Dianne and I read a lot of things. But we can both point to one little xeroxed article shared by Pastor John a long time ago, written by a man named Michael Beates, as having much greater influence than anyone could have expected. The Holy Spirit used that article to build a little piece of foundational trust in God and the Bible.
Dr. Beates has written a book. You should buy it.
He has lived this life longer than I have. He has thought about the questions we think about longer than I have. He has studied the Bible longer than I have. He has certainly trusted God in the hard circumstances of his family life longer than I have.
And he asks and answers hard questions:
Do you bear the mark of wounds from God’s sovereign hand?
You and I can take heart because this means we are in his hand.
And he promises that no one (and Romans 8 expands on this) can take us out of his hand.
His grasp on those he loves is firm, immovable, eternal, and unshakable.
And at the end of the day, no matter how hard the day may prove to be, that is a good thing!
Dr. Michael Beates, Disability & the Gospel: How God Uses Our Brokenness to Display His Grace, p. 33.
I had hoped to do a proper book review but that just isn’t going to happen. You can read the short article Pastor John sent, and then read an excerpt at Crossway’s site to get a taste. Then buy and read the rest of the book.
The Works of God 
2010年初的西南大旱，广百集团又率先直接运送10吨纯净水与大米援助广西百色市凌云县，并倡议广州商业企业共同捐款捐物支援灾区。
2010年初的西南大旱，广百集团又率先直接运送10吨纯净水与大米援助广西百色市凌云县，并倡议广州商业企业共同捐款捐物支援灾区。
2008年冰雪灾害，百万旅客滞留广州火车站，在寒风剌骨的冬雨中，广百集团当晚就调集10万份食品送达现场，500多名广百员工奋战在春运第一线，同时马上开设爱心售货车24小时服务旅客，低价销售食品，有效平抑了周边物价，连续奋战11个日日夜夜，滞留旅客一句“广百有良心”的评价，成为广百千金难买的最高奖赏。