I recently read that the number of Muslim converts to Christianity returning to their Muslim faith after only a year is surprisingly high. At the heart of this reconversion rate is a lack of attention on the needs of the new converts after coming to faith in Jesus Christ. A new Christian needs someone to…
Tag: biblical counseling
The Power of Words
Have you ever listened to a news report and immediately felt a wave of fear wash over you? Or felt like you were just put on a major guilt trip? Or maybe you’ve read a friend’s post on social media and found yourself suddenly angry. This is because our words have power. Everywhere we turn,…
Morning Routines
When my second son was born, God put a song in my heart: “In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.” I thought it was just to set my mind aright for those newborn weeks when sleep is at a minimum and “morning” often starts at 3am. As the year wore on, however, it…
How does God treat depression?
As a counselor, I talk with many people struggling with feelings of depression on a regular basis. Oftentimes, these people are Christians and their feelings of depression are amplified by an unnecessary guilt that Christians shouldn’t feel depressed. I believe one day, that will be true. When Jesus returns and we are with Him in…
Biblical Self-love
Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”…
Clarifying
As I sit here this first morning of the New Year, reflecting on 2019 and considering my hopes for 2020, one theme continues to surface: simplify. This is a concept God brings around in my life regularly; about every 2-4 years when my family gets new military orders and we pack up our home, say…
Finding God
I remember a time when my oldest son was 4, he was upset because he’d lost his bouncy ball. He’d been bouncing it all over the house, and it bounced away to a remote corner of some room when my son wasn’t watching. He was so distraught over the loss, he just sat on the…
Sometimes the Problem is Sin
A few months ago, my husband and I were taking a walk around the bay near us and I watched a fish jump and create ripples through the water. It was a common enough image, but it reminded me of what I’d read that morning. In the book of Joshua, there was a misunderstanding between…
Are you too busy?
When my husband prepared to deploy for the first time in our marriage, I got a lot of advice. One of the most common pieces of advice I heard was, "Get busy, and stay busy." The implication was that if I was busy enough, I wouldn't have the time to laze about eating copious amounts…
Handling Depression as a Christian
The truth. This word, this concept has been sparking debates for ages. What is truth? What is the truth? How can we know? Why does man search for it so ardently? We need the truth to ground us, to give us a point of reference from which to order our lives, like an anchor. Without…