Articles
Overcoming Passivity in Your Life
“I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” These lines from the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley clearly overstate things, because humans aren’t as in control of themselves or their lives as much as they would like to be. God is in control, but he demands that we make something of the life he’s given us. We can deal with the circumstances life throws at us by meeting the challenge. The common saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” reminds us that while things go south on us, and the twists and turns [...]
7 Things to Do When You’re Feeling Sad and Lonely
In life, mountaintop experiences bring us exhilaration, a sense of fulfillment, purpose, and meaning. When you hit a job interview out of the park, tie the knot with your beloved, move into your dream home, get through a difficult surgery with excellence, witness your child give a performance in a stage play, or finish chemotherapy and learn you’re in remission – all these things bring a smile to our faces and joy to our hearts. It is as it should be. However, we also do experience other seasons in life, and these bring emotions such as sadness, anger, or feeling out [...]
How Can I Keep From Singing? How Music Can Heal Your Brain and Your Heart
We often turn to music as a source of entertainment, amusement, or distraction. Ambient music streams in the background of supermarkets, book shops, restaurants, the local gym, and the dentist’s office. How empty our everyday lives would seem without the sound of music. And yet, it is accomplishing more in our brains and hearts than we often recognize. Ways Music Can Benefit You Music Invites Us to Engage Internally and Externally, Healing Us from the Inside Out Often, when you hear music that you like, it makes you want to get up and dance or tap your feet and your fingers. [...]
Exploring the Negative Effects of Social Media
Living in the age of instant global communication and interconnected reality is a blessing countless generations of people before us only ever dreamed about. From a small device that fits in my pocket or on my wrist, I can connect with people thousands of miles away, see pictures of them, and hear their voices with perfect clarity. This would have been considered nothing short of magical a century ago. The distant future envisaged by science fiction television shows like Star Trek is very much a reality. Of course, those science fiction television shows and movies often pointed out that advanced technology, [...]
Peacekeeper or Peacemaker: Which One are You?
Are you a peacekeeper or a peacemaker? What is the difference? There is an important difference between the two. Knowing the difference can bring you additional peace and show you which path to take. Peacekeeping vs. Peacemaking You may have grown up believing that keeping the peace is important, no matter the cost to you. This is a common attitude in the church, but it’s not what the Bible teaches. We need to study the Bible, including Jesus’ example, to understand what our responsibility is regarding preserving peace. One of Jesus’ names is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He promises [...]
Is Comfort Food Really Comforting?
The phrase “comfort food” has been around for a while. It was first used in 1966 when the Palm Beach Post published a story on obesity that shed light on the fact that adults, when experiencing severe emotional stress, typically prefer to eat food that is associated with the security of childhood “like mother’s poached egg or famous chicken soup.” It comes as no surprise that yet today many food companies are interested in creating new “comfort foods,” or that restaurateurs have been known to put more comfort foods on the menu when times are hard. The term “comfort food” alludes [...]
How to Know When You’re in an Abusive Relationship
Even the healthiest of relationships sometimes goes through times of struggle and disconnect. Life circumstances, differing expectations, personality clashes, and countless other factors can all contribute to friction in any relationship. However, there is a vast difference between a relationship that is suffering from the natural bumps and rough patches that life brings and an abusive relationship. To describe a relationship as “abusive” may conjure any number of scenarios, and it can be scary and confusing to acknowledge the potentially abusive aspects of a personal relationship – even when the “red flags” seem to be staring us in the face. An [...]
Effects of Trauma, and Why Healing is Worth the Effort
Trauma, by its broadest definition, is everywhere. In various segments on the nightly news, in one Bible story after another, and the lives of our closest friends and family – stories of trauma abound. I would argue that every person will experience trauma, to some extent, in their lifetime, and many experience layers of it. Trauma is inevitable, and the effects of trauma can be both numerous and powerful. Healing from trauma is never a simple task, and yet, when we take the steps to become more aware of how we have been impacted by our own experiences of trauma, it [...]
Becoming One: How to Communicate for Sustained Connection
Love in springtime. The thought of it inspires us. When romance is in the air one might believe that everything is possible! Consequently, weddings are most popular in the spring, summer, and fall. If you are planning to attend a wedding this season, you will most likely hear one version or another of Christian wedding vows. Take these two verses from the Bible for example: For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. – Genesis 2:24 Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate. [...]