Resources for restoration
Have you ever noticed that the Christian life often requires us to embrace the paradoxical nature of the Gospel? For Jesus to be faithful to his call or to ”secure victory” meant He had to endure the “defeat” of the cross along with all the contempt and ridicule along the way. Like Jesus, we too must live with paradox: that in dying we live, in giving we receive, and in letting go of control we battle chaos. On the front end, accepting paradox can seem reasonable but in the moment of trial or testing it feels like trying to catch a ball while looking into the sun.It is disorienting. The problem with paradoxical moments is we must die, give or let go first. The fear of the unknown can disarm our capacity to adequately welcome the difficulty in living paradox.
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Guidance for self-improvement and emotional well-being. Discover tools for overcoming challenges, building resilience, and aligning personal development with faith.
Insights on nurturing healthy connections with loved ones. Explore biblical wisdom for marriages, parenting, and navigating family dynamics in today's world.
Deepen your walk with God through reflections on prayer, Bible study, and spiritual disciplines. Find encouragement for your faith journey and daily Christian living.
Thoughtful analysis of current issues through a biblical lens. Explore how faith intersects with culture, ethics, and contemporary challenges facing believers.
Latest Resources
A Cry for Help
So, my kids and I love water. We love splashing, playing, and swimming in natural bodies of water both big and small. Lakes, creeks, rivers and the occasional ocean have all been some of our favorite natural playgrounds over the years and thankfully Alabama has plenty of these to choose from.
Relationship & Family
Should We Be Ashamed of Anxiety?
Have you ever noticed how many words there are in English to describe fear? We can be anxious, afraid, alarmed, worried, nervous, jittery, frantic, flustered, freaked-out, conflicted, concerned, cowardly, craven, timid, timorous, scared, stressed, panicked and even pusillanimous. Anxiety is something we all struggle with at times.
Personal Growth
Parenting Adolescents
It has now been some years since I had a teenager in the home, so it is easier to reflect on parenting adolescents. I see with more clarity what a formative and challenging time it is for a child and how to approach it as a parent. Based on this, I want to offer some general guidelines based on Galatians 6:1-5 (CSB).
A Solution for Our Loneliness
I recently read a thought-provoking article in the Boston Globe that said the biggest threat facing men as they age isn’t obesity, smoking, etc.; it’s loneliness. The article went on to say loneliness has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke and the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Pain and Joy in the Family of God
Church is hard for a lot of people. Yes, there are those great moments we all have when we think, “This is it, this is what the Body of Christ is supposed to be!” But often it’s not like that. I go to a truly wonderful church, and yet occasionally a Sunday morning can feel to me like a college philosophy class.
Christian Perspectives
Being Human Like Jesus
What exactly did Jesus come to do? This question goes to the very heart of our faith as Christians, and we could rightfully answer this in several ways. The gospel message is about God’s good news for sinners, how God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit has freed His people from the power and penalty of sin and death. The gospel shows us how sinful people can be made right with the holy God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the only Redeemer of the world.
Groaning Into Our Adoption
In general, it doesn’t seem hard for us to believe in our head that we are God’s children, but we often have time accepting it and acting like it. In a world where we experience things like rejection, loss and heartache we often learn to protect ourselves from others instead of getting close to them.
Spiritual Life
Inviting God Into Your Anxious Thoughts
I commonly get asked whether the number of people I’m meeting with over the last 2 years due to COVID has increased significantly. Many of us who work as counselors would readily say the number has greatly increased and, indeed, it is likely due to the increased stress and anxiety the pandemic.
Giving Up Control of Your Adult Children
One of the hardest adjustments in parenting is giving up control of adult kids while still loving them and staying closely attached. It’s difficult to watch anyone make choices that may bring hurt and chaos. With your own children, this can be terrifying, like, driving-down-a-crowded-interstate-in-the-passenger-seat-with-nobody-at-the-wheel-terrifying.