The past few weeks have been about letting go for me. I've had to let go of people, money, sadness, regret, pride and fear. As I write this, I'm thinking, "Gosh, it sounds like a really awful few weeks when I write it all out like that!" But, you know me, I'm looking for what I'm supposed to learn and share with others! So, here goes... The issues I've been letting go of were issues … [Read more...]
SPIRITUAL WARFARE: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE HERE ON EARTH? WHY AM I HERE?
August 17, 2018 by
Pastor Ryan of Palm Valley Church: This is the most fundamental question that human beings ask. It is not a modern question. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It has been asked since the beginning of mankind itself. Where does one search for the answer to such an important question? Philosophy? Logical thought? Experience? Our fundamental beliefs about how we got here in the first place should … [Read more...]
White Fang
August 8, 2018 by
Last night, I watched White Fang with the kids. It was a really good movie. I’m sure many of you have read the original book by Jack London. For those who haven’t, I won’t spoil it for you, but the main character is a “wolfdog” that has three very different owners across his life. What I found interesting was the relative ease with which his personality changed from good to bad to good, depending … [Read more...]
SPIRITUAL WARFARE: Why do good things happen to bad people?
July 17, 2018 by
Pastor Ryan of Palm Valley Church: In order to answer the question of why do good things happen to bad people, we first need to determine: What categorizes a person as “bad?” Who are these bad people? How bad do you have to be to fall into this category? Where is the line? The more you think about it, the tougher it is to draw it. I mean, we can sort out extreme cases pretty easily in our minds: … [Read more...]
SPIRITUAL WARFARE: WHY ARE THERE BAD PEOPLE IN THE WORLD?
June 5, 2018 by
Why are there bad people in the world, like pedophiles, rapists and serial killers? Pastor Ryan of Palm Valley Church: The answer to this question is the same as the answer to the question, “Why are there bad people in the world, like liars, thieves and adulterers?” Contrary to popular belief, the Bible does not categorize bad behavior by degree of severity. ALL bad behavior is called sin, and … [Read more...]
14 Lessons from The Greatest Showman: The Story of P.T. Barnum
May 23, 2018 by
***Spoiler Alert: Important plot elements revealed below.*** A patient of mine recently found out that I’d not seen the movie The Greatest Showman, the story of P.T. Barnum. She couldn’t believe it and thought the message was one I simply MUST know. At her next session, she brought her copy of the movie for me to borrow and urged me to watch it. I’m so glad I did. Thank you. Regardless of how … [Read more...]
ATAQ: How can I be so blessed and depressed at the same time?
April 26, 2018 by
Many times I’ve heard people say that they feel so blessed in their lives and so fortunate, yet they feel depressed and they don’t know why. Some of them feel guilty about it, and others are just confused. Well, I have news for you: Gratitude and depression are NOT mutually exclusive. How can this be true? First, consider genetics: Just like our parents can pass on their eye color or skin tone or … [Read more...]
SPIRITUAL WARFARE: PEOPLE IN REMOTE AREAS
April 22, 2018 by
"What about people in remote corners of the world who don't know of Jesus? Will they go to Heaven if they don't accept Christ? If it's our job to reach them, what happens if we can't get to them in time?" Pastor Ryan of Palm Valley Church: There are several different theological topics at play here. The first is salvation and how one receives it. The second is about our role in the salvation of … [Read more...]
Lessons from Alice in Wonderland
March 19, 2018 by
In my opinion, Alice in Wonderland may very well have been written by someone under the influence of LSD. Nonetheless, I think there are some important lessons to be learned from the story. Here are 5 of the many… Don’t go down the rabbit hole. The rabbit hole represents uncertainty—you never know what you’re going to get, so it’s really best to steer clear of a possible trap. In other words, … [Read more...]
Where Did the Words Go?
February 4, 2018 by
Today, I’m sharing another incredible story of hope and resilience. This was written by a psychiatric nurse practitioner colleague of mine. She wrote it for a women’s health essay competition at her local DAR chapter, and she graciously agreed to let me share it. In addition to her determination and adaptability, God’s presence is evident throughout the story of her challenging journey, especially … [Read more...]
