Emotional abuse is real and painful. If ongoing, it can have a detrimental effect on your body and soul. Understanding emotional trauma biblically is vital, which is why the term “emotional abuse” is misleading, unhelpful, and sub-biblical. The Bible has a better way of thinking… Continue Reading …
Counseling abuse situations is challenging. The temptations to succumb to bad strategies are numerous. One of those is teaching the abused to fake strength to prove to their abuser that gaslighting and manipulation have no power. It’s an attractive facade of a defense that further… Continue Reading …
Trials and disappointment are two unexpected ways the Lord blesses our lives. It’s a challenging way to think, but you know it’s true to the Bible’s narrative. The tension is that in those times in our lives where circumstances mount to such a degree, we… Continue Reading …
Anger from a parent complicates a child’s heart regardless of the content, tone, or direction of their anger. Because all children crave love and protective care, a parent’s anger will disrupt their hope, and if the parent does not change, it will send the child… Continue Reading …
It’s possible to let your thoughts run to places that are not redemptive during frustrating and disappointing times. We are in those times. The two primary strongholds are fear and anger. Fearfulness captures too many of us in dire situations while others respond angrily at… Continue Reading …
Is it possible to get to the point in your spiritual life where external things do not control you internally? The Bible says it is possible, but only through the portal of adversity. This truth is what Paul was hoping the Philippians would learn. Listen… Continue Reading …
The angry heart does not have to direct its frustration toward anyone to complicate that relationship. Of course, you can be mad with someone, and it will damage your redemptive goals with them. But whether you have a general condition of anger or you go… Continue Reading …
The Internet is an angry place. It’s one of the sadder revelations about the Internet period in church history to see how it has become a context to put our sinful hearts on full display before the world. Revealing my wicked heart is not a… Continue Reading …
Daniel Berger and I talked about the word victim and how many biblical counselors are abusing the term, which has led to insufficient care within the biblical counseling movement ranks. Daniel told me the word victim comes from the Latin root vicarious, which means taking… Continue Reading …
Imperfect people steward neither blessings nor trials well. As Martin Luther said, we are curved inward on ourselves, meaning that self-interest rather than God’s glory or others’ good is what generally rules us, causing us to respond poorly to virtually everything that happens to us.… Continue Reading …