Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
Depression, or deep discouragement of the soul, has been part of the human experience since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Whether it is related to bodily disease, grief from a loss, a conscience bothered by sin,
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[Originally posted November 3, 2015] I’m thankful for my father and mother who set an example of faithful citizenship. From my earliest days, I remember Mom and Dad going to the local town hall to vote. Back then I didn’t
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Last year, Lou Priolo, a gracious friend and mentor went to be with the Lord. Afterward, I pulled some of his books off my shelf and was reminded of how the Spirit used him to counsel me. One book, in
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Last week, I finished reading Dale Johnson’s book The Church as a Culture of Care. I was blessed and encouraged by his call to return soul care to the body life of the church. So, I thought I’d share some
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I didn’t expect to experience postpartum depression after the birth of our third child. Having been through the newborn phase twice before, I wondered why this time was so much harder for me than the others. Disappointment and discouragement seemed
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“Grandpa died,” my mom said when her phone call from Grandma ended. I was a sophomore in high school. After retiring from his career as an assembler of wood-paneled station wagons at the Ford Motor Company, my mom’s father spent
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The history of Ohio, the state where I live and serve as a pastor, contains the account of the Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969, which is one of the most significant fires in history. On the morning of June 22,
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Whether God gives you familial sons, biological and/or adopted, every Christian man is called to help raise the next generation of “sons in the faith.” If you are interested in thinking about the discipleship of young men in the church,
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As a teaching fellow for the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, I enjoy being involved in the final phase of training for men and women who want to become a certified biblical counselor. As a fellow, I require my students
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In the Bible, the heart is the always-active, ever-worshiping, always-wanting-something control center of our lives. Therefore, when something or someone gets in the way of our desires and expectations, we are tempted to respond in anger. Then, if we allow
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As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his
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You have dealt with me because of all my transgressions; for my groans are many, and my heart is faint. Lamentations 1:22 Suffering that is nobody’s fault may be hard to accept. Perhaps more difficult, though, are painful situations that
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Heaven has been on my mind a lot this week, as our church experienced two losses. But though we grieve, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Instead, hope in Christ fuels enduring joy. Therefore, the timeliness
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This past Sunday, I was asked to read my new children’s book to the elementary age children during our worship service. Several teachers also read it to the toddler and preschool classes, and our autistic daughter got to read it
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There are at least six reasons why it is spiritually profitable for us to mimic the psalmist’s resolution, “I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word” (Psalm 119:16). Delighting in the Word leads to spiritual
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Many faithful Christian parents have been taught that Proverbs 22:6 is a sure-fire promise, not a general life principle. This, along with being told that if you parent a certain way your children will always make the right decisions and
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Have you ever experienced the pain of watching a loved one leave the faith? Even in the most discouraging moments we can be encouraged because God is in the business of leading prodigals home. In this episode of the Great
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As we wrap up our four-week series, Redeeming Trauma, we need to pay attention to the first chapter of the book of Lamentations, which guides in how to think about extreme suffering which may be part of God’s faithful discipline.
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By God’s grace, I’m a husband, dad, grandpa, and pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Mayfield Hts, OH. I love Christ because He first loved me.
