You CAN Clear Your Conscience?
“I can’t get this terrible thing I did out of my head. Can you help me clear my conscience?” While her story was unique, her problem was not. Over the years, it became obvious to me, as a counselor, that people seeking spiritual and/or emotional help often don’t know how to clear their consciences and…
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They Blessed Their Children Beautifully
On our last trip to Israel, my wife and I joined a Jewish family for their weekly Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem. I’ll never forget that emotional moment during the Shabbat meal when the father and mother took turns taking each of their children’s faces in their hands. They looked straight into their eyes, and blessed…
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Can You Name Jesus’ Seven Last Statements from the Cross?
Can You Name Jesus’ Seven Last Statements from the Cross? While the butchers who tortured and crucified Jesus were playing games, laughing and mocking him, he gasped for enough air to speak. His lips quivered and everyone wondered what he would say. Who could blame Jesus if he used his last words to curse his…
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The Worst Advice I’ve Ever Heard
As I look back on my forty years of counseling, I must admit I didn’t always give the best advice. But I believe Paul Hudson’s counsel for a successful life may be the worst advice I’ve ever heard. “Never depend on anyone but yourself.” Paul Hudson, an American entrepreneur and amateur advisor, writes for the…
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Break the Bitterness Chain
My granddad was an angry and bitter man. During the summer as a little boy, I visited him and my grandma on their farm in Virginia. Granddad was a big man. I remember how frightened I was when I saw him slap Mammy, his petite wife, for doing the smallest thing he didn’t like. I’d…
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She was Shot for Standing Up for Jesus
“She was shot in the head for standing up for Jesus,” reported eyewitnesses to Cassie Bernall’s execution. Cassie was seventeen when she was murdered in the Columbine School massacre. Her teenage killers put a gun to her head and asked if she believed in God. She knew full well if she answered yes she would…
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A Baby’s First Breath
Baby Maggie was delivered, but the doctor could not get her to take that all important first breath. During this episode, I learned something I never knew before. Until an infant takes its first breath, its lungs are full of fluid that for nine months nourishes its body. When the time is…
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