• happy
    Joyful

    Yes, God Wants You to be Happy.

    - By 

    One of the most pernicious lies in the Christian community comes in the oft repeated aphorism, “God cares more about your character than your happiness”. Added onto this particular gem is the assertion that as Christians, we are commanded to feel joy even when we are not happy. Next comes a tortured attempt at defining joy apart from happiness. Joy is apparently an emotion located in our spirit while happiness is shallow and only for those weak enough to seek the gratification of the flesh.  Joy is lasting, while happiness is fleeting. To all these things, I say, “Bosh.” I…

  • apology
    Apology - Forgiveness - healing

    The Five Languages of Apology and How They Work

    - By 

    A familiar chain of events in families today is the roundabout argument that goes something like this: “I’m sorry.” “No, you’re not.” “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it” “Yes, you would. You say it all the time.” This is the anatomy of the typical apology; one we learned as children. We offended our sibling and were forced to issue a half-hearted apology, which in their turn, they were forced to receive. In effect, Mom and Dad knew we were just going through the motions, and we became suspicious of apologies ever after. After all, we said them…

  • college - education - parenting

    What Professors Wish Parents Knew about College

    - By 

    I cannot speak for every college professor, but teaching in higher education for the last twenty-four years gives me some credibility on the topic. In my career, I taught upper and lower division English courses for large public universities, community colleges, and small private liberal arts universities. Every Fall ushers in a new class of freshmen and every winter ushers out 25-50% of those same kids. I estimate roughly 5000 students have crossed my path, probably a few more. I personally flunked about 10% of those, maybe more. It seems crazy in those terms. I flunked five hundred students. Most…