Johnny, one of the hardest questions I can think of to ask as someone who loves God and believes in Jesus Christ is, if God is so good, like the scriptures say He is, why doesn't He just get rid of all of this awful suffering in the world? What do you say in answer to that question?

Well, a quick history lesson.

I mean, we all know God created the world good.

But human rebellion brought corruption, death, suffering, injustice, and every other kind of painful thing into creation.

So human beings were the ones who broke the contract between God and man.

It wasn't God's fault that sin entered the world.

However, and this is what I love about God, he did not abandon hopeless people in their sin.

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I'm curious to know from your perspective, whether it's the 17-year-old you back in the 1960s or whether it's the you now, What can we do as friends or companions or just people in the same church who are walking alongside somebody who's going through some intense suffering?

Well, first I would... not look at them as a project to be managed, but community always, always evolves around need when people are open and honest, transparent about their need, and when the rest of the church, the body of Christ, responds to that need.

It's interesting, Josh, right now I know of a big church, a mega church, and one of the elders is pretty old, getting up into his 90s, and he doesn't have long to live.

And his precious daughter is absolutely worn out, just worn out from taking care of her dad, virtually all by herself.

And yet, This is an elder in a big mega church.

And in fact, I was just talking to some friends about the situation.

And calls for prayer are always put out there from the pulpit.

For someone who's listening to this, who's battling with maybe chronic pain, maybe they are battling with depression or disability, grief or bitterness, what would you say is that small step towards scripture memory or even just a small step towards the Lord that would give that hope that has been so critical for you?

So would you tell however you want to just what happened on that day when your life changed?

In 1967, which seems like another lifetime ago, I was a reckless teenager.

I had already received my life-saving certificate and, of course, rule number one, check the depth of the water but I went to the beach that day and did not check the depth I just swam out powered my way out to this raft pulled myself up onto it and my sister I waved to her although she had her back turned to me and was heading toward the beach and she didn't see me take that dive but immediately when I broke the water I came in and snapped my head back and And we all feel those little bones back there and that fourth little bone down from our skull, that's the one I broke.

And it smashed my spinal cord and I was face down in the water.

And my first thought was my sister didn't see me.

She's not gonna know I'm ready to drown.

And little did I know that at that point, that very point, a crab bit my sister's toe, and she quick turned around in the water to scream to me, Johnny, watch out for crabs.

What would you say to folks who are discouraged right now, who are in anguish right now? What would you want them to hear?

Come now and follow Me." When everything in your life seems to have turned to ashes

ashesMight it not be because the consuming fire, the breath of God, has fallen on it? Remember that when an old Jew back in the days of the Hebrew law in the Old Testament brought an animal as a sacrifice, what was the result? Ashes, of course.

The sacrifice is burnt.

And if you, with all your heart, offer your life as a sacrifice, the consuming fire is going to fall.

And as the father answers the son in this poem, this is thy heart's desire.

O son beloved, this and no other thing follows the fall of the consuming fire on the burnt offering.

What did you expect? Every experience, if given to Jesus, can be your gateway to joy.

This is from one of the memorial services for Elizabeth.

May 14th, Psalm 119, verses 89 through 96.

I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

Hold close the word of the Lord.

Johnny Erickson Tata.

After decades of paralysis and almost as many years leaning on God's word, I often find myself running to these verses from Psalm 119.

God has not kept me from affliction, but he has kept me from perishing in my affliction.

How have these scriptures kept me from caving in to despair? Let me share a few high points from this passage.

Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.