Learning to Grieve Your Losses in Spiritual Formation
What have you lost? Have you learned to grieve your losses? We might not like to think about that. We…
Emotional and Mental Health
The Effort and Recovery Your Soul Needs for Lasting Transformation
Athletes or anyone interested in physical wellbeing knows that your muscles, bones, heart and lungs, every part of your body…
Learning Emotional Regulation with Jesus
How do you feel about your feelings? Some people see emotions as dangerous, so they exert great quantities of internal…
What If Feeling Bad Isn’t Always a Bad Thing?
Who wants to feel bad? I certainly don’t. There’s a whole list of feelings we usually consider “bad”: anxiety, anger,…
The Truth About Feeling Angry with God
We’ve often gotten it wrong in the church when it comes to anger at God. Many have believed feeling angry…
Training, Not Trying: The Secret to Spiritual Growth
Trying harder just wears you out. And trying to become like Jesus can feel especially discouraging. But there’s a very…
The Key to Filling Your Empty Soul
How do you deal with your empty soul? Do you retreat into a hole, waiting for someone to pull you…
When Your Relationship Isn’t Working
There’s little if anything that makes a greater difference in your sense of wellbeing than the quality of your closest…
Bringing Every Part of You to Jesus
Oh, to be whole-hearted! To have every aspect of your inner being aligned in one clear direction, with no parts…
The Human Race Has an Intimacy Disorder
Perhaps it’s my training as a physician, but I often think in terms of diagnosis and treatment. If you don’t…
You Can’t Fix Right Brain Problems with Left Brain Tools
I continue to be fascinated with how modern neurobiology shines the light on what God has been working to do…
Safe Enough: The Kind of Relationship You Actually Need
Just yesterday I was talking with a young woman who said, “People aren’t safe.” There’s a real sense in which…
Faith and Healing After Relational Trauma: How to Move Forward
You have been deeply hurt in relationship. And you will also be healed in relationship. The trauma that comes when…
Developing a Rule of Life for an AI-Saturated World
Our Relationship Prescriptions podcast has just completed a short series on AI and the Soul. These conversations have challenged me…
The Battle for Your Brain: Technology and Spiritual Formation
Mental/emotional wellbeing and spiritual formation are not two separate things. Our sin problem is deeper than simply wrong acts that…
Real Education: Five Life Lessons I’d Tell My Younger Self
When you’re 20 the world mostly revolves around you, and you’re the smartest person alive. But by the time you’re…
Hope For When Christmas is Hard: 5 Ways to Rediscover Joy
Not everyone feels “merry” around the holidays. You’re “supposed” to enjoy this season of lights, music, giving, and family. But…
Three Important Things You Should Pay Attention To
What is occupying your mind right now? What has your attention even this very minute? There are millions of things…
Let the Light In: Choosing Beauty and Goodness in a Dark World
You can’t get rid of darkness by raging against it; you must turn on the light. A bucket of dirty…
Is God Good? Healing your Connection with God
Is God good? Your initial response may be the one you learned in church or Sunday school; “God is good.…
Disappointed in an Empty Life: Is This All There Is?
Ever feel disappointed with your life, wondering Is this all there is? Get up and go to church. Serve on…
From Rupture to Repair: Working Towards Healing in Your Relationship
Every relationship experiences ruptures. Husband/wife, parent/child, good friends – we are all sinners, and that means some rupture in relationships…
5 Ways You May Be Afraid to Change and What to Do About It
A husband I’ll call George feels paralyzed. He knows things aren’t well in his soul or in his marriage, but…
This Relationship Won’t Fix You
You are wired to need people. You can’t get away from that even if you try. But many may find…
You’re Not Too Far Gone: The Hope That Changes Everything
When the sun sets, how often do you worry that it’s gone forever? Probably never. If you’re sick or lonely,…
Intimacy Gone Wrong: the Biggest Obstacle to Connection with God
You were created in the image of God, with the need, desire, and capacity for intimacy. That need is part…
Five Reasons Why Intimacy Is Hard: What No One Tells You
One might think that something as vital to our wellbeing as intimacy is wouldn’t be so hard. But it is.…
Imagine the End: Relate Better Today, Regret Less Tomorrow
It’s a principle Jim Collins talked about years ago; begin with the end in mind. It changes what you do…
When Church Hurts a Woman’s Relationship with God
Church should be the safest place on earth. The family of God should be the place where every single human…
The Lies, Wounds, and Empty Places that Messed You Up
The human heart is not a pretty place. At least not after living in this world for any length of…
How Does God Feel About You?
With some frequency I ask people, “How do you feel God feels about you?” I’m not looking for an intellectual or…
Your Love Life Doesn’t Have to be a Fight (This is NOT About Marriage)
Maybe your marriage and your married sex life does seem like a fight. But that’s not what this article is…
The Priceless Christmas Gift – That Doesn’t Cost a Penny
There was a time years ago when I dreaded Christmas, primarily because I felt alone. My extended family felt –…
The Power of Gratitude: Three Unique Blessings I’m Thankful For in 2024
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Research continues to demonstrate how gratitude is good for you; it improves…
How to Find “Your People” When You Need Help
Isolation is dangerous. But connecting is often hard. In my work with people this is almost always the most challenging…
Necessary or Unnecessary Suffering
Some Christians seem to believe God brings us suffering on purpose, to build our character. Others believe that following Jesus…
How to Live Well Even in the Face of Unfulfilled Longings
Perhaps some days start out good. You slept well, the sunrise is lovely, and your coffee tastes great. But sooner…
How to Pursue Intimacy Whether Married or Single
Your heart craves connection. Humans can’t survive in isolation. The irony is that today we can be more “connected” than…
Stop People-Pleasing: Embracing Authenticity in Relationships and Parenting
Perhaps you’ve recognized that you need to stop people-pleasing. Other people are good at taking up all the mental real…
Why Doesn’t God Deliver Me From This Addiction?
Alcohol. Drugs. Sex. Porn. Gambling. Food. Video games. Nicotine. Social media. We could extend that list to any number of…
Why a Christian Can Expect Both Suffering And Breakthrough
As followers of Jesus we should have the most complete and accurate understanding of reality. We know what’s happening behind…
Human Relationships: What People Can and Can’t Do For You
Loneliness is an epidemic. And it’s dangerous to your physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. God Himself said that aloneness was…
5 Ways to Befriend Your Feelings as a Follower of Jesus
Feelings are fickle. They’re real, but they’re unreliable. Emotions can be affected by everything happening both inside you and around…
How Your Sexual Story Affects Your Mental Health
We live in an epidemic of mental/emotional health issues. There are many factors involved, and it’s impossible to completely differentiate…
Why Selfishness Doesn’t Work, and What to Do Instead
Being unselfish is in many ways quite “selfish”. That is, unless your goal is to live isolated and miserable for…
What’s the State of Your Heart?
Think of someone you love to be around. How would you describe their heart? Chances are their inner being is…
Three Steps to Becoming Whole After Being Sexually Harmed
Nobody wakes up one day and says, “Today I want to mess up.” You have a story. You came to…
Four Big Lies About Sex, Relationships, and Intimacy
Many of the best lies are almost true; they contain just enough truth to give them plausibility. Such a lie…
Do You Need Better Personal Relationships?
In observing and working with people for decades now, I’ve seen how the biggest determinant of a person’s sense of…
Ditch the Resolutions; Ask These Three Questions Instead
At the start of a new year there’s always talk of resolutions, SMART goals, turning over a new leaf, making…
