Photo By: Shawn Rause Pulling-out weeds is terrible. My mom has one heck of a green thumb and as a chore she would make me pull weeds for hours in the hot North Carolina sun every year. To make it worse North Carolina’s soil is a hard orange clay, so it is hard to dig with your hands. At some point you need a tool or two to help. …
Depression
Waiting for the news of a diagnosis, waiting for your son to find the courage to make the right choice, waiting for your marriage to heal, waiting to feel more content in your job, waiting for the pain of the past to stop interfering with your present… If only you could know the future maybe then the waiting wouldn’t be so painful. If you could have a small glimpse into …
Feeling fear and anxiety? Be anxious for nothing, God’s got you!Feeling sadness and grief? Have hope in eternity! Focus on what’s yet to come.Feeling overwhelmed? God will never give you more than you can handle. These responses are merely “emotional band-aids” that do little to treat the gaping wounds of our hearts. What if there was no such thing as a “bad emotion”? The unspoken rule in our society …
If you’ve flown on any commercial airline you’ve heard the safety presentation offered prior to takeoff… If there is a drop in cabin pressure panels above your seat will open revealing oxygen masks. If this happens pull a mask towards you until the tube is fully extended. Place the mask over your nose and mouth. Slip the elastic strip over your head and adjust the mask if necessary. Breathe normally …
This is a true story. The names and some details have been changed in order to protect the identity and confidentiality of the person about whom I am writing. There is a house down an old country road that is in severe disrepair. You wouldn’t know someone lived there were it not for the lights on at night and the silver car parked outside. It is nestled among the trees …
Have you ever ventured out or thought what it might mean to get your heart back? That question usually stirs up one of two immediate reactions: Wow! How great would that be? or What do you mean? I never lost my heart! The first is usually from men or women who have experienced pain in their lives and realize that they have never really fully recovered. Those pains can take many forms, but …
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 These words are Jesus’ Mission Statement. The rest of the Luke demonstrates how he fulfilled …
For many, weight loss seems like a never ending battle against the scale. One day we are down a pound, the next we are up two. There are a great many challenges that keep us from reaching our goals such as daily stresses at work or in life, a lack of time for exercise, a lack of understanding about nutrition, or simply unhealthy eating habits. I’m afraid there are challenges …
This is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, give gifts, and enjoy friends and family. It can be a wonderful time, but for some it’s a depressing time. Today, I was playing tennis with a group and overhead a discussion by a couple of women from the other team. One of the women had been married for 25 years, but recently separated from her husband …