A Big THANK YOU!
Those of us in the United States have just celebrated Thanksgiving. For many, it was a day for food, family,…
attitude
Two Minutes to Being More Happy
People who are more happy experience 23% less stress, 39% better health, 31% more productivity, and 34% more positive social interactions.…
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…
4 Keys to Good Mental Health
Struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or the like? Would you like to have good mental health? There’s more you can…
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…
6 Things You Should Never Ask Your Doctor
When you get healthcare, you ask your doctor questions. But there are some things you should never ask your doctor.…
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.…
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…
7 Ways to Help Your Marriage Thrive When One Spouse is Sick
Remember your vows? “In sickness and in health, ‘till death do us part.” Your marriage vows probably said something similar.…
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.…
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,…
3 Keys to Deal With Stress Better
The research on stress has continued to expand exponentially in the years since Hans Selye first described what he called…
30 Things To Be Grateful For
Life is difficult. Bad things happen, and challenges come every day. One of the best ways to meet those challenges…
7 Ways You Can Take Charge of Your Mental Health
We each have our bag of mental challenges to deal with. Some of us have greater emotional vulnerabilities than others.…
Why Do Some People Beat the Odds?
Why do some people beat the odds and others don’t? Some people remain stuck. Their addictions are just as strong…
What to Do When Your Spouse Won’t Change
It’s frustrating with your spouse won’t change. Your husband left his dirty socks strewn on the bedroom floor. Again. Your…
Three Kinds of People, and How to Tell Them Apart
People can make or break you. One key relationship may decide whether you experience success or failure, happiness or misery.…
Did Christmas Disappoint You?
For most of us, yesterday was Christmas. The gifts have been opened. The food has been eaten. The Christmas carols…
What Would Jesus Do in Ferguson, Missouri?
Two days ago the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, made known their final decision: no criminal indictment against the police…
Why Would People Listen to You?
It was 3:00 am, and I was already tired. “You’re needed in room 2 right away.” My on-call shift at…
4 Things To Do While Waiting
Nobody likes to wait. It’s frustrating. It feels cold. And it’s easy to let a seeming delay mess with your…
To the Lonely, Disappointed Wife
When you first got married you imagined every day would be wonderful. Someone would be there to do much of…
The ONE Thing Guaranteed To Destroy Your Marriage
It’s not sex, or lack thereof. It’s not fights over money or in-laws. It’s not personality conflicts or differing expectations…
Getting Over A Bad Attitude
A bad attitude isn’t all in your head. Sometimes it’s very much in your body as well. A bad attitude…
5 Steps To Getting Out Of A Funk
There’s not a human being alive who doesn’t have a bad day occasionally. And for some people it seems those…
2 Attitudes About People That Will Make You Miserable
In a classic Peanuts cartoon Linus wants to be a doctor. The always negative Lucy says he could never be…
Does Your Husband Have To Earn Your Respect?
You’ve heard that men live on respect. But when do you give respect? Do you wait until he does something…
In The War On Women, Are You A Victim, A Survivor, Or A Warrior?
There’s been a lot of talk about a war against women recently. I agree! There HAS been a war against women, but it’s not the war that’s being talked about in much of the progressive media. It’s a war that’s much older, much more sinister, and much more dangerous, than anything related to healthcare or so-called reproductive rights.
What To Do When Your Husband Wants Sex and You Don’t
I’m going to assume for a moment that you have a genuinely good man for a husband, not perfect, but one who truly wants to be good to you. You recognize that sex together as husband and wife is important to him, and you’d like to handle it better. Here are some things you can do.
Can God Heal You From Mental Illness?
Of course God can heal you from mental illness!
But the real-life answer is often much more complicated, more painful, more excruciating.
When it comes to mental illness, like with most other problems we humans face, God’s answer is almost always, “All of the above.”
10 Excuses That Won’t Work With God
God is as eager to bless you, heal you, give you good things, or fulfill a big purpose in your life as a father or mother is to give good things to their children. (Matthew 7:11) Most of what He wants for you is bigger and more eternal than you could imagine for yourself.
But too often we humans are so short-sighted, selfish, or afraid that we don’t take advantage of what God offers. It’s like a child afraid to get onto a bicycle or jump into a swimming pool. The joy of swimming or riding a bike is waiting for you, but it takes being willing to risk, and trusting that your parent (God) will be there.
How To Deal With Difficult People
Some people are impossibly difficult. At least for you. You can’t stand being around them. Every time you have to deal with them, you have a bad day.
If you’re a Christian, you may wonder what’s wrong with your spirituality when trying to deal with someone you can’t stand. Aren’t you supposed to love them? Isn’t that what Jesus would do?
How God Can Heal Your Lonely Heart
You’re single, with no good prospects in sight. You’re lonely, and you want to do things God’s way. You long for someone to love, and to love you. So why isn’t God coming through with a spouse for you?
You’ve heard people talk about God meeting your heart’s needs, and intellectually you believe He can. But you’re lonely. Right now you want a God with “skin on.”
What You Should Learn From A Bad Day
Bad days will come. You have them, and so do I.
I’ve had a couple bad days recently. And I’ve come to realize that having a bad day can be very useful. Through the experience of having many bad days (who hasn’t?), I’ve come to understand that there are many things to be learned. And some of those things really cannot be learned on a good day.
10 Reasons You Should Smile More
Smiles are contagious!
That’s only one reason to be conscious of how often you smile. Smiling is good for your body, mind, and soul. It’s good for the people around you. And it can demonstrate an inner hope and peace that speaks of God’s work in your heart.
So, here are some specific reasons you should consciously make an effort to smile more often.
Wealth or Poverty Is A State of Mind
Wealth, generosity, and poverty are not concepts primarily defined by your bank account, adjusted gross income, or zip code.
Wealth, generosity, and poverty are defined by your state of mind.
Are you a giver or a taker? That question is the best way to determine your state of mind when it comes to wealth or poverty.
Where Are YOU Looking For Love?
If you’re a single person, you’ve certainly been asked the question, How’s your love life?
As for the single life, I know what that’s like. During much of my single years I was decidedly unhappy about being single, and felt terribly lonely. But I did learn a lot. And I’d like to share two of those things with you.
God Has NO Perfect Soul-Mate For You
Don’t go looking for a perfect soul-mate. News flash: there aren’t any! And if there were a perfect soul-mate out there somewhere, you wouldn’t be eligible to develop a relationship with them. Because YOU are not perfect!
So let’s get rid of the idea that there is one perfect soul-mate out there for you, and you will only be happy when you find that person. That idea will make you sorely unhappy!
The Second Thing to Learn In Marriage
EVERY couple will face conflict. The question is not IF you will face conflict, but rather HOW you manage conflicts when they arise. Handling conflict in marriage is a learned skill: no one knows how to do it automatically, but anyone can get better at it.
Don’t be surprised when you and your spouse see things differently: after all, if you were both the same, one of you would be unnecessary! What’s important is what you do then.
Here are five important steps to learn:
You’re Not Afraid? I Don’t Believe You
You might say, “Nothing scares me.”
But I don’t believe you.
You and I are human. We have feelings. God made us that way.
The question is not, “Are you afraid?” The question is, “What are you afraid of?”
And even more importantly, “What are you going to do about it?”
5 Ways To Be A Woman Nobody Can Live With
I know two women quite well who nobody can live with – at least and stay sane. You probably know one or more also. I just hope you aren’t trying to live with one!
If you want to be someone nobody can live with, here’s how:
10 Things to Leave Behind in 2014
A new year provides a wonderful opportunity to leave behind things that aren’t working.
At least briefly review your physical lifestyle, money habits, thoughts and emotions, use of time, personal relationships, and spiritual practices. Ask a few important questions about each area, and it’s likely you will find things that you can do without in 2014.
Does God care if you’re fat?
If approximately two thirds of Americans are overweight, and one third are obese, surely God has something to say about the situation.
Christian preachers and gospel singers have a reputation for being seriously overweight. Some data asserts that Christians are more frequently overweight than those of other religions, or no religion at all.
But again, what is God’s perspective on this?
Why It Matters Who Is In Charge Of Your Life
“Who’s in charge around here?” That’s a very good question. For any endeavor to succeed, someone must take responsibility.
If your life is a project, or an expedition, or a book, who’s in charge? If you are playing a part in some great drama, who’s directing? It makes a difference.
There are three basic choices when it comes to who’s in charge:
The Exhilarating Freedom NOT To Care
Have you ever come to the point where you don’t care? It’s one of the most powerful places you can be. And it’s exhilarating!
This is about getting rid of the chains that your own fears create in business, personal relationships, and even your spiritual life.
It’s possible to care too much. Becoming too invested in the outcome puts you in a very vulnerable position, clouds your perspective, and removes all your negotiating power.
18 Things To Do When You’re Having A Bad Day
Sometimes it’s a bad hair day. And sometimes it’s a whole lot more than hair that’s going bad! Sometimes everything that can go wrong does go wrong, your stability feels threatened, and you’d just like to go away somewhere and forget everything.
When you’re having a really bad day, here are some suggestions on what to do. Choose one, or two, or three, and see if you don’t feel more able to get through the difficulty:
Managing Your Mental Health
The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that at least one in four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental illness during any given year. Sure, there’s controversy over whether the one-in-four number represents an over-diagnosis. But what is absolutely certain is the pain and loneliness many of those affected struggle with.
There are a number of things you can do on your own to maximize your mental health. You don’t have to accept emotional or mental problems as your destiny. Here are recommendations that will make a difference in managing your own mental health:
When You Are Disappointed in Your Marriage
You expect certain things of your spouse. But sometimes you want more. You believe your spouse loves you, but it’s not enough. You crave something you’re not getting. You want adventure, intimacy, emotional connection, time, trust, help around the house, more money, children, support, more sex – something more.
The only way to keep “wanting more” from coming between you and your spouse is to address the problem head on. If you feel you want more than you are getting from your spouse, here are the steps you can take:
Things Children Can Teach You
Seeing things through a child’s eyes sets so many things straight. Learning to walk, fascination over a butterfly, first day of school – every day is wonderful in some way.
The tiredness and busyness of life lead most of us to forget much of what we knew as children. Here are some things children know that we can learn again:
