How can we remain confident when we feel like giving up? By ignoring the little voice that feeds us doom and gloom. You know how it goes…. Worry whispers that inflation is going to make it impossible for us to pay the bills and we’ll soon end up a homeless statistic. Anxiety assures us that… [ read more ]
Posts Tagged: thought life
Be on Guard When Life Takes a Detour
What does it mean to be on guard when life takes a detour? Eight months after receiving “guard” as my focus word for 2022, I’m beginning to appreciate its relevance to my life in ways I hadn’t imagined. “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong,” says (NLT). In times past,… [ read more ]
Taming the Tongue
Taming the tongue isn’t easy. This is true at any time, but moreso in the current political climate. How many times in the past couple of years have you forced yourself to refrain from saying something regrettable? Or perhaps you didn’t: You expressed an opinion contrary to a friend or family member’s and sparked… [ read more ]
How Can We Stay Connected to Jesus?
Once upon a time we lived in a house bordered by a fence upon which grapevines grew. Every summer, we watched these vines produce bunches and bunches of grapes. I wish I could say I turned those grapes into jellies and jams, but alas, that wasn’t the case. Without fail, furry masked bandits… [ read more ]
Why Our Morning Thoughts Matter
What are the first thoughts that come to mind when you wake up? Here’s a multiple-choice quiz: It’s morning again. My to-do list is a mile long; I don’t know where to begin. Good morning, Lord. Thank You for the gift of a new day. Our thoughts shape our beliefs which in turn influence… [ read more ]
Self-Talk
Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. (NLT) Pause Have you ever listened to the self-talk that runs through your mind? Losing my mobility for several months while living in a three-storey townhouse meant having to hoist myself backwards up fifteen stairs to my bedroom every night…. [ read more ]
A Promise for When You Feel Under Attack
Have you ever felt as though you were under a spiritual attack? I have. More than once. It happened several times immediately prior to overseas ministry trips. I’d be focused on preparing my teaching materials when a certain individual would call and levy accusations against me about something I’d said or done, sometimes years prior…. [ read more ]
Pay Attention to Your Self-Talk
Honestly, I sometimes feel like managing my self-talk is a fulltime job. Unless I keep constant vigil, I catch myself speaking untruths that lead to wasted time worrying or building a wall of self-defense. Why go there? My attitudes, perspectives, and even my relationships are so much healthier when I catch the lies and replace… [ read more ]
Why Our Thoughts About God Matter
The older I get and the more life experience I gather, the more I’m fascinated by the power of the thoughts we habitually entertain. In short, they influence our behaviors, and those behaviors determine our destiny or outcome. Let me give you a personal example of what this looks like. When Sailor-Man and… [ read more ]
5 Ways to Find Calm in Crisis
I receive several emails every day from people in crisis. Circumstances vary, of course, and so does severity, but the crises fall into categories: illness—their own or a loved one’s, spousal betrayal, a child’s struggle with addictions, a breakdown in family relationships, job layoffs, losses from a natural disaster, and more. Isolation is a big… [ read more ]
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