Blog: ask questions

Feeling Offended-by Heidi McLaughlin

Posted: October 9, 2026

Yes, I get offended. I still live in a human body that feels pain—one that recoils when I am misunderstood or when someone attacks my character. Is that sinful or wrong? No. God gave us feelings as a dashboard, helping us recognize how we respond to life. The question is: What will I do with this ugly emotion? If I hold on to the offense and remain angry, resentment can grow into bitterness. And bitterness is like a weed in the heart, choking out love, grace, and forgiveness. That is when it becomes sinful. Then it becomes sinful. The Bible clearly tells us: “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15). Bitterness is dangerous. It not only defiles my heart; it can also become a toxin that infects those around me. So…

Posted in: accusations, anger, angry, ask questions, be a blessing, betrayal, bitterness, blessings, break free, celebrate instead of compare, Christ in us, communicate, Conflict, confront conflict, crisis, decisions, disappointments, do the hard work, do the right thing, emotional abuse, emotional triggers, feeling bad, fighting, Finding Truth, forgive one another, Forgiveness, Freedom, God's love, grace, healing, love, Making Wise Choices, misunderstood, Offenses, Overcoming Struggles, power of words, Resentment, selfishness, set free, take care of your heart, toxic relationships

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Courage for Authentic Relationships – by Heidi McLaughlin

Posted: June 5, 2026

We all long for “heart connection” relationships—places where we can finally exhale, where we don’t have to impress or pretend. Places where we can be what I call “spiritually naked and unashamed.” Yes, the kind of relationship where we don’t have to hide the unpolished parts of ourselves or cover our fears and struggles behind a carefully orchestrated mask. Masks protect us from rejection but also genuine connection. Throughout Scripture, God is always inviting people into something deeper—something more intimate. He never asks us to bring our perfected selves; instead, He welcomes us as we are. David’s honest laments, desperate pleadings, and even his anger before God, along with Peter’s failures, reveal a God who meets His people in their weakness and lovingly draws them into deeper, more authentic relationship. So how do we do this? This quest for authenticity? First of all, we have to want it. Authentic relationships…

Posted in: ask questions, authentic, be a blessing, beauty and joy, Best friends, circle of friends, Commitment, community, companionship, courage, don't give up, empathy, Encouragement, find the simple joys, Finding Truth, finding yourself, friends, Friendship, girlfriends, good conversation, happiness, happiness needs to be shared, happy heart, honesty, how do you spell LOVE, hugs, intentionality, Kindness, laughter, Lifter-uppers, Listening, love lives here, make time for each other, mutuality, one-another, Prayer deepens relationships, Praying divides our burdens, praying with friends, relationships, spiritual friendships, Understanding each other, vulnerable, we are made for relationships, we need each other

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Your Inner Circle-by Heidi McLaughlin

Posted: December 17, 2024

There are moments and words that impact us profoundly and change our way of thinking and life. One of those times was when best selling author Gordon MacDonald spoke at our church on his book A Resilient Life. What stuck with me was on his chapter of friendships and challenging us to have an “inner circle” of friends who will help us finish well. After his presentation I spent some time with him and we continued that deeply satisfying conversation. The process starts with honest conversations. Within the next week I put Gordon’s words into action. I contacted three friends and arranged to meet them for breakfast once a month. We continued these lovely times of intimately sharing our lives, our joys and disappointments. Around that same time I also asked two other women to join me for a Bible Study and we continued these beautiful connecting times for over…

Posted in: accumulate experiences, adventure, all alone, ask for help, ask God, ask questions, authentic, be a blessing, Best friends, blessings, Christmas joy, circle of friends, companionship, Covid-19, Forgiveness, friends, Friendship, girlfriends, growing old, happiness needs to be shared, honesty, introvert, loneliness, make time for each other, Prayer deepens relationships, relationships, resilience, resilient, spiritual friendships, we are made for relationships, we need each other

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REBUILDING TRUST-by Heidi McLaughlin

Posted: November 9, 2023

It feels like we’ve lost trust the last few years. Trust in our relationships, workplaces and churches. Because I’m a curious person I’ve felt this for some time and it was affirmed to me in the last Global Leadership Summit in October of this year. Craig Groeschel, pastor of Life Church hit it out of the park with his opening keynote session on trust.  It gripped my heart as he affirmed what I’ve been feeling for some time. The loss of trust. I think most of who listened to this nodded as well. He said that to rebuild trust we need: transparency + empathy + consistency=trust. Wow that hit me. Over the past few years it seems we’ve split into camps through Covid, politics, the state of the world and our daily interactions. I think one thing missing out of that formula is TIME. We need to make time to…

Posted in: adversity, ask question s, ask questions, authentic, betrayal, Communication, companionship, confront conflict, consistency, Differences, empathy, Expectations, Friendship, honesty, Listening, trust, Understanding each other, unity, vulnerable, walk in my shoes

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