It's December 24th, 1944. An icy wind blows over the Vistula River in eastern Poland. A small group of German soldiers is camped out in an abandoned farm house. The Russians outnumber them twelve to one. Behind them wait cruel SS troops, ready to shoot deserters. Death looms on every side. Despite the cold, its stench pervades the atmosphere. Gerhard Link is not yet old enough to grow a beard. Forced to serve in Hitler's war machine, he has seen several comrades fall in battle. Hunger, fatigue, and fear are his constant companions. Tonight, he waits for more shells and Continue Reading
Your Secret Weapon for the Storms of Life
It was a dark and stormy night -- seriously -- years ago. Wind howled, rain drummed hard, branches scraped the roof, and little Danny woke up crying. My husband was going to have to go to work early. How to get my toddler back to sleep? In a flash of inspiration, I crept down the stairs and plugged in the colored lights on our Christmas tree, freshly decorated after Danny had been put to bed. Then I carried my fussing, squirming boy down to the living room. When he caught sight of that tree, an amazing thing happened: Fear vanished. Wonder took its place. Eyes wide, jaw dropped Continue Reading
9 Ways to Enjoy a Better Christmas This Year
Perfect timing. For three weeks, we've been talking about Western cultural values and how they negatively impact our relationships. Now Christmas looms. No other season brings out the best and the worst in us quite like this one. But there's good news. The deepest darkness makes the best contrast for light. So let's come up with creative ways to counter-act these undesirable traits: consumerism, materialism, pleasure/entertainment-dependency, pain-avoidance, image-sensitivity, information-addiction, productivity-driven, utilitarianism, and entitlement. 1. Contentment vs. Continue Reading
9 Cultural Values that can Ruin your Relationships – Part 3
We've been examining nine values common to our culture which negatively affect our relationships. These values hugely influence how we relate to others and cope with emotional pain. I hope you're beginning to recognize these patterns so you can live counter-culturally. Just a reminder: You’ll find most of these paradigms in “The Immersion Experience,” a curriculum by Dr. David Eckhart and Tim Rule. Find out more at aphesisgroup.com. The list: Consumerism — getting stuff and using it up Materialism — choosing things over people Pleasure-dependency — gotta be Continue Reading