Living a Larger Faith: What 2,000 Years of Christians Can Teach Us
The world in which I’ve spent most of my time is the Western evangelical stream of Christianity. For all of…
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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…
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 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…
What’s the Goal of the Christian Life? (It’s Not What You Think)
What goal are you after? And most especially as a Christian, why do you do what you do? What’s the…
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…
What’s Shaping Your Soul Right Now? How God Transforms You
You are in a process of spiritual formation. The question is not whether you are being spiritually formed, but who…
More Than Forgiveness: God’s Bigger Vision for Salvation
Clean as fresh-fallen snow. The debt you had no hope of ever satisfying – paid in full. Chains that had…
How to Develop a Healthy Internal Picture of God
What do you imagine when you think of God? I don’t mean the facts you intellectually know about Him, 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…
Giving Thanks for the Unexpected: Reflections on Gratitude This Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving here in the United States. It’s an opportunity to remember that we are not God but creatures.…
Disentangling Messy Relationships: People, God, and Your Heart
People. Need them. Can’t stand them. Messy relationships seem to be the only kind available. The push-pull of your true…
If Your Christian Life Isn’t Working, Here’s What’s Missing
If you’ve been in church for any time at all, you know people who you wouldn’t want to spend an…
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…
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…
Your Fragrance: How Your Inner Life Affects Others
You are not an island. You have an impact on other people whether you realize it or not, and whether…
What Does Sexual Wholeness Look Like?
What is Jesus inviting you into? Steve imagined a life of striving and trying harder, never feeling like he could…
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,…
How to Write Your Story with God as Your Co-Author
You have a story. Perhaps you’ve made partial peace with some of the previous chapters of your story. But what…
Being WITH Jesus in Ways that Bring Transformation
You’re sick and tired of trying harder and failing. It would be so freeing to be more like Jesus without…
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…
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…
Necessary or Unnecessary Suffering
Some Christians seem to believe God brings us suffering on purpose, to build our character. Others believe that following Jesus…
Trying to Stop Your Bad Behavior? Who Has Your Heart?
Ask ten people what sin is and you’re likely to hear about the ten commandments, the words God wrote with…
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…
5 Ways Your Sexuality Impacts Your Spiritual Formation
You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t believe God has something to say about sex and sexuality. Depending on…
Addressing Sin Issues in Others with Grace and Truth
We humans easily fall into ditches. Trying to be zealous for God’s way of righteousness, we fall into the truth…
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…
3 Steps to Loving Others When They Don’t Love You
Every human being needs love. And sometimes we get love from others, and sometimes we don’t. In spite of that,…
Beyond Bad Behavior: Get From Sobriety to Recovery to Redemption
Every addiction is a whole-person “disease.” The “thing” might be alcohol, pornography, sex, gambling, video games, or a multitude of…
Unpacking What You Learned About Relationships and Intimacy
Your brain is a sponge, not a source. You may believe you’ve come up with an original thought, but that’s…
A Thanksgiving Challenge that will Transform Your Marriage
Research proves it; expressing gratitude is good for you. And it will not only help your mental health; it can…
How to Navigate the Power Dynamics in Your Marriage
Who’s got the power in your marriage? Where does that power come from? Can you find more power? What if…
Why You’re Frustrated with One Encounter with Jesus
Most of us want the pill, not the journey. We want the magic formula to comfort and success, three easy…
Three Keys to Dropping the Insanity in Your Marriage
Doing the same thing and expecting a different result; isn’t that the definition of insanity? You’re not a failure if…
How to Experience Getting Your Validation From God
From very soon after you were born you have been looking for validation. Do you see me? Am I OK?…
When One Spouse Has A High Sexual Appetite
What’s a normal frequency of sex in marriage? That’s usually asked by the spouse with a higher libido looking for…
How the Old “You” Will Have to Die for Your Marriage to Survive
OH! That’s not what the preacher said when he or she pronounced you man and wife. Dying is not what…
The Difference Between Being Nice and Being Kind in Your Marriage
Would you really want to be married to someone who’s “nice?” I don’t think you would. It’s easy to confuse…
What if You Could Look Forward to Reading the Bible?
I sometimes ask people, “What things are you supposed to do as a Christian?” And “read the Bible” is always…
The Most Overlooked Obstacle to Maturity and Wholeness
We are an impatient people. Our contemporary culture has fueled our natural human tendency to go for instant gratification. We…
Want Your Marriage to Last? Let Your Relationship Breathe
The healthiest marriages are not the ones where husband and wife spend the most time together. Does that surprise you?…
Where to Invest in Your Marriage for Long-Term Success
Nothing of real value just happens. You don’t drift toward a finely tuned athletic body, a million-dollar retirement fund, or…
It’s Time to Let Your Husband Off the Hook
This is not what you signed up for. When you said Yes you thought you were getting friendship, intimacy, even…
To the Husband Blindsided by Your Wife
You’d have given your marriage a 7 or 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. You might prefer more…
Your Brain CAN Change
When I went through medical school back in the “dark ages” we were told that 50% of what we learned…
