1)     What did you hope this book would help accomplish in people's lives?

The things I share in the book were first of all truths that made a major difference in my own thinking and helped me to grow and continue through some challenging circumstances. It was only after seeing their effect in my own life that I thought about putting them into a book. I hope that passing these on to others will give them the same hope and spirit of perseverance that they gave to me.

2)  Do you think you would have learned the principles you outline in the book without your journey through MS? Why or why not?

MS certainly brings challenges and, in my case, some big changes in life. Had I not been dealing with MS and with depression, which was every bit as tough as MS, if not greater, I think it is most unlikely that I would have ever seen so clearly some of the things I describe.

3) What do you say to believers who blame God for their circumstances in life?

I would say that emotionally I understand that. If God is powerful and loving, why would he allow us to hurt and suffer? We reason that we would not do that were we in his position.  In blaming God we are not unlike some of the psalmists, and even Job, who expressed such thoughts before they regained their perspective.  I understand that reaction. I have had that reaction. And yet from a more reasonable, less emotional, standpoint it makes no sense to blame God. As Isaiah reminds us, we are just the clay; God is the potter. Who are we with our little brains to tell God that he doesn’t know what he is doing.  But this state of surrender to God often only comes to after we are honest about our feelings with God and get our emotion out.

4) Is there one thing we can all do better in our relationship with God?

Well, the one thing he is always looking for is faith, and I think the biblical meaning of that is obedient trust or a trust that obeys. As we go through some difficult circumstances that we don’t understand, we are greatly tempted to not trust and, certainly, if we don’t trust, we will almost certainly not obey. One of the things I am trying to get across in the book is that in those circumstances we can say, “Yes, it is really that bad, BUT, I am still going to trust and I am still going to live out my faith.”

5) What does the Bible mean by "renewing of the mind?"

I suspect that the biblical writers mean a number of different things with that concept.  But particularly in Romans 12 where Paul speaks of this, he uses the word from which we get our word “metamorphosis.” He is speaking of a transformation of our thinking, where we no longer look at life from the human point of view, but we see life through the eyes of faith, and more and more we begin to see life as God sees it. As that happens it means we will be quite out of step with the normal thinking that goes on around us, but we will be in step with the Spirit of God and in touch with truth that will help us persevere through trials.

6) Do you believe churches as a whole teach people how to correctly face life's challenges? Why or why not? And what could churches do better?

I am not sure that I would want to paint all churches with a broad brush. I have been in churches that focused mostly on doctrinal correctness. I know churches that seem to be primarily concerned about carrying on certain traditions or a type of worship. More recently, it seems some are mainly concerned about a certain political agenda. In all these cases, I am afraid people do not hear enough about how God can meet them in their crises and their weaknesses and demonstrate his power in surprising ways.  I am convinced that expository preaching and teaching will correct most of what ails the church. The Scripture has in it an amazing blend of the doctrinal and the practical, and if we will just let Scripture be heard and applied to our lives it will show us people like ourselves and how they faced their challenges with faith.

One other aspect of a healthy church that helps people face life’s challenges is an emphasis on biblical fellowship. This would mean relationships in which there is a commitment to be in each other’s lives—not just a superficial Sunday morning “how are you” fellowship. It is amazing how powerful it is when we actually bear one another’s burdens, thus making all our burdens lighter.