This moving Groupware product examines human suffering through the eyes and experiences of Joni Eareckson Tada, a remarkable Christian woman who's turned her own life experience into a powerful testimony to God's sovereignty and plan for all of us. In six moving sessions, Joni explains her own outlook and experiences, from the tragic accident that left her paralyzed over thirty years ago to her brilliant ministry that touches people worldwide. The production follows Joni through her own everyday interactions with others, including her extraordinary "Family Retreats" that minister both to other disabled people and to anyone suffering and asking what God means by allowing it. The life and everyday actions of Joni Eareckson Tada are inspirational in their own right. The combination of documentary-style video, individual stories of suffering and grace, and stimulating Leader's and Participants Guides make this a powerful stimulus for group discussion and individual reflection.

Joni Eareckson Tada is the founder and president of Joni and Friends Steven Estes holds Masters of Divinity and Masters of Theology degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary and Columbia Bible College. He is the senior pastor of Community Evangelical Church in Elverson, Pennsylvania

Session One A Good God in a Suffering World Everyone who takes the Bible seriously, and many who don't, agree that God hates suffering.... But it simply doesn't follow that God's only relationship to suffering is to relieve it. -STEVE ESTES Questions to Think About 1. Briefly describe a time when someone you love suffered. Explain how you felt, what you did for that person, how that experience affected your life, your beliefs, your faith in God, your actions. Was there anything you could have done to relieve that person's suffering but chose not to do? Why didn't you relieve the suffering? How did you feel about your decision? 2. How do you suppose God views our suffering? What does he feel? What does he do? What does he think? 3. What are some possible reasons a loving, good, and perfect God would allow suffering? Video Observations Getting to know God in the midst of our suffering Why a good, perfect, and sovereign God allows suffering How God feels about suffering Suffering can help us become more "God focused" Video Highlights 1. What are some of the benefits of suffering that were mentioned in the video? How comfortable are you in considering these to be benefits? 2. What did you notice about Joni's attitude toward suffering? 3. What are your thoughts about Lamentations 3:32-33: "Though he [God] brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men"? 4. Do you believe that people who are well acquainted with suffering often become closer to God as a result? Why or why not? Large Group Exploration How Do We Know That God Is Good, Loving, and Tender? It's no secret that people, even Christians, suffer. But how can this be? Didn't God the Father send Jesus to release us from the bondage of sin and its effects? Doesn't God tell us to cast all our anxiety on him because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)? Doesn't he promise abundant life (John 10:10)? Doesn't he promise to give good gifts to his children (Luke 11:11-13)? Let's take a closer look at Scripture to see what we learn about this God we thought we knew. Let's see if we can reconcile who he is with the reality of human suffering. 1. Dozens of Scripture passages reveal that God is good. For a sampling of what Scripture says, look up the following descriptions of God's goodness. 2. With what expressions of tenderness does God describe his love for his people in Zechariah 2:8 and Zephaniah 3:17? 3. From the beginning through the end of Scripture, we read of God's great love for humankind and see the many ways in which he expresses that love. Read Micah 7:18-20, Ephesians 2:4-7, and 1 John 3:1. What does God's love lead him to do for us? 4. What does Jesus tell us about God's love in John 15:9-14? JUST IN CASE YOU HAVE SOME DOUBTS . . . In addition to the Scripture passages in question 1, you may want to read the following sampling of passages that affirm God's goodness and love: Ezra 3:11; Psalm 25:8; 34:8; 100:5; 106:1; 118:1; 135:3; Isaiah 63:7; Lamentations 3:25; Nahum 1:7. 5. Jesus, as God in human form, couldn't help but show God's love during his ministry on earth. Let's look at two snapshots of Jesus' life. How did he demonstrate God's love, compassion, and mercy? a. Mark 1:21-34 b. John 11:32-36 Truth or Imagination? What we think about God influences our friendship with him. It affects how much glory we give him. But our imaginations about God aren't reliable-ancient speculations about the kind of birthday present he might like led cultures into human sacrifice. Nor can we simply trust our emotions about him-if we conceive of God as we'd like him to be, we're sure to recreate him in our own image. We're liable to become like the people Paul described: "They are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge" (Romans 10:2). -STEVE ESTES 6. I