When I left home for my first year of college I was met head-on with crippling social anxiety and depression. I was all alone at an out-of-state school and in my loneliness and isolation, I began shopping to fill the void. I loaded up on new clothes, food, and things...
This is Part 2 of John and Angel Beeson’s story. If you have not had a chance to read Part 1 be sure to do so HERE. JOHN: In the weeks following Angel’s confession of adultery I was in a state of shock. I was asked to take a leave of absence from the...
We were just kids: 14 and 16 years old. A freshman and a junior. We went to the same high school and the same church. John was the leader of our campus Christian club. ANGEL: The first time I met him I thought, “That’s the man I want to marry.” We married at 19 and...
We are really good at running fast-paced lives. We fill our calendars with commitments and obligations. We can do it all. Meet all the deadlines, show up for all the people in our lives. We are really good at saying “yes”. In fact, “yes” is highly...
Don’t hug a cactus! That should be lesson #1 from the desert. Lesson #2 would be to always carry enough water. Those two lessons can also hold true when it comes to dealing with difficult, or “prickly”, people. The truth is while many people will never see a...
Have you ever felt you weren’t enough? Enough for your parents, enough for your spouse, enough for your friends, even enough for God or yourself? The longing to be enough can often lead us to search for our worth and value in achievements or in relationships. The...
“…but no one could heal her.” ( Luke 8:43) NIV Have you ever been in a place of painful uncertainty, desperate for answers? I have. And I have desperately wanted to be in a much different place. Uncertainty can be such a lonely place, but isn’t it a space...
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” John 15:9 When I became the owner of a new car, I polished everything daily with careful detail. I found myself making sure there was no trash left in her when I got out at the end of the day....
Have you ever said, “I will never…”? I know I have; maybe you have too. And Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples in the Bible, felt pretty confident that he would never betray Jesus. Yet, Jesus foretold Peter’s denial of Him right after Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go...