"If I speak in the tongues of men or angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, … Continue reading Cultivating a life of love: A reflection on 1 Corinthians 13
I love Christmas. Sure, part of it is the spiritual truth of the holiday - Emmanuel, God with us! It is incredible. But I would be deceiving myself if I pretended that I didn’t equally, or perhaps even mostly, love and enjoy the experience of the Christmas season. It is all filled with good things … Continue reading Christmas is not about the idol of family
How well do you remember the reason why you do what you do? Why did you pick the career that you have? Why did you marry your spouse? Why did you decide to have children? Why do you attend church? Why did you accept your current job? Why did you become a Christian? It is … Continue reading Don’t Forget the Why
Many people come to counseling during some sort of crisis. Of course, typically this is a personal crisis, leading the individual or couple into the counseling process. But we are all impacted by community and world crises as well - including the current coronavirus crisis. There are many things that can help us during a … Continue reading How do I pray during a crisis?
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and it is easy to hyper-focus onto romantic love at this time of year. Do we have it? Do we not? We celebrate with single girlfriends or romantic partners, or we hide at home avoiding the day. This is so much smaller than God’s view of love. Consider these verses from … Continue reading Finding love in 1 John
We live in a broken world. Horrible things happen on a regular basis, and I’m certain that some of those things have happened to you. Yet God calls us to forgive. Repeatedly in Scripture, God calls Christians to forgive others when they hurt us - even if they do not ask for forgiveness. Why? Simply … Continue reading Why does God want us to forgive others?
We do not typically introduce ourselves to new people by listing out our weaknesses. “Hi, I’m Jessica, I’m not a great musician.” That is not how I introduce myself. Instead, we focus on our strengths and talents. I introduce myself as a counselor, as my husband’s wife, or as fellow fill-in-the-blanker that matches the situation … Continue reading Why I treasure my weaknesses
I realized this morning that I’m feeling a little stressed out. How did I come to this realization? My husband started rubbing my shoulders and they were tight as rocks. That (short) massage hurt! Uh oh. I know my body well enough to know that super tight shoulders are a warning sign of stress. Frankly, it’s … Continue reading I really hate stress.
Don't worry, I don't spend every day hunting around for colorful eggs. Nor do I eat ham, see my extended family for a long meal, show up at my church building, or wear a pastel dress every day. I don't do these things every day, because this is not really how we celebrate Easter. It … Continue reading I celebrate Easter every day
Have you ever wondered if you have depression? Perhaps you’re positive of it, and have been struggling for a long time. Depression is a very common mental illness in today’s world, with great treatments available. For folks who have never experienced depression, it can be difficult to imagine the pain – physical, emotional, and mental … Continue reading A glimpse into the pain of depression, from Psalm 142