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The Gift of Receiving

“’Tis the season…” is one of the most common phrases we hear during the Christmas holidays. By the way, why do we only use “’tis” this time of year? It’s a perfectly good contraction. I think I’ll start a trend by using it more often. ‘Tis trending now! Sorry, ‘twas a rabbit trail. Anyhow, we The Gift of Receiving

5 Things to say to a friend who experiences anxiety during the Coronavirus pandemic

1. “Of course you are!”– VALIDATION- Because the current state of the world is enough to make anyone’s brain respond in a protective way. 2. “Tell me more.” – EMPATHY- Even when you don’t know what to say, you can open the door to sharing in their experience. 3. “I’m with you in it.”– SUPPORT- 5 Things to say to a friend who experiences anxiety during the Coronavirus pandemic

Winning the Gold!

I love the winter Olympics! Well, actually I really only love the figure skating events, although I do follow some of the other sports because NBC makes me wait while they move back and forth through the different events. I have especially fallen in love with the ice dancing and the pairs skating over the Winning the Gold!

Adding Peace to Our Pace

We live in a culture that values multitasking, packed schedules, achievement, and speed. And we get bonus points when we don’t “need” a lot of sleep to make it all happen. Most of us have probably asked someone how they are doing and the response is, “busy!” Even when we bemoan how full our schedules Adding Peace to Our Pace

True God and Our Becoming Selves

I find myself reacting today to a familiar Evangelical concept: “The idea that we can tolerate sin in our lives while we enjoy fellowship with God is a direct contradiction[1]” (p. 77).  I grieve about this awful mischaracterization of the Biblical God that drives a wedge of distance between us and him. Consider this picture True God and Our Becoming Selves

Anger: A Secondary Emotion

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, anger is defined as “a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism.” Within the definition of anger, it is explained that anger is a secondary emotion to a primary emotion, such as: fear, embarrassment, disrespected, confusion, sadness, scared, etc. However, in our culture, we see anger portrayed quite often Anger: A Secondary Emotion

Alone At Christmas

Carol Landfried Picture

Christmas is a time to get together with family and friends and fun and food – at least that’s what the media is telling us in movies and TV commercials. And we all know how accurately they portray real life! The truth is, our Christmas experiences might be very far removed from what the media Alone At Christmas

Avoiding Infection

Last spring I cut my thumb on a food processor blade and had to get stitches. The cut was a rainbow shaped wound which, with the stitches in, looked like the upward looking shark of the original “Jaws” poster! I was sent home with a list of precautions to avoid infection. Infection complicates and delays Avoiding Infection