Think of your present life on earth as a dot. It begins. It ends. It is brief.  Imagine a line extending from the dot, a line that extends and goes on forever. That line is eternity, which believers in Jesus Christ will spend in heaven and unbelievers will spend in hell. Right now we are all living in the dot, but what are we living for? The shortsighted person lives for the dot. The person with perspective lives for the line. What’s the difference?  What happens after the dot? In our first sermon, we will hear from a man facing the reality of death.

The endless pursuit of personal significance and satisfaction in our "rat race" culture is empty, overwhelming and exhausting.  Contrary to popular belief, life does not have to be this way.  Jesus came to give rest to all who are weary and tired in this life.  He offers to relieve our burdens and provide a better life of true significance and satisfaction.  How can we receive the rest that Jesus wants to give us?

**There is no RE:collect for this sermon.

Even if you can't see God working, remember that He IS working.

Guest Speaker:  Dr. H. Dale Burke

There is sufficient reason to trust God in spite of the mystery of suffering.

Only God knows the hows and whys of our suffering.

God is still in charge and in control even when things seem chaotic and senseless.   

The wicked suffer and perish because they are opposed to God.

Job stands as an exemplar for us, even today. He shows us the way by displaying an astonishingly resilient hope in God. Down through the centuries comes this sterling declaration: "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him" (13:15a). Such trust is eventually rewarded—with the caveat being, of course, eventually. But such a resilient hope in God requires that we hold a view of God's character that has been honed by a lifetime of journeying with God, and not a hasty inference from our experience in the moment. Resilient faith in God brings honor to Him and is well-pleasing in His sight. Let us renew our resolve to be pleasing to Him.

About our guest speaker:  Glen G. Scorgie, Ph.D., has been Professor of Theology at Bethel Seminary San Diego since 1996. For the past twenty years he has been involved in the ministries of the Chinese Bible Church of San Diego, as well as teaching in Asia. The dynamics of life with God are of special academic and personal interest to him. He is general editor of the Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, and president-elect of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He and his wife Kate have just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren.

In the middle of a dark night of suffering, don't keep your deep pain to yourself.

You may be doing something right when the big one hits your life.