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.…
lifestyle
Live Healthy, Live Whole!
It’s here! Your Prescription for Healthy Living, Loving Relationships, and Joyful Spirituality Have you ever tried to have a meaningful…
How Shall We Then Live?
Yesterday we celebrated Easter in remembrance of when Jesus rose from the dead, never to die again. The historical evidence…
Easter for the 21st Century: You Don’t Have To Live Like This!
Flattered Woman Smiling — Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis Today is Good Friday. Sunday is Easter. Yes, Christians believe that Jesus’…
How to Prevent Weight Gain After Forty
Love handles around the middle? Afraid to step on the scales? Putting on extra pounds is not just unpleasant; it’s…
Reading the Bible in the 21st Century
One of the most amazing ongoing miracles is how God’s Holy Spirit takes words from His Word and uses them…
“I Want to Do More in 2015”
The beginning of the New Year is a bittersweet time for many. Looking back, you may regret some things about…
17 Things to say NO to this New Year
There’s no true difference between 11:59 pm tonight and 00:01 tomorrow morning. For some it will be a moment to…
Marks on Your Spiritual Wall: Growing in Grace
If you were to walk into the home where our oldest grandson lives, you’d see a wall with lots of…
How to Study Your Spouse
One of the two best pieces of advice I heard prior to getting married was this: Study Your Spouse! I…
10 Healthy Ways To Get More Energy
Tired, anyone? Who isn’t? Many of us are just worn out – in body, mind, and soul. If someone could…
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…
Don’t Let Premenstrual Syndrome Drive You Crazy
For some women, the 35 years between age 15 and 50 are a monthly nightmare. And anyone who cares about…
When Love Goes to War
What have you done in the name of love? Stayed up all night nursing a sick child – over and…
What Should Christians Do About Ebola?
(*Since this post was first written Thomas Duncan, the Liberian national, has died. Two nurses who were caring for him…
How Do You Know if You are Mentally/Emotionally Healthy?
Do you ever wonder if you’re OK mentally? With all the stress and struggle our modern world affords, who wouldn’t…
5 Regrets You Can Completely Prevent
It’s a blessed person indeed who can look back at his or her life without regrets. Very few, if any,…
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…
Helping the REAL Problem
Trying to fix spiritual problems with physical “fixes” doesn’t work. And trying to fix physical problems with spiritual activities rarely…
7 Secrets To Improved Sexual Intimacy With Your Spouse
You’re married, but there’s not much fireworks between you any longer. Things are more than a little dry and stale,…
6 Things God Wants From You
We humans have a tendency to make religion very complicated. Even the relatively recent attempts to differentiate religion and spirituality…
12 Habits To Live Happy and Healthy in Just Minutes A Day
Your daily habits determine your future. Most of what we do each day we do automatically. Imagine how difficult life…
How To Know If It’s God’s Job Or My Job
“It’s in God’s hands.” Yes, it is. In fact, “He’s got the whole world in His hands!” He’s got the…
What the Bible Says About Health
I often see honest Christian people who are not at all healthy. Sometimes they become frustrated and discouraged, even wondering…
What the Bible Says To Those Who Are Tired
I don’t like limits. I don’t like getting tired. I’d probably sleep only a couple hours a night if I…
What To Do When EVERYTHING Is Going Wrong
You’re resilient. You’ve met problems before, and you know how to push through when things get difficult. You’re a “can-do”…
13 Things On A Bucket List For Christians
Wanting to “kiss at the top of the Empire State Building,” or “learn to play guitar” may be great goals. But if you believe that God has a purpose for your life, there are some other things that should be on your “bucket list” for sure. Here are some things you don’t want to get to the end of your life without having accomplished:
7 Things The Bible Says To Those Who Are Poor
There are few topics on which the Bible has more to say than the topic of money. And there are plenty of distortions of Biblical truths on the subject. Those on the political right and political left have found plenty of Biblical proof texts for their positions. And sadly someone’s position on what the Bible says can often be determined by their net worth.
But for those who are in need of material things, here are some specific things that the Bible makes clear:
10 Ways You Can Worship God
As a human being you were made to worship. Even though most of us get completely self-absorbed too often, you as an individual human being are not big enough to worship.
As incredibly valuable as you are to God, to others, and to the world, God has left Himself indispensable.
But showing God the worship He is worthy of does not happen in an hour or two each week in some church service, as important as that is. Worship is a lifestyle.
How To Begin Making The Bible Real To You
If you are like many Christians, the voice in your head may be telling you, “Read the Bible!”
I’ve heard that voice in my head too. Even though I read the Bible from the time I learned to read there have certainly been times in my life when it just didn’t happen.
I want to take away a little of the mystery and the overwhelm, and outline a few things that can give you the chance to experience how life-changing Scripture can truly be.
What To Do When You Don’t Feel Like Reading the Bible
There’s that little voice in your head that says, “Read the Bible!” Intellectually you accept the fact that as a Christian, reading the Bible would be a good thing to do. But you don’t feel like it.
Here are a few thoughts on what to do at those moments when you just don’t feel like reading the Bible.
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.”
The Message Of Your Life (Or, Why Nobody Likes To Eat With Me)
It’s almost become a joke: nobody likes to eat with Dr Carol! Almost without fail, when eating around me people comment about how they should be eating healthier, and try to convince me how they really are trying. I don’t breathe a word about healthy eating when we’re in public. I order what I want, right off the menu. And I don’t think they really believe him when Al tells them (truthfully!) that he’s lost all his weight without dieting once, or missing a meal.
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.
“Why Don’t I Feel Like Praying?”
Some part of your heart believes you “should” pray. Prayer is a good thing. But you are struggling to find it in you to actually pray.
Does that mean you’re just not “spiritual enough?”
Not necessarily. God made us as whole, integrated human beings. Something that happens in one part of our lives may impact every other area. And that includes your spiritual energy.
When Your Soul Is Tired
In the 21st century there are so many things that can wear us out. An unhealthy lifestyle, lack of sleep, digital overload, complicated relationships, and stress of all kinds is enough to make any one of us exhausted.
But perhaps the most paralyzing of all is exhaustion of the soul. All the other stresses of life can certainly make your body and mind vulnerable, but soul fatigue leaves you barely existing rather than living.
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.
8 Things To Do When You’re Tired
If you’re tired because you are behind on your sleep, that may be the very best thing to do.
But not so fast. Sometimes sleep may work against you.
Often it’s not a medical problem that’s causing fatigue. There are many lifestyle factors in our modern world that just wear you out!
So what can you do when you’re tired?
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.
Number One New Year’s Resolution: Losing Weight
Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions this year? If so, there’s a pretty good chance that losing weight is at the top of your list.
If weight is YOUR challenge, the costs are much more personal. You pay in ways such as decreased energy, self-esteem, or perhaps a sense of discrimination. I see women in my office regularly who break down in tears over their struggle with weight.
But now it’s a new year, and you’ve resolved to do something about it. And before taking any other action, I want you to think FIRST about what’s eating you!
The First Thing to Learn In Marriage
Each person comes to marriage with different expectations of what life will be like.
Your expectations of marriage ARE different than your spouse’s. Even if you communicate well before getting married, the realities of life together WILL challenge those expectations.
And you WILL be disappointed.
7 Things to Give Away This Year
This is the time when many look forward to the coming year, planning how to make things better than last year.
But there’s one other area of life where I would like you to plan as well. Plan to give away what you have!
The vast majority of us are far more likely to hold back than to give too much away.
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?
Does Being a Christian Make You Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise?
Some of God’s best friends were healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Some of God’s best friends were also poor, weak, and outcast.
Does God enjoy blessing you with financial means, good health, and a good life here and now? Yes, He does. But don’t ever make the mistake of judging someone’s Christianity, or your own, by their bank account, popularity, or physical health.
5 Ways to Get Through the Holiday Season Happier and Healthier
Too much food. Too much stress. Too much spending. Too much drinking. Too much unhappy family time. No wonder many people start the new year heavier, unhappy, and in more debt.
There’s no holiday magic that gives you a free pass on what it takes to be healthy physically or mentally. The principles of healthy living apply during the next six weeks just as they do the rest of the year. It’s not too late to plan some better strategies.
For the Christian Woman Struggling with Hormones
Every part of your being impacts every other area. There are times you may not immediately understand what the root cause of your distress is. But menopause is one time when physical changes may lead to very real emotional and spiritual problems.
It’s no wonder that the physical, emotional, and spiritual pressures become heavy for many women to carry.
Here are some specific things you can do that become especially important at this time of life:
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:
What Does Spiritual Maturity Look Like?
Just because you reach a certain birthday does not mean you are mature. And there is no area where that is more true than in matters of the heart and soul. But what does it mean to grow up spiritually?
You know people who are emotionally and spiritually children, even though they have lived many years.
Here’s what spiritual maturity would include:
5 Pieces of Smart Marriage Advice
The institution of marriage goes back to the Garden of Eden. But sadly the state of many marriages today is anything but Eden-like! For those who are married, there is probably no other area of life that has a bigger impact on your well-being than the state of your marriage.
There are many bits of advice for those wanting a better, healthier, happier marriage. Here are five I believe to be especially important:
