Emphasis Preaching Journal

She walked unannounced into my office, a stranger to the church and to me. She was poorly dressed, unkempt, and looked around her as if she expected the walls to bite. Her problems were almost beyond my comprehension, a sorry tale of alcoholism, abuse, family strife, and financial ruin. I marvelled that she had even been able to find her way here. "What can I do?" she said, gasping out her story between bouts of sobbing. Rushing in where angels fear to tread, I began to suggest some ways she might attempt to deal with her dreadful situation.