Recent Blog Posts
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Insights On Our Cravings and Desires
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In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear writes that “a craving is the sense that something is missing.” In the Bible, the apostle James writes these words, speaking of desires and wishes that cause conflict both within us and in our relationships: What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?…
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Naming and Owning Our Story
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John Eldredge, in his book Resilient, says “you can’t heal trauma without grieving it.” There is power in telling the story; healing can begin when a person allows themselves to come to terms with what has happened to them and then begins to process those experiences and how they have…
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5 Strategies for Dealing With Anxiety
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Anxiety is a normal human emotion. Too often we feel as though anxiety is nothing but a problem and that we need to either avoid it or get rid of it, or we feel shame for experiencing it. We tend to get messages like that from the world around us.…
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Focus Becomes Reality
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This quote has been floating around in my head today: What you focus on becomes your reality. That’s a challenge for me. I’ve realized that lately I’ve been feeling a certain way about my life, primarily because of the focus of my mind. When I focus on all the things that…
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Parenting as a Calling
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Do we see our role as the fulfillment of a God-given calling? Paul David Tripp, in his book Parenting, discusses the role of parents as one of the most important callings in life. He says that parenting is “about a calling – one of the most significant callings that could…
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Growing in Knowledge and Wisdom
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The Stoic philosopher Epictetus once said, “We should not trust the masses who say only the free can be educated, but rather the lovers of wisdom who say that only the educated are free.” And author Ryan Holiday (Stoic expert who writes online at Daily Stoic) says, “Knowledge – especially…
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Grace for the Imperfect
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My wife tells me often that I’m a great dad, that I’m a great husband, that I do a good job of taking care of things, that she appreciates me. I have to admit that I don’t always agree with her. I often struggle to see my own “goodness” even…
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Allowing Room for Both Sorrow and Joy
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So often we have an either/or mentality about our emotional experiences. We think we either need to be sad or be happy. If we’re sad, or hurting about something in life, we think we need to bring ourselves back to a place of joy and get rid of that pain.…
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Gratitude Leads to Joy
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Gratitude is the starting point. With real gratitude, contentment is produced. And consistent contentment leads to ongoing joy. If I’m unhappy with my life, I need to examine my level of gratitude. How grateful am I for what I already have? Am I, in my unhappiness, thinking that having more…
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The Infectiousness of Sin
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Genesis chapter 4 is a story of “firsts.” Throughout the 26 verses that make up this chapter, we see many first-time activities described, that set the stage for what will take place as the story of Scripture continues. All these firsts are significant. Some are indicators of God’s favor and…