Henri Nouwen wrote, “Our society is not a community radiant with the love of Christ, but a dangerous network of domination and manipulation in which we can easily get entangled and lose our soul.” Translation – We live in a fallen world. The Bible is like this: “God gave them up to dishonorable passions” (Romans…
I love a good party. I’ve been to a few spirited celebrations, but nothing like the one they threw in Great Britain over 20 years ago. In June, 2002, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 50 years as monarch of Great Britain. A Golden Jubilee Festival was held in her honor, as London’s ceremonial mall was filled…
We can find great lessons for recovery from history. For example, let’s talk World War II. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, a serviceman serving on a maintenance ship was able to save six sailors trapped on the burning USS Arizona by tossing them a rope. God has done the same thing for each of…
A few weeks ago, I came across this verse, and it really struck me for some reason. “I keep asking that God may give you the Spirit of revelation” (Ephesians 1:17). Have you ever thought about that? God wants you to have revelation. That is the ability to see things others do not see. Paul…
There is no power like the power of focus. We need it in our relationships, spiritual development, at work, and in recovery. For example, psychologist Traci Stein suggests a unique technique to maintain focus at work. It’s called the “Pomodoro Technique,” which is based on working for 25 minutes, and then taking a five-minute break,…
Whoever told you that recovery would be easy was messing with you. Buzz Aldrin, space explorer, Christ-follower, and recovering alcoholic, spoke of his personal sobriety: “It’s been one of the greatest challenges that ever came along in my life; it was one of the most difficult things to do.” But “hard” doesn’t mean “bad.” The…
What matters the most in long-term recovery? A team of six addiction experts, led by Dr. Maria Pagano, sought answers. They conducted a ten-year study on the various components of long-term recovery that reaped the greatest results. Overwhelmingly, their research concluded that two things were of the utmost importance. Let’s focus on the second principle…
Dr. Robert J. Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, is the fourth leader of an incredible 75-year study of 724 men. Of these 724 men who entered this study shortly after World War II, 60 are still living, and each of them continues to participate in the annual research. These men came…
Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky reports on a study conducted across cultures. It found that, universally, men tend to prefer to marry women younger than themselves, while women prefer men older than themselves. There were several other interesting findings. But the most profound conclusion was that across cultures, men and women are looking for one thing…
The word for today is . . . mirror. Carl Jung said, “Whoever looks into the mirror will see first of all his own face. The mirror does not flatter; it faithfully shows whatever looks into it, namely, the face we never show to the world because we cover it with the persona, the mask…