It's awkward when a couple is no longer a couple. How can church and family members respond, especially when they're in the same place at the same time? We want it to feel and look normal, natural. We don't want to withhold good or hurt people's feelings, especially when we don't know (or want to … Continue reading Now What?
Adding Jesus Changes Everything
It's time for something positive--for good news, for a new outlook, a fresh take on life. There is no better positive, good, new, fresh, wonderful thing than Jesus. https://www.youtube.com/embed/CoIfH4V2PQE I have told women who wonder about marrying an individual that if their husband is becoming more like Jesus, they will continue to fall in love … Continue reading Adding Jesus Changes Everything
Good and Angry
If grief is the normal response to abuse, anger follows honesty or candor. "How could I keep going back?" "Why didn't I ____?" "Who does he think he is?" Because anger is a response to moral failure, it reveals what we perceive to be right and wrong. In the case of abuse, anger is not … Continue reading Good and Angry
A House of Cards
It's normal and good to help individuals who are struggling. We all want relief and an end to conflict. The problem is, if we don't understand the dynamics of abuse and of any given relationship, we can easily work against those who are hurting. We will find ourselves working against God. For years a wise … Continue reading A House of Cards
Compassion Trumps Obedience
It's time to call suffering what it is, to rebuke wrong doing, and rescue the hurting from unnecessary, avoidable injustice. Why do we fail to take another's suffering...lightly?
As Old as the Hills (Part 2)
The book of Nehemiah does not specifically refer to, or pretend to address, domestic abuse, but it does give insight into conflict, ungodly manipulation, and godly responses.
As Old as the Hills (Part 1)
Behaviors that protect my-way-or-the-highway, no-matter what, at-the-expense-of-others, are often unseen and unaddressed. They're not new. In fact, they're almost as old as dirt.
Trust Tree
A relationship built on trust is like climbing a tree. I put my full weight on one branch after another as the relationship develops. However, when trust is broken...
Certain Justice
There will not only be Divine justice in the last day, there will also be human justice.
Restoration or Reconciliation?
When someone wants to "restore" a relationship, here are questions that come to mind.
