Repentance is more than saying you’re sorry.  It is an apology heartfelt enough that you are willing to take some action to change and try to replace the bad fruit with good fruit.  If there isn’t some kind of observable or measurable change, the repentance probably...

After recognizing offense and the lies, vows, or judgments we have made as a result of our experiences; forgiveness is the next step and the key that Jesus gave us for our healing.  We often don’t want to forgive the people who hurt us or tempted us to believe the lies that have...

I was reading 1 Cor. 13:4-7 defining love and dissecting it carefully for last week's blog on the Yardstick of Love when it occurred to me that these were also the characteristics listed as fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5:22.  I wanted to lay them out side by side and I have attempted to...

One of the most basic human needs is LOVE.  It has been scientifically shown that children can die from a lack of love and touch, even when their physical needs are taken care of.  Our childhood experiences limit, define, and shape our definition of love and without a true definition of...

There are many forms and severity of trauma, but basically trauma can be categorized as Type A Trauma which is the ABSENCE of the necessary good things and Type B trauma which is the PRESENCE of harmful things.

Type A traumas can include a whole continuum of things like:

• Not being...

Around and around and around offense goes and grows in larger and larger cycles.  We know that offense is annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived or real insult, but are we aware that offense can drive a cycle in our lives that effects how we see ourselves, how we behave, and...

Buried offense and emotions do not die; they just rot and stink.  It is much healthier to deal with our emotions effectively and teach our children to do the same. The first  important indication of offense buried deeply is repeated patterns of harmful situations. Examples would be...

We tend to think that recognizing offense in ourselves is easy and straightforward. When we get upset at someone, we are offended. First, the easiest way to recognize offense is if you are still mad, hurt, or emotionally charged in some way when you encounter the offending people later. This is...

Jesus often warns us against things that will cause us harm, like OFFENSE.  Just like a good parent, He tries to guide us toward things that are good for us and will have good results.  For instance, the Ten Commandments were all to help the Israelites stay out of trouble and do what...

So now you have the goal, you need the plan. To do this, look at where you are now and then look at all the things you would need to build the life you are picturing. For instance, you might find that you need a certain amount of money to make your dream of travelling happen. 

In that case,...

I am sure you have heard the saying, "you cannot pour from an empty cup" or "you can only give what you have." This is why you need to learn to take care of yourself by achieving a healthy work / life balance.  It is hard to keep pushing yourself to do more when your body is already falling...

Many people grow up without a voice.  What do I mean by that?  They believe "My voice doesn't matter."  "No one listens to me anyway."  Therefore, they do not speak out because their opinion has not been valued.  This often comes from being shut down in childhood. ...