In His Grip

Christmas evokes numerous emotions, and in 1994, the emotions Dr. Betters experienced were not of warm, fuzzy Christmas scenes, but heart breaking as he faced his second Christmas without his sixteen-year-old son, Mark.
In this message, Dr. Betters addresses the question of God’s love. He asks, “If God does indeed love me with an everlasting love, and if he has promised to guard me against all evil, and if He as promised that He will never leave me or forsake me, and if He has given to me His Holy Spirit to insure that nothing or no one will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ, then why does it seem as though heaven is silent to the cries of my heart? Is there really a love that is lasting? Is there really a love that does not and cannot betray me? Is there a love I can trust and rest in?

Christmas evokes numerous emotions, and in 1994, the emotions Dr. Betters experienced were not of warm, fuzzy Christmas scenes, but heart breaking as he faced his second Christmas without his sixteen-year-old son, Mark.
Christmas happens when Israel is at its lowest. Dr. Betters’ points out the similarities between our culture and Israel’s. What better time than to confront the question of pain and suffering? In this message we learn that the root cause of our doubt rests in the alleged sovereignty of man. Job is a classic example of someone learning that as hard as he tried, he was not sovereign over the circumstances of his life. We join Job is asking hard questions about pain and suffering.

Christmas evokes numerous emotions, and in 1994, the emotions Dr. Betters experienced were not of warm, fuzzy Christmas scenes, but heart breaking as he faced his second Christmas without his sixteen-year-old son, Mark.
Christmas happens when Israel is at its lowest. Dr. Betters’ points out the similarities between our culture and Israel’s. People today are cynical, reluctant to trust anyone and even more reluctant to believe anything is “real.” Once we question what is real, everything is up for grabs. In this message, Dr. Betters’ asks, “What is real and what does Christmas have to do with it??

Christmas evokes numerous emotions, and in 1994, the emotions Dr. Betters experienced were not of warm, fuzzy Christmas scenes, but heart breaking as he faced his second Christmas without his sixteen-year-old son, Mark.
In this series, Dr. Betters acknowledges that not everyone loves Christmas or even looks forward to it. Rather than running from Christmas, though, he encourages us to recognize the opportunity to experience even deeper comfort as we recognize the pain of that first Christmas. Dr. Betters opens up a list of five significant questions that people are longing to ask, not only at Christmas, but throughout the uneasiness of living life in this broken world. We will see five influences that shaped the culture of the Christmas story and continue to shape our culture today. Our culture is hungry for someone or something to trust. In this message, Dr. Betters’ asks, “What about the question of trust and what does Christmas have to do with it??

Against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert, Lynne Hartke asks her own hard questions as cancer arrives like a thief. As Lynne wrestles with a tumble of tangled emotions, a shaken faith, and self-doubt cancer is now not only threatening her own life, but, in a surprising twist, the lives of both her parents as well.

In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Lynne gives us a glimpse into her journey to understand God’s ways as well as a picture of how the legacy of faith passed on to her by her parents helped her experience God’s love and presence in the darkest of times. Lynne encourages us to know we are never alone, no matter how desolate the desert may feel and we are never forgotten by our Father in Heaven.

Connect with Lynne at Lynnehartke.com

https://www.amazon.com/Under-Desert-Sky-Redefining-Hardest/dp/0800727746

From Dr. Chuck Betters' series There's a Song in the Air.
This Episode: Selected Scriptures

From Dr. Chuck Betters' series There's a Song in the Air.
This Episode: Selected Scriptures

From Dr. Chuck Betters' series There's a Song in the Air.
This Episode: Zechariah 9:1-9

From Dr. Chuck Betters' series There's a Song in the Air.
This Episode: Selected Scriptures

A diagnosis of dementia in a loved one is frightening. Many spouses and family members face a “long goodbye” as they walk this pathway with their loved ones. In this interview Sharon Betters asks Dr. John Dunlop, author of Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia, to define dementia, the stages of dementia, what it is like to care for a loved one with dementia, and more. Dr. Dunlop’s compassion and passion for equipping and caring for older people comes through in his responses. He reminds us that every person is made in the image of God and that truth needs to be the grid through which we view those with dementia and the kind of care we give.