Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com Have you ever given God the silent treatment? I have. It hasn't been intentional. But prayer just felt forced and unnatural. I felt distant and didn’t know what to say. So I said nothing. Yet by not going to him in prayer, I was essentially ignoring him. There are a lot of reasons you might feel distant from God, and then not pray to him as a result, including: Feeling disappointed or angry Avoiding your feelings Being out of the habit of prayer Feel ashamed or guilty Not know what to say or how to focus The good news is that when you feel this way, it doesn’t mean that he actually is distant: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. – learn more...
Are You at Risk for Christian Burnout?
Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com Before I became a Christian, I was what you might call a perfectionistic high achiever. I pursued high grades, college scholarships, and whatever awards and accolades I could get my hands on. But as I matured and saw how empty these selfish ambitions were in and of themselves, I started yearning for a different direction in my life. Enter Jesus. I fell in love with him and his church when I was 19, and started pouring my life into more “spiritual” pursuits. But as it turned out, the perfectionist in me didn’t really go away. I continued not only to pursue excellence in my schooling and career, but I also drove myself hard to be an excellent Christian. I led Bible studies and small groups, organized and volunteered learn more...
Three Habits of Families That Raise Thankful Kids
Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com It’s not exactly news these days that kids and young people in general can be selfish, thankless and entitled. I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly coming across headlines about how things like technology, bullying, materialism and competition are sucking away their souls. I’d like to say that Christian homes are different. But I’ll be honest here…in my home at least, we struggle. My daughter obsesses over when she can get her next LOL Surprise Doll while I have to peel my sons away from the latest video game craze. Stashes of Pokémon cards, endless Legos and an army of dolls take up a somewhat embarrassing amount of real estate in our house. I don’t want throw them under the bus for being this way. I am responsible for learn more...
How to Help a Friend Who Is Grieving
Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com At some point everyone has a friend who’s going through something really tough. Maybe she’s trying to fix a broken marriage or even asking herself "is divorce ever okay?" Perhaps she’s lost a loved one. There might be challenges in her health or in her family’s health. Or maybe she’s simply processing a lost hope or dream. Unless you’ve been through a similar situation, it’s hard to know how to be supportive. Many well-intentioned people try to help but end up hurting their friend even more with poorly chosen words of advice (ever read the book of Job?). On the other hand, in order to avoid making such a mistake, some avoid interacting much with their friend altogether! The Bible instructs us to be refreshment to our sisters in learn more...
When You and Your Husband Feel More Like Roommates Than Lovers
Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com “We’re like two ships passing in the night…” It’s a phrase I hear surprisingly often when couples are talking about their interactions with one another. In other words, you coexist around each other. When it comes down to it, there’s not much space or even desire for intimacy. You're not "in the mood." Does it describe your marriage? It’s easy to coexist when you life is full, whether with babies and sleep deprivation or older kids and their accompanying activity schedules. You and your spouse might even make a pretty good team. But what about not too far down the road (it’s really not), when your kids are grown, and it’s just you and your man, night after night? The divorce rate for empty nesters has been rising learn more...
How to Have Joy in Any Circumstance
Guest Post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com “I just feel like I’ve lost my joy,” she told me one day over coffee and a few tears. “And as a Christian, I feel horrible about that.” My friend was in the situation many of us find ourselves in: taking care of kids (or something else) and trying to keep our acts together while we’re exhausted, overwhelmed and downright cranky about all. And to top it all off, we feel guilty for not being more joyful. I wish I could have told her the magic formula, something like prayer + Bible study = joy. And there have certainly been times when I have naively thought it should be that simple. But in response I simply gave her a hug and maybe cried a little myself. Because in truth, life is hard. Joy isn’t always an automatic response just because learn more...
