The Two-Step Dance Called “Choosing Grace”

Too much work and not enough play–that was my mother’s diagnosis, one day, when I felt tired, crabby, and depressed. As a adolescent and teenager, I tended to take life very seriously. Whether it was doing school work, helping my dad in the grocery store, or helping my mom in the house, I worked hard at everything. I […]

Two Ways to Identify and Extinguish False Guilt

As noted in last week’s post, Good Guilt, Bad Guilt, and No Guilt, some people think they’re doing wrong even when they are not.  Consequently, they feel guilty most of the time.  I call this “false” guilt. If you are one of those people, or if you have a friend who feels trapped in cage of […]

Good Guilt, Bad Guilt, and No Guilt

The topic of my current book is how to develop healthy roots of faith, love, and hope. These are the character strengths that we need to overcome guilt, fear, and shame–three huge obstacles to emotional and spiritual maturity. I’ve been sharing the content of my book, as I write it, with a small group of people. I’ve […]

Why Faithfulness is More Important than Success

I’m in the process of writing another book; as I finish the draft of each chapter, I’ve been sharing it with a supportive and eager-to-learn group of students. They get up an hour early on Sunday morning in order to attend my class before going to the church service. For their faithful presence, their diligence […]