There are times in our lives when God asks us to do things that makes no sense to us at all. Remember Naaman in the Bible. He was a very wealthy man, but had been struck with leprosy. He went to Jesus for help and Jesus told him to go dunk himself in the river three times. This was ludicrous to him, and angered…
I’ve had so many hurting people come to me and tell me that they don’t know what to do. They have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and encouraged to take medication, but their Christian friends and family discourage it, saying, “The Bible says to be anxious about nothing. You don’t need medicine; you just need to trust God.” What do you say to that?…
I teach a Dating and Marriage course to high schoolers, and I am always reading about the subject in order to stay current. Most of the teenagers I teach, particularly the girls, believe that they will one day marry their current boyfriends. I recently read that out of 100 married couples, 22 said they married their high school sweetheart. Now before you say, “Ahhhh,”…
It’s a long running joke that pastors don’t really work, but two days a week. Being married to a minister, I must say that nothing could be farther from the truth. Most pastors are on call 24/7 and are asked to help in a vast array of circumstances – from holding someone’s hand while they die to rescuing cats from clandestine places. Sadly, many ministers…
I recently interviewed with a fellow suicide survivor, Leah Slack Stirewalt, on her blog. I met Leah a couple of years ago at SheSpeaks (a writer’s conference). We both felt instantly connected as we shared our stories and enjoyed a sweet time of prayer together. She too, lost her husband to suicide. We have stayed in touch over the years, and it is so refreshing to…
Last week our Sunday school class had a cookout, and many of us left with more than a good time. Over twenty of us there left with a brutal stomach virus. It was like a scene in a bad movie — we were all shocked at how contagious this virus was, and just how puny it made us feel. As I reflect on this rapid spread,…