Is depression caused by a lack of faith? Find hope through grace and self-compassion, leaving toxic church shame behind. Where are you, God? I thought that if I prayed more, read my Bible more, attended church more, gave more money, then I would feel better. I look at everyone else, […]
Faith
Look at the birds of the air. Break the “magnetic” grip of anxiety. Discover how looking at and considering nature can ground your brain in providence. Anxiety can be like a magnet. It can grab your attention and hold it in its grip. This energy of focus can exhaust […]
I keep trying to get things right, but there’s no more penance to pay. It’s all been taken care of. I woke up the other morning with this phrase running through my head. ‘No more penance to pay’ What does this word ‘penance’ mean? Penance comes from the Latin […]
They wanted me to try harder. But when you’re in a dark hole of depression, or you don’t have the skills, energy, or even understanding, it can feel like yet another stone of struggle to carry. Confusion reigns, and the self-loathing chatter begins. It cycles around and around in the […]
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 […]
I have a slippery memory. Memories of the good can slip away, but having a habit of recording the good can change our thinking in wonderful ways. My mother kept a red ledger book in one of the kitchen drawers, and it kept her. It kept her grounded in the […]
Some people believe in luck; I don’t. I believe in wisdom and work, empowered with faith to build a boat that catches providential wind. I remember the first time I bought a lottery ticket. I’ve only ever done this twice. I remember all the thoughts that raged around in me. […]
Sometimes I feel alone in the struggle, but when listen deep I sense a providence. A providence I can lean into. It was the strangest thing I have experienced in a dog’s behaviour. Our family once had a dog that leaned. He could come alongside you, cross his legs […]
We could rake the muck forever, but what about stringing pearls? What will bring the delight of heaven to full song? I recently watched someone restringing a necklace of pearls. With mindful precision, a fine silk cord was taken and inserted through the pearls with a small needle. A […]
I want to pray, but don’t know how. How to Pray for a Narcissist. It begins with honesty. It prays for light. Can a narcissist change? That’s a question many people ask. But it’s much like that old joke about psychologists changing a lightbulb. How many psychologists does it […]