How to Heal Loneliness
The Loneliness Epidemic Did you know that loneliness is one of the leading causes of death in our world today? Isolation is no joke. Loneliness actually increases the risk for premature mortality…
The Loneliness Epidemic Did you know that loneliness is one of the leading causes of death in our world today? Isolation is no joke. Loneliness actually increases the risk for premature mortality…
Whether you’re aware of it or not, your job as a parent just became a little more difficult on January 1, 2014. If you’re drawing a blank, perhaps the mere…
David and Jonathan, son of King Saul, formed a deep bond of friendship despite the attempts of a raging father to destroy David. Their friendship is legendary. The protection of…
Dear Roger, I know God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). I’ve been thinking a lot about friends—it’s been tough to make time for…
“If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 AMP One of my most liked posts on social media is:“You were never hard…
“Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you.” Have you ever heard something so ridiculous? Anyone who has ever been crushed under the weight of…
Paul mentions Oneisiphorus in the book of 2 Timothy. He was a loyal man, an encourager to Paul. He was an unsung hero of the Bible who exemplified friendship! www.kevindeyoung.org.
Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. (Proverbs 2:11 NLT) Friendship is a wonderful thing and a gift from God to allow us to enjoy the company…
GOD COMMANDS US TO BE FAITHFUL BECAUSE HE VALUES FAITHFULNESS. Bible Reading of the Day: Read Proverbs 3:1-8. Verse of the Day: “Many will say they are loyal friends, but who…
Everyone needs to be encouraged. Sometimes it is easier to give encouragement than to receive it. Ask God to encourage you and to bring people into your life that can…
It’s easy to forget that even people like Paul the apostle needed—and indeed had—friends. In the book of Philippians, he named several of them, including Timothy. This man added enormous…
Boundaries promote healthy relationships. What are the pitfalls of creating boundaries instead of walls? How do you say no?
Why do my friendships fade? Am I not a likeable person? Life coach Deborah Haddix writes: Let’s give a little attention to those things that threaten the very existence of…
The Samaritan woman from John 4 gives us a basis for what it looks like to navigate racial, ethnic and cultural differences. www.ocbf.org.
Dear Roger, I recently attended the funeral of one of my best friends. As I listened to the comments, I was surprised by how many people weren’t really…
“Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.” Proverbs 18:24. MSG I hired Gary Shrader over the telephone. I was 26. Gary was 24, green and…
Thirty-six times in the New Testament we see a recurring word pattern—an action verb followed by the words one another. In English grammar this phrase is called a reciprocal pronoun—I…
My Daddy was an extrovert. He never met a stranger. Dad, a consummate salesman, built a successful construction company from the ground up. Pop was a joiner! He served as…
It’s that wonderful time of the year! Or is it? Many people are deeply lonely during the holiday season. This is what Dr. Deb Waterbury advises: “It’s simply amazing to…
Dear Roger, I would like to know about my unsaved family and friends. Will I know they’re missing heaven? – Jack Wilson Dear Jack, You may have asked the unanswerable…
Tomorrow I turn 40. Lord willing, I’m about halfway done with this marathon we call life. God has been so gracious to me. I have a godly wife who makes…
God wants to bless every relationship you have! In John 15:13 Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Deborah Haddix…
Dear Roger, Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, brutal ice and snowstorms, oppressive heat and droughts. On the airwaves, Christian leaders beg God to perform a miracle and stay global warming. I was…
Many things in our culture work against the maintenance of real community. We are conditioned in countless ways to think and act as individuals only, not as members of any…
The grandparent/grandchild relationship is a special one (and it should be)! It’s sweet and wonderful and like-nothing-we’ve-ever-known-before, but we must take care not to mishandle God’s design for it. “Now…
Dear Roger, My mom passed away a few months ago. Can she hear me in heaven when I talk to her? Sincerely, Brian Dear Brian, No one can answer your…
Do you make and keep friends? How do you love your near ones? Lysa TerKeurst wisely advises us: “I remember sitting in the smelly middle school gym like it was…
A few days ago, a friend texted me. Apparently a Christian band had been publicly ripping on him and he needed some advice. Now at the bare minimum, that’s not…
QUESTION: Hi Roger! The question I have is about boundaries. Over the years I’ve had a few friends at various times who were extremely needy. Whether Christian or still unbelievers,…
When my family traveled from our small-town home to Tucson for a doctor’s appointment or a back-to-school shopping trip, we always stayed overnight with my mother’s best friend Bea Solley. …
The social networking phenomenon is accelerating at record speeds and isn’t likely to slow down any time soon. The Pew Research Center states the following statistics for 2018: “Some 95%…
Hi, I don’t feel comfortable stating my name, but I am 17 and a Christian. I was raised as one and was always told and preached that without God and…
Augustine and Aquinas—two of history’s most influential theologians—imagined that in Heaven people would focus exclusively on God and that relationships between human beings would be minimal or insignificant.[i] These great…
Dear Roger, What’s the best advice you ever gave to your congregation to help them through the New Year? Sincerely, Phil Dear Phil, I don’t suppose that I…
Do Christians annoy non-believers? Yes. Often. If you spend two minutes talking to almost anyone outside the Christian faith and you’re almost certain to hear a list of complaints they…
Augustine and Aquinas—two of history’s most influential theologians—imagined that in Heaven people would focus exclusively on God and that relationships between human beings would be minimal or insignificant.[i] These great…
Over the last two weeks, we announced that the U.S. now has at least 8,000 multisite churches (by the broadest definition) and also 5 trends in how multisites launch and…
There are times when we the best of our logic fails to understand the worst of other’s behaviors. It’s part of the oddity or maybe complexity of the human psyche…
I have always found Jesus’ words in Matt 5:21-22 to be shattering. He begins by reminding his listeners that anyone who murders will be judged. But then he gives three…
Daring to befriend someone takes courage. Jonathan humbly protected and encouraged David. We are capable of loving others because we are loved by God. Part Two of the Daring Greatly…
Leadership is a rare commodity. It’s almost impossible to imitate. Competitors can only imitate what you do, but they can’t imitate who you are. How do you define a successful…
Facebook is kind of a big deal. Pastors cannot afford to ignore it. You know how I know Facebook has taken over the world? My Mom uses it. Facebook started…
In Leo Tolstoy’s novel The Death of Ivan Ilych, the protagonist, Ivan Ilych, is a smart, competent attorney dying from an unknown cause. Tolstoy describes a scene in which Ivan…
This is going to be controversial. I’m going to say something about Hamas, ISIS, terrorism, and Israel—and you may not like it. I don’t know if I like it. But…
Being pro-choice is passé nowadays. According to The New York Times, younger supporters of abortion on demand are done with the “pro-choice” label, choosing instead to counter their “right to life” opponents…
1. Porn causes men to feel like they “need” sex. The journal Human Brain Mapping published a study demonstrating that while many men and women have similar regions of the…
Children are arrows from the Lord, not darts, according to Psalm 127:3. “They are a reward from Him.” Cherished gifts. Our future and our joy. You can make your…
Humor is like seasoning on food—everything is flat without it. But something was amiss here. I began to ask myself, the gospel have an effect on our sense of humor?’…
I fully agree (and have often said from the pulpit) that the kingdom of God does not depend on elections and will not be ushered in by politicians, I believe…
Keys to a genuine love relationship requires that we speak the truth in love and authentic humility, talk directly to the person rather than about the person and do so…
Advent is an intentional season of “preparedness.” We think of Advent as a “journey,” to use Oprah Winfrey’s favorite word. We think of Advent as a progressive path we take…
Does your prayer life seem boring, or even non-existent? How can you leave behind perfunctory prayers and begin to enter into the sweet presence of God? Here are my thoughts.…
Hanan, the Ammonite king, has bad advisors who arrogantly reject King David’s peace treaty and support. In contrast, Joab, David’s general, surrounds himself with wise and brave men. Like Joab,…
Unsafe people can sabotage relationships by dishonesty, selfishness, control, condemnation, codependence, betrayal and secrecy. Learn how to discern the relationships in your life that are healthy and productive.
Our culture is so busy we are quickly replacing face to face time with texting, tweeting, voice mail, email and other forms of technology. Especially at Christmas, let’s make sure we give…
Christmastime… that peaceful, everybody-gets-along time of year, right? Not necessarily. Harmony in relationships can be challenging year round, but as activities increase with holiday celebrations and we encounter more people,…
How can we honor the Lord on his Birthday according to the Bible? In Philippians 2:5-7, Paul writes that Jesus came down to earth as a servant and made himself…
Jesus not only proclaimed Himself to be our shepherd, king, the Way, Truth and Life. He also chose to call us friends. A friend is someone who knows all about…
Buddhism, as a system, requires its adherent to be devoted to exploring a set of principles that will earn him or her an enlightened state that they hope will lead…
We all have up and down days. God wants us to rejoice together and comfort each other when we are hurting. Comforters come uninvited, openly express the depths of their…
FRIENDSHIPS ARE ESSENTIAL TO LIFE From the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God declared, “It is not good for man to be alone” even though He walked in fellowship…
Friends Tell Us The Truth Friends who have our best interest at heart can confront us when we need it. Solomon penned this powerful proverb about loving confrontation in Proverbs…