Repentance is like antiseptic. You pour antiseptic onto a wound and, at first, it stings. Then it heals.

The irreligious don't repent at all and the religious only repent of sins. But Christians repent of their wrongfully placed righteousness.

Gifts are abilities God gives us to meet the needs of others in Christ’s name.

Jesus Christ was treated as we deserved so that when we believe in Jesus, God treats us as Jesus deserves.

How could a good, all-powerful God allow suffering?

So live in the light of the resurrection and renewal of this world, and of yourself, in a glorious, never-ending, joyful dance of grace.

Christianity teaches that, contra fatalism, suffering is overwhelming; contra Buddhism, suffering is real; contra karma, suffering is often unfair; but contra secularism, suffering is meaningful. There is a purpose to it, and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine.