A poor self-image can cause a lot of damage in a teenager, especially when other emotional issues are involved. One mother sought help for her daughter when she continued to waste away from a drastic diet. Both of them learned how God shows us who we really are in Him.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, one in five adults in the United States experience mental illness every year. For one in twenty-five US adults, that experience is serious. A woman who suffers with mental illness describes its impact on her and her children. Read how she made peace with it, thanks to the power of Christ.
A woman reached out to her father and shared her faith. Then he died. Questioning God and feeling distant from Him, she went through many crises, always uncertain if her father made a decision for Christ. But after many years of waiting, God had something special in store for her.
It happens often these days — scams on everything from home rentals to online car sales to crowdfunding. One senior couple found themselves in the middle of an insurance scam. When their daughter got involved, she found out she had more to fight than the agent responsible for the fraud.
We all face situations, serious and seemingly innocent, that create fear. When one woman endured a terrifying ordeal, she learned the real cause of it — and the cure.
Jesus proved it when He died on the cross and rose again: Life comes from death. A woman learned this in a family trial, walking through the deep shadows of grief and emerging to new life in her faith.
Praying Our Goodbyes — Joyce Rupp A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 — Phillip Keller A Grace Disguised — Jerry Sittser Gift of the Red…
We are never really ready for the death of a loved one. This woman realized a simple trip to the beach prepared her for her husband’s death years later — a situation she never dreamed would show her God’s special provisions.
Jesus left us an example to love others as He loved us. But what happens when loving someone in His name leads to a false charge of sexual abuse? One woman suffered that and made it through the struggle with God’s help.
Betrayal. Hurt. Anger. These and other emotions overwhelmed one woman when her husband broke their marriage vows. Thanks to God’s guidance and her obedience, this wife found the freedom of forgiveness and recommitment to love.
Where does forgiveness begin and end? When the guilty ask for it? When the one betrayed says they forgive? Are the words enough? Here are…
Grieving loss through death takes its toll on individuals, but even good changes can bring stress and depression. One woman discovered God’s preparation for a time she wasn’t expecting.
A moment of hurt and humiliation can grow into weeks of emotional and spiritual upheaval. One woman found the key to freedom in an unexpected story about an even greater offense.
Her mother’s untimely death causes a daughter to lean on her faith in her journey of survival.
A job can mean many things for a family, like financial security. But when a woman’s husband leaves an employer, the income from their small business doesn’t stretch far enough to cover the bills. That is, until the wife learns to depend on God to get them through.
Shame. Fear. Uncertainty. A teenage girl felt all of these, and more, when she became pregnant and was forced to give up her baby for adoption. Later in life, she found more than that baby, now a grown man. She found her Savior.
“Sugar and spice and everything nice.” That’s usually what you hear about little girls, but not about Jessica. Her behavior problems almost ruin a relationship until the grandmother learns to love her as Jesus does.
It’s something parents and grandparents fear could happen to their children and grandchildren after a severe injury: being paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. When this happened to one woman’s grandson, she learned that even through this difficult struggle, God had a plan.
Memory lane isn’t always a pleasant place. For those who have suffered abuse in the home, those memories carry over into adulthood. Read the story of a woman who confronted her past with the power of God and found His peace and healing.
Learn how to abide in Christ. Rely on Him alone! Pray about starting a small accountability group. It does wonders for personal growth. Check out…
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether…
Anti-Cancer Club (www.anticancerclub.com) – Food, recipes, and ideas to help maintain a healthy balance while living an anti-cancer lifestyle. OncoLink (www.oncolink.org) – This award-winning site…
Receiving the grim news about cancer turns anyone’s world upside down. It did for one couple who chose to see lessons in the experience.
When a near-drowning sends her brother to the hospital, a woman dares to look past the diagnosis to the divine power of God.
Agoraphobia attacks many people with fears of being in public places and not being able to escape. One woman battled it and finally took control over it, through the power of God.
The Bible is a fascinating collage of story and song, wisdom and rules, promises and prophecy, letters and news and history, and so much more….
When the death of her newborn grandson rocks her world, a grandmother is the most alone she’s ever been, until she experiences the loving care of God the Father.
Sometimes it’s everyday irritations; sometimes it’s larger events in life that keep us waiting when we’d rather get the answer and go forward. But, as one woman learned, God doesn’t go by our schedule — and for good reasons.
It’s been a busy summer of traveling. Road trips over the last three months have taken me, and the family, on ministry adventures to Texas,…
Parents pray to adopt a son they can love, but he isn’t the son they thought he would be. As a mother struggles to love him, she finds new strength in God.
It’s a tragic problem far too common for women: losing a pre-born baby. One woman cycles through all the emotions after the death of her infant baby girl, and ultimately honors her daughter in a fitting way.
A woman fights the frustrations of blindness, but she gains new spiritual sight from God when she allows Him to break her spirit.
I’ll never forget the time a few friends and I taught Alice how to drive. But I’m a little reluctant to tell the tale, even…
My friend Scott has Parkinson’s disease. He is only in his fifties, but the tremors are getting bad. Recently, Scott went to New York City…
In caring for her father and his illness, a woman experiences the daily burden of an adult parent — and God’s provisions to help her survive.
Burnout is common among caregivers, due to the constant demands. What can they do to look after their own needs?
I live in a rural and fairly homogenous Midwest community, but recently I learned that a close-knit community book club was close to folding over…
After a heinous crime, a woman discovers that her husband’s killers weren’t the only ones in prison. But God broke through the bars in His way and time.
It was just an ordinary Wednesday night Bible study. The faithful — thirteen in all — came to the church at 110 Calhoun Street to…
How can a spouse survive the loss of a life partner? By taking it slowly, learning from God and leaning on Him.
I had a recurring nightmare as a child. From about five years of age to 12, I dreamed about my mother drowning and being unable…
A woman suffers debilitating physical problems and spends many years finding the answer. She discovers her greatest help isn’t from medicine but from the Great Physician.
The first Bible verse I recall memorizing was Romans 8:28. It wasn’t my doing. I was only 6 or 7 years old and attending a…
You’ve probably heard. October is Pastor Appreciation Month. But you don’t have to limit your support to just one month of the year. Your pastor…
When a pastor experiences an emotional breakdown, his wife suffers as well. Both discover that God can use them no matter where they are.
Resources Bible verse for the year: Every year since 1979 I’ve searched for a Bible verse for the year. In January I write the verse…
I like roller coasters, but I like rocks better. Every now and then (admittedly less often as the years pass) I find myself getting on…
When we feel alone and worthless, we often look for satisfaction in all the wrong places. Jesus stands ready to fulfill our heart’s deepest desires.
When we feel alone and worthless, we often look for satisfaction in all the wrong places. Jesus stands ready to fulfill our heart’s deepest desires.
What are the signs of a poor self-image, and what are the causes? Here are some insights and suggestions to lead us into the light of God’s truth.
Like many, I watched some of the Olympics on TV over the past two weeks. The training and talent of the young athletes were breathtaking….
I felt the pull, then the pain. It immediately slowed my pace. I’d never had an injury in all my high school years of cross-country…
History Now What? has been online since late 1996 (http://nowwhat.cog7.org/) and is published by the Bible Advocate Press, the publishing agency of the General Conference…
My small, rural church in the Ozarks is teeming with children. In the life of this congregation they are both disturbance and delight. I am…
Fireworks explode all around me tonight. The Nebraska summer air is thickened as thousands of brilliant lights fill the night sky. Despite the excitement, the…
These two words — we thirst — sum up the human condition as well as any I can think of. More than just our body’s…
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler. And whoever is led astray by it is not wise (Proverbs 20:1). The Bible is full…
Tears coursed down my cheeks. Why didn’t he call or come home? How could he say he didn‘t remember where he’d been? My chest constricted,…
C. S. Lewis is one of the greatest Christian authors who ever lived. Many know his name connected to works like The Chronicles of Narnia….
To a thirty-one-year-old newlywed who ran three miles most days and regularly worked with a personal trainer, stairs were not supposed to be insurmountable. Yet…
Persistent, paralyzing doubt gripped my mind as I agonized in prayer. Lord, is this opportunity to attend college Your desire or my own selfish desire?…
“M. . . I’m pregnant.” My twenty-year-old daughter, a junior at a Christian college, spoke in a calm voice, rocking my world and changing it…
The ring of the phone startled me. I glanced at the caller ID and quickly lifted the receiver. “Hi, Dad. What’s up?” “Suzi, the hospital…
I sit among strangers in a sterile hospital room, waiting. We each wait for our loved one to come out of surgery. We wait in…
How can we reach out to those who are grieving? In my grief journey as a widow, I gained valuable insights about a support system….
The paperwork looked routine until the words marital status leaped off the page. I paused, tears streaming down my cheeks. This was the first time…
You never thought unemployment could happen to you, but here you are jobless. Rather than feel sorry for yourself, take a deep breath and…
I glanced at my watch: 6:55 p.m. I couldn’t believe there were only five minutes left in youth group. For as far back as I…
One night while I watched TV with my twelve-year-old daughter, Joanna, an actress appeared on the screen. She was about my age, with a slender…
I lived in a nightmare. I was studying to become a minister but knew I was being hypocritical: I was a sex addict. It was…
Tall, thin, and decided, he anchored our home and gave us a sense of completion. We held Daddy in awe; he taught us the Twenty-third…
One of my mother’s friends prayed over me while I grew inside the womb. Her prayers worked: I arrived a healthy baby girl after a…
The final strains of the wedding processional ring through the sanctuary. A radiant bride gazes into the eyes of the beaming groom and vows that…
Somewhere inside, my brain knew it was cold. I saw white puffs when I breathed. I heard the wind whipping the chains on the courthouse…
The doors to Mercy Hospital swung open to me – again. For ten years, my husband and I have battled the horror and heartache of…
Resources from Focus on the Family #CS078 broadcast tape”Eating Disorders: Anorexia & Bulimia” Anyone wishing to request these resources may contact Focus at 1/800/AFAMILY. #CS304…
For weeks I had tried to ignore the scars and open cuts on my sister’s arms and legs, but they stuck out like molehills burrowed…
Five beers in under an hour — a new record. I’d lost count of the number of beer cans hidden under my bed. When I…
“Going to Texas. Nice knowing you.” The handwritten note on the TV set stunned me. It was from my wife Daneen. Without saying anything to…
While scanning the newspaper, my eyes rested on a short story about a crumbling marriage. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then laughter rose inside me…
The statistics are startling. According to the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug among America’s youth. Focus Adolescent…
The rumble of traffic was deafening. Dust and exhaust fumes stung my eyes as I leaned against a telephone pole. Four o’clock on Tuesday afternoon;…
An insatiable monster crept into my life unnoticed. It started when I lost fifteen pounds. “You’re so thin!” people told me. “You look terrific!” I…
I sat at the kitchen table, staring at a pack of cigarettes. I took one out of the pack and lit it. After tomorrow, I…
Do you find yourself eating until you are out of control or almost sick? Or keeping secret stashes of food, such as chocolate, chips, or…
Ophelia, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, illustrates the destructive forces affecting young women. Ophelia is a typical girl, footloose and fancy-free. But she loses herself in adolescence….
Twenty Questions Have you ever lost time from work or school due to gambling? Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy? Has gambling affected…
For more help, check out the following resources: Drug Strategies, a nonprofit research institute, recently issued a 60-page report titled Treating Teens: A Guide to…
Most mothers think their children are the best at everything. That’s how I felt about my daughter, Kathy. She was beautiful: tall and slim with…
Alone in the darkness, tears blinding my eyes, I tried to follow the beam of headlights on the highway. Coming to a decision, I declared,…
Why did I end up like this? How did my life turn out so wrong? These questions and many others rumbled like a freight train…
The letter sat on my desk, unopened. Why was I afraid to open it? Because I knew there was something in that letter I didn’t…
Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc. 603 Stewart Street, Suite 803 Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: (206) 382-3587 or 1-800-931-2237 http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org Academy for Eating Disorders 6728…
Are you afraid to eat? Afraid of getting fat? Do you restrict what you eat when something in your life feels out of control? Do you regularly criticize…
Resources Gamblers Anonymous www.gamblersanonymous.org; 1-888 GA Helps or 1-888-424-3577 Debtors Anonymous www.debtorsanonymous.org Gam-Anon www.gam-anon.org A resource site for spouses, family members or friends of compulsive…
Do you panic after you eat? Do you sometimes binge and then feel a strong urge to get rid of what you’ve eaten in one…
Want more information on eating disorders? Check these out: I’m Beautiful? Why Can’t I See It? Daily Encouragement to Promote Healthy Eating and Positive Self-Esteem,…
Gambling will consume your last cent and leave you frantically seeking new sources of cash. It has an insatiable appetite, demanding more and more. It…
Tears stung my red, puffy eyes. My heart felt like a thousand daggers had been thrust into it. As I watched Paul walk away, the…