trial

“Affliction is the best book in my library.”

In the early days of space exploration, walking on the moon wasn’t the only problem facing Soviet cosmonauts; they also had difficulty walking on Earth after they returned from prolonged flights. The lack of gravity in orbit caused very serious and life-threatening problems when they returned home.

But they eventually found a way to make re-entry easier…by making space flight harder.

  Topics Illustrated Include: Animals Pain Persecution Suffering Surprise Thanksgiving Trial Trouble Warning   (Resource cataloged by David R Smith)

“Christianity has always insisted that the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear.”

It was a normal game of kickball, by a normal group of kids, on a normal 4th of July. Even when the ball struck 9-year-old Jacob Holdaway in the head during the course of play, most labeled it a fairly normal occurrence for that particular game.

But what happened next was anything but normal.

Around 175 AD, a girl of noble descent named Perpetua was born at Carthage, which happened to be the epicenter of Christianity’s growth in northern Africa. Believing Christianity undermined Roman patriotism, Emperor Septimius Severus began a focused persecution of the Christians in that province.

Perpetua and a few friends were immediately arrested…but that was only the beginning of their troubles.

It was reported that Polycarp, the aged bishop of Smyrna, was actually a disciple of the Apostle John. He was known for leading an influential congregation and for encouraging the greater church with his writings.

But, without a doubt, his legacy revolves completely around his death.