What Is Spiritual Abuse? It’s called by different names: spiritual abuse, church hurt, religious trauma. But regardless of its label, its consequences can be catastrophic. Switching churches provides a change of scenery but often does little to bring healing, so victims sit and suffer in silence. For others, the experience is so painful that it … Read more
Is A Smile Your Style? Remember the musical “Annie”? It tells the story of an orphan during the Great Depression, a time when there certainly wasn’t much to smile about. One of the highlights is a musical number titled “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile.” The chorus goes, “Who cares what they’re wearing on … Read more
Letting Go Of What’s Holding You Back “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” ~ Marie Kondo Marie Kondo is an organization expert. Her mission is to bring order to people’s lives by helping them let go of … Read more
“As A Man Thinks In His Heart, So Is He.” –Proverbs 23:7 I am always fascinated by the latest research about the brain. Scientists are discovering more and more about this amazing creation of God! We are learning that our minds are incredibly adaptable. For years people believed that our mindset was fixed and unchanging, … Read more
Introducing Josh Butler When I was a teacher, I always enjoyed going to the annual teachers’ conference held every fall. I loved going to workshops and being on the other side of the desk, being the student rather than the teacher. Learning has always been exciting to me. Now that I’m retired after 44 years … Read more
Time For A Checkup Did you know that May is National Mental Health Awareness Month? Why not take a moment to do your own mental health check? How are you doing? If you’re feeling a bit anxious, you’re not alone. The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 led to a 26% rise in anxiety and a 28% … Read more
…Even When I Don’t Love Myself “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” –Galatians 5:14 NIV That’s a powerful verse and it’s found a few more times throughout the Bible too. And I’m betting you have no problem loving others. Sure, sometimes family can be a … Read more
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you have a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” — Colossians 3:13 It’s hard when you’ve been hurt. And it’s hard to let go of that. But holding onto a grudge is not the same as winning a battle. In fact, … Read more
Gratitude – It’s All About Choices “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Warde How you feel – how happy you are, how stressed you are, even how well you sleep – may seem like it’s out of your hands, but it … Read more
In the Beginning…There Were Hoops. I learned about jumping through hoops at an early age. Although I did not find out about it until I was in my thirties, my dad was a closet alcoholic. My mom helped keep it a secret, but resented being forced into this role. She lashed out at Dad, belittling … Read more