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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Posted: May 7, 2026
“You don’t have an Apple watch?” With a puzzled scowl my friend looked at my empty wrist. “Nope I replied confidently, and I won’t be getting one. Let me explain. There are already too many distractions that take my attention from the important things right in front of me. I don’t need the pressure to respond to yet another message that can wait.” I believe that few things in life are that urgent. Yes, there are a lot of important things to attend to but most of them don’t need our immediate attention. I remember a time when we had one phone in our house and if you weren’t home to answer it. Oh well, you’ll have to try again. We were not prisoners of our digital devices, instead we made time to connect with our eyes and conversations. We shared meals, played games, stopped at each other’s homes for…
Posted in: all alone, alone, Covid-19, emotional triggers, empathy, Encouragement, Families, friends, Friendship, good conversation, happiness needs to be shared, isolated, isolation, laughter, loneliness, loneliness epidemic, loneliness Pandemic, make time for each other, praying with friends, relationships, rhythm, spiritual friendships, vulnerable, we are made for relationships, we need each other, we need heart connections
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Posted: July 7, 2025
An emotional lightning bolt hit me on the golf course. I saw the backside of a man about Jack’s age, wearing a Puma golf hat, with black golf shorts and a blue shirt. That’s exactly what Jack always wore. My heart started to pound; I stopped and couldn’t take my eyes off him. I’m not crazy. Of course I knew it wasn’t Jack. My brain knows Jack died a long time ago. But our grief saturated minds can play powerful tricks on our feelings. The desire to see our loved ones again is so powerful, our hearts become irrational with that deep longing. We’re not crazy we’re just sad. Some smells and sounds trigger emotional responses that are quite shocking. Jack and I had a favorite restaurant which is quite expensive, so we went there only on special occasions. Months after Jack died a family member (who didn’t now it…
Posted in: alone, ask God, breathing, brokenness, circumstances, cry, darkness, death, despair, disappointments, emotional recovery, emotional triggers, empathy, Encouragement, feeling bad, grief affects the brain, grief changes us, grief is lonely, grief is misunderstood, grief is unpredictable, Hope, live one day at a time, Making Wise Choices, Overcoming Struggles, refining process, seasons of darkness, Self-compassion, special kind of love, suffering, take care of your heart, time doesn't heal, trauma, we need each other
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