How We Cause Emotional Trauma to Children
One of my most vivid memories as a child was watching my two younger brothers cry hysterically as my mom cut their hair against their wishes. We were about 11 or 12 years old. It was the early 1970’s and long hair was a sign that you were cool. We’d reached a place in our lives where we no longer wanted the childish haircuts my mom gave us. Our older brothers had gone through the adult rites of passage and wore…
Healing PTSD
I received an e-mail from a man named José who is a missionary to Uganda. He had read several of my books and wanted to know if I might help his son, who was a paramedic firefighter who developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and could no longer work. José said he would be in our area for a few weeks and wanted to know if I would meet with him and his son for prayer. I agreed…
The Grinch: A Different Perspective
I spent a couple of hours in the waiting room of the local urgent care and sat through the film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I’ve seen the animated show dozens of times, but I’d never seen the film. After becoming a believer, the story took on a new meaning for me. I saw the grumpy old Grinch as an unredeemed sinner, and his heart-changing epiphany as his experience of being born again. As I…
Telling Your Story and Emotional Healing
I’ve been continuing to work with people who have identified their need to be healed of emotional trauma. One of the keys to emotional healing is the recognition by the person who needs healing that something is wrong and it needs to be addressed. I receive questions from people asking how they can help someone who doesn’t feel they need help. My answer is to pray for them to become aware that they need help…
Transparency: The Painful Truth and How We Must Be Healed
There are many people who have a need to talk about some ugly things from their past. Not to wallow in self-pity but to receive healing from the terrible things they’ve endured and to receive affirmation from us that they are not outcasts or freaks. “A despairing person should have kindness from his friend, said Job, “lest he forsake the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14 NASB). Job recognized, as only a person in…