Mental Health

The ability to reframe anxiety is a personal growth tool that works wonders. Here’s how I’ve used it to do book signings, become friends with strangers, speak at events, and even deliver sermons.

How to Reframe Anxiety for Personal Growth

The ability to reframe anxiety is a vital personal growth tool that we - introverts and otherwise - should seek to master. Having spent most of my life being an anxious and nervous person, this took me a look time, and I am still working on it. But the progress so far...

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I can’t help wondering if there is a direct link between anxiety and introverts. The more I think about it, the more I believe it to be true. And, as a classic introvert, I am of course thinking about it – often.

Introvert Anxiety Triggers – It’s a Thing!

I can’t help wondering if there is a direct link between anxiety and introverts. The more I think about it, the more I believe it to be true. And, as a classic introvert, I am of course thinking about it – often. A while back, I wrote a post titled “Okay, You’re an...

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J.M. Nouwen’s life embodied meditation - deep and thoughtful consideration that sought not an empty mind, but one filled with God’s content. By filling it with the right content, and focusing seriously upon the kingdom of God within us, we can allow God’s spirit to master and transform us.

Daily Meditation and Spiritual Living: Review of You Are Beloved by Henri J.M. Nouwen

The word “meditation” stirs up many concepts, perceptions and thoughts when it’s said aloud. In fact, many Christians who fear allowing thoughts that might possibly dilute what they believe will balk at the word. However, the concept of meditation is a Biblical one....

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Some people are seeking God in the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and personal Strife. He reveals himself not in the storm, but in the gentle whisper outside of it. If we genuinely are seeking God, we will come to know him as something more than an orchestrator of disaster and ruin.

Seeking God in Catastrophe and the Stillness After the Storm

When bad things happen, people often begin intentionally seeking God. I have thought a lot about that in the context of I Kings as hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires are ravaging many lands. And, even as this is happening, citizens of the United States are...

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A quitter knows the straight path can lead to a stale life, a misguided sense of priorities and keep us from becoming who we are meant to be.

Sometimes it Pays to be a Quitter

Quitter. It’s such a nasty little word. I am sure - like me - when you hear it, you immediately think to the refrains of “quitters never prosper.” Or perhaps, “quitters never win.” That’s advice that is well-intentioned, but perhaps is misguided. Looking back on my...

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A balanced life is not an impossible ideal. Here’s some resources on focus, what it takes, and living Biblically while seeking a balanced life.

A Biblically Balanced Life – 7 Posts for Perspective and Wisdom

Gaining and having a balanced life is not an impossible goal. Of course, it’s not easy. It requires a lot of intentional focus and Biblical wisdom. Continuing in our Year of Listening up, here’s 7 resources. They'll show us how to focus, what it takes, and living...

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Gaining a Heart of Wisdom – a Review of Street Smarts from Proverbs by Mitch Kruse

What does a life marked by wisdom look like? Does wisdom just happen, or must it be intentionally pursued? How is wisdom best applied in one’s life? What the heck is the purpose of wisdom? These are all questions I've personally pondered and they all are addressed in...

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When your life balance is teetering, spiraling, fluctuating, and doing whatever it does for creating unbalanced realities, prayer to the one who restores should be our first action.

The Life Balance Myth and What You Can Do About it

Balance, life balance in particular, is something I am personally pondering during most of my days. It’s something I’m always aspiring toward and am always hoping to achieve for many reasons. Yet balance, life balance in particular, eludes me. I have pursued it in...

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Veggie Tales had a legendary rise and just as legendary fall. Phil Vischer, through the experiences of it all, learned about setting our motives rightly on God and serving God’s will over our own. It’s a lesson he takes into his second act, focusing on deeper discipling and inspiring focused ministry.

How Phil Vischer’s Second Act Rises Above the Loss of Veggie Tales

As my home church was launching a young disciple's study from Veggie Tales creator, Phil Vischer, I was reminded of his Vischer’s own tale. It’s one of brokenness, challenge, triumph, defeat, loss, sorrow, regret, and coming back. I thought more about it and concluded...

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