We all need friends like Jonathan and David in our lives—friends who remind us of who God is, who cause us to look upwards and not be overcome by our circumstances, friends who call forth what God has spoken over our lives and strengthen us to keep contending. But as much as we need them, we must also be them.
Read MoreA Joy Basket is simply a cute place to gather items that will help spark joy when you don’t feel joyful, making choosing joy as obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying as possible.
Here are four steps to create a new habit of choosing joy using a joy basket.
Read More“Just choose joy,” they say. Great advice, but not always easy to put into practice. The secret to choosing joy is making the choice to choose joy. But’s is so hard. How do we choose joy when chronic illness or any other suffering has taken over life? I’ve got a list to get you started.
Read MoreTouch, and my need for it, has highlighted what I’ve known for years: As a person living with a rare and undiagnosed disease, I have a deep need to be understood.
Jesus is fully human and fully God. He is all-knowing, the only One who can understand the physical, mental, and emotional struggles you experience. And he is all-powerful, the only One who cannot be overwhelmed by your need.
The comfort is this: The One who wept at the death of his friend, weeps for your pain also. The same One who touched the leper, can touch you too. In your pain and need, you are understood, completely, by Jesus.
Read MoreIn Biblical terms, making space to grieve is called “lament.” Lament is part of the process that brings us to hope. Like a splinter in your finger, it’s painful to begin with but it’s best to endure the “yuckiness” of tweezing it out in order to heal.
Put very simply, to lament is to name your pain or suffering and give yourself permission to feel all the feelings you have regarding it. It takes honesty. And it needs to be expressed in some way outside your head.
Read MoreThere are no rules to this growing-in-community thing. It can look different in each friendship circle. Jesus set the example with his disciples. He called them his “brothers” (Matthew 12:49, NIV). They met for prayer, for meals, and for ministry.
