A Life Well Lived

 This graduation season is filled with young lives full of potential and a bright future. However, life is tough. The challenge is to achieve the hope within that young heart as you age through the seasons of life. The goal – a life well lived. The opposite is a life of disappointment and cynicism because of shattered dreams. Youth lacks experience, but you can borrow it from others if you are wise. The psalmist is a great source to borrow from.   Life Principle One – Trust in God In Psalm 91:2, He said, “My God in whom I trust.” […]

-Read More


Is Guilt Linked to Mental Illness?

In January 2015, the HuffPost ran an article by Carolyn Gregoire, “Feelings Of Guilt During Childhood Linked To Mental Illness.” To quote: “Excess guilt is a known symptom of adult depression, but a new study finds that such feelings in childhood can predict future mental illness, including depression, anxiety, obsessive- compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder. The link seems to center around the anterior insula – a brain region involved in the regulation of perception, emotion and self-awareness that has also been linked to mood disorders, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia According to the researchers, children who displayed signs of pathological guilt […]

-Read More


The Paradox Of Aloneness

God said after the creation of Adam, “It is not good for man to be alone.” By divine design, we are created for relationships, with God and with others. One reason God’s law, the ten commandments, was given to us was to show us how to build a healthy relationship with God and others.   A normal desire Being in relationships is a normal desire. However, relationships do include risk, the risk of rejection, unmet expectations or betrayal to name a few. Aloneness can be a defense mechanism to the hurts of relationship. Once people have been wounded in a […]

-Read More


What is True Love?

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (Corinthians 13: 4-8 NKJV). Feelings are fickle This is the biblical definition of true love. What we see from this definition is that true love is an action not just a feeling. When in love we do feel something. However, to […]

-Read More


#Prayer Works

Lately there seem to be more social media posts claiming “prayers don’t work.” Perhaps this is in light of all the terrorist attacks and mass murders taking place. It is especially ironic when dozens or even hundreds of people are gunned down while at their church or mosque worshipping God. The conclusion of many atheists, agnostics and skeptics is prayer obviously didn’t help these people. There have always been those who wonder, “Does prayer work?” These questions are about much more than just prayer. In reality they are using the existence of evil in the world to prove that God […]

-Read More


Sexual Harassment: Changing The Narrative

Recently Harvey Weinstein, one of Hollywood’s most powerful and successful producers, was accused of sexual harassment by several women over a 30-year time frame. This is not news, as sexual harassment has been going on since the beginning of Hollywood. It is a problem not just in Hollywood but in many sectors of our society. The abuse of men and women by people of power has been going on since the beginning of time. Many have chosen to look the other way and plead ignorance. However, as Christians what should be our stand on this issue?   People are not […]

-Read More


Time: A Reflection

When younger, most people don’t give much thought to time. It seems to be unlimited, and we don’t have a concern about running out of it. Eventually we cross a line in time when our mortality confronts us. We realize we have less time in front of us than behind us. Some call this mid-life crisis. I call it the existential crisis. It is a time to examine the meaning of our life in light of this scarce and valuable commodity we call time. Take time today to reflect with me on your time, so you can use what you […]

-Read More


A Theology of Addiction

Life is hard because of the curse of sin. God looked over His finished creation and said, “It is good.” God is working out His plan of redemption and restoration to return to the “it is good phase.” Until then we must deal with the realities and consequences of sin’s curse. Some do so successfully while others don’t. This is where addiction enters the human story. Escape from life realities At the core addiction is about escape as a coping mechanism. We have studies about the effects of substances on the brain and genetic predispositions to addiction. These things can […]

-Read More


Control – The Grand Illusion

We want control; that is the human condition. Different personalities can express their desire for independence in various ways. Some will be overt and very aggressive in their words and actions. Others will act more compliant but be passive aggressive. The people pleaser will take years to build up enough resentment to rebel. However, the reality is control is an illusion. There is very little in life we have control over. We can’t control the weather, the economy, other nations, nature, time, people – even ourselves at times. This list could go on. So why do we fool ourselves into […]

-Read More


Transitions – Survive or Thrive

It is that time of year when graduates will experience one of the many change points of their lifetime. These transitions happen as we move from one stage of life to another. Navigating life transitions successfully is essential to achieve both contentment and full life potential. Will we just survive or will we thrive through these times of transitions? Transition points of life Life is full of transition points. There are the normal stages of human growth and development. Each stage has its own characteristics, physical and emotional changes as well as good and not so good aspects. There are […]

-Read More