Emotional pain can lead us to some very dark places, but embracing the pain may open doors for the Christ light to come and eat with us. It was another email of pain. I looked at my inbox, and someone had sent me an email in response to my ‘God, […]
Getting Well Staying Well
199 posts
Who are the Five people you spend the most time with? They will be the ones who have the most influence over you. Her response to a betrayal of friendship has probably helped thousands of others to get a better group of friends. The other day I was listening to […]
Does God Hate me? Is God punishing me? Questions like these need gentle and grace-filled responses, so here are twelve questions that I would like to ask and explore. Sometimes, when I listen to people, I hear little comments that bring a sense of sadness to my heart. Some firmly […]
We want to change, but willpower alone is never enough. It runs out. We need to have a stronger power – a heart power that strengthens our thinking. I was going to change. I was determined. No more of those old habits and going down those old stupid ways. Now […]
It’s probably easier to give than to receive, but we can’t give what we haven’t already received. How can someone love, when they don’t know what love is? Are you open to receiving love? It was awkward. Plain embarrassing. It was so uncomfortable that they wanted to run from this […]
Our self-talk can keep us depressed and anxious, but we can learn new thinking tracks. Your rehearsal can change your mind. I always marvel at how the experts seem to effortlessly do something that I would difficult. My earliest experience of this was watching shearers shear our sheep on the […]
Others’ opinions about us can lead us to feel we are caged. Trapped, we grow in fear and worry, but recognizing them and boldly stepping out of the cage can bring us into new freedom. I could feel myself slipping into the dark place of despair again. As is my […]
We often miss the obvious, but when we stop and take notice of the changes, we have but one response – thanksgiving. I noticed something about them. They had changed, and it was for good. Something deep had happened in them. Instead of being so caught up in the emotional […]
You’re tired, drained, but you can’t find a simple way to restore. So maybe it’s time to cease and savor delight in the little moments. It had been a tough week—full-on giving out. People, work, tasks, energy-draining memories all want a piece of the energy pie. What was leftover were […]
No one likes to submit. It feels foreign and dangerous, but we long for intimacy (in-to-me-see), so we taste and see if the other is good and safe. There was movement and rhythm as the couple glided across the dance floor. He gently led, she moved in response. She would […]
Tired and weary, worn down and burned out. You can’t find relief because you have no refuge. So let’s build a storm shelter together. It’s the noise that wears you down. The ambient, in the background but all around you, stresses of life. You’re the meat in the sandwich, and […]
The change felt good, but they were also afraid of who they might be becoming. Then they learned that they were not alone and to trust the train they were traveling on. It’s always scary when you don’t know what’s on the other side. Who am I becoming? What will […]
Are you tired of being the Scapegoat but don’t know how to stop it? Six key steps to stop being the dumping ground of other people’s rubbish. She felt like they were making her a scapegoat. They were saying she was responsible for all the terrible things that had happened. […]
They kept feeling a sense of guilt and blame for something they didn’t do, but then they discovered a Scapegoat living in the backyard of their brain. It wasn’t nasty, or maybe in a subtle kind of a way it was, but they felt like they were receiving all the […]
Some people seem to like to rain on your parade, but we can learn how to hoist an umbrella and continue on. They couldn’t help themselves. Anything my friend did was negated. Any attempt at doing something special, creative, or different was criticized and smashed with harsh words. Sometimes an […]
Many of us carry secret questions, and we are hungry for answers, but we need someone safe. Someone secure in themselves yet vulnerable to listen well. When the pastor sermonized my personal story, I felt exposed. I was once in a small group in a church, where our Pastor […]
Life has many struggles, but with a champion, someone who will walk and talk, we have someone who reminds us of our progress and gives us hope. I was recently talking with someone about the struggles in their life. We had walked many a mile together over the years. As […]
We have all been a little one, a child, and we stumble, but we can grow from the stumbles, and we can learn new truth and find new hope. I’ve heard many stories of abuse, but some of the worst are when subtle little lies have, with organized precision, been […]
Being formed like a little child is something Jesus wants us to do, but how are we to do this as adults? Perhaps it’s by surrender to the potter’s hand. Probably the most joyous gift to our family over recent years has been the addition of a new family member. […]
I need a nest that I can call home. Actually, digging down a little further, I need a grouping of relationships that know me, love me, and have compassion and kindness when I get things wrong. The other day I was pruning a vine and there high above my head […]