• boss
    Boss,  Career,  Job

    What I Learned from My First Bad Boss

    My first experience with a bad boss puzzled me for years. Nearly eighteen years ago, I taught at a small Christian university in Kentucky. A single mom with four girls, I was incredibly grateful for my job. I kept my head down and taught my classes. Towards the end of the school year, the chair of my department called me in. I remember the moment quite clearly. I liked my boss. He was about thirty years older than me. I had met his lovely wife and, from my naïve standpoint, thought they must have a lovely marriage. He asked me if I had heard the rumors. I had not. Up…

  • neurons
    Christmas,  Neurons

    Neurons Ring! Are You Listening?

    I remember a lecture on neurons and the paths they take at adult Sunday school one winter. The lecturer was a respected psychologist and had been influential in my husband’s life. So I was primed to take what he said seriously. He pontificated at length on the manipulation of our neuro-nets by the world of advertising. From his point of view, Christmas provided the perfect opportunity for people to be set up for greed and disappointment. I don’t necessarily disagree, except that God made our nervous systems for a reason. He mentioned how the smells of pine and cinnamon, the ubiquitous strands of lights, and the shiny wrapped presents send…

  • needy
    Needy

    Needy: A Prayer for Desperate Times

    We are all needy in one or another aspect of our lives. Being needy carries a certain stigma with it, but God in His Word says much on the topic. This prayer exercise comes in four parts to help fill those black holes and empty spaces in our hearts and lives. Whether you are needy financially, emotionally, or physically, this exercise addresses all the steps to moving from being empty to full. Taking the destitute widow who came to Elisha for help as our example, let us move from being have-nots to being full of the Holy Spirit and God’s abundant provision. One of the emotions that prevent us from…