Most Christians understand that salvation changes our eternity. We know we're forgiven, justified, and reconciled to God through faith in Christ. Yet many of us struggle to understand how the gospel speaks to Wednesday morning temptations, recurring sins, discouragements, and doubts. We believe Christ saved us, but we often live as though growth in holiness depends primarily on our own effort. When we fail, we become discouraged. When we succeed, we become self-reliant. We kn

Peace |pes| noun. a freedom from disturbance; tranquility This week, I was far from undisturbed. My daughter is taking a lifeguarding course in the city and my dad had graciously offered to take her. There were storm watches in place all day, but only as they drove these supercells took shape. They arrived safely, but my dad remained in the parking lot, watching dark clouds move toward them, even as they rotated (a tornado had already been sighted 40 miles away). As I cared f

How free are you with your tears? Some of us are much more comfortable with them than others. But even as they flow, we apologize, we're stricken with shame and vulnerability, thus hiding ourselves away, as though they're a signal of weakness, a banner of defeat or a judgment of immaturity. In Free to Weep: Finding the Courage to Grieve and Embracing the God Who Heals, Brittany Allen shows us there's no need to minimize our tears, for when we do we're robbing "ourselves of th

One of the more surprising moments in counselling happens when I ask about physical health. Sleep, exercise, diet. There’s often a pause, sometimes even confusion. What does that have to do with anxiety? But over time, it becomes clear that how we care for our bodies shapes far more than we tend to admit. Many of us have been taught to think of the Christian life as something that happens primarily in the heart and mind. We focus on beliefs, and spiritual disciplines, while t