Even though I am a stumbling disciple of Jesus Christ, the inclination to offer praise for His blessings when my circumstance is a net positive, or even tolerable, is strong. But how does one do it when things turn very bad? How, in all sincerity, do I overlook the ample evidence that the life, as I have known it, is coming undone? And whether it is our material resources that have gone fallow or the inexorable decline of a beloved’s health, the subsequent prayer of thanksgiving can ring hollow and leave a bitter taste on our lips. To many on the outside, it appears rote and contrived: “Thank you Lord for this cancer,” or “Bless you for our impending bankruptcy.” How does one lift his hands into the sky, like Job, and offer praise for the calamities that seemingly beset us on every side? I certainly wish I knew. C.S. Lewis, perhaps the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th Century, and producer of some of the greatest books uplifting our faith, was...(Read Full Article)