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
Words Matter Words are powerful. What we say matters. Words have the power to tear down or build up. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Yes, words are important. But did you know that this is also true of unspoken words, such as the things you tell yourself? Let … Read more
How’s Your Self-Talk? I love this sign, because it’s a perfect illustration of self-talk. And even though I had been a Christian for many years, the only thing growing in my mind was weeds. Self-talk is a term frequently found in many of today’s self-help books. But back in the 1980s when I first … Read more
by Tim Tracy What Is Shame? Shame is a difficult emotion to express. You may experience it as a feeling of not being good enough, a worry that there’s something wrong with you, or an overwhelming feeling that you’re bad, dirty, or inferior. In her book The Gifts of Imperfection, social researcher Brene Brown explains, … Read more
Name That Tune My favorite Christian artist is Mandisa. She began her career in 2005 when she auditioned for the TV show “American Idol.” During her audition, she was famously insulted for her weight by Simon Powell. Later she confronted him and publicly forgave him, after which he apologized for his snarky remarks. Mandisa finished … Read more