We all have fears. Some of them are healthy. Fear of fire, fast-moving vehicles, and falling from great heights creates caution and keeps us safe. Some fears are debilitating, and limit our lives, such as fear of taking tests, of flying, or of water. Other fears often go unnoticed, lurking in our subconscious. But they…

‘Tis the season to celebrate love. Stores are full of hearts, flowers, and chocolates, all begging us to let them help us express our feelings for someone special. We’re to love our neighbor as ourselves, so this season of love is a good thing. Right? I’m not so sure. Lately, I’ve wondered if we’re celebrating…

When Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem in the week before the crucifixion, He made a scourge, drove the traders and the livestock out of the temple, poured out the money of the money changers, and overthrew the tables (John 2:15). His unexpected actions reminded His followers of Psalm 69:9, “The zeal (jealousy) of your…

“My girlfriend and I worry about different things. One day, I was like, ‘What do you fear the most?’ And she was like, ‘I fear you’ll meet someone else, and you’ll leave me, and I’ll be all alone.’ And she was like, ‘What do you fear the most?’ And I was like, ‘Bears.’” (Comedian Matt…

Every year, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his fight for civil rights and racial equality. As Dr. King led in the movement for equality, he encouraged his followers to use peaceful means, rather than “drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” His wanted us to “be able to…

I received a comment from Marilyn in response to a devotion I wrote for cbn.com, “Embracing Surrender,”. She said she doesn’t believe God sits up in heaven and dreams up hardship to put us through. I agreed that God is not vindictive and doesn’t sit around thinking of ways to make us suffer. I agree…

Conflict is often complicated. Tension lingers, building in intensity, threatening to destroy important relationships. What’s the secret for conflict resolution when tensions continue to build? Often, conflict remains because focus remains on the conflict. We nurture the hurt, the wrong, or the disagreement in our effort to justify ourselves and our position. We rewind through…

It’s that time of year when we review the past year and set goals for the new. Time to make New Year’s resolutions. It’s good to have a new beginning that nudges us to pause and consider where we are and where we want to be. Most resolutions deal with better health by focusing on…

Monday, I blogged about conquering fear through Directing Your Mind on positive things—things that are honorable, lovely, excellent, of good repute and worthy of praise. If we look at the positive things of life instead of at the negative, Paul tells us, that “the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9). But there’s…

In ongoing conversations of the Newtown attack, I continue to hear comments that speak of fear that it could happen to “me.” The tragedy has negative ripple effects far beyond the local community if we allow fear to creep in. The truth is that we can never put in enough laws and safeguards to prevent…