How many of you feel comfortable talking about depression? Better yet, do you share your convictions when someone else is vulnerable about being depressed? Let me start off by stating that depression can be a severe struggle for parents raising special-needs children. Depression can be indescribable, grievous, and debilitating. It’s not easy to talk about! […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Encouragement & Healing
God’s Wonderful Work When We Are Weak
A Prayer Lord, do You ever feel worn out at the end of Your day? I know as truth that You’re not limited by space, time, or power. I also know my human capacity for endurance is weak. Lord, I need to know You are with me in everything. Jon’s struggles ebb and flow like […]
Read MoreThat Subtle Sin
Do you know which sin is the subtle enemy of simple faith? Materialism and greed? Anger? Lust? Hypocrisy? No. All of these sins are certainly our enemies, but none of them qualify as subtle enemies. Stop and think. Once you decide to trust God in simple faith and allow Him complete freedom to carry out […]
Read MoreWhen the Unimaginable Happens
An Interview with Chuck Swindoll and Dave Carder Sexual abuse is an extremely difficult and damaging experience. In the vast majority of child sexual abuse cases, the child not only knows but trusts the person who committed the abuse. This is why children often don’t tell anyone about it. At other times, children remain silent […]
Read MoreThe Dos and Don’ts of Dealing with Sexual Abuse of a Loved One
Sexual abuse probably comes closer to your life than you might think. Even if you were not a victim yourself (though many certainly have been), there is a good chance that a sibling, a child, or a good friend of yours has experienced the horrors of sexual abuse. No one expects to discover that anyone, […]
Read MoreGod’s Holiness – the Exacting Standard That Condemns Sexual Abuse
Redeemed people are called to live in a manner that reflects God’s holy character. Nowhere is this more clearly spelled out than in Leviticus, Israel’s handbook for life: “You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. . . . Thus you are to be holy to Me, for […]
Read More“Believe”: Sometimes Found in Stars over the Porch
My close friend just found out her son was sexually assaulted. In the last 10 years, her son has been diagnosed with the following: intellectual disability; developmental disorders; severe Tourette’s syndrome; learning, behavior, and life skill disorders; and the accompanying challenges related to anxiety and emotions. Believing in God’s goodness was tough for her. Adding […]
Read MoreUnquenchable Hope
One of the first weddings I performed as a young pastor had all the promise you could hope for in a marriage. Both in their mid-twenties, both believers, he was a medical student, she was a nurse. It should have been a model marriage filled with peace and joy. Struggles would come, of course, but […]
Read MoreWhen God Says “No”. . .Pray
When nobody is around and when we’re able to be absolutely honest with ourselves before God, we entertain certain dreams and hopes. We want very much by the end of our days to have _________________________ (fill in the blank). However, it may well be that we will die with that desire unfulfilled. Should that occur, […]
Read MoreIt Takes Courage
Deep within, we imagine ourselves as a mixture of Patrick Henry, Davy Crockett, John Wayne, and the prophet Daniel! But the truth of the matter is that most of us would do anything to keep from being different. We’d much rather blend into the woodwork. One of our greatest fears is being ostracised, rejected by […]
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