Blog

When Conversations Leave You Lonely

How many of our conversations really matter? What do you feel when it comes time to attend your small group at church?

I wonder if I sometimes talk just to hear myself talk or if I talk to impress those on the receiving end of me? In Larry Crabb’s book SoulTalk, he calls this “self talk” while encouraging us to learn to do more “soul talk.”

A Softer & Gentler Grief

I thought I had grieved with others in their losses, as was only biblical. I learned that I really never had. I didn’t have a clue. Real grief is raw; it is painful.

The Call to Ministry Is Not What We Imagine

“You have put me in the lowest pit…
Your wrath lies heavily upon me…
You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them… “
Psalm 88: 6-9

Prepared?

Can you really be prepared for the death of a loved one? Realistically, no. Death is always a shock. My loss was unexpected when my husband, Bill, was killed in a plane crash.

Five Distinctives of Being the Church

Earnest Southcott, an Anglican priest, wrote, “The holiest moment of the church service is the moment when God’s people—strengthened by Word and Sacrament—go out of the church door and into the world to be the Church. We don’t go to church; we are the church.”

You’re So Strong

“You’re so strong!” These words, meant to be encouraging, actually feel more like a heavy weight has been added to an already exhausting burden. We don’t feel strong.

“Sovereign Stumbling”

“Truly God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
My feet had almost slipped,
For I was envious of the arrogant,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:1-3)

When a Family Caregiver is No Longer a Caregiver

“Things are not as they were
Things are not as they should be
Things are not as they could be
Things are not as they will be
They are what they are
And God is in the center
Of what they are”

The Unlikely Route to Helping Counselors Become More Like Christ

As I look back on 56 years of living in relationship with Christ, and reflect on what happened this last hour, one thought becomes clear: if a wrongly optimistic pilgrim fails to learn the art of recovery, naively thinking there’s not much to recover from, movement toward Christ-likeness will stall. Never permanently, of course. God means to make us like His Son, and He will get the job done.

The Power of Coming Alongside

I don’t own a Tesla, but after 20 years of ministry at TrinityA military wife, Abby (not her real name), came to see me for help with her anger. She began our hour angry at her husband and his commanding officer for something the officer had said about her at a Christmas party in front of a group of people. Fellowship Church, my car could probably have driven itself. Interstate 635 and Greenville Avenue were unchanged that Sunday, but my thoughts went off-road.