Apostle Paul had a sickness that was so grievous that he called it "a thorn in the flesh". He begged the Lord three times that it be taken away from him, but the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for thee." While this sickness was not specifically identified, what we do know is that it was a source of major grief for Paul.

Are you dealing with a "thorn in the flesh" that has you feeling anxious and downhearted, and are you grieving hard over the death of a loved one and finding it difficult to cope?

God's word promised that there will come a time when death will be no more, and neither will there be sorrow, crying, or pain. Jesus Christ, who referred to the dead as merely sleeping, told us that there would be a resurrection of the dead. He even demonstrated his ability to bring the dead back to life, giving us something to hope in.

Sickness and suffering will be a thing of the past. Do you believe this? Comfort and Encouragement by Jodi L. Serino-Barbour was authored to remind us of the promises of God to those who believe, in accordance with 1 Thessalonians 4:18.

Sometimes, we need a reminder to help us keep a tight hold on this hope that we have in the promises of Christ, in spite of the suffering that is happening all around us, which, at times, closely touches even our families in this present world.

Birthed from the desire to encourage a family member who was in stage four of a battle with cancer; and then, directly behind that, facing the unexpected death of a parent, Jodi L. Serino-Barbour reaches into the core of fear and pain to plant seeds of hope for the future.