“No one listens, and no one understands.” Have you ever said or thought that? You are not alone. “We have learned that the places to which He (God) leads usually have nothing to do with what we think we will make us happy.” – Erin Napier, Make Something Good Today. If you ever say, “No […]
Love all. Serve all. Be mistreated.
Love all, serve all, be mistreated. My goodness. There’s all sorts of irony in the title of this blog. When I cobble these posts together, I purposefully try to be as broad as I can for people all along the faith spectrum. Most of the time, I’m writing what I want to hear for myself. […]
Friends are friends forever (or do they need to be?)
When it comes to friends, even forever friends, my stomach for uncomfortable social situations is a lot worse than it used to be. Are friends friends forever? Do they even need to be? The pandemic has done a job on us, so it’s time for some dispassionate analysis.
Finding rest.
If finding rest from the worry and the bustle of the world is something you seek, then I have some amazing thoughts for you.
6 ways to experience encouragement.
You’re aware that your attitudes, and the actions that grow from them, are stifling your growth. You get frustrated, and paralyzed, and you stay in the same sorry state you’re already in. And THAT leads to self-loathing and a sense of being unworthy. Let’s fix that.
Compassionate and upright – 4 truths.
I ran across this quote from E.B. White (you read Charlotte’s Web, right?) and it is haunting me, because it has to do with being compassionate and upright. I want to tease this one out. “As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread […]
Worried about Ukraine? 5 points to consider.
If you’re worried about Ukraine, then I want to share some ways you can maybe break that cycle of worry. This will help anxiety in general, too.
The little drummer boy – 5 questions.
I’ll start with a confessional. Sometimes, Christmas music gets on my nerves. But before you call the grinch squad on me, I’ll explain. And I will use The Little Drummer Boy as a jumping off place.
Promises, promises – 6 thoughts about Christmas.
There are all sorts of promises involving Christmas. This’ll be my obligatory Christmas blog, because I think I’ll take next week off. Or maybe recycle something. Anyway. As Christians, we are so indeed fortunate to be able to celebrate the coolest holiday ever. I was eating lunch at a local restaurant yesterday, and the building […]
Getting rest.
I think so many of our problems in life grow from our inability to simply be still.
It’s matter of sitting down with God, asking “Is there anything you need to tell me?” And then just shutting the heck up and listening.
The Dead Parents Society.
Are you a member of the Dead Parents Society?
What is odd was that I’ve found that leaning into grief is more helpful than ignoring it or tucking it away. It sounds morbid to talk about embracing pain, but that may be part of the healing process.
Self-care and other wimpy activities.
There’s part of me that tends to think of self-care as the activity of a wimp. That’s not true, of course.
The typical mandate for me, as a believer, has been in the acrostic J.O.Y. – Jesus, others, you. To me, it’s a noble thing to spend myself in the service of others. The betterment of mankind, if you will.
Self-care comes in third place in that schema. I’m wondering if that’s actually the most helpful methodology, or even scriptural.