Frequently, I get calls from friends looking for “a good, Christian counselor.” I’ve learned over the years that this means different things to different people. Some want to speak with someone who knows God but focuses on the secular theories of psychology. Others want someone to counsel them only using God’s Word. Others mean something in the middle. This past year, my colleague, Rick Fowler,…
I never quite understood why the men in my life had so many tools. I mean, isn’t one hammer enough? Why do you need to keep all of those extra bolts and screws? “You never know when it might come in handy,” my step-dad would say. The funny thing is, now we too, seem to have accumulated all sorts of tools — some we use…
A popular saying today is “You are enough.” While in theory, this sounds great, it is not theologically accurate. Romans 3:23 explicitly tells us that we are all sinners deserving of death. The Bible teaches that if we disobey the law even once, we are guilty of breaking it all. None of us are perfect. This is why we need a Savior. I think when…
There has been a lot of debate when it comes to self-care. Isn’t it selfish to take care of myself? Doesn’t the Bible say to love your neighbor as yourself? These conflicting messages can leave us confused and unsure of how to respond to our self-indulging culture. First, I want to clarify that self-care does not equal self-indulgment. Commercials bombard us with messages such as…
The pandemic has taken so much from the world’s population. Personally, it halted international travel for me and my husband. This has been tough because we direct a missionary sending agency and provide staff care to global workers. It’s kept us apart from our children and grandchildren and stopped in-person fellowship with other believers. It compounded our grief when my 88-year-old mother became seriously ill…
I’m often asked, “Why do you think there is such an increase in anxiety and depression among college students?” The answer is not a simple one, but there is one contributing factor that I believe has to do with our parenting. Culture has taught us to continually build up our children’s self-esteem, and tell them how wonderful they are. We are encouraged to protect them…