Very little good comes out of our mouths when our emotions get hot and our adrenaline kicks in. Runaway emotions produce the worst results. When our emotions turn on our brains turn off. At that point we are not ‘in our right mind’. You know the feelings. We get hot, flush, blood pressure rises, we clench our teeth, make a fist, and/or anger emerges. When we sense that happening in ourselves, we need to stop and get our brains back in gear.
Read MoreWe don’t typically put ‘joy’ and ‘obedience’ in the same sentence. We tend to think there is more fun to be had when breaking rules. We think of rules as a drag, a ‘kill-joy’. Scripture assures us that it is the other way around. We will only know joy and happiness when we obey the rules. “You make known to me the Path of Life, you will fill me with joy in your presence.” (Ps. 16:11).
Read MoreWhen Paul wrote to Timothy, a colleague in ministry, he was not afraid to express his love for him. ‘I constantly remember you in my prayers… I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.’ II Timothy 1:3-4 Love brings out the best in people by providing a foundation of acceptance, care and encouragement.
Read MoreTwo men were walking through a desert. Their journey was long and hard. Halfway through the barren landscape, one man struck the other man in anger. The other man bent down and wrote in the sand, ‘My friend struck me in the face today.’
Read MoreAnger is a pervasive problem in our culture today. Businessmen and women get angry at their leaders for not leading and at their followers for not following. They then take it home where they take out their anger. They get angry at their spouse and children. Then they feel guilty and angry at themselves for not being who they want to be.
Read MoreOur lives are like roller coasters. There are many twists, turns, and loops. The speed, the noise, and the unpredictability can be both fun and anxiety-producing. While we all experience life differently, we all have anxiety from time to time. Trauma, loss, stress in relationships, work or finances can all cause anxiety. We know we are anxious when we get a stomachache, have nausea, a racing heart, sweating, or insomnia.
Read MoreTo have lasting changes in our lives, we need to refocus our minds. Specifically, we need to change our thought patterns away from what we don’t want—from what we have been focusing on-- toward what we do want to focus on. Because whatever we focus on is what we move toward.
Read MoreJesus doesn’t let us coast in life. Just when we think we are doing well, He raises the bar.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt 5:43-45)
Read MoreThe second law of thermodynamics states that all things move toward disorder if there is not additional energy put into the system. If you don’t believe that, just go into one of my kids’ rooms! Day by day clothing is shed and dropped on the floor, beds go unmade, and clothes that were tried on but not used get shoved haphazardly into drawers. And the room will only get worse unless some concerted energy is put into it. The same is true
Read More‘I love you’ is not just for lovers to say but for friends, family, and colleagues. Many people (men especially) have a hard time saying ‘I love you’ because it has been relegated to the area of romance. But love – caring for a person as a person and being committed to their good - is much bigger than that.
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