Mental Health Meets Faith
Emotional Abuse: Escaping the Cycle Now, Consistency… I remember what I was thinking about in the final weeks before my wedding. I felt differently than I thought I would feel, but in a good way. The movies and my imagination have always told me that romance and love are strung together with one big moment after another. Everything is sudden and surprising. Everything is always new and exciting. As I prepared to get married, I […]
It has been on my heart for quite a while to write a blog series on dating relationships. As a newly married woman, I feel like I have graduated the dating phase so to speak. Looking back on my experiences, I’d like to talk about toxic/abusive relationship traits versus healthy life-giving relationship traits. I’d like to start by talking about a huge topic, boundaries, mainly physical boundaries. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul writes, “Do you […]
A couple days ago marked the one-month anniversary of being married to my best friend. Two years ago, I remember crying in the back of a church parking lot with my best friend. It was the day I was supposed to get married to someone else. The engagement had fallen through and I had made some bad choices along the way. I found myself in a giant mess trying to piece my heart back together. […]
For this is what the Lord says: “I will extend peace to her like a river…” (Isaiah 66:12) I looked towards the sky above me. I was surrounded by tall rock walls and a canopy of tropical trees. The scene was gorgeous. The warmth of the sun felt heavenly, as I floated along the lazy river. I smiled. The King and I glided through the river on huge inflatable tubes. Mine was bright pink and […]
Lately, I have been studying and reading about the brain. Dr. Caroline Leaf has amazing materials regarding brain science and how it correlates to scripture. Right now, I am reading her book The Perfect You, which I highly recommend. Dr. Leaf speaks a lot about how we always have the power to think, choose and feel. Our brains are very amenable to change. By thinking about what we are thinking about, we have the power […]
With the wind at my back, I make my ascent up the Mountain of Life with my Lion King at my side. We enjoy one another’s companionship through the heat of the day and the cool of the night. Our hearts have become intertwined and with each passing day I feel more free and fully me. Along the way, we encounter the entrance to a cave marked Fear. I hear the whispered hush of voices […]
He leads me into the garden. This garden is my heart. I come carrying seeds. Seeds of dreams, aspirations, cares and all sorts of things that concern me. Each seed carries the potential for growth. Even the challenging seeds and the seeds produced out of places of difficulty, carry within them the potential to grow into something beautiful, if cared for by the right hands. I have fiercely held unto and protected the seeds. Fearing […]
Be still and know that I am God. (Ps. 46:10) Lately, I have been desiring to grow in love in greater measure. I want to love people well. I want love to be the compelling force that drives me in all aspects of my life…family, ministry, relationships, you name it. I don’t want to be driven by a calendar or a checklist of all the things I have to do, in order to be a […]
In just over three months, I am getting married to the sweetest man on the planet. This man accepts me for who I am and loves me totally and completely, flaws and all. He appreciates both the crazy goofy side of me and jumps in the fun, but also takes the time to hear the serious and private matters close to my heart. His love feels like a warm, cozy blanket and I feel at […]
Through our union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in His heart. (Eph. 1:11) One thing I have learned about myself over the last year is just how much I like control. I like to feel like I’m in the driver’s seat of […]