Jesus said, “Remain in me…” John 15:4a, NLT Life is amazing. We have big dreams, deep desires, exhilarating feelings and incredible experiences. We love. We laugh. We learn. Yet, in all of life’s beauty, let’s be honest. Life is hard. Pain visits. Betrayal cuts. Dreams go unrealized. Relationships crumble. Crisis happens. Addictions grip. And, even far more frequent, we face daily challenges common to the human existence. Tires go flat. Milk turns sour. Traffic makes us late. Kids have meltdowns in the grocery store. The job is stressful. The spouse is grumpy. Or, maybe I’m grumpy!
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Most of us have watched in horror and sadness the unfolding of events in the small town of Steubenville, Ohio. Just in case you’ve not been watching the news, two high school football players were found guilty this past week of sexually assaulting a young woman who was too intoxicated to give her consent for sexual contact, or even to know what was happening to her. While this was taking place, countless other teens watched, laughed, tweeted and photographed the debauchery.
News of having cancer is a life-changing event. Sorrow, sadness, and sympathy are appropriate responses. But for a counselor, more is needed. Cancer also brings fear and for many who are diagnosed, finality. Once the initial emotional impact passes, uncertainty and helplessness may dominate. Some may just give up in resignation. Other folks may assume an aggressive posture towards cancer and determine to “beat it” no matter how great the odds.
<p> Samantha had high hopes that something might change after she got an appointment with a Biblical counselor at her church. She had hoped that her counselor would stand with her and be her advocate. When she began to describe what was happening in her home, her counselor carefully listened to everything she told him.</p>
Divorce Begins With Deception. Lies lure us away from God's plan for marriage, as we depend more on what our culture says rather than what the Bible instructs us. This being the case, why are we so surprised by the number of divorces? by Cheryl Scruggs Marriages ending in divorce are at a pandemic level. Lies lure us away from God's plan for marriage, as we depend more on what our culture says rather than what the Bible instructs us. This being the case, why are we so surprised by the number of divorces?
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. Matthew 7:24-27 As I grow in pastoral ministry, I see more and more the God-designed need in people for refuge. The Psalmist would say it this way, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge.”
This is the second devotional in an 8-part series on Relationships. We all dream of the perfect relationship. You know, the one that’s free of disagreement, conflict, communication difficulties, power battles, anger and control. We can envision what it would be like. The problem is, none of
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 22px; outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 21px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> When Scripture indicates that Christians should be able to rejoice in their suffering (Rom. 5:3-5) because of the hope we have in the gospel, it can be difficult to accept. Some try</p>
Christian mediation seeks to biblically resolve personal conflicts, business disputes, church and ministry divisions and lawsuits. I’m currently attending the Peacemaker Ministries annual conference in Orlando, Florida. Peacemaker Ministries assists Christians in learning and applying conflict resolution principles that God has given
"Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”– Hebrews 12:27 With images of innocents flailing and falling