How to Break the Cycle of Shame
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.…
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…
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…
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”…
What labels do you apply to yourself? How do you see yourself? How do you define your humanity? Do you think of your limitations, your flaws of character, your sin? What do you…
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…
God wrote two New Testament poems: one in Romans, “the creation is His masterpiece;” one in Ephesians, “WE are His masterpiece.” We are uniquely formed and unconditionally loved by God.…
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,…
I was raised in southern Missouri where the land is mineral poor. Cows and sheep there will find piles of junk or refuse out in the fields or woods and…
God felt joy and delight for His creation. Our deepest pleasure comes from enjoying Him. Our identity should be based in who we are, not what we do. God made…
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…