Opening my latest weight training book for women, I felt a rush of endorphins. The before and after pictures and the visualization of another summer in my swimsuit motivated me to get control. I thought about my fit friends and what they would think of the new me. Would they say anything? The exact prescriptions of what to eat and how to exercise made me feel calm and in control. I couldn’t fix my mom slowly losing her ability to walk, or my teenager’s anxiety, or stop one more major appliance or vehicle from breaking down. But this body of mine, the way my stomach hangs over my jeans, that I ..read more

How to let go and let God depends on your relationship with worry. Worry keeps you trapped in fear and unable to let go and trust God. Worry is your most loyal yet confusing friend. You know the one who pretends to be there for you, but leaves you feeling abandoned and confused? The one who reels you in with kindness, but stabs you in the back with gossip and criticism?  Yeah! Worry is that friend.  She initiates a lot of one-on-one time with you and makes you feel special. Together you pretend to solve the world’s problems over scrambled eggs and a creamy latte. You know Worry is ..read more

Self-control and Shame If you’re anything like me, you know the things you need to do to stay healthy and passionately pursue God’s unique calling on your life, but you struggle to put those things into practice. It’s human nature to have a big disconnect between what our spirit wants to do, and what our flesh actually does.    Struggling with this lack of self-control and the shame that follows, can feel like a hopeless battle. Especially when it comes to habitual sins that are destroying us. I have been there my friend.    But I want to encourage you that there is hope ..read more

Are you confident in God and his design for your life? God didn’t create us to walk around with our shoulders slumped and our heads down. He made us feel capable of carrying out our God-given purpose. Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of our purpose when we have a constant view of our own failures. But even when we can’t see it, his perfect design in us remains. He has given each of us unique gifts and skills to use with confidence for his glory.  As Christians, the concept of self-confidence can feel prideful or boastful. In some ways, this is true, as over-confidence can turn into pri ..read more

Fired from Ministry I tried to hold it together as I watched my husband, who had been a pastor for 13 years, sign the lawyer’s papers. This lawyer was also a pastor at our church. And the papers were a termination and nondisclosure agreement saying we’d leave quietly or forfeit our severance package.    It had all begun about a year prior. We’d been faithfully serving the youth ministry for five years when we felt God’s call on our lives to become foster parents. A clear, unmistakable calling we could not ignore, but it didn’t sit well with our senior pastor. He felt foster care a ..read more

It’s 6:38 p.m. on Monday night and you’re still at work. The pressure has you worn slick. You’ve logged more hours completing the current project than you’re actually paid for. You’re missing your daughter’s dance watch week and while it’s not her official performance, the mom guilt has settled in because the good moms are there.  You didn’t prepare a meal in the crockpot because the weekend was too busy attending the kids’ activities, and you didn’t go to the grocery store. Another trip to the Chick-Fil-A drive-through ignited your shame talk in full swing. The day feels long and your ..read more

Whether you’re in the midst of losing twenty, sixty, or one hundred and fifty pounds, it’s ok to ask God to lead your weight loss journey. In fact, He wants to be part of every aspect of our lives. In our own desires, we’d love to give in to the urges of the moment when we feel tempted by the second piece of cheesecake. We have the power of prayer to help us overcome. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Sometimes we get too busy to remember to pray. When possi ..read more

If you’ve ever been on the weight loss yo-yo train like I have been, trying a new diet every year, you may be wondering “is there a better way?” And the answer is yes! Christian weight loss is different than the world’s methods because our motivation is the glory of God, not the glory of a fitness selfie or vacation swimsuit goals.  Worldly weight loss is often motivated by shame over our bodies and feeling like we don’t measure up. Shame is such an uncomfortable feeling that we are in a hurry to get rid of it. In our hurry, we try all-or-nothing diets and programs to feel better. The ..read more

What Does the Bible Say About Depression? God created humans in His image. He granted us a wide range of emotions to experience, including depression. That will leave many Christians asking, what does the bible say about depression?  Though I am writing this article as a professional counselor and it is intended to help you sort through your feelings and what the bible says about depression, it is not a replacement for therapy or medical help. If you are experiencing depression, please contact me or seek the help of another professional. We are not intended to walk through this journey ..read more

As we consider our goals, let’s meditate on these 26 Bible verses about goals. The world has a lot of good advice to offer when it comes to goal setting. We can learn about S.M.A.R.T. goals, which are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive. These ideas give us a lot of wisdom, but nothing can top the wisdom we get from the word of God.  When we start to think about goal setting from a biblical perspective, there are four steps we can take to get our hearts aligned with God’s purposes for us. After all, we can plan and goal set all we want, but in the end, it is ..read more