At one time or another, all of us have experienced feelings of loneliness. While it may be temporary, for many it seems to be a chronic condition. A story from a recent PastorServe leter caught my eye as it discussed the magnitude of the problem in England. The letter states: The United Kingdom recently created…
DetailsIf so, know that you are not the only one. Loneliness seems to be increasing in near epidemic proportions. In our upside down society, we have more tools to connect with the world around us than ever before, and yet, even with these advantages, so many find themselves isolated and disconnected. One researcher discovered that…
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The following story is told by Dr. Richard Carlson and is fitting for us to consider when we find ourselves getting bogged down in the minutia of our daily life. I heard a story about two workers who were approached by a reporter. The reporter asked the first worker, “What are you doing?” His response…
DetailsI recently read a story written by Dr. Bo Brock, a Texas veterinarian, about his grandparents. It seems that his grandmother would sprinkle his granddad’s work pants with starch and iron them every day. This struck Bo as odd, because, as a farmer, many days his Papaw would not see another person the entire day. …
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I feel as though I am in the weeds today. What do I mean by that? Do you ever plan your day or your week, expecting to make great headway on your meaningful and significant goals – only to get derailed? Perhaps you are checking your email and you come across one that winds up…
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I just finished sitting with a couple who are exhausted! In the last four years they have moved to 5 different states, one of them has been fighting off a significant health challenge, and they are attempting to navigate life with an 18 year old high school senior with ADHD. So, if you were guessing,…
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Burnout has been defined as, “an extreme state of psychological pain.” “It’s a response to facing prolonged, chronic stressors that go beyond your ability or available resources to overcome.” Professor Michael Leiter of Acadia University in Nova Scotia states that burnout has three components – “overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism, and a sense of discouragement.”…
DetailsYou come home from work and find your wife despondent. You ask “What’s the matter?” and she unloads on you about what one of your grown children said to her that left her feeling rejected. Wanting to help, you indicate that you will call that child and get this straightened out. But to your surprise,…
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I just finished a counseling session with a couple who talked about wanting to be on the same team, but then everything they discussed demonstrated that they are clearly fighting for their individual agendas. They are far from embracing a “team” concept. In a marriage we are two individuals who “become one”, creating a new…
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Recently, in my Tuesday morning Men’s group, we viewed a video by author Tim Keller. He was talking about the journey of the Israelites to the promised land and pointed out that there were two distinct groups of people. The first group of people were those who left the slavery of Egypt. They saw the…
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