Do you ever feel like God isn’t listening to you? You pray and pray and pray… and NOTHING changes. N O T H I N G. I am profoundly certain that prayer and doubt is one of the enemy’s most effective, tactical weapons in the war for our souls. When we are suffering on any level, when our circumstances are too hard to endure, scripture tells us to pray. So, most of us do; expecting God to relieve us of suffering which renews our hope and provides a perfect church testimony.
Author: Colleen Swindoll Thompson
Faith: The Rugged Truth about Unrelenting Raw Seasons
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 The sky has been dreary for days . . . which has felt more like months. It’s winter. Of the four seasons, winter is my least favorite. Winter days can be monotonously gray. Life and growth continues, but it’s underground […]
A Timeless Lesson from Common Kitchen Items
Do you ever feel like you’re playing the game “whack-a-mole” in life? Before you have time to catch your breath from knocking out an obstacle, another shows up . . . . . . and another . . . and another . . . and then three more at the same time. The following story […]
Tools for Those in Need of Mental Health Support
An Interview with Joe Padilla
Few things are more acutely examined than the human body. Of all its organs, the brain is the most complex. No other organ controls human functioning like the brain. However, what makes the brain totally unique is its connection to our overall well-being. The brain affects how we function physically, emotionally, relationally, personally, and also […]
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Permission to “Not Adult” for Every Caregiver
Today, I am “not adulting.” I am closing the door to everything that has led to being exhausted. Since I have been “doing” for so long, I’ve lost me. “Not Adulting” means: I will not wake up at 3:00 am to see if my child is sleeping or check the medical monitor that will continue […]
Calming Truth When Life Is SO Complicated
His hands were gently folded on his lap as he listened to the sermon. Every morning, my son and his caregiver listen to various sermons on his phone; she patiently helps him find the Bible passage written in large letters. As they listened, I watched his fingers, now long and thin and never still. Jon’s […]
Reframing Interviews: Healing in Mental Health
An Interview with Joe Padilla
Why is mental health in the church not always addressed seriously? Where do those who struggle with a continuing mental health battle go for help? In order to help answer these questions, Joe Padilla started the Mental Health Grace Alliance. After 10 years of fighting personal struggles, Joe developed a life-changing recovery process and wellness […]
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Today I’m Giving Up My “Wish-List”
I looked into my son’s eyes wondering what he was thinking. Most people see him as a young man who is “odd” or “different” even though he appears to be a typical young man. I know him as my 23-year-old son with blue eyes and pale skin, whose life has included a treadmill of specialists […]
Intentional Living: Reframing Our Mind-set
An Interview with Noah Elias
Why does it seem like some people catch all the breaks while others face one challenge after another? Or why does success come to some while others struggle and strive just to make it through one more day? In fact, what does “success” look like to you . . . where you live, what you […]
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Unconditional Acceptance
An Interview with Carol Spencer
It’s on all our minds as we age . . . “Will that be me in 5, 10, or 20 years?” Perhaps you know or love someone who can’t ask that question any longer because he or she can’t remember what to ask. The looming fear about the unknown is connected to the dreadful disease […]
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How Can I Be Thankful for That?
I’ll never forget Thanksgiving Day 2019. I usually treasure family traditions—those few hours or days each year when the noisy clatter of life comes to a halt. Gathering, reflecting, and being present with those I love warms my soul. However, everything about fall, feasting, and festive gatherings was the last thing on my mind. Two […]
I’m Afraid Not—How to Move from Fear to Freedom
An Interview with Patsy Clairmont
Try to wrap your arms around this fact: One in four Americans suffers with long-term mental illness. No one speaks on the subject of mental illness like Patsy Clairmont . . . because she has lived through it. Having struggled for years, Patsy speaks openly, candidly, and truthfully about many aspects of her struggle—including what […]
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