There is a word that makes me wince whenever I say or hear it. Not that it is a ‘bad’ word, but it is a word that seems to hold some baggage for me and many others. Maybe you are one of those people. What is that word, you ask? That word is boundaries. I learned...
A year ago, in the middle of the school year, our family moved to a new state following a dark season of loneliness and disappointment. I prayed in desperation for God to help my kids recover. I prayed He would provide them with just one good friend. But friendships...
Dysfunctions tumble down through the generations, “piggybacking” on each other. Some of us have been victims of multigenerational tidal waves of dysfunction. To whatever degree you’ve been negatively affected by family dysfunction, I want you to know: It didn’t start...
We all want them. We all need them. Jesus had twelve of them. What are these treasures from God? Friends. Mentors. But not just people that mirror who we are. The body of Christ is multi-generational. It is important to have friends and mentors that are both older and...
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless...
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 church, which was...
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 cactus...