Popular New Year’s Resolutions
Here are some of the most popular resolutions Americans make, according to the government web site www.FirstGov.gov: 1. Lose weight 2. Pay off debt and/or save money 3. Get a better job 4. Get fit and/or eat right 5. Get a better education So… any New Year’s Resolutions this year?
Child Abuse Allegations and the Church: II
The other day I wrote about child abuse and the church. In that post I recommended every church have a policy for reporting suspected child abuse. Geoff asked, “Do you have a sample or copy of just such a written policy?” The Georgia Baptist Convention has a number of good resources for churches and child [...]
Holiday Blues
People assume I’m particularly busy this time of year. Not really. Depression, anxiety, and marriage and family problems are a year round business. But my practice actually slows down during the holidays. The idea of increased crisis and suicides at Christmas is a myth. Suicide rates are actually highest in the spring (Suicide: Historical, Descriptive, [...]
Christmas Music
This (You Will Behave Like Gentlemen) is my new favorite Christmas song.
Child Abuse Allegations and the Church
As I looked through news stories and a few of my favorite blogs this morning, I ran across this: one incident, two different views (here and here). I have no idea what happened at Belleview nor do I have an opinion on whether or not Steve Gaines acted appropriately: there is simply not enough information [...]
Depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Health: In any given 1-year period, 9.5 percent of the population, or about 20.9 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness5 The economic cost for this disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause [...]
Oklahoma Hero
The December 7, 2006 edition of the Tulsa World had this article about the “first official heroes of World War II”: Ken Taylor was one of only two American pilots able to take off and fight back during the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Sixty-five years later, despite Taylor’s recent death, a [...]
The Singlehood Phenomenon
The Singlehood Phenomenon: 10 Brutally Honest Reasons People Arent Getting Marriedis written by Drs. Beverly and Tom Rodgers who’ve been married for over 30 years and Christian counselors for 26 years. According to the publisher, the Rodgers explain that having a soul mate starts with multiple levels of mutual attraction but then takes work to [...]
Church vs Campus Ministry
Lifeway has an article titled Church and Campus: Cooperation or Competition? Campus ministry seeks to reach the student, confronting him with the fact that a biblical understanding of God provides meaning and purpose not only to all of one’s learning, but also to all of life. The church exists as an authentic biblical community in [...]
The Deaconate
My church uses the Deacon Family Ministry Plan. The idea behind the Deacon Family Ministry Plan is that every family within the church is assigned to a particular deacon. That deacon then forms a relationship with the family and ministers to each family member in a variety of ways. The plan provides the organizational infrastructure [...]
