Growing to maturity

If you are a victim of abuse, you remain a victim until you choose to enter into the healing process–which includes forgiveness. When you choose to forgive your abuser(s), it releases the hold that the abuser(s) has over you. Your choice to forgive begins to remove the pain and scars they have left in your… Read More

Do you need healing from abuse?

We started a discussion on abuse and its opposite–Godly child-rearing–on August 30, 2013, with talking about the blueprint that God has given us for character building. It’s a detailed plan, and it’s risky to build a house without one if you want it  last for any length of time. You need to follow rules of… Read More

Identify Abuse and Leave It Behind

Godly parents want their children to learn, accept, and know the lesson below. Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes… Read More

Gentle correction

Godly discipline allows children to please parents. It fits the punishment to the crime. Children come to understand cause and effect, sowing and reaping. Big crime gets a big punishment; little crime receives a little punishment. With abuse, punishment is arbitrary and often unfair, but Godly discipline distinguishes between a mistake and a deliberate sin. Or… Read More

Ephesians 3:7-8 What’s your excuse?

What’s stopping you from doing God’s mission for you? When I read through Paul’s list of excuses, I was surprised at the similarity to mine. I had always thought of Paul as an extremely confident, know-it-all kind of guy, and here I was reading a list of his anxieties about himself–lots of excuses giving his… Read More

Ephesians 3:4-6 Come on in, ya’all!

The original non-discrimination clause.   Ephesians 3:4-6 (New Living Translation) As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has… Read More

Let love out of the box

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13 (NLT) Live in freedom—use… Read More