I had just hopped on the treadmill, my one-hour reprieve when Jon was little. Music flooded my ear buds as I picked up the pace. All was well. I glanced at the TV to see the morning news . . . typical drama. The screen was split. On one side was the news anchor, and […]
Category: Grief/Encouragement
Hope That Will Never Let You Down
Her husband softly kissed her forehead, then let go of her hand as her hospital bed was moved into the operating room. For six hours, her family waited . . . and waited. Eventually, the surgeon emerged from the operating room and confirmed the surgery had gone very well. In the months that followed, the […]
When You Get Blindsided by “It”
The x-ray displaying the neck and skull on the computer screen was enormous. While waiting in the surgeon’s examination room, I studied the image of the contorted structure. The saying goes, “Someone always has it worse”—well, this someone had it worse: the neck curved in the wrong direction, and a small kink at the base […]
The Significance of Setbacks
An Interview with Mike Foster
If you have ever felt put down, embarrassed, or discredited by what you had no control over, you are not alone. This world loves to parade the “perfect” and “popular,” causing most of us to hide our flaws and imperfections. Mike Foster knows this all too well. What started as a spectacular day on the […]
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5 Timeless Choices When Life Sucker-Punches You
It was 5:25 a.m. My phone sounded more like a firecracker on the Fourth of July than the quiet I usually expect that early in the morning. The buzzing, ringing, dinging, and vibrating could have woken the heavens, but thankfully, our God does not slumber or sleep (Psalm 121:4)—a truth that brought peace when I […]
How to Persevere through Punctures to Your Perfect Life
Do you ever feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or simply exhausted with life? Not long ago, I did. The Cares of This World I had taken Jon, my son with disabilities, to three doctor appointments. Each appointment lasted more than two hours and ended with the recommendation that we see other specialists. There was a list of […]
The Joy of Painful Growth
[guestpost]This article is by my dad, Chuck Swindoll.[/guestpost] In our backyard in California, Cynthia and I had a couple of fruit trees that supplied our table with luscious, homegrown grapefruits and oranges. Some years, the trees bore more fruit than others. And every year, the growth of those trees reminded me about what it means […]
Revolutionary Actions That Remove Regret and Renew Relationships
Shortly before midnight, my phone rang. I answered, expecting to hear her cheerful, optimistic voice. Instead, her tone was shaky, almost robotic as she spilled the shocking events of her evening. Her dad—one of our closest family friends, a pillar of faith in the community, a mentor to many, a man determined to help the […]
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Healing
Needed: Mercy and Grace from Those We Love
I often wonder what it would be like to get through one day without a jolt of terror running through my veins. One day without experiencing an off-the-chart startled response would be heavenly. A soft knock on my office door or my husband’s gentle kiss to wake me in the morning can cause me to […]
Illusions: The Danger of Believing What Is Absolutely Not True
Was the dress white with gold lace or blue with black lace? The jury’s still out on this one. In 2015, the Internet exploded over one dress. Or shall I say the color of one dress. Lies We Believe A wedding attendee shared with a few friends a photo, asking about the color of the […]
How to Find the Upside When Life Lets You Down
It can take immense work and strength to find anything remotely positive in an awful situation. Years ago, my dad and brothers planned a wild adventure: a hunting trip in one of the most inaccessible parts of Alaska . . . The Downside While my idea of bonding is shopping for fabulous shoes or choosing […]
“The Dog Ate My Homework” and Other Dumb Excuses We Need to Dump NOW
After three years of marriage, my daughter and son-in-law found a little “fixer-upper” and asked me to help them fix it up. They know I’m all about DIY stuff, especially when I see the miraculous things people do when they flip houses on TV. Those hour-long, “trash-to-treasure” shows appeal to my creative side. I couldn’t […]