It’s unfortunately common to hear that church is one of the hardest places to be in the midst of hardship. Maybe you have limped into church, weighed down by things like sadness, fear, or disappointment. Yet the place you hoped to find healing and refuge left you feeling hurt and alone. As the body of Christ joined together in praise, you felt dislocated in your pain.... continue reading
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." They were strong, kind words that cut through the chaos of my turbulent mind and whispered grace and peace and hope to my weary soul when I really needed them.... continue reading
Have you ever been led to feel as though your pain is just a tool to God? Perhaps others have praised the fruit of any difficult times you have experienced, but your battle-scars are left unacknowledged and untended in the light of the good they have brought about. Maybe, you think, you shouldn’t mind them as much as you do. ... continue reading
Beautifully illustrated and empathetically written, Count Yourself Calm walks children through a calming activity that focuses their attention on God and helps them to manage their emotions. Read on to learn the story behind this unique resource and to peek inside.... continue reading
As Christians, it can be tempting to self-isolate in our mental-health struggles. We sometimes feel that we should have it all together so we can better serve our church family. But while it is important to cling to our joy in the Lord, it’s equally important to recognize and seek help in our struggles as we do so. ... continue reading
As concerns with mental health continue to grow, it can be useful to understand mental health better. However understanding, in and of itself, is not enough. We still need to wrestle with the question: what, as a church, can we do to help those who are suffering? Or maybe, even, what should we do to help those in our congregations who are finding life hard? Before exploring ways to help, there are two important things to note:... continue reading
Struggles with mental health are on the rise. Anxiety, depression and many other diagnoses besides are becoming increasingly common in our congregations and communities. All of us will know someone who is finding life desperately hard. Many of us reading right now will know the awfulness of a persistent low mood or a relentless fear that taints every day. ... continue reading
Do you want to cultivate good spiritual habits but avoid soul-crushing guilt and shame when it all comes crashing down five days into your new plan?
Me too!
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For the first time in ministry, I was genuinely tempted to close up my heart. I told myself I would love the church, counsel the church, pray for the church, and preach the gospel to the church as best as I could, but I would no longer befriend the church. Friends would be found elsewhere.... continue reading
There will be a day when every child of God will be invited to the one funeral that we will all want to attend: we will be invited to the funeral of death.
Yes, it really is true—death will die and eternally be no more. Along with it will die all the grief, pain, fear, sadness, suffering, and loss that death always drags with it. The completely righteous life of Jesus, the acceptable sacrifice of Jesus, and the victorious resurrection of Jesus, all accomplished on our behalf, guarantee that the enemy of everyone living—death—will finally and forever die.... continue reading
