My friend, a counselor, tells the story of a suicidal client who somehow managed to find out where he lives. This troubled person showed up on my friend's doorstep at dinner one night with the intention of ending his life then and there. Why? Because he figured that was a "safe" place to commit this final act. Let's think this through for a moment...is suicide safe anywhere? What's wrong with this picture? Before we are tempted to think that only someone in desperate straits would practice such convoluted thinking, let's remember we are all brainwashed about what is "safe" in Continue Reading
Why You Want to be This Kind of Parent
My heart goes out to Christian parents today. What with the bewildering array of parenting styles out there, ranging from gentle to positive to helicopter to free-range to granola.... what’s a parent to be? More importantly, how do parents who follow Jesus best impart faith in Christ to their children? Allow me to introduce you to the idea of passionate parenting. Passion? You’re wondering. Isn’t that reserved for romance? It makes sense to be a passionate spouse … but what is a passionate parent? There’s more to the term “passion” than sexual or romantic desire. According Continue Reading
The Real Reason You Need to Tell Your Story
When I was your age, the classic story goes, I had to walk uphill both ways in the snow to get to school. If I did my chores all week, I could spend a nickel at the candy counter. Folks who grew up in tougher times like to remind the softer generation how they have a relatively easy life. Especially if they’ve been through hardships like war, there’s this temptation to wax eloquent about how tough things were back then. Those who have been through the Depression or World War II certainly have a tale worth telling, and those of us who are younger can gain an appreciation for the Continue Reading
How Your Heavenly Father Demonstrates His Mothering Heart
I know what you're thinking. Is she one of those theologically liberal women who teach that God is female? Nope. Scripture makes it clear that God is neither male nor female, but rather that he is spirit. The apostle John puts it this way: "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” --John 4:24 As a woman, I experience freedom in Christ. I don't feel the need to refer to God as "she," as some folks do. I have no problem thinking of God as my Father. At the same time, I know he is not a man. When God created Adam and then Eve, the process is uniquely Continue Reading