You may feel like God is mean when you read particular Bible passages. The story of Job in the Old Testament is designed to renew our heartfelt image of a loving God. Job was one of the most righteous people in history. It seems he’s especially blessed by God with health, wealth, and a large…
If God seems angry and unkind you may need to re-map your brain through loving relational engagements that improve your self-image. Scientific research shows that our gut-level beliefs about God change our brain circuits. When we worship the true God with our hearts it activates brain pathways and turns on higher brain regions that help…
Brennan Manning’s relapse with alcohol left him in a gutter. The best-selling Christian author and retreat leader hit bottom again. His clothes were in tatters. His face was unshaven and his eyes were bloodshot. His belly was bloated. His body reeked with rancid odor. He was clutching his last ounces of vodka. “My marriage is…
The warmth of God’s presence can be elusive. In his secret journal, Henri Nouwen is vulnerable about a dark season in which he couldn’t feel God’s love. He’d helped millions of other people around the world into a more tender and intimate experience with God, but he was in a Dark Night of the Soul.…
Many Christians are stunted in their spiritual growth because they don’t understand or express their deep emotions and desires. As pastors, ministry leaders, caregivers, or parents we may get so busy or so focused on other people that we become disconnected from our own emotions and needs. But being self-aware is crucial to our abilities…
Sometimes I go to monasteries for spiritual retreats and attend some of the prayer services with the Catholic monks where they chant the Psalms. One time at Mass when I went up to the front for the Eucharist the priest shook his head and frowned, indicating that it was not okay for me as a…
During the fourteen years that I was fasting from publishing books, Kristi and I were on a retreat with a group of church leaders. As I was quiet and still before God, some inner emotions surfaced and I became aware of feeling inadequate and deficient. I felt I was not doing enough with my life:…
For your work or ministry to be most effective you need to experience satisfaction in Christ as you do it. We’re designed to live in the Psalm 23 journey in which we testify happily, “My cup overflows!” Dallas Willard showed us this. Kristi and I are so thankful for the spiritual mentor and friend that…
There is one soul care practice you especially need. Incorporating this spiritual discipline into your routine will bless you greatly and help your personality to flourish. You discover your key soul care exercise when you learn your Enneagram intelligence center or spiritual IQ (usually called your triad). Last week in our Soul Shepherding blog and podcast we talked about…
You have a spiritual IQ that is brilliant and powerful, but it’s largely hidden to you. As we’ve been sharing in our recent series of blogs and podcasts, in Soul Shepherding we use the Enneagram as a coaching tool to help you understand your personality and how you can grow in the grace of Christ…