Compassion Archives

Don’t Shoot. I’m Wounded. I’m Different

When we don’t slow down and seek to understand, it’s easy to shoot our wounded. My plea is ‘Don’t Shoot. I’m wounded. I’m different/divergent.’ I recently watched this video of a pair of horses being very frightened by a rabbit. The two horses were walking down a narrow country […]

Faith & Mental Health

A Church for the Little Ones

Perhaps it’s the little ones where we should give our focus. What would a church for the ‘little ones’ look like? There is a church that I drive past most weeks, and as I do, my heart sinks. Years ago, I went into this church building several times and […]

Helping Others

The Bias to Retain Sin. Unforgiveness

We have a bias to hold on to things. To retain the hurts, but Jesus asks us to forgive. Perhaps we do this in little steps of vulnerability. Many years ago, I held a lot of unforgiveness toward someone. I retained it and it grew. Eventually, I had to choose […]

Faith & Mental Health

Wounds and Scars. An Invitation

There is a kind of loneliness when you have wounds and scars, but it’s met when someone comes with their wounds. It’s an invitation to connection. I don’t like to see scars on a human body. They tell me that something has gone wrong. There has been injury and therefore […]

Trauma & Recovery

Sitting with Shame

Sitting with shame can suffocate life, but sitting in solidarity with someone in soul talk can break its control. It’s there if you want to hear it. A sneaky, whispery voice from the past. You hear it in others. They may have said nothing directly to you, but it’s […]

Grief & Loss

Who will wipe away tears

The tears start to form and flow, but who will wipe away my tears? A soft and gentle hand comes with tenderness to the pain. I could feel them start to congregate right in the corners of my eyes. They were coming together, and I had no control over them. […]

Trauma & Recovery

I’m Seeing Four Types of Power

Four types of power play a part in our lives, but the power that will transform you enters your ditch and is with you. I’ve seen it all. Through the eyes of my half-dead body, I watch them come, look, and then go. Will no one stop to do what […]

Trauma & Recovery

I Curse The Day I Was Born

We can get angry to the point where we want to curse the day we were born, but being held in our anger allows us to go through and not around the pain. It was about time they got angry. As the words vomited at me, through me, and around […]

Helping Others Mental health Uncategorized

Are you Strong Enough to be my … Friend

If you knew me, would you still love me? We all need others who will be strong enough to handle what comes from the inner world of each other. When they had opened up, they looked at me and wondered if I would reject them. So many others had. I […]

Getting Well Staying Well

Dirt + Spit = Mud and 6 Things to Learn about Healing

Dirt, spit, and mud. What a combination that brought medicine to a blind man’s eyes. Jesus works healing in ways we couldn’t imagine. It was just a typical sort of day. I was out on the street listening to everyone passing by. Right from birth, I had been blind, but […]