Most people see trouble as something negative and seek to avoid it whenever possible. But what if it’s those troubles that actually lead to greater blessing and purpose?
In The Blessing of Adversity, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and the 62nd chaplain of the U.S. Senate distills the wisdom gained from thirty years as a counselor, theologian, and psychologist. Barry Black offers a blueprint for removing the sting of life’s trials, showing us how to let God use our pain for his glory by blessing others—and how that can actually help heal our own pain.
Drawing on Scripture and his own experiences as a counselor and chaplain to some of the most powerful people in the world, Black teaches us how to deal with seasons of God’s apparent silence, offers techniques for staying encouraged in the middle of life’s storms, and shows how to find advantages in adversity.
[Editor's comment: It was my pleasure to meet Chaplain Barry Black in the late 90s at the Chief of Navy Chaplains Senior Leadership Training Symposium in Nashville, TN. As I recall, he was the Assistant Chief of Navy Chaplains at that time. I had some special leisure time with him as we talked in civilian casual dress. It is amazing how a Black man and a White man could bond together in a lasting friendship.
Barry Black grew up in the Ghetto (the Hood) in Baltimore, MD, and I grew up in Birmingham, AL, in the Heart of Dixie. Segregation was the culture of the day, and black folks could not drink at the same water fountain with us, nor were they permitted to use the same rest rooms, or even eat at a restaurant with white people.
Barry has written an earlier book entitled, From the Hood to the Hill. If you have not read it, I highly recommend that you do.
I plan to order my copy of The Blessing of Adversity this week. Although I have not read it, I can easily see it is a timely book for days like we are facing in our country. I know of hard-working people who are out of a job and can't seem to find one. I know of homeless people, and they all need God's help in these times of adversity.]
Posted on
Thu, April 7, 2011
by Hugh Morgan