Balanced Living

Abusive Relationships/ Co-Dependent #3

Hi all, A man received a talking parrot as a gift, but the parrot had a horrible attitude and worse, horrible language. The man tried repeatedly to

Abusive Relationships/ Spiritual Abuse #2

Hi all, A very old couple in old clothes that were fashionable decades ago shuffled into a hamburger place one day and ordered 1 hamburger, 1 order

Abusive Relationships #1, Transfer of Guilt

Hi all, We have a ceiling fan in the middle of our bedroom with 2 pull chains hanging down to switch the fan and light on and off if we don't want to

What is Taking up the Cross #4, Strongholds

Hi all, Last week I told the stories of 3 people who crucified old ways of thinking so they could begin thinking new thoughts: The teen who stole from

What is Taking up the Cross #3, Poison

Hi all, Once in a while I get in the mood for a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and this was one of those days. We had some Irish 'Steel

What is Taking up the Cross #2, Rhino

Hi all, There are 2 benchmark events in my life that confirmed something I had tried to keep quiet, crammed into the back of my mind for years, but

What is Taking up the Cross #1, Cheeseburger

Hi all, I'm starting with a confession of sin, something I've had to deal with over the years that only recently have I overcome, and that overcoming

Self-Centered/Righteous? #4 (Giving Tzedakah)

Hi all, I've been talking about tzedakah, often translated as 'righteousness' in our Bibles, and how tzedakah in Hebrew culture and the Bible is both

Self-centered/Right #3 (Marriage/Divorce)

Hi all, This series is about tzedakah, righteousness in Hebrew, and my statement that a true disciple of Jesus (not just a believer, but a disciple)

Self-Centered/Rightness #2 (Why Healing)

Hi all, Shortly after the USSR fell apart, I led a team to the city of Ekaterinburg, a city of over 1 million people sitting astride the Ural

Self-centered Christian #1/Tzedekah

Hi all, I was getting Chris dressed for the day while having a pity party, discouraged, with a to-do list the length of my arm - feeling overwhelmed

Took Away Sin not Sins? #1 (No Swimming)

Hi all, I grew up with the command not to go swimming for at least 30 minutes after eating a meal or I'd get a cramp and drown. As a child, it was

God’s Will, Mine, Does He Care #5

Hi all, I closed last week talking about the couple who were ready to break their engagement because of an argument on how to load the dishwasher.

Manipulation, Focus, and Jesus #1

Hi all, Chris has a motorized wheelchair he travels around the neighborhood with, greeting the neighbors, dogs, children, and keeping a running

The Magi #3

Hi all,Some years ago a few of us were helping a church family move to a new home. There were 3 of us trying to convince their refrigerator it could

The Magi #2

Hi all, When I entered Indiana University (IU) in the summer of 1976, I was invited to join the fraternity my dad had been a member of, Phi Kappa Psi,