“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT) In that miraculous moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and ...
Psalm 42: Battling Depression with Hope in God
“Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”” Psalm 42:3 NLT Psalm 42 is a passage full of raw emotion. The psalmist describes intense emotions like, yearning, sadness, discouragement, grief, doubt, and pain. Feelings we ...
The Family Wounds of Our Adopted Children
Imagine this scenario: You are moving away and will not be coming back. You have less than 10 minutes to pack 10 items or people to take with you. For example, ‘shoes’ do not count as 1 item. A singular ‘pair of shoes’ counts an item. Siblings or parents do not count as 1 person. You have to be ...
Teaching Teens to Lament
Our initial reaction to teens needing to learn how to lament may be incredulity. What do teenagers need to lament about? What significant loss could they be experiencing that would benefit from deep processing and require healing? I agree that not all teens may be experiencing intense grief and loss ...
What Do I Lament?
Lamenting is defined as expressing sorrow, mourning, or regret and we commonly see expressions of lament through the experience of death, sickness, or a broken heart. The loss of a loved one, the news of a terminal or painful illness, or the end of a relationship is a clear trigger for lamenting and ...