Mental Health Meets Faith
2023 is finally here! With the start of each new year, come many resolutions, goals, habits we want to kick and projects we want to start. However, most of us have had the experience of setting all of our lofty goals before the ball drops at midnight, only to find our resolutions broken by mid-January. So, what gives? So much of this has to do with the way we approach our goals. For many of us, we have set […]
One thing I have learned from my clinical therapy experience is that the phones tend to ring as the cold weather settles in and the rush of the holiday season commences. There is something about this season, though wonderful, that can usher in feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety and amplify already tense relational and familial circumstances.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isa. 61:3) When I think about the woman that I desire to be, rooted is a word that resonates deeply with me. When the storms of life come (and they do), my desire is to be a woman whose roots are dug so deep that I am ultimately unshakeable. I recognize that throughout our lives, every storm, trial, or […]
Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isa. 7:14) It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And yet somewhere amid all the Holiday bustle, the gift wrapping and last-minute Christmas shopping, it can be easy to get so wrapped up in the chaos that we forget to truly celebrate the things worth cherishing in our lives. In the mental health […]
To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (Isa. 61:3) Beauty, joy, praise…. would you say these words describe some of the core ingredients of your life, as it stands today? I can recall long seasons of my life where I felt these words were far from me. There have been times in my life that […]
I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Ps. 139:14) I have a love hate relationship with food. I enjoy food, all types of food. Savory, sweet and everything in between. Food is a favorite study companion and comforter in times of stress. Food is the perfect add-on to any special occasion and really any occasion at all. Food is the perfect entertainment in times of boredom or on a rainy day. However, […]
I have just returned from a much-needed vacation with my husband. Some breaks feel like a luxury and are nice to have. Others are badly needed. This break belonged in the second category for me. This season finds me in the last year of my grad program, the first semester of an off-site internship, and various other responsibilities and opportunities. It’s a truly good season, albeit a busy and stressful one. In this season, I am learning about my limitations. I […]
After getting engaged, I can remember several people telling me that the first year of marriage was the hardest. They communicated this with intense eyes and a tone of voice that said buckle up. More than two years have come and gone and looking back I can honestly say that first year was one of the best years of my life. The first year is such a sweet time of setting the foundation that will carry you through […]
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. (Isa 61:1) Jesus read these words in a synagogue on the Sabbath in his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19). According to the scripture, He read these words not long after he was […]
Where are all my readers at out there? I was always the kid who loved to read and would choose a good book any day over riding bikes or kicking a ball. And while I have less time for reading these days, with the demands of work, studying and just general life, I still try to find time to read whenever I get a chance. For all my book lovers out there, here are some […]