
Why Does God Allow Evil? (book) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0736970444
What Is the Unpardonable Sin? from the Christian Research Journal - https://bit.ly/4cOm3FR
The Lord Made Orgasms Possible - https://bit.ly/4cj2HIO
Clay’s website - https://clayjones.net/
Jean E's website - https://www.jeanejones.net/
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Ladies and gentlemen, how does a couple, a Christian couple, who have been married for 50 years, |
| 0:09.3 | but have experienced a lot of pain and suffering, including incurable cancer, including five miscarriages, |
| 0:23.7 | including doubts and disappointments. |
| 0:32.7 | How do they remain Christians and say that God is good and that God can use pain and suffering for our good? |
| 0:34.3 | Well, if you've ever wondered the answer to that question, my guest today, Dr. Clay Jones and his wife, Jeannie Jones, actually will tell you how, because they got this brand new book called How Does God Use Suffering for Our Good? And we've had Clay on the show many times before. In fact, Clay teaches a course |
| 0:55.7 | for us here at Cross-Examined at online Christian courses. Why does God allow evil? That book is a great |
| 1:02.2 | book and it's a great course as well. But this couple is a couple you want to know because |
| 1:09.3 | they've dealt with some of the worst pain and suffering you can |
| 1:12.2 | imagine and yet they're saying that God is still good so here they are ladies and gentlemen |
| 1:17.3 | the great doctor and Mrs. Jones all the way from the People's Republic of California. Clay, let me start with you. Give us an update. |
| 1:30.7 | I know that some of our listeners and viewers know about you. You've been on the program before |
| 1:35.7 | and you have your own ministry, but you did many years ago contract cancer and it's incurable. |
| 1:44.0 | However, there are some positive signs. |
| 1:47.9 | Tell us what's going on. |
| 1:49.0 | Well, you know, it's interesting because 23 years ago, I started having lower back pain. |
| 1:54.6 | And I'd see doctors and they go, you need to do stretching exercises. |
| 1:58.1 | Well, the pain got worse and worse and worse and worse. |
| 2:00.4 | And pretty soon, I couldn't sleep upstairs worse and worse and worse and pretty soon. |
| 2:01.4 | I couldn't sleep upstairs with Jeannie because I was getting up so much because of the pain. |
| 2:06.5 | They finally diagnosed it as being that I had an unusual bone cancer. |
| 2:11.9 | Thankfully, 22 years ago, they were able to take the can't. |
| 2:17.1 | I lost my tailbone, the bone above above that and half the bone above that. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr. Frank Turek, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Dr. Frank Turek and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.