• wellness
    Emotion,  emotional health,  healing,  PTSD,  Renewing the Mind,  Self Awareness,  Trauma

    Emotional and Spiritual Wellness: Learning to Heal

    Wellness is not a new concept, though, to be honest, it is for me.  The dictionary defines it as the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal. I dislike that definition because it seems incomplete. The National Wellness Association (who knew there was such a thing!) defines wellness as an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence. Find them here That is better, I suppose. I am not fond of the term successful existence because it is simply so subjective. For me, wellness is about well-being. I think of that old hymn by Horatio Spafford, It Is…

  • Cleanliness

    Is Cleanliness Next to Godliness? Your Home and You

    I never hear about cleanliness and godliness, but I do think the two are connected. Several times in my life, my house has figured prominently in my dreams. When I escaped my abusive first husband, I dreamt of a large house swept clean. Constructed with beautiful woods throughout, the bones of the home were strong, but the rooms stood empty. I understood this to mean that I was embarking on a new life. The time to fill my rooms with new memories (or furniture) had come. I remember reading an article about how your bedroom represents your marital relationship. If it is a neglected room, disorganized and cluttered, then the…

  • marriage
    Featured

    How to Build a Marriage: His Needs, Her Needs

    Sometimes the over-consumption of books can lead one to mistake knowledge for wisdom. This was surely the case for me when we decided to attend a home group on the topic of marriage at our church, Harvest Cathedral, in Macon, Georgia.  We attended the group on the strength of our fondness for our pastors, Steve and Debbie Sawyer, though without any high expectations. I remember asking a fellow professor once how his marriage was. It was an appropriate question in the context of our conversation. His response was disarmingly honest. He called it, “functional”. I was still in the throes of our honeymoon at the time so I remember feeling…