“Do not worry… Do not worry… Do not worry…” The Psalmist repeats his counsel three times in Psalm 37. (vv 1, 7, 8) Just like Jesus did in Matthew 6. (vv 25, 31, 34) “Do not worry.” This is not the empty reassurance of “Don’t worry. Be happy!” The Bible never advises denial of emotion. The…
At the beginning of our marriage, Kristi and I were both working full-time jobs and going to graduate schools in psychology. Obviously, we didn’t have a lot of free time to be together. But we were very much in love as you can see in this picture taken in 1985! When we did have time…
You long to be pursued in love. So do I. “How are you… really? What do you need? What are you hoping for? How can I pray for you?” When someone expresses genuine personal interest in you, it is healing. When you open up to grace, it is life-giving. But somewhere along the line we…
The Enneagram is the rage, but most people don’t know how to use it. We coach pastors, leaders, and church groups in their personal growth and ministry effectiveness and the Enneagram is the best personality assessment tool we’ve seen. That’s why we’re doing a whole series of podcasts and blogs on its spiritual and psychological benefits. Here…
When we tell Mary’s part in the Christmas story it’s easy to idealize her. It’s as if she had such great faith in the word of the Lord, even as a young woman, that all she needed was God. It was Mary and God, alone in a world of people who scorned her — even…
To become like Jesus we need to befriend his emotions. It’s important to appreciate that Jesus is a feeler who experiences and expresses deep and vivid emotions about many things in life. Jesus is a feeler? You may disagree with us. Most Christian leaders today seem to. Early in my (Bill) life and ministry, I…
Yes, according to Jesus! He blesses you and calls you into ministry: “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). We may think being salt and light means preaching sermons or trying to convert people to our faith. Actually, it’s more like what we call “Soul Shepherding.”…
Like many people in ministry, I grew up without the language of emotions. I discovered this in my college class on Christian Counseling. When my professor asked if anyone wanted to be her Teacher’s Aid I practically leaped out of my seat! I wanted to be mentored by her! The first time I went to…
For most of my life until about age 40 I struggled with anxiety. Almost nobody knew it because I hid it and because much of the time I was listening to them talk. But, inside my mind circled with worries, my stomach churned, and my bowels were irritated. Others did notice that I was really serious…
Emotions get a bad rap in many of our Christian circles today. They’re vulnerable and get broken. They’re messy and don’t look right. We prefer thinking, analysis, doctrine, and three steps to a better life. “Believe and do what’s right,” is the typical message for how to follow Jesus and grow spiritually. “Emotions are the…