self-image

I sit with a young woman. She exhales and looks at her shoes. “My grandfather molested me when I was six. My father first raped me when I was eleven. …

So, who are you? Many respond to that question by sharing their roles: “I am a mom.” “I am a dad.” “I am a sister.” “I am a wife.” “I …

Feelings of spiritual inadequacy can make us fearful of God, but not in the healthy way. This series explores how knowing the loving, gracious God of Scripture can overcome our …

“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 …

Who are you? Have you really thought about that singular question? And I don’t mean in any particularly existential way. I just mean, have you thought about what truly makes …

I have slow feet. One of my favorite sports to play is basketball. I’m a decent player; over time my game has improved. I’m a better shooter, ball handler, and …

“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is …

We all have struggles: fear, self-image, managing money, addiction, loneliness – the list goes on and on. What if there was a new way to walk through our struggles? God …

Lies About God God is not really good. God doesn’t love me. God is just like my father. God is cruel and overbearing. God is not really enough. God’s word …

So, you probably want people to like you and your leadership. Who doesn’t? If we’re honest with each other, most of us in leadership prefer to be be liked (rather …

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31 (ESV) Remember who …

Shame. Shame is the fear of being unworthy, and it adversely affects our relationship with God, others, and ourselves. Shame makes us feel small, unwanted, and unloved. And if we …

Children say cruel things. We can’t always protect our children from cruelty, but we can give them tools to cope and respond appropriately. Parents, you can help your child to …

Mirrors come in all sizes and shapes. Sometimes it’s a prophet who helps us see the blind spots in our lives. Sometimes it’s an epiphany that pulls back the veil …

  One of the most heinous crimes that can be committed is identity theft. According to The Harris Poll, 60 million people in the US were affected by it in …

Psalm 139 fascinates me when I read “you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” I can’t help but picture in my mind that double helix design of DNA. God is knitting …

In the beginning, the earth was formless and void, but that did not deter the Almighty. He looked into the fathomless depth of its darkness and concluded, “All it needs …

“All of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for— God has had it with the proud, But takes delight in just plain …

We understand intellectually that life isn’t fair, but our culture acts as though life should be fair. There’s been a convergence within our society between justice and fairness. Justice is …

There are moments in our lives where we are inspired to act. We look for incremental ideas to help us get there. What we really need is a mind-shift. We …

Shame doesn’t have to hold you back. In Unashamed, Christine Caine will share how her own journey through shame showed her how God had something better in store for her–and …

In a world dominated by social media, it is easy to compare ourselves to others and to become discontent with our lives. It is also easy for us to judge …

Dear Roger,   I was at the soccer field, sitting next to one of my Bible group friends, when my 10-year-old made a goal. I said to my friend, “I’m …

She was beautiful. Not in the “everyone is beautiful” kind of way but in the really, really beautiful kind of way. She had long blonde hair, flawless skin, and style …

I remember the first day I began to struggle with my body image. I was a competitive swimmer and track athlete in high school. I competed hard, which kept me …

Introverts and extroverts — it seems like a useful designation for personality types. Even if they’re not biblical categories, they lead to an interesting conversation for Christians, and to this …

Rejection is a difficult thing to reason with. Truly, when we are rejected once, it hurts, and it often takes some time to get past the pain of that rejection. …

Signs and symptoms of bulimia (bulimia nervosa) center on the preoccupation with weight and body shape. Guilt and shame are core symptoms of bulimia. Someone who is bulimic, like a …

Dear Roger, What nations will be involved in Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ? Scared   Dear “Scared,” Folks have speculated about Biblical prophecy for millenia. Those in the …

Google knows who we are, sometimes better than we know ourselves. But Google doesn’t love us. Imagine if you had a truth serum that would force you to disclose who …

Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. . . . And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” …

A lifetime of influence always reflects a person of character. A pastor or spiritual leader is not a job description, it’s a life that’s shaped in a certain way. We …

This message is one our culture preaches in earnest to girls and women, beginning in earliest childhood. It comes at us from virtually every angle: television, movies, music, magazines, books, …

Our self images come from the reflective mirrors around us. Right self-image comes from God who made us. High self-esteem energizes us, deepens our relationships and develops our Christian service. …

Dear Roger, What does the Bible say about plastic surgery? Anonymous   Dear Anonymous,   What does the Bible say about plastic surgery? Absolutely Nothing! Plastic surgery is never mentioned …