“Music can change the world because it can change people.” – Bono Music is powerful Here’s something I’ve been re-learning recently: music is powerful. I mean, I’ve known this for years. And I’m not the only one. Research has told us that music: Reduces pain and anxiety. Relieves stress. Improves memory. Helps aid brain injury recovery (like strokes). In fact, several years ago I worked with a client that was focused on music therapy. If you do a quick Google search, you’ll see that this type of therapy can help improve communication, promote physical rehabilitation, enhance memory, alleviate pain, and
We live in a culture that tells us to “cancel” those we disagree with and hold angry grudges against those who wrong us. But holding grudges is bad for our health. As Rene Schlaepfer pointed out in Chasing David : A 2019 report in the Journal of Psychology and Aging found that holding grudges is dangerous to your health. Remaining in the state of anger is associated with chronic inflammation and other illnesses. The effects intensifies with age; in other words, the longer you hold a grudge, the sicker you get (page 113). What Jesus Said About Forgiveness Jesus talked
It’s easy to feel like who you are gets lost in your role as Mom. It can feel all-consuming–especially at certain stages–to the point that you wonder if you even have an identity outside these little people that are completely dependent on you. I think that leaves some of us wonder, who am I? I don’t have time for hobbies. My friends’ calendars never sync up with mine. Chances are I’m working, feeding my kids, cleaning my house, or mindlessly sitting in front of the TV–too tired to do anything productive, but not wanting to give into sleep yet because
God’s been talking to me about prayer recently. Everywhere I turn, there’s another reminder that I need to set aside time in my day to talk to Him. Pray Without Ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is one of my favorite Bible passages: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I like it because it tells us what God’s will is: rejoice, pray, give thanks–no matter what’s going on. And yet, the prayer piece of that has always eluded me. I just haven’t figured out how to
Are you happy? How do you find happiness ? Is it in success? Relationships? Following your heart? As much as our culture touts the importance of doing what makes you happy, it seems like people are anything but. Like no matter what we achieve, who we know, or how we feel, there are lingering feelings of insecurity, sadness, and hopelessness beneath the surface. They say, “You’re not good enough.” The truth is, the pursuit of happiness will never be fulfilling–no matter what the founding fathers or anyone else thinks. Where is your focus? As I was going through some old
When I have a busy, long day, sometimes the last thing I want to do is open my Bible. It’s not that I’m running away from God, but it takes more thought when I’m already tired. And it’s yet another thing getting in the way of just doing what I want to do. I spend all day doing everything for everyone else–by the time I have a few minutes to myself, I want to just do what I feel like doing. However, I’ve noticed a pattern: when I’m more consistent about turning my focus on God, rather than myself, I
If I were to ask your kids what you tell them the most, what would they say? Mine would probably answer with phrases like: Have you emptied the dishwasher yet? Why aren’t you dressed? Get off your sister’s head! While those are things I need to repeat over and over, I hope they’re also hearing the more positive messages I make an effort to try to repeat: I love you so much. I’m proud of you. God created you and designed you intentionally. He doesn’t make mistakes. Jesus loves you even more than Daddy and I do! I tell them
If your family is like mine, when you’re trying to shuffle the kids out the door, there’s a lot of chaos, bickering, barking, and frustration. And usually all our emotions jump into overdrive because we’re already running late and I’m trying to hurry. That’s the keyword there: hurry . I keep trying to do more than I can. I don’t give myself enough time to do what I want to do, and get frustrated that I’m late. I’m also easily distracted, which slows me down even more. Then I try to compensate by hurrying everyone along which feels a lot
This might seem odd for you to hear from me, especially since I’m known for my annoyingly optimistic nature sometimes. But over the years I’ve heard our culture say over and over again: Do what makes you happy. Don’t worry, be happy. If it doesn’t make you happy, it’s not worth it. You deserve to be happy. God Doesn’t Want You to Be Happy There was a time of my life where I bought into this cultural message. I thought God wanted me to be happy. But the more I’ve learned, the more I’ve realized happiness shouldn’t be my goal
What’s the best way to teach our children important life lessons? I’m not a teacher and I have no formal training whatsoever, but if I were to guess, I would probably say a lot depends on the child’s personality, where they are in their development, and whether they learn best by seeing, hearing, or doing. However, I was listening to this Brant and Sherri Oddcast episode the other day, and they pointed out how Jesus taught: he asks questions, tells stories, and lets people wrestle with the meaning. And he didn’t have set “classroom times” and “office hours.” He taught