Tag: relationship
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Self-Love: Biblical Fact or Fiction?
Ever wondered why loving ourselves well is so hard? The answer is simpler than all the “10 keys” and “tip sheets” let on. We seem to get the idea of self-love from the second greatest commandment: “love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mt 19:19). Reasonably, we complete the logic puzzle: if we only love…
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10 Ways Smartphones are the Adult Version of Invisible Friends
Remember when you were five and had an invisible friend? It’s pretty normal, with an estimated 37% of kids hanging out with friends that don’t exist. For a lot of kids, invisible friends are used for companionship and connection. If you think about it, a lot of adults use their smartphones in a similar way….
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4 Things to Ask Yourself Before You Give That Advice
I had a problem. I called up a friend and in the midst of our chatting I determined to act on the words of Proverbs 12:15: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” I asked for her advice. But her words took me by…
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Millennial Identity at the Intersection of Faith
Born smack dab into the middle of the millennial generation, I caught the coattails of motivational campaigns to defy stereotypes just in time to ride the tide of embracing uniqueness. Today, myself and my peers boast about what used to be stereotypes in our social media bios. We outline the categories we fit into to…
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How Facebook Made Me a Secret Admirer
Do you remember the middle school concept? When someone left notes in our friend’s locker signed “your secret admirer,” there were usually lines about wanting to know her more or how great she was. We would all embark on a quest to discover the identity of her secret admirer. It was somewhere between inspiringly sweet…
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What Is Love
We know about many characteristics of love, traits like those listed in 1 Cor 13; patience, kindness, humility, etc. We certainly are aware of examples of Biblical love, like that provided in John 3:16. The Bible teaches us much about the actions and consequences of love, as in Romans 13 or John 15, which describe…
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Equally Yoked Friendship
Ever participated in a three-legged race? Your leg is bound to a partner’s. Then, you’re supposed to run, together, to a destination. I remember the terror of participating in this sort of for-bystanders’-amusement-only activity. The image in my mind is fresh: I was looking up at someone I didn’t know, who appeared larger than life,…
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Just For Me
As the speaker in the video wraps up her lesson, she prays. All of us in the room grow quiet, listening in. The screen grows dark and before anyone launches the discussion questions, a friend speaks up. “Sorry you all had to sit through that,” she grins, “because that was just for me.” I know…
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Holding and Held
Thinking of Christ as our anchor, we often picture storms raging. Tossed about in the chaos, we think of clinging to Him. Our hands burn, grasping, struggling, to hold on. But the wonderful truth: as we’re holding, we’re also held. Our anchor is bound inseparably to our soul. Even when we let go, the anchor’s…
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In Control We Trust
{The fifth installment in the In ____We Trust Series} If I were in charge everything would be okay. People would do I want them to do, and since I generally care about some people, some people would be better off for it. I would have everything I think I need, really hard stuff wouldn’t happen,…