Suffering is an inevitable part of life, but how we suffer matters. Suffering provides opportunity for personal transformation and exposes our actual beliefs and the extent to which we're convinced of them. As Christians, we can suffer victoriously because of the hope that we have through the resurrection of Christ.

Many people settle for what is less than joy in their lives - success, sexual experiences, comfort, the list continues. But Christians can experience true joy because of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is an extreme comfort and joy to know that we are immensely loved by our Creator, and it is that joy that helps us in our pain. In our sufferings, we can rejoice because we can trust in God's faithfulness to us and His ability to bring about good. Of course, that is easier said than done, and it requires that we both surrender to and embrace God.

Restoring failed leaders back into ministry is no easy task. For someone who is taking part in God's goal of restoration, the focus should be on hope, grace, and the Christian ethic of love. Continuing to communicate your respect and going deep into the emotions and fears that drove someone's failure is key to their restoration. You must also cling to prayer as God comes in and calls people forward through the road of repentance. Includes an interview with Mike Woods.

What does it look like to begin and grow a disability ministry in your church? This first part covers some basic statistics of disabilities; including numbers on how many people are effected by disabilities in this country and the percentage of churches that offer a specific ministry to serve in this area. Donna and Debra give a basis for a disability ministry, and give you insight on the family perspective as well. Plus they cover many myths associated with disabilities and what the correct truths about starting a ministry like this are. This is the first part of a 4 part series on this topic.\r\n

How do you being and grow a disability ministry in your church? This second part covers practical steps on how to begin and structure a disability ministry including praying for a vision, and how to start recruiting leaders for this ministry. Donna and Debra suggest getting a buddy classroom program started, this helps promote inclusion in the classroom and shows that God loves all children. Find out steps to take for getting volunteers to serve, who to serve, and what it looks like. This is the second part of a 4 part series.\r\n

This workshop explains the motivation and the work behind ministries that serve the disabled at Xenos. We are all created equal in God's image, and we are all important parts of the body of Christ. Therefore, this group leads a multitude of programs such as: an Oasis Children's Program, the Young Adult Adapted Bible Study, home church liaison, and sign language interpreting in order to help meet the needs and incorporate members of the church who may have disabilities. At the end of the presentation, there is a panel discussion of volunteers in these programs.

David Chilcoat, a devout Christian and the founder of the Columbus Young Life branch, experienced intense suffering as his body decayed slowly due to ALS, a devastating disease. His wife Beth and Bev DeLashmutt use his journal entries at the time of his illness to explore how to remain faithful and experience peace and joy even amidst this kind of physical and emotion pain. Three key points that emerge are: 1) the need to ask God for what we need and desire, 2) to remember God's goodness and affirm our faith, and 3) to wait for Him to fulfill His promises to us. These help us to respond to suffering in a way that allows us to persevere through it instead of crumbling under it.

What is discipleship and how do you do it? Doug Patch goes through what some general considerations for discipleship include; for example: the church's mission and how discipleship fits with that, personal considerations like time, and resources in the church. He presents different models of discipleship for adults including: 1 on 1 discipleship, couples discipleship, and a team model of discipleship. He also goes through the format for each model, pros and cons for each, and some content ideas.\r\n

Dennis McCallum sheds light on the theological and practical sides of the unity between Christian believers, unpacking both the spiritual connection between Christians and the down-to-earth instructions for Christian community. Dennis makes the case that the highly committed, deeply connected community life prescribed in scripture is a far cry from the experience of church in modern America. Experiencing this connection with other believers is an essential factor in being prepared to suffer well.\r\n\r\n

Three of Job's friends heard of Job's suffering and went to him to offer love and support. They entered into Job's suffering and counted the cost to be there for him and bear his burdens. As they tried to sympathize with Job they had some successes and some failures. We can learn some practical lessons from their story on what to do when someone in our life suffers great loss.

Leaders have been called to die to self. The way to accomplish this task is by being committed to the body of Christ. Within this commitment must come a fight for unity. It is the unity within the church that demonstrates the power of God. This type of commitment will bring upon suffering but God's love and His power are greater than any suffering that will come.

When you come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, God indwells you with His Spirit. This kind act by God gives His followers the ability to experience joy at any time because the Holy Spirit is powerful. God wired us to be joyful and He is the one who offers true joy. It is in this joy that we can influence others to trust God and give their life to Him. To continue in a life full of joy, it is crucial to focus on the Gospel of God's grace and give His love out to others.