Pastoral Reflection on Overcoming the Bondage of Shame “I’m not good enough.”“Everyone will find out how flawed I am.”“I always mess things up.”“No one could ever love me if they knew the real me.”“I’m a failure.”“I deserve to feel this way.”“Why can’t I be like everyone else?”“I’m a burden to others.”“I’ll never be able to…
Psychobabble and Christian Fanaticism: Bridging Faith and Therapy
Integrating Theology and Psychology for Holistic Healing For years, my impression of mental health was negative. It was packed in my training for ministry in both spoken and indirect ways. Mostly, the conversations that centered on mental health or therapy became either mockery or rebuke of spiritual maturity. In 2007, the mental health load crashed…
The Paradox of Power: Leadership as Servitude in the Example of Christ
“What is a leader?” This question, seemingly simple, provokes a cascade of images and ideals. Is a leader the loudest voice in the room, the one with the most charisma? Perhaps it’s the individual wielding the greatest power, or the one with unmatched skills and talents? These common images suggest that leadership is about dominating,…
Get to the Root of Us | Identity in Christ
In the quiet solitude of reflection, beneath the surface of our daily hustle, lies the fertile soil of our being—our Root. This isn’t just a place; it’s a sanctuary where our deepest truths whisper to us, gently or sometimes with urgency. Each of us carries within us this Root, dense with the tangled threads of…
God’s Unfailing Love: Embracing Grace in the Depths of Our Sin
In exploring the depths of God’s love and grace, it’s essential to articulate theological concepts accurately to avoid misunderstandings. A recent misstatement I made, “The worse you are the more he loves you,” could be misconstrued in ways that might suggest a theological error—that God’s love is dependent on our sinful actions, perhaps even encouraging…
Repentance Is and Is Not…
Repentance, from the Greek word “μετάνοια” (metanoia), signifies a profound change of mind—reshaping one’s inner disposition towards God and recognizing the completed work of Jesus Christ as the sole basis for salvation. This essay explores each New Testament reference to repentance, elucidating its true meaning beyond common misinterpretations that equate it with turning from sins…
Help. Unbelief Wrecks Marriages, and It Looks Like This
“What God Has Joined, Let No One Separate” — Yet we do this ourselves… In marriage, the journey toward deep and lasting intimacy is often fraught with behaviors that inadvertently create barriers between partners, causing strife, hardship, emotional tears in the fabric of love, and resentment. Recognizing and addressing these patterns is crucial, as they…
Drowning to Live | A Poem
A poetic reflection on a year gone by, much has changed, life is worth living. Fighting toward the surface, the water seemed to move through me. Struggling, feeling my mind going light, dark, then dizzy. I needed air. I couldn’t move. The pressure around me pushed into me like the blackness of a thousand souls…
Unchain the Gospel: Defying Christian Nationalism
TL;DR: Key Points from the Article Among the contemporary landscape of faith and politics, the fusion of Christian nationalism with the spiritual teachings of Christianity presents a profound challenge to the authentic application of scripture. As the tendrils of national identity intertwine with religious beliefs, a crucial question emerges: How can Christians navigate the complex…
If You Are Not the Man…
Journal Entry: April 24, 2024 Today, in talking with a client who kept going on about his ideas and why they wouldn’t ever come to light, I said, “It’s not as much about the ideas as the aptitude. If you are NOT the man, you will not perform like him.” This insight struck a chord…