Women - You Can't Have It Both Ways

Well can I just say…it’s middle age white women (as well as women of all ages, all over the world) who have suffered the pain of pornography and the dehumanization and objectification of women…women whose marriages have crumbled, who have been sexually assaulted and who have been dismissed as not being seen for their intelligence or contribution. Women who have been told they aren’t “perfect enough,” as they have been compared to images that aren’t even real. 

Do You Suffer from Hurry Sickness?

Based on our individual personalities and makeup, we all have different Orientations to Time.  Never heard of this?  Think of Orientation to Time as a type of filter through which we process, plan, envision, shop, negotiate, even budget. Some function in the world from a place of the PAST – taking into account all that has been.  Others operate in the PRESENT – dealing with what has been dealt. Then there are those, like me, who are orientated to the FUTURE, always planning and dreaming about what can be (can I hear a “whoop whoop!” for Enneagram 8’s?).

How to Finish 2019 with No Regrets

Too often, when we spend time with those we love the most, we behave in ways we like the least. What can we do to regain our power to be healthy and finish 2019 with no regrets? Listen to this powerful 1 1/2 minute video to find out!

Weekly Challenge - Dismantling False Belief #1

Throughout our lives, we pick up false beliefs that actually affect our soul and well-being, preventing us from moving ahead. For the next 4 weeks, we will dismantle 4 Core False Beliefs, replacing them with 4 Truths that will set us up for the life we desire!

Is God Really Good?

As a follower of Christ, believer, pastor, pastor’s wife and truth seeker, I’ve wrestled on and off with these question for years.  While my mind believed and my mouth confessed of God’s goodness, in an effort to live an honest and authentic life, I’ve been forced to admit that  at times I wrestle with the validity of this broken declaration. That although His goodness was definitely evident, glimpses of Him are sometimes accompanied by times of discouragement, heartache, disappointment, even perceived abandonment, in which authentically owning the belief that He was good, has limped at best.  

Seven Signs of a Weary Soul

In this demanding, over-stimulated and over-scheduled world in which we live, Soul Weariness is epidemic. It’s destroying lives, families, careers and churches in its wake.  Anxiety, loss of enjoyment of life, and depression are the result.  Many are just hanging on, when they want to move ahead. Some are in a deep rut, or even paralyzed, as clarity of purpose and vision have vanished. With this in mind, how do you know if you are Soul Weary?  What are the symptoms?  And once identified, what do you do?  

The One Word Answer to Our Differences

Recently, I was a bit taken back by the Facebook post of a former high school classmate. I believed it to be more profound than could be understood at first glance, causing me to mull it over for a couple of days. It made me want to have a conversation regarding the deeper meaning.  Some may have thought it was just simply sweet.  I thought it was more than that. 

Above this picture of two happy, handsome, middle-aged men – one black, the other white - were these words written by Bryan Pittman:

Braving the Wild of Relationships

I come from the belief (and experience) that friendships can be really, really good…or so troublesome that they make you want to hightail it to somewhere off the Appalachian Trail, completely off the grid, and live a life of total and complete solitude without TV, social media or Diet Dr. Pepper.  It’s that’s serious. 

How to Increase Your Self Awareness

I hadn’t asked myself what I wanted in life, my marriage, my pursuits, and as a woman in…well, maybe never. It seemed as if I had always piggy-backed on other people’s wants, needs and desires.  As a good Christian wife and mother, isn’t that was I was supposed to do?

When Time Management No Longer Works

There I was again – too much to do and too little time to do it.  Honestly, it seemed to be the story of my life these past months.  You’d think with the kids grown and gone; I’d be getting more - not less - done.  In the past it wasn’t a problem. I was practical a machine!  Being someone with what seemed to be endless energy, each day would begin with a mental, or better yet, written list of all that needed to be accomplished. I always knew how much I could get done, almost down to the minute. I considered myself to a Time Management Master.

No More Christian Shame Vortex - The Beauty of a Broken Hallelujah

What is this source of conflict between frustration and exhaustion that happens when we attempt to muster with every bit of our strength, an offering to give to God that, by our standards, is both flawless and acceptable? Then when we fail (as we inevitably do), we spiral down the “Christian Shame Vortex”, giving up completely.  “It’s useless.  I just don’t have what it takes. I can’t get this thing right.”