Hot Buttons We all have them. Hot buttons. Sore spots, tender to even a verbal touch. When poked, these sore spots provoke us to instinctive reactions. They spring from feeling challenged or irritated. Hot buttons leave us vulnerable to being provoked. And if...
Six Steps to Speaking the Truth in Love Ever been attacked by someone who wields truth like a club? I have. And ouch, did it ever hurt! Or maybe you recall the childhood rhyme, “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Do you remember chanting that childhood accusation at...
The Order of Submission If ever a word could be identified as an emotional trigger, it’s submission. And if submission is mentioned in the context of marriage, then dive for cover because the trigger just became a grenade! Do the following words sound familiar?...
Christians and National Cookie Month Did you know October is National Cookie Month? Not that I need an excuse to eat more cookies! Are you wondering about the connection between Christians and National Cookie Month? Stay with me a bit longer . . . Do you have a...
Feelings, Rights, Preferences, and Honor “Honor” is not a concept often mentioned in our culture these days. I worked in the corporate world for twenty years. As I climbed the corporate ladder, I moved from an entry-level role to senior executive positions for...
Tearing Down Walls in Difficult Relationships Have you seen this meme on social media? “Life is too short to put up with people who make us unhappy.” Some people live by that mantra. Are they right? Should we simply withdraw from people who create unnecessary...
Identifying Your Worldview Did you know you have a worldview? We all do, whether we realize it or not. And if we identify as a Christian, does that mean we have a Christian worldview? Or are we playing “Hokey Pokey” with our faith? Not everyone who identifies...
Are You Praying and Living TALL? I didn’t understand her comment. Our team had met for a working dinner meeting. We shared a meal and completed the planning portion of the session, and now the five of us sat around the dining room table sharing prayer requests....
Work Out Salvation by Running Bases? When we moved into our home twenty years ago, we installed new carpeting. But if you visit me today, a quick glance at the same carpets will tell you a lot about our habits without a word spoken. You could easily determine...
Are You Mastered or a Masterpiece? Did you know my bio is recorded in the Bible? Yup! Paul described me to a T when he wrote in Romans 7:15-19, “I do not understand what I do . . . For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I...
Who Is El Elyon and Why Should We Care? The more I read and listen to news reports of current events, the more...
How Do You Respond to Adversity? There’s something refined about a tea party, isn’t there? Perhaps we enjoy tea...
Planting and Growing in God’s Garden Confession time: I’ve killed more plants than I’ve actually grown. Because...