CATEGORY: Christian Living in the Trenches
How and When Do You Handle Your Storms?
Is a storm assailing you? Figuratively speaking, a storm is anything that threatens your sense of security. It's an alarming situation that instills uncertainty, fear and anxiety. Are you facing any of these storms? An estranged relationship with a loved one, who...
Are You Putting Too Much Faith in Your Faith?
He knew the ice! Allow me to back up and describe the context for that remark. Fear Sabotaged Fun A church asked me to speak at a winter retreat for the youth group, held at a camp in northern Wisconsin. As my wife and I arrived, I thought we were entering...
Do You Listen With Your Heart?
In 2013, as I wrote the first draft of the final chapter of a book titled Serve Strong: Biblical Encouragement to Sustain God's Servants, despair overwhelmed me. That week, a severe depressive episode enveloped me. My soul ached, and I couldn't identify an...
Is That A Thermometer In Your Mouth?
How To Tell When There's An Infection In Your Heart When a young child acts cranky or listless, his or her mom normally pops a thermometer into the kid's mouth or scans the child’s forehead with a device that reveals the body’s temperature. If the temp is...
Is The Cross of Christ Comforting You?
Nothing is more comforting than the gospel of Jesus Christ. According to several respected authors, the key to enjoying and celebrating that gospel is preaching it to ourselves. Preaching the gospel to ourselves is a spiritual discipline that is both proactive and...
How Long Should Love Last?
Why is the proliferation of divorce in our culture a threat to marriage commitment between a new bride and groom? I answer that question in today's post. From Terry Years ago, I posted the poem I wrote for my son's wedding on my blog, but I didn't add commentary...
An Alarming Word
Please pray that you don't become too familiar with the word around which I am framing this post. There is a kind of darkness far worse than major depression. "Oh Lord, use my reflections on this one alarming word to keep us out of that darkness." The Heart...
SUFFERING IS NEVER FOR NOTHING
It's one thing to read a person's take on suffering who has a solid grasp of the Bible's teaching on the subject. It's another thing altogether, and a far better thing, to read an author whose personal experience of deep suffering complemented her deep...
COMFORTS AND CHALLENGES IN GOD’S WORD
The first part of this post may encourage you. The second half may challenge you. 6 Promises to Encourage Us As We Serve God When we open God's Word, we often yearn for truths and texts that encourage us. Reasons for needing God's comfort or sustenance vary,...
When You Are “Seeing Red,” Don’t Go To Bed!
A story revealing a vital biblical principle for handling conflict in relationships Scene 1: Ryan's Steakhouse, Columbia, South Carolina Late 1980s Dolly and I sat across the table from Bob and Nancy (not their real names), a winsome couple from our...
A Reassuring Truth for a Tense Father-Daughter Relationship
Do you recall a time when unrestrained joy filled your soul to the brim? Who or what generated such exuberance? Have you gleaned a truth from God's Word that burst through your mind, flooding your heart to such extent that you cried aloud with joy and uttered...
What Truth About God Offers the Most Comfort When You Suffer?
Have you experienced severe suffering and pain that wasn't a direct consequence of a mistake you made or a sinful choice? When you are hurting, what insights about God, gleaned from His Word, provide the most sustenance? Have you ever struggled to reconcile how...
