At times in the Christian life it seems God doesn’t come through on His promises. We try hard to obey, we try hard to trust Him, but we still end up with losses that feel too heavy to bear. When I was a little girl, I dreamed of having a happy marriage and a wonderful family. I can’t believe my “happily ever after” ended the way it did. We always thought our son would be a great man for God. It’s...
We desire for our children to have the same childhood experiences that we had growing up. We remember the magic and joy of being a child, of seeing the world differently through innocent and curious minds, and we want to encourage and preserve that magic for our children. A grave reality of our times, however, is that our children can encounter something damaging so much more easily than we did...
As Christians, we are called to relieve suffering. But we’re not called to relieve all suffering. This is most certainly true when it comes to suffering and sanctification, including when it comes to becoming more relationally, emotionally, and sexually whole. We live in an age that says the sign of a good relationship, romance, or sex is the pleasure it brings. If he/she makes you happy, be with...
Can you think of a time when you knew you were truly loved? Not in a general sense, but you specifically. When was a time you knew and felt truly loved by another? If everyone were to share a story like this, I’d bet we’d find this common theme arise: Moments when we are truly loved are moments when we are truly seen. What do we do then with the reality that our eyes don’t see well if at all? As...
Temptation to lust is usually rooted in the deeper temptation to deal with life’s pain and discomfort on our own terms rather than with God. This is true not only with lust but with many addictive habits. In fact, many addiction recovery groups use the acronym HALT, which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired, because those feelings are some of the most common feelings accompanying times of...
A friend called me recently very upset. He recounted how he was texting with an old friend in a different state, and she asked him if he had a significant other yet. When he replied no, her next text read, “I know you’re gay. I accept you and just want you to be happy.” He knew she was trying to be affirming, but he didn’t feel affirmed. “Josh,” he said, “I wanted to write her back and say, ‘As...
