Someone once said to me, “My husband and I don’t talk about sex. As far as I’m concerned, once it’s done, it’s over and I don’t talk about it”. Another woman asked, “We struggle to talk about being intimate and what it is we really want. We tried to talk about it but we can’t seem to find the right way to do it. We are still intimate but I feel we don’t know how to express our feelings and needs. Do you have any suggestions?” How about you and your spouse? Are…
Let’s face it, times are tough, and the future looks bleak. We’ve lost jobs, income, social interaction, church attendance, sport, and recreation – all the things that bring pleasure, relieve stress, and provide our most basic needs. We have so many unanswered questions: What does the future hold? What’s the point of living if there’s nothing to live for? How will we provide for our families? How will we survive the troubled times ahead? The subconscious anxiety and hopelessness is debilitating and paralysing. And the natural result of this is depression. Let’s face it, depression…
“I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.” Don’t you just hate those words? They mean you have to come up with something for your kids to do – and you’re already busy and frazzled! What causes boredom? Generally, boredom is considered to be caused by not enough activity. We’ve heard the saying, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop”, and that’s true. We should be keeping our kids occupied with useful things. But, It’s not good for your kids to be so busy that they never have opportunity to feel bored. Most kids today…
Let’s face it, forgiving someone is not easy. In fact, it can be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. Why is forgiveness hard? Forgiving someone could be hard for a number of reasons: Not understanding what it really is Fearing to hold the person accountable because it feels judgemental Desiring to “punish” the person who wounded you Never having received forgiveness yourself, or, Not understanding God’s forgiveness And sometimes it’s just plain having a prideful heart that wants revenge, and enjoying the sense of power that comes from hanging on to unforgiveness. Figuring out what forgiveness…
Times are tough for a lot of people right now. Many people are feeling the pinch due to a loss of job or reduced income. What’s the solution to this? It’s not always possible to work more. Sometimes it’s easier to cut costs than earn more money (as one of our followers on Instagram said). So, how can you downsize your budget to survive the loss of income? When I asked Richard his opinion on how to save money, his reply was simple: Don’t spend. That’s it. Bottom line: Be frugal. Cut costs. But…
Helping a child process grief and loss can be tough because they aren’t always able to express their thoughts and feelings verbally. A child’s grief may seem to come and go – one minute they’ll be crying, the next they’ll be playing. Some kids will be expressive of their feelings, others not. Some kids will re-experience the intensity of the loss as they grow up, especially during certain milestones in life such as starting school, going on a first date, graduating from college or getting married. How can you help your child process their grief…
Grieving is an awkward thing. It’s not something you can put in a box and say “this is how it works”. It’s changeable and unpredictable, and a highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on your personality, your life experience, and your faith. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. What is grief? Grief is the natural response to loss. It’s normal. Healthy. If you have lost someone or something, you should grieve. But grief comes in many shapes and forms, and for different reasons. You grieve when you lose a loved one or friend…
Daniel 12:1 predicts a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” that will take place just before the second coming of Jesus. Have you ever worried about how your kids will face that time? Will they be strong enough – physically, emotionally, and spiritually? These are the things that keep parents awake at night, the things that create fear in our hearts. These feelings are real, but while we can’t change prophecy or avoid what’s coming on the world, we can do all in our power to prepare for that time. If preparation…
Getting married is great! You’ve dreamed of being together for so long, planned for it, and now it’s a reality! Being together ALL the time is one of the best things about being married, but you’ll also begin to notice some things about your spouse that you didn’t notice before – because now you actually live together. What else can you expect from marriage in the first few years? Let’s dive in! Positives: Waking up together every day. Never having to say goodbye at the end of the day. Physical intimacy (hopefully lots of it…