As I wander through life, people cross my path – or maybe they’re dear friends or family – who are struggling. Sometimes there’s a reason for their feelings, and sometimes they have no reason, or the reason doesn’t seem big…
8 Ways to Spot (and Recover From) Self-Dislike or Self-Hatred in Christians
As Christians, we have the opportunity to be the most identity-certain people in the world. We are sons and daughters of God (1 John 3:1, John 1:12, Hosea 1:10, Galatians 4:5, etc.), and so we have an anchor and an…
10 Ways to Grow in Trusting God
Trusting in God is one of the foundations of the Christian life. It’s extremely difficult to live in faith, surrender, love, obedience, or other parts of relationship with God if you don’t trust Him. But when you do trust –…
15 Things to Clothe Yourself
The New Testament contains several references where we are told to clothe ourselves. I’ve heard of people who intentionally put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). But I’ve heard of very few who take the other references to heart…
Traits of a Pastor or Leader at Risk for Scandal
After last week’s post, I felt that I should put out a guide for everyday people who don’t want to get caught in a church scandal. We can so easily be coasting along at church without realizing the evil that…
Thoughts on Restoring Fallen Leaders
With the multiple reports of fallen leaders in the last few months, my heart breaks. I’ve seen first-hand the devastation that abusive leadership can cause. My heart goes out to the families, to the victims, to the innocents who are…
Wasting Your Life
I’ve never been terribly fond of the phrase “waste my life for Jesus.” It brought up images of missionaries and evangelists burning themselves out before the age of 30 – ten years of service, maybe, for Christ and then useless…
Encouragement – More than Nice Words
I like to compliment people – to see their eyes light up, to know that they are walking away with a better outlook on life and themselves. But I’ve also wondered whether it’s really a healthy thing: To compliment but…
4 Heart Choices that Drive Away Fear and Offence
The other day, I was tempted to be offended. I don’t remember what it was even about. Offense is so easy to pick up because 1) it’s simple to be offended by any type of perceived (or real) injustice, and…
8 Ways to Not Choose Fear
As Christians, far too many of us allow ourselves to be controlled by fear. Our own fears dictate the way that we live our lives, the way we worship God, the way we run our churches, and the way we…