Personal Growth

Why the Bible is not an Instruction Manual for Life and Relationships
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Why the Bible is not an Instruction Manual for Life and Relationships

Last week on Facebook, I shared how, quite often, what Christians perceive as attacks on marriage are invitations to reflect and mature up. What we think are criticisms are opportunities to pay attention to the things that are not working. To raise the bar from the floor and consider perspectives outside the Bible text… because…

15 Things We Think God is Obsessed With (But He Isn’t)
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15 Things We Think God is Obsessed With (But He Isn’t)

Some Christians, especially those of the evangelical/fundamentalist flavor (of which I was a part), believe God is obsessive. Directly taught or implied, we are taught that our connection to God is less about relationship and more about keeping to the rules, restrictions and commands of the Divine. To be clear, I don’t believe “obsessive” is…

Shiny Happy People – An African American Perspective
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Shiny Happy People – An African American Perspective

I watched the first two episodes of Shiny Happy People documentary a few weeks ago. Shiny Happy People is a docu-series exploring the life of the Duggar family, of the popular TV show 19 Kids and Counting, and their connection to Bill Gothard and Institute in Basic Life Principles. The documentary reveals Bill Gothard and IBLP as a…

Can We Talk About the Idolization of Christian Missionaries?
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Can We Talk About the Idolization of Christian Missionaries?

Can we talk about the idolization of Christian missionaries in the Western world? How, in many Western cultures, those who leave for faraway lands to “preach the gospel” or start programs seen as heroes, the best representation of humanity? Can we talk about how in reality, just because someone picks up a noble-looking cause does…

Courageous Steps When Nervous To Explore If Your Marriage Is Healthy
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Courageous Steps When Nervous To Explore If Your Marriage Is Healthy

Is my marriage healthy? I’ve interacted with individuals who believed it is an overreaction to explore whether a marriage is safe or not. They believed no marriage would survive if we all analyzed power and control dynamics or unchanging negative habits in marriage. That no spouse would survive such deep levels of scrutiny.  I believe…