Jesus told a story of a man who had an evil spirit cast out. The evil spirit wandered in the wilderness, then returned to find the man’s soul “empty and swept clean.” The evil spirit gathered seven more spirits worse than himself, returned to the man and he was worse...
In 1997 I spent six nights in a Bay County mental health hospital, the first night in the suicide watch unit, although I had never considered or attempted suicide. For about 2 months I had been plagued with delusions, even hallucinations, and confusion which I tried...
We can do a much better job of dealing with substance abuse if we recognize it is not just a “medical problem, ” as some say. It is also a mental health problem, a spiritual problem and for some it is a moral problem, a financial problem, and a relational...
I had a sweet conversation with someone who shared that she had realized that all these years she’d been reading the Bible in a literal sense only and missing some of its meaning and richness. She said she has begun to recognize that there is spiritual vision...
Mother’s Day remembrances have a way of stirring tender and also sometimes painful memories in hearts. I recall a friend who years ago shared a story about a family member, a young girl, who was a lovely child and very sweet. She was also a child who, like myself, was...
Virtually all of the women who come to us for residential recovery profess faith in Christ. Some have been baptized multiple times. They generally hope ( and some have assurance) that their profession of faith frees them from the penalty of eternity in hell. But...
In counseling with a woman in relapse to drugs she said, “I’m a good person.” That is an attempt to excuse and justify her addiction. Every time I hear that statement the thought occurs, “Compared to whom?” The only standard of comparison for a believer is Christ....
I have many times observed the dual nature of fire. Rightly controlled and contained to accomplish particular tasks, it is tremendous tool for humanity…….smelting iron ore, refining precious metals, cooking, heating a home, as well as in in the production of many...
Pondering “fire”…… I was at a restaurant with a couple of Titus 2 ladies at lunch and a woman with her back to me at the next table had a tee-shirt that said, “Be what God created you to be and set the world on fire.” It reminded me...
Like the unamed “rich young ruler” in the Gospels, anything one is unwilling to surrender for the sake of following Christ becomes the source and basis of one’s identity…….. and is her true god. It may be a relationship, material security, vanity, sexuality,...
