Facing Grief at Easter
Today is Good Friday. Sunday is Easter. Is there a more important weekend in all of Christianity? The death, burial,…
Spiritual Struggle
The Blessing of Limitations
We love stories of people who overcame limitations. There’s Harriet Tubman – escaped slavery as a young woman, then became…
What to Do With the Question, “Why God?”
At some point you will face difficulties that will cause your faith to be challenged. You may or may not…
Developing Spiritual Resilience for Troubles That WILL Come
There is no way to get away from trouble in this world. Sometimes things happen that we cannot prevent. Sometimes…
Declaring the Death of Death
This weekend we laid my wonderful husband Al Tanksley to rest. Although my heart is broken, my spirit is determined…
How to Trust God when Everything’s NOT Alright
Perhaps you’ve heard this old gospel song. It talks about the Bible stories of Moses, David, and Jesus, times when…
What Does Women’s Health Have To Do With Your Faith?
She and I were waiting together in the green room at the church, preparing to make our respective presentations to…
3 Keys to Overcoming the Resistance to Taking Charge
You’ve decided to take charge of some problem area in your life. You’re feeling encouraged. You’re taking the first steps…
Does God Want You to Be In Charge?
Yes. And No. And it’s getting the Yes’s and No’s mixed up that gets us into all kinds of trouble.…
When You Pray and are Still Sick
God is a Healer. That’s His very nature. And yet there are many believers who are still sick. If you’re…
5 Things the Bible Says to Those who are Depressed
Some people live lives filled with trouble or trauma, and it’s easy to understand why they feel tired, down, and…
Can You Serve God Better Single or Married?
She wanted to serve God with all her heart. She also loved her husband, and wanted to do what it…
Do You Know How God Works With You?
How does God work with you? Do you know? How do you hear His voice? How do you understand what…
3 Elements You Must Have to Get Healthy
If you want to truly get healthy, have great energy, and feel fully alive in every way, there are three…
Where is that Peace on Earth?
I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play And wild and sweet the words repeat Of…
Doing the Next Right Thing
You’ve probably heard the adage, “Just do the next right thing.” In the midst of confusion or overwhelm, it’s a…
Christians, Christianity and War
“Christianity and war” seems like an oxymoron. But unless you’ve been in the jungle with no means of communication with…
How to Find Comfort When You Need It
I need to be comforted this week. I “lost” a patient. Actually, two patients. Both mother and baby died, and…
4 Times that God Needs You to be Angry
The only people who are never angry are dead people – either dead literally, or dead-on-the-inside kind of dead. I’m…
How to Use Your Faith as Help For Mental Health
Major depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder – these and other mental-health challenges are part of our human experience just as…
When You Feel Like a Failure
Let’s just admit it. We’re not perfect, and we know it. But sometimes the not-perfect-ness gets really old. Your head…
3 Kinds of Prayer That Can Harm You
Prayer is a good thing. Always. But not all prayer is created equal. Did you know there are actually some…
How God Deals With the Consequences of Bad Behavior
In this world we all face bad stuff. Sometimes others wound you, and those scars are painful. But what can…
God Help Me! I’m Broke!
Bring up the topic of money, and everyone has an opinion. The government should do more – or is doing…
6 Biblical Christian Expectations
When you became a Christian, what did you think your life was going to be like going forward? Did you…
For the Christian in a Bad Marriage
There’s plenty of marriage advice out there: pre-marital counseling, marriage seminars, sermons and books proclaiming the magic of a marriage…
Feeling Abandoned by God When You’re Sick
Physical illness, especially when it’s long-term, can unsettle your world. It saps your energy and possibly your finances. It throws…
Positive Spirituality: What’s Good for You?
Is spirituality good for you? You might expect me to claim that Christianity or, more generically, spirituality is a good…
Are You Putting God in a Box?
So who’s right? You? Your pastor? The Pope? The head of some denomination? The group of church leaders when they…
Anxiety can be Good for You
Anxiety is a very unpleasant feeling. Your heart may race. Your stomach may be in knots. You may have trouble…
How Getting Fired Can Become Priceless
I’ve only been fired once. It happened in one of the worst possible ways. The email arrived on a Sunday…
Is One of these Character Traits Holding You Back?
Something in your soul says you should be farther along than you are. You see others who seem to have…
50 Places Where You Can See God At Work
Sometimes evil appears to be winning. Our efforts at goodness, or love, or growth seem too little too late. Chronic…
The Ministry of Presence: Being There
Sometimes you can tell somebody what they need to know. That feels good. Sometimes you can fix things for them.…
To the Woman Whose Husband is Addicted to Pornography
I hear from you regularly, you whose husband’s eyes are filled with many other women and not with you. You…
What’s Better Than an Entitlement Mentality or Punishment Mindset?
Contemporary Western Christianity, and society in general, struggles to remain free from two insidious evils. And when moving away from…
Keys to Overcoming Opposition In Your Mission
There’s a popular myth – perhaps unspoken – that says everything should be easy if you’re doing the right thing.…
How Your View of God Affects Your Health
There has been considerable debate for centuries about the correlation between spirituality and health. One of the most interesting findings…
How Would You Live If You Knew . . .
Most of us really don’t know. And perhaps that’s a good thing. We don’t know when the next life-altering event…
When Your Faith Conflicts With Government
As a Christian in the United States I and the other believers living here have been spoiled. We have enjoyed,…
This Is NOT God’s Will
Bad things are happening – to people you know, to Christians here and in other places, and perhaps to you…
Reasons to Have a Baby for Christians
Some couples assume that having children is just something you do when you get married, and don’t give much thought…
How to Grow Your Character
In some ways your character is like your closet, your car, or your bank account. Of course it’s much more…
When Good People Do Bad Things
Many in the popular media seem to relish exposing “skeletons in the closet” whenever an individual or a group that…
You Really ARE Alone
Helpers, advocates, friends, and kind people everywhere often say to someone who’s hurting, “You’re not alone.” I often say it myself. It’s…
5 Ways to Help Your Husband With His Sexual Integrity
I’m assuming your husband wants to do the right thing with his sexuality. And you want to do the right thing…
5 Reasons to Leave Your Church
Going to church is something most Christians assume they should do. It’s fashionable for some people to quote Hebrews 10:25…
When What God Said Doesn’t Happen
You’ve prayed, over and over again. Perhaps you’ve asked other people to pray for you also. You were hungry to…
The Emotional Weight of Having an STD
As an OB-Gyn physician one of the most frequent difficult discussions I have with women is about STDs – sexually…
If You Feel As Though God Has Left You
Her pain seeped out through the words in her message: “Have you ever felt like you were totally left by…
