Sometimes we preach a distorted Gospel that has no resemblance to the good news that heals the broken hearted and sets the captive free. Here is a satirical piece about Christian mindset of fighting. … More Change Old Mindsets – Part 2 Christian Identity, Role and Destiny
Christians, you come across as mean-spirited. Here are two things to do to make sure that doesn’t happen with you. … More Change Old Mindsets – Part 1 (Re-blog)
Harriet Beecher Stowe started by connecting to the broken heart of mothers who were separated from their children due to slavery. … More Harriet Beecher Stowe: Courage to go Against the Grain
I love that Joni is open about her inner world. She doesn’t hide that she was mad at God and even wanted to kill herself at one point. But how do you kill yourself if your arms and legs don’t work? … More Joni Eareckson Tada: A Resilient Story
Ever get that dreaded phone call? The one that makes your stomach drop. The one that says something major is changing in your life and it’s not good. It’s hard to find words in a moment like this. Like the moment you hear that we are going to war, or we bombed a city, or … More Elie Wiesel: Sitting Honestly in the Mess of Life
Change the way you look at adversity. The simple challenge is to take adversity as a test of inner strength. In adversity, you stand. You rise to the occasion. What if you gained something from adversity? … More Viktor Frankl: Adversity as a Challenge
Both Viktor Frankl and Elie Wiesel were Holocaust survivors. They recount their suffering in books. I’m moved by their honesty and courage about suffering. They were surrounded by evil but not overcome by it. We need people like that today. … More Strength of Heart
After my husband, Bruce, gets out of the shower, he often tells me, “God spoke to me while I was in the shower.” It doesn’t happen every day, but after 35 years of marriage this is commonplace. We even laugh about it when we need to make a big decision. I tell him, “Go take … More Four Ways to Connect to Your Spirit
One sign of Christian maturity is the fruit of the Spirit. Which is love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. … More A Prayer for Going Deeper
In the light of his holy presence the dark places in my heart are exposed. I don’t feel shame, just a tender nudge. More like an invitation to shed these things like I shed an old shabby coat. … More How to Refresh your Spirit
What’s hard for me is to come to a place where I am grateful for the time I had with them. My heart doesn’t understand this, and I hear a long existential cry from my heart.
NOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo! … More Hard Part of Letting Go
I want to be crystal clear like the beach that is so clear you see the ocean floor. The Bible points to Jesus and I don’t have to complicate or obfuscate it. … More One Simple Truth about the Bible
Hearing from God is mystical:
If it were a sound, it would be a whisper.
If it were a feeling, it would feel like a feather.
If it were a seen, it would be a glow.
If it were a movement it would be a nudge. … More Fine tune Hearing from God
I can’t get healing until I have a brutally honest conversation with myself about how I feel about myself. Story of the silver vase is me being honest with myself. … More Brave Conversations with Yourself
My parents were young and adventurous. In 1976 we lived in Guatemala and hitchhiked to the villages. The earthquake on Feb. 4, 1976, destroyed major roads and bridges. The only way to get to the villages was to first take a small plane over the destruction to a landing strip. Then take a bus to … More The Hitchhiking Family
I wish Christians were known for being kind, compassionate, generous, and welcoming. I wish Christians were known for their support and sense of community. I wish instead Christians were a group who listens more and argues less. I wish instead we were known for our love. … More Christians Behaving Badly and How to Change That
What I don’t like about war is that somebody dies. My identity is not to fight in a war, destroy and kill. That sounds like the agenda of Satan. I am a life-giver; not a life-taker. … More Two Characteristics of Christian Identity
[Excerpt from my memoir coming in late 2018] When I was 15 years old, my sister Pearl was 16 years old. We were doing an errand for my parents. We lived in the capital of El Salvador. We were walking behind the American Embassy on a sidewalk. The Embassy took the entire block. Two large black … More Resilient Narrative
All my fears and insecurities surface when I write. I question myself: Who am I to write? Why would anyone listen to me? Who do you think you are? I come face to face with my struggle to embrace my self-worth. This is an opportunity to journal, think and grow. I challenge these thoughts that surface. Yes, I talk back to the voices in my head. … More Four Things I’ve Learned as a New Blogger
I believe in a powerful God. He is good. But we have been watching one bad situation after another unfold on our TV screens. It seems like change is not coming, no matter how much we pray and believe. I don’t know about you, but I feel tension between what is and what should be. … More Living in Tension
Guest post by Shelly Lubratich. She talks about resilience during a time of loss.
“When grief drowns my heart, I walk outside and look at the Zinnias. Papa God touches my heart with His love. They are His smile, His eyes and His touch on my life.” … More Still Blooming by Shelly Lubratich
We all long for a richness of relationships and depth of connection. This happens when you open the door to your heart. This takes courage. When you share your real story, you are giving others an invitation to love deeply. … More Vulnerability is Strength
Capacity to love and to endure pain are connected because if I can’t enter pain, I can’t love others when they are vulnerable. What do I do when others are vulnerable? … More What Not to Say When a Friend Suffers
Think about another use of questions, not as a test but exploration. Relationship is not like the typical school environment where the teacher is searching for a specific right answer. In a relationship, there are several directions that one can take. The key is to stay connected. So, go ahead and ask the hard questions. … More Christianity is not a Test; it’s a Relationship
