[3 min. read—client resource] Grief’s ana. . . what? I didn’t make this word up. I promise. Don’t let its multisyllabic arrangement scare you. It doesn’t roll off the tongue easily, now does it. And I am not trying to be pretentious. What you will discover with...
Suffering
Topics On
Addiction
Anger
Anxiety
Body Image
Boundaries
Calling
Character
Communication
Community
Comparison
Conflict
Counseling Session Prep
Death
Depression
Disappointment
Eating Disorders
Forgiveness
Grief & Loss
Identity
Infidelity
Lust
Marriage
Ministry
Miscarriage
Parenting
Perfectionism
Prayer
Pride
Relationships
Repentance
Rest
Shame
Sin
Singleness
Spiritual Disciplines
Suffering
Technology
Trauma
Women
What We Know When Suffering Doesn’t Make Sense
[10 min. read—client & church resource] There are some news headlines that make you say, “How?”—some events in your life that knock the wind out of you, some forms of evil that are too deep to even begin wrapping our heads around. As a therapist, I hear...
Wiley Coyote, Petards? and God’s Justice
[4 min. read—church resource] Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous—you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who...
Trusting God in the Decision to Care for a Loved One
Approximately 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult aged 50 or older in the past 12 months. The majority of caregivers are female (60 percent). Most caregivers are taking care of one person (82 percent) and providing care for a relative (85...
The Holiday Blues
It’s inevitable for most people. We break out of the routine and spend lots of time doing little more than anticipating and preparing for the biggest holiday in our culture. Some of us get energized (and rightfully so. It does celebrate the birth of Jesus and a...
Spiritual Applications of Not Being Able to Run a Marathon
A note about this blog: October 25, 2015, is the date when I had hoped to run my second marathon. Around this time last year, after completing my first marathon, I wrote a blog entitled “Spiritual Applications of Running a Marathon.” Well, after receiving some news...
The Purpose of Scars
John 20:24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the...
Can Suffering Blind Us?
What does it mean when something blinds us? Webster defines blind (in the verb form) as (1) cause of (someone) being unable to see, permanently or temporarily; (2) to deprive (someone) of understanding, judgment, or perception. Blindness brings with it an inability to...
Limping Together to the Table: A Reflection on ‘Grotesque Broken-ness’
In Spike Lee’s 2002 movie ‘The 25th Hour’ Edward Norton stars as a New York kingpin, who is convicted for drug distribution. The film follows Norton’s character Monty as he spends his last 24 hours before reporting for his 7 year prison sentence. In this last day,...