The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Q: How good do you have to be before you can become a Christian? My parents were very anti-religion, but now that I’m an adult I feel a need for God. But maybe I’m not good enough to be a Christian. A: I have good news for you: God loves you jus...

Q: I haven’t heard from my two sons for several years—no Christmas cards, no Father’s Day cards, no emails, nothing. I know I was probably a lousy father, but shouldn’t they at least try to keep in touch with me? My daughter does, thankfully. A: One...

Q: I know preachers like to tell people how bad they are and that they ought to feel guilty over their sins. But I don’t feel guilty over anything, because I don’t believe there’s such a thing as right or wrong. What would you say to someone like me?...

Q:After college, I ended up taking what I thought was a temporary job, and five years later I’m still in it. Why hasn’t God given me something exciting, instead of a job I don’t really care about? A: Millions of Americans are celebrating Labor Day,...

Q: I don’t understand my cousin. Whenever I talk with her about Heaven or salvation, she just laughs and says she’s not going to worry about it, because it will all work out in the end. Why is she like this? A: Unfortunately your cousin has del...

Q: What do you think is the biggest problem facing the world today? We’ve been having a discussion about this in our Bible class at church, but we can’t seem to agree. A: The biggest problem facing the world today is the same as it always has bee...

Q: I’ve always had physical problems that limit my ability to walk or do most of the things that normal people do. As a result I have very few friends, and sometimes I wish I’d never been born. Why did God let this happen to me? Does God hate me?...

Q: I know Jesus said we ought to love people, but how do you love someone who’s really hard to get along with? My aunt is like this, always criticizing everyone and in general just being disagreeable. We dread it when she comes to visit. A: You’re ri...

Q: Where did God come from? Our six-year-old son keeps asking me, and I don’t know how to answer him. Or should I even try? A: I’m thankful your son wants to know about God, and I hope you’re encouraging him and doing all you can to answer his questi...

Q: My sister and her husband are always praying about decisions they have to make, but I think they just need to use their brains to decide what to do. After all, why did God give us a brain if He didn’t expect us to use it? A: Praying about d...

Q: When I was younger I did some pretty bad things, and the older I get the more guilty I feel over them. I want to ask God for forgiveness, but I haven’t because I honestly don’t believe He’ll forgive me. Why should He? I can’t even forgive myself....

Q: I’ve heard a lot about asteroids that might hit the earth, or new diseases that could destroy all life, or new weapons of war, and I can’t help but be worried about the future. Is this the way the world is going to come to an end? A: The wor...

Q: I’ve heard a lot about asteroids that might hit the earth, or new diseases that could destroy all life, or new weapons of war, and I can’t help but be worried about the future. Is this the way the world is going to come to an end? A: The wor...

Q: I overheard someone say the other day that God had been speaking to them about something. (I think it had to do with something she was doing that God didn’t want her to do.) Do you think she actually heard a voice speaking to her? God never s...

Q: I admit we never paid much attention to the television programs and films our children watched, but I’m beginning to wonder if we made a mistake. I guess we thought they’d learn how they ought to live by watching us, but now I’m not so sure. Have...

Q: I know you’d probably say we ought to be honest and always tell the truth, but in my experience no one really gets ahead if they act like that all the time. You have to cut a few corners if you’re going to be successful, no matter what the Ten...

Q: We’re having a big family reunion this summer, and I admit my husband and I are kind of nervous because most of our relatives aren’t religious. We don’t want to come across as self-righteous killjoys, but I guess we ought to take a stand someh...

Q: Where can I find God? Everybody seems to have a different opinion about this, but how do I know which one is right? Maybe they’re all wrong, and God doesn’t want to be found—or doesn’t even exist. A: The most important truth I can tell you is...

Q: I guess we’re what you’d call “Christmas and Easter Christians,” since those are about the only times we make it to church. But what’s wrong with that? We head to our lake cottage most weekends, and isn’t the Sabbath supposed to be a day of rest...

Q: I think it’s arrogant for people to say they know they’re going to go to heaven when they die. How do they know? I’m just as good as some of them are, even if I’m not very religious. A: The greatest mistake anyone can ever make is to assume that t...

Q: Our neighbor is one of the grouchiest people I’ve ever met. He always looks on the dark side of things, and never has a good word to say about anybody; and yet he claims to be a Christian. Is this the way Christians are supposed to act? A: I...

Q: Why did God make me such a shy person? I want to make friends and be accepted by people, but whenever I get in a crowd I just freeze up and don’t even talk to anyone. Sometimes I wish I was someone else. A: We’re all different, and I suppose mos...

Q: Why do I feel near to God one day, but then the next day I’ll feel like He doesn’t even exist? I wish my spiritual life wasn’t such a roller coaster. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be, is it? A: No, it’s not the way God wants our relationshi...

Q: Wasn’t Jesus actually a failure? After all, at the beginning of His last week on earth He hoped people would make Him into their king, but by the end of the week everyone had turned against Him, and they ended up killing Him. A: Yesterday Christia...

Q: My sister used to be very active in her church, but now she’s dropped out and says she wants to spend her weekends doing other things. I admit, she doesn’t seem to miss church, but what can I do to encourage her to reconnect? A: People drop out...