The Book of James tells us to count it all joy when we face trials, but it's not so easy when faced with the worst the world has to throw at you. Gird your loins, dear reader — here are the stories of the 12 American Christians who faced the most terrible tribulations of all:
Todd McMillan, 32, of Texas:
Slow Wi-Fi caused repeated buffering while attempting to watch The Chosen: Truly, Todd's reward shall be great in Heaven.
Kevin Bradshaw, 40, of Oklahoma:
Kevin was excited to learn that someone brought donuts to Sunday School, but it turns out they were the cheap grocery store donuts and not like Shipley's donuts AT ALL: Kevin just kept repeating to himself that these present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory in store
Brent Harrison, 29, of Georgia:
Brent attempted to sing a worship song at church, but a typo on the lyrics slide kept distracting him: There is an Enemy, and his name is Satan.
Greg Vintner, 44, of South Carolina:
For the second time this month, DoorDash delivered Greg's order from Long John Silver's without any tartar sauce: Not even the Apostle James would count this trial a joy.
Amanda Perkins, 47, of Florida:
Amanda's family arrived two minutes late to church last Sunday, only to find that another family had taken their pew: We all must take up our cross and bear it.
Doug Carmichael, 46, of Ohio:
The church coffee station switched to a new brand of coffee and the quality was noticeably worse: How long, O Lord, must we suffer this wicked generation?
Chris Johnson, 30, of Missouri:
An anonymous person on Reddit downvoted a post that Chris made about a Bible verse: Even Stephen would agree, this is worse than being stoned.
Jennifer Walsh, 39, of Tennessee:
The Starbucks barista wrote "Jenifer" on her cup even though Jennifer clearly said her name was "Jennifer": The Lord gives His saints the toughest battles.
Mark Ellison, 54, of Colorado:
Mark did not feel rested at all after sleeping on a hotel pillow that was too fluffy: Remember that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
Andrew Tran, 27, of Arizona:
Someone raised the AC setting in the sanctuary to 73 degrees, causing it to feel a bit stuffy inside: This is your Gethsemane, Andrew.
Rachel Simmons, 35, of North Carolina:
The church ran out of regular communion wafers, and so she had to have a gluten-free wafer: This is the refining fire.
Nathan Cole, 58, of Alabama:
Nathan's phone showed full bars, but the church webpage still wouldn't load: Nathan's faith briefly wavered before he boldly proclaimed, "Not today, SATAN."
What incredible testimonies of perseverance. May we never forget the sacrifices of these brave believers.
NOT SATIRE: Awareness alone is not enough.
Twenty-five Christians were just massacred in a single community in Plateau State, Nigeria.
Women and children were among the dead. One wounded village guard survived being shot, only to learn from his hospital bed that his wife and three children had been murdered. Another father returned home to find three of his children dead and his wife critically wounded.
This is the reality Christians in Nigeria are facing.
And Equipping The Persecuted is responding.
Immediately after learning of the massacre, our team went into action — helping provide medical care for the wounded and burial assistance for grieving families. We are also strengthening village security and early-warning networks so vulnerable Christian communities have a fighting chance when the next attack comes.
Right now, a generous donor has offered a $100,000 matching challenge. We have already raised $40,000, leaving $60,000 to go.
Every dollar you give can be matched dollar-for-dollar.
While Christian families are burying their dead, we cannot look away — and we cannot slow down.
Please help us finish this match. Give today and help Equipping The Persecuted stand with Christians on the front lines in Nigeria.
Give today at EquippingThePersecuted.org.
The Babylon Bee finally exposes everything about the Jews in this documentary of hard-hitting investigative journalism.
