Spiritual Practices During Stressful Times These days, those of us who have practiced spiritual disciplines may be finding ourselves worrying about our prayers, being distracted, becoming fearful, or going through the motions. You know that God is the answer but find yourself feeling disconnected. If you are feeling stuck in your prayer time, distracted and … Spiritual Practices During Stressful Times
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1. “Of course you are!”– VALIDATION- Because the current state of the world is enough to make anyone’s brain respond in a protective way. 2. “Tell me more.” – EMPATHY- Even when you don’t know what to say, you can open the door to sharing in their experience. 3. “I’m with you in it.”– SUPPORT- … 5 Things to say to a friend who experiences anxiety during the Coronavirus pandemic
We live in a culture that values multitasking, packed schedules, achievement, and speed. And we get bonus points when we don’t “need” a lot of sleep to make it all happen. Most of us have probably asked someone how they are doing and the response is, “busy!” Even when we bemoan how full our schedules … Adding Peace to Our Pace
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
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
(This post is from a previous blog posted on ACAC’s blog posts in 2014.) I recently asked someone how an event went for her—she had told me about an upcoming speech she was to give, and had had some anxiety about it. She replied, “Oh, I don’t know. Some people seemed to like it.” With further discussion, … Shame Wears a Mask