Helpful and practical articles about your relationship with your God, self, spouse, children, and community. Posts focus on marriage, parenting, counseling, growth, sex and sexuality, intimacy, church, spirituality, theology, and therapy in light of a biblical framework and current psychological research.
The Opioid epidemic has many contributors, from prescription drug profits, high school football injuries, insurance companies, to false research supporting their prescription. But at the heart of this epidemic is a critical question:
What do you do with your pain?
Read MoreTo be told stories is to be mentored. To grow up as a young man and hear stories from the old men is an invaluable gift, to be neglected those stories is to be malnourished and cursed. Here's a short reflection on how Tom Petty served in this role for me, as well as how we should serve in that role for others.
Read MoreGod's eye is towards the small and insignificant. So, why isn't ours?
Read MoreToo much activity has been proven to be detrimental for children. So, how do we set up enough time for our children to engage in a healthy amount of free play?
Read MoreHow do you think emotion fits into your spiritual life? Is it helpful, harmful, neutral? Here is a look at five misunderstandings much of the American church seems to have about emotion, as well as an argument for why they are essential to your growth as a Christian.
Read MoreHow can you hush the voice in your mind that just won't stop beating you down? How can you silence the accusations unjustly hurled at you? Here are four techniques that will lead you towards relief and restoration.
Read MoreWhat did David mean when he said the heavens declare the glory of God? Contemplate with me on the vastness of a beautiful universe, our smallness in this vastness, and God's valuing us above all other things He created.
Read MoreA poem considering what it is to be known or unknown, loved or unloved.
Read MoreTo the hopeless and despairing, my ode to your pain.
Read MoreWhat do you have to lose by avoiding pain? What happens when you numb out, distract yourself or medicate?
Read MoreJesus said he came to give life, and that to the fullest. What did he mean by that? What is life to the full and how do we have it?
Read MoreHow are we supposed to handle our disappointments at work, home, church and in relationships? Branden offers a four step process to help you move towards acceptance.
Read MoreWhat do you do with your doubts about God, Scripture, and faith? How do you believe God reacts to these doubts? Read this meditation on Jesus' engagement with Thomas a week after his resurrection.
Read MoreAs parents, we shape our child's worldview, whether we are intentional about it or not. In this post, Branden looks at different ways parents tend to do this, and helpful advice on how to cultivate their worldview in a healthy way.
Read MoreMaking changes in your life comes in fits and starts. Rather than hinging your success on major gains, learn to celebrate the small stuff. Branden offers several practical ways to celebrate, as well as how to notice the 'small stuff'.
Read MoreRegardless of what changes you are trying to make in life, remember that your resources need to outweigh your responsibilities for change to happen. This post looks at 6 pragmatic ways to increase your resources so that you can attain the change you desire.
Read MoreGratitude is more than an emotional response, it is a choice and an action. Here are several ways to grow your gratitude and enhance your life.
Read MoreWhen it comes to dealing with our emotional life, survival is not enough. To be perfectly honest, survival is what leads us into addiction, affairs, overwork or overplay (to name a few). What we need is growth.
Read MoreAdvice for starting relationship restoration if you've been 'caught'.
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