faith

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 …

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faith

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 …

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difficult people, faith

Dealing with Difficult People {Help!}

We all have them in our lives, those people we would rather not be near. No matter how hard we try to be peaceful, they push our buttons. They’re angry, selfish, antagonizing, maybe manipulating. Maybe all of those things. We try avoiding them. But it’s impossible when you work or live with them. So, what do we do? How do …

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faith, identity in christ

Identity in Christ

I’ll never forget the day we sold our mini-van. It was the weirdest thing. I couldn’t wait to get rid of it, the mom-van decorated with college bumper stickers. But when the day finally came, I felt a deep sadness creep into my soul. Selling it closed the end of an era of our family. Gone were the days of …

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faith

Spiritual Warfare Weapons [7 Scriptures]

Can you see her? [in the spirit world] Freckles sprinkled across her nose, two braids loosely woven messy. Her helmet too big And sword covered in fingerprints. A tattered tutu. A hole in her tights. But this ballerina is a warrior. The enemy slithers to her side hissing his favorite slander…. “God does not love you.” And then he sits …

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