July 26, 2017
Category: anger
July 24, 2017
Fight The “Blues” With Me
It’s the first day of the work week, but I'm not experiencing your typical "Monday Blues" today. I have no clue what's wrong; it's as though a dark cloud of sadness, almost an anxiousness, has moved into the duplex next door. Sometimes—for me anyway—stress, depression, anger and even anxiety unwillingly invade, like watching black storm clouds roll into my spirit. As I am helpless to chase away a thunderstorm by sheer will, so this feels in my heart. But my family and I are born fighters. We surrender to God alone; never to darkness, never to defeat.
July 20, 2017
The Fragility of the Artistic Soul
Today the world received the devastating news of the suicide-by-hanging of Chester Bennington, lead singer of the band Linkin Park. As in the case of many other artists who have committed suicide, the sad fact is the artistic soul is a fragile one. Singers, poets, musicians, painters, writers, actors, we all have it; a seemingly brittle, inner core which is easily shattered. I know life seems devastatingly brittle at times, but believe me, it's not worth ending it. The enemy of our souls is at work, doing everything within his grasp to steal your soul. Don't let that happen. As Dylan Thomas said, “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
July 11, 2017
Laugh It Up, Fuzzball
The tattoo on my right upper bicep (and on my daughter’s calf) says, “No fear of the future, no regrets of the past.” Granted, this is a mindset which is hard to attain, and even harder to maintain. It's a goal both she and I strive for every day. I'm closer to it than I was a year ago, but not as adept as I will be in a year. It’s totally doable, though. I know this because I've witnessed the joyful faces of those who have gone through terrible agony. There is a terrible sadness, hidden away, which has forever altered their lives. But not destroyed them. So follow the advice of that great theologian, Han Solo, who said, “Laugh it up, fuzzball.”
July 3, 2017
Hats Off to the Veterans of Pain & Life
Sometimes I literally have to speak to the old dude staring back at me in the mirror. "Make peace with him," I say. "You're older, you're not as thin. Look at him. Make peace with him. His wife loves him. His children love him. His grandson and his parents love him. You must love him, too." We can allow the aging process to blanket our entire soul, or we can acquiesce to the inescapable, and cultivate an appetite for the artistry and charm of life.
June 29, 2017
That “Kill Me Now, Lord” Prayer
Man, life is a fantastic journey, to be certain, but sometimes the darkness seems too heavy a burden to bear. You feel you can't make it through another day, and yet you do. How many times have you prayed the same prayer, but to no avail? You are stronger than you think, and God has placed within you the strength and resolve to make it through anything this life can throw at you.
June 10, 2017
The Cancer of Unforgiveness
To achieve emotional health, you must forgive, even if what someone did to you was criminal, heinous. Forgiving isn't excusing what they DID; it's letting go of a potentially deadly emotion which, if left unattended, will destroy you.
June 5, 2017
Childhood Abuse – The Monster Behind The Curtain
Over time I was able to begin working through my past, and today I’ve made peace with most of it, but the demons of yesteryear nearly sabotaged my entire existence. I understand the monster behind the curtain; I’ve listened in fear to the raspy breath of the beast on the other side of the door. The thought of opening up old wounds is sickening, disgusting, I get it, but if you don’t, at some point the creature will claw through the walls you’ve erected, and destroy you.
May 25, 2017
