Do you compare yourself to your friend who seems too happy all. the. time? Do you find yourself questioning, “Why am I not happy?! I’m a Christian! Where’s the joy?” Well, my friends, join the “struggling for joy crowd.” We all have our days, weeks, months, and years when joy seems unattainable. The other day, a good …
The Fruit of the Spirit: What is True Love?
Love. It’s a word that stirs up different images and feelings for each of us. A word defined by culture. I think our grandparents or great-grandparents would define it differently than we. But what is true love? According to an article on the site Life, Hope, and Truth, by Eddie Foster, “Love” has been horribly abused in today’s world. It has …
Finding a Healthy Self-Image
Finding a healthy self-image can be tricky. When my kids were small, I prayed for them to be humbly confident. I wanted them to be self-assured in school and all they did, but I didn’t want them to be prideful or overly confident. Nobody likes a know-it-all. And though pride can be a good thing, most pride is not. …
What to Do When Your Spouse (Or Somebody You Love) is an Unbeliever
Do you remember your first date with the person you eventually said, “I do” to? I remember mine. Even today, twenty-seven years later I can remember how we laughed. I loved laughing with him. Still do. But life is full of twist and turns, and as two people stand at the altar repeating vows, they cannot fathom all that …
Permission to Set Boundaries
For every strength there is a weakness. I used to take pride in my ability to empathize with people. I was thankful for my compassionate heart–and maybe even prideful that I enjoyed taking care of people. Isn’t that what Jesus did? Shouldn’t everybody? It was my first year working on staff at a church, and I loved every minute of …