We must normalize the awareness of the realities of mental illness, especially within the church. We must remove the negative stigmas surrounding therapy and counseling. One of the most common and most hurtful phrases I heard in my journey with mental illness was...
I went to church, thinking it would be like an epidural, that it would take the pain away... But church isn't like an epidural; it's like a midwife... I thought faith would say, "I'll take away the pain and discomfort," but what it ended up saying was, "I'll sit with...
How we learn to live with the death of a loved one differs with each one of us. We must all find a way to grieve. As the theologian, Tom Wright said, "Not to grieve, not to lament is to slam the door on the very same place in the innermost heart from which love itself...
How does the thief on the cross fit into your theology? No baptism, no communion, no confirmation, no speaking in tongues, no mission trip, no volunteerism, and no church clothes. He couldn't even bend his knees to pray. He didn't say the sinner's prayer and among...
Use pain as a steppingstone, not a campground.
Commentary writer and professor, Thomas Slater, says this about Ephesians. “Many people say that ‘competition’ brings advancement. Rarely do people who love others and wish the best for others say this. This statement gives some people the license to ignore the...
Compassion isn’t supposed to be a liability to us. It’s supposed to be the default setting of our hearts. It’s hardly something to be ashamed of or embarrassed by. Benevolence isn’t supposed to be a character defect. In fact, our lives as followers of Jesus should be...
The truth hurts. Truth cuts like a knife. But not all cuts are harmful. Not all piercing is meant to be cruel. Instead, pain is often part of the path of healing–the pain of admitting one’s own wrongs or confronting the wrongs done to oneself. It is through this...
A man stands before God, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world. "Dear God," he cries, "look at all the suffering, the anguish, and distress in your world. Why don't you send help?" God responds, "I did send help. I sent you."
The cure for the pain is in the pain.