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How to Disagree with the Enemy
Stay a Christian for long and soon enough you will hear about the enemy. The Bible calls him the father of lies and the wedge-driver. I think every believer has heard Ephesians 6:12 many times: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. I am, if anything, a very practical theologian. I don’t care so much about etymology and ancient languages as I do information that I can use. If I am wrestling with entities I can’t see, I need a little more information. So if it isn’t flesh and blood that…
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Spiritual Formation: The Eight Stages of Growth
Spiritual formation is rarely discussed in church. At least, I am sure I have taken in or endured as the case may be, thousands of sermons. The closest they seem to get is on the topic of discipleship, which is related, but not the same. We pore over books about the stages of child development or how a marriage grows, yet spiritual formation remains a bit of a mystery. Part of the reason for this is that, like most theories about spiritual or emotional growth, spiritual formation remains a bit of theory. Like the stages of grief, the actual living out of our spiritual lives is somewhat individualistic. Many hypothetical…
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Magical Thinking versus a Firm Faith
Magical thinking is a trap into which many fall, particularly when difficult circumstances hit. When I was married to my first husband, a typical narcissistic abuser, I regularly fooled myself into thinking that eventually he would mature out of that stage and morph into a responsible, loving adult. Because of this magical thinking, I dedicated much prayer towards this end, and I closed myself off from what was real. In the process, I endangered both my children and myself. And magical thinking is not merely applied to relational desires. I think money is an area in which I know I tend to use magical thinking rather than taking responsibility. Weight…
Healing Through Art & Words
