In his book Shame and Grace, Lewis Smedes wrote, “The difference between guilt and shame is very clear-in theory. We feel guilty for what we do. We feel shame for what we are.” Everyone experiences a certain amount of shame and regret over sins committed in the past. The Bible has much to say about…
The term “intimacy with God” has become one of those phrases that Christians often toss about in conversation. But how many of us know what it means? I certainly did not, as my story confirms. I was one of the many who confused knowing the Lord with knowing about Him. I knew a lot about…
So, we bit the fruit . . . then what? We were thrust into a world at war. Paradise was lost. But not forever. Genesis 3: 21-24 describes it in this way: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like…
At the age of 22, I (Colleen) sat across from the man who would later become my husband, who shared that after observing me at work for a number of months he had some observations that he wanted to share. He wondered what had hurt me so bad that I was willing to go out…
Unfortunately, we have an enemy who hates us, and he’ll use every resource at his disposal to intersect and derail our healing journeys. Including guilt. Guilt is an emotional response to wrongdoing. We should feel the Lord’s conviction when we disobey His commandments or even when we break civil laws that do not contradict God’s…
Webster defines hijacked in this way; to steal or to commandeer. Have you ever felt as if your true self, the one that God made you to be, has been commandeered? Stolen? Hijacked? You’re not alone. Ever since that fateful day when we surrendered to an enemy that was hell bent on tricking us into submission, we’ve been struggling…
I recently completed a book entitled The Band That Played On, by Steve Turner. It’s a well-researched account of the musicians who lost their lives aboard the Titanic. As Turner recounts the past life of the band leader, Wallace Hartley and his roots in Colne, mention is made of John Wesley’s visits to that region…
The choices we make have consequences. That’s just the way it is. Good, bad, or indifferent, we’re subject to predictable and somewhat unpredictable consequences. Sewing and reaping. The principle applies to all choices. We reap what we sew, later than we sew, more than we sew. Astonished is the word that comes to mind right…