I find myself reacting today to a familiar Evangelical concept: “The idea that we can tolerate sin in our lives while we enjoy fellowship with God is a direct contradiction[1]” (p. 77). I grieve about this awful mischaracterization of the Biblical God that drives a wedge of distance between us and him. Consider this picture … True God and Our Becoming Selves
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, anger is defined as “a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism.” Within the definition of anger, it is explained that anger is a secondary emotion to a primary emotion, such as: fear, embarrassment, disrespected, confusion, sadness, scared, etc. However, in our culture, we see anger portrayed quite often … Anger: A Secondary Emotion
Christmas is a time to get together with family and friends and fun and food – at least that’s what the media is telling us in movies and TV commercials. And we all know how accurately they portray real life! The truth is, our Christmas experiences might be very far removed from what the media … Alone At Christmas
Last spring I cut my thumb on a food processor blade and had to get stitches. The cut was a rainbow shaped wound which, with the stitches in, looked like the upward looking shark of the original “Jaws” poster! I was sent home with a list of precautions to avoid infection. Infection complicates and delays … Avoiding Infection
Imagine being in the middle of a large, dry, lonesome valley. You can’t see any life, or any relief from the scorching sun by day or the pitch black of night. You’re alone, you don’t know how you got here and you don’t see any end to this painful, exhausting, life-depleting valley. As your hope … The Valley of Baca
The general public is aware of some of the manifestations of OCD from the television, such as compulsive fear of germs in the show ”Monk”, but this disorder has many faces and can shift its target issue even in the same person. Some of the ways do not even have external behaviors others can observe. … Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Painful to live with; Easy to Not Reveal
We live in an extremely litigious society, where almost everything needs to be spelled out in legalese to feel secure. But what happens when a marriage seems more like a contract than the covenant God intends? It is always interesting to ask a Christian couple, who are having marital problems, whether their marriage is contractual … Marital Contract vs. Marital Covenant
As parents, we daily face challenges with our children and their behavior. The thought that usually occurs after witnessing our children do something that we find less than desirable— “How can I make this stop?” While that thought may lead you to a good old-fashioned time out, grounding, or loss of a privilege, we need … Changing Your Child’s Behavior Begins By Understanding His Heart
In the world of addiction recovery there is a concept that an addict’s maturity is stunted at the age when he or she begins to use. For example, if a person begins smoking marijuana regularly at age 13, when he begins recovery at age 40, he will have the emotional maturity of a 13 year … Maturity in Addiction Recovery
Have you ever played the game “Telephone”? One person whispers a short story or sentence one time to another person, then that person whispers it to another, and so on until the last person states aloud what he or she heard. During the process, pretty much everything in the story changes. Why does this happen? … I Hear You (I think). Are We Listening?