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10 Things We Tell Our Children About Violence in the World -Part 3

10 Things We Tell Our Children About Violence in the World -Part 3

We have been talking about violence in the world today in my last 2 posts and I must admit, it can be very overwhelming and hard to remain positive or hopeful with new reports of violence daily. We know more about what is happening in our local […]

10 Things We Tell Our Children About Violence in the World-Part 2

10 Things We Tell Our Children About Violence in the World-Part 2

Keeping up with current events can be frightening. There are new reports of violence, murder, abuse, and devastation each and every day. Sensational stories receive the most attention and to an alert and watching child, they may cause fear and anxiety in their young, impressionable mind. […]

10 Things We Tell Our Children About Violence in the World-Part 1

10 Things We Tell Our Children About Violence in the World-Part 1

photo: Jordan-whitt Unsplash

Recently, another heartbreaking event occurred. A church massacre left 26 dead and 20 more wounded. And now there has been another school shooting. And unfortunately, we can probably expect more.

 

We take to social media with comments like, “What do we tell our children? How do we keep them from thinking this is “normal” with new reports of violence, hatred, rioting, etc with each new week?”

 

Before we address this with our children, we must address this with ourselves. How are we interpreting what is happening all around us? As a Christian, I turn to the Bible to help adjust my view, my perspective on things happening in the world. If I only look from the ground level, I can be filled with fear and hopelessness. I look around and see senseless violence, hatred, and discord, and tremble in fear for my self and my family. But when I pull back to the bigger picture, with a different perspective I find understanding, power, and hope.

What I am talking about is a Biblical world view— seeing the world, people

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Why We ALL Need Wisdom

Why We ALL Need Wisdom

Never before have I ever been so terrified for a complete stranger.   He was no ordinary stranger though, he was a child.   We were gathering at an outlook on Machu Picchu, situated atop a mountain at an altitude of almost 8,000 feet, looking […]

When Your Mountain Won’t Move

When Your Mountain Won’t Move

If you have been struggling to hear God, to know where He wants to you go, what He wants you to do, and you have been praying, seeking, and patiently waiting, then maybe there is something wrong. If you are standing at the foot of […]

The Power of Forgiveness

The Power of Forgiveness

Both women had experienced inexplicable pain in life. Margaret was angry and bitter over yet another divorce and had accepted that her only recourse was to toughen up and protect herself. She became demanding, paranoid, and quite lonely, not to mention, an extraordinarily difficult co-worker. Most could guess that her caustic personality was the result of many hurts and betrayals she had suffered in relationships both professional and personal.

Grace was sexually abused by her father for over a decade despite her reporting this abuse to the one person she could trust, but who had ultimately failed to protect her— her own mother.

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Keeping The Faith

Keeping The Faith

With numerous blogs, articles, and testimonials of teens or young adults leaving the church for various reasons, parents have begun to doubt that they no longer hold any power or lasting influence in the faith of their adolescent and young adult children. The media has told […]

Can a Preschooler Really Accept Christ As Savior?

Can a Preschooler Really Accept Christ As Savior?

Matt and I were shopping at a local home improvement store and had been chatting with a woman about lamps, home decor, and painting. Randomly, I turned to spiritual things, as I typically do- hoping to discern if this complete stranger knows Christ as Savior […]

Breaking the Cycle of Anxiety

Breaking the Cycle of Anxiety

Anxiety Disorders affect roughly 40 million Americans according to the National Institute of Mental Health and women are 60% more likely to experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime than men. This means that anxiety disorders (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Phobias, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) affect roughly one out of every five adults!

Statistics indicate that you or someone you know will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in life.

Photo by Ben White- Unsplash

In my last post, I wrote that anxiety is often rooted in the false belief that we can/should be able to do everything on our own- but the realization that we cannot possibly control every circumstance, nor can we have complete confidence in our own strength, abilities, efforts, or relationships— creates tension. This tension may motivate us toward greater effort and discipline, but also may produce fear and anxiety we cannot manage properly.

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Banishing Anxiety From Your Heart

Banishing Anxiety From Your Heart

You lay in bed, trying to sleep, but you can’t. The minutes fly by and soon the hours, but you can’t stop thinking– your brain is going a million miles a minute playing out scenarios, ideas, replaying past events, wondering where you went wrong. You […]