Over my life, I have been involved in many different styles of Christian denominational expression—or “ice cream flavors,” as I like to say. From staid conservative Bible fundamentalism to “swinging from the chandeliers” Pentecostalism and social justice activism, I have tasted many different variations. They all have strengths and weaknesses. […]
Mental Health
To be known is to be pursued, examined, and shaken. To be known is to be pursued, examined, and shaken. To be known is to be loved and to have hopes and even demands placed on you. It is to risk, not only the furniture in your home being rearranged, but […]
When you are trying to change a default thinking habit or behaviour, it is like learning to drive on the other side of the road. It’s hard work. Whether you drive on the left or the right, changing your thinking is difficult. It must be very frightening for foreign drivers […]
Never Borrow Sorrow from Tomorrow Deal only with the present — never step into tomorrow, For God asks us just to trust Him and to never borrow sorrow, For the future is not ours to know, and it may never be, So let us live and give our best and […]
The word patience comes from the Latin verb ‘patior’ which means “to suffer.” Doctors waiting room, patients waiting, some less than patient. ‘He is normally not like this, we have been here an hour’. The patience of the patient is wearing patently thin! I find waiting difficult. I think most […]
So many people avoid being part of a Church service because it just makes them feel uncomfortable. Feelings of anxiety, panic, and being judged are just some of the challenges. Yet they have a deep desire to be part of a worshipping community. They want to know God and they […]
We all have feelings, but what does God want you to do with your feelings? Perhaps God wants you to bring the feelings to God first. I have emotions I am human, and as a creation of God, I have emotions. I have feelings. God feels, so therefore I do. […]
It can be frustrating when your ‘hands are tied’. ‘My hands are tied’ is an idiom that means that you are unable to act or behave in a certain way because something is constraining you. There is no freedom. ‘I would love to raise your salary but my hands are […]
We all make mistakes; we all stuff up. The feelings of regret, shame, maybe even guilt can plague and loom over us like a dark cloud. How do we learn to come out from that cloud? We need to eat more Swiss cheese! Ok, now I don’t want you to […]
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 […]