Imagine being in the middle of a large, dry, lonesome valley. You can’t see any life, or any relief from the scorching sun by day or the pitch black of night. You’re alone, you don’t know how you got here and you don’t see any end to this painful, exhausting, life-depleting valley. As your hope … The Valley of Baca
The general public is aware of some of the manifestations of OCD from the television, such as compulsive fear of germs in the show ”Monk”, but this disorder has many faces and can shift its target issue even in the same person. Some of the ways do not even have external behaviors others can observe. … Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Painful to live with; Easy to Not Reveal
We live in an extremely litigious society, where almost everything needs to be spelled out in legalese to feel secure. But what happens when a marriage seems more like a contract than the covenant God intends? It is always interesting to ask a Christian couple, who are having marital problems, whether their marriage is contractual … Marital Contract vs. Marital Covenant
As parents, we daily face challenges with our children and their behavior. The thought that usually occurs after witnessing our children do something that we find less than desirable— “How can I make this stop?” While that thought may lead you to a good old-fashioned time out, grounding, or loss of a privilege, we need … Changing Your Child’s Behavior Begins By Understanding His Heart
In the world of addiction recovery there is a concept that an addict’s maturity is stunted at the age when he or she begins to use. For example, if a person begins smoking marijuana regularly at age 13, when he begins recovery at age 40, he will have the emotional maturity of a 13 year … Maturity in Addiction Recovery
Have you ever played the game “Telephone”? One person whispers a short story or sentence one time to another person, then that person whispers it to another, and so on until the last person states aloud what he or she heard. During the process, pretty much everything in the story changes. Why does this happen? … I Hear You (I think). Are We Listening?
(This post is from a previous blog posted on ACAC’s blog posts in 2014.) I recently asked someone how an event went for her—she had told me about an upcoming speech she was to give, and had had some anxiety about it. She replied, “Oh, I don’t know. Some people seemed to like it.” With further discussion, … Shame Wears a Mask
It’s been two years since the Disney/Pixar release of the movie Inside Out, a film set inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley. If you haven’t seen it, the main characters are actually Riley’s emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. The movie follows the antics of these 5 emotions as Riley’s family … Acknowledged Emotions are Good Emotions
These two concepts are so important in how we relate to God and how we relate to others because they were so central to Jesus’ heart. In Matthew 22:36-40 the disciples asked Jesus what is the greatest commandment. He answered, “Love God with all your heart and with all your SOUL (how can we love … Emotionally Healthy vs. Spiritually Healthy
Recently I watched 13 Reasons Why, a sad and grim show on Netflix about a girl who kills herself and leaves 13 tapes behind explaining that the reason she did so was because the people in her life failed her. Most of those people are other students at her high school. In response to the … Influence
As I typed the title, the song started in my head. I apologize if it’s now lodged in yours. The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the church in Corinth, reminds us that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Some may view this ministry as evangelistic, or some may see it as … Why Can’t We Be Friends?
Companies go to great lengths to write job descriptions and analyze the psychological profile of a potential hire. But when it comes to choosing a spouse, most of us just wing it and pray it works out. Bill Hybels, in his book Courageous Leadership, outlines three qualities to look for in a potential hire: character, chemistry, … How to Hire the Right Spouse
We all grieve in unique ways—even among loved ones, there can be differences in expressions of grief. Our personalities have much to do with that, as do some cultural influences, including ‘family culture’. This blog is not a detailed 1-2-3 step process of ‘how to grieve’; rather, I would like to suggest ways of marking … How to Grieve–Part 3
As I mentioned in my previous blog, in the realm of counseling, there is a commonly understood process of grief. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was a woman who spent much time researching those in hospice care who were in the process of dying, so that she could learn how we as humans approach death. She identified 5 … The Process of Grief–Part 2
Grieving a loss is a universal experience. We all suffer pain at the loss of someone we love. And no matter how ‘prepared’ you might be (illness, service in war) you are never really ready for the actual experience and ‘finality’ of death. Why does death affect you the way it does? Although you cognitively … Grieving–Part 1