We’ve all experienced pain and suffering in our lives. We often wonder why we’re experiencing what we’re going through. When we’re going through seasons of turmoil in our life, it’s easy to ask the question, ”Where is God?”

To address the question about God’s whereabouts during painful chapters, we first have to address the why.

If you’re like me and have tried to figure out why things are happening the way they are, you’ll realize you’re just spinning your wheels. Most of the time we won’t figure out the why until days, weeks, months, or even years later.

To get past the question ”Why, God?,” we first have to be ok with never getting an answer at all. Sometimes we’ll never find out why things happen the way that they do. That’s where faith comes into play. …

Do you find yourself at your wits’ end during your new quarantine life? Are you having trouble adjusting to your chaotic new normal? Before you bang your head repeatedly against the wall, check out these helpful tips to try to stay calm during the storm.

THE STORM

One of the few guarantees in this life is that there will be storms. There will be rough patches and valleys we go through. There will be times where we feel like giving up, because we just can’t take much more. Life is hard sometimes.

The reality is that while we can’t control when the storms come or how long some storms last. We can, however, control our thought process and our action steps in the midst of the raging sea. In fact, the way we think and act during each storm will help determine how well we make it through. It can also dictate the position we find ourselves in when all is said and done. …

There’s no need to state the obvious in this piece. Our world is facing an invisible enemy. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’re well-aware of what’s going on globally, as well as in the great USA.

The Battle Up Front

Fighting the battle on the frontline are our amazing healthcare professionals. I could not imagine what it’s like for not only each and every nurse, doctor, pharmacist, and EMS, but also for their family and loved ones at home. They all deserve more than just a round-of-applause and a bump in pay when this is all said and done!

Also helping fight the good fight are all of the grocery store and department and retail store workers who are remaining open for essential items. Lord knows we owe a debt of gratitude for the workers who are stocking the shelves with food and toilet paper! …

Have you ever wanted to do something new, but you make up excuses for yourself like, “I just don’t have any time!” Or how about, “I’d like to do that, but I just don’t have the money right now.”

It baffles me that we let things like time and money have so much perceived power over us. The reason I say perceived power is because we all have the same amount of hours in a day — 24. While some people obviously make more money than others, we all spend money on a wide range of products and services.

So, how do some people seem to have time and money to do to the things that they want, while others seem to not have either? …

In The Beginning

I can’t even remember the day that it started. All I really remember was being overcome by intense fear and worry. I can’t even tell you what it was I was afraid of or worrying about.

It seemed as though my mind wouldn’t allow me to process situations and circumstances the same as the people around me. I would freak out what seemed like something so insignificant to someone else.

The place that was supposed to feel like home for me really felt more like a prison. I was trapped. …

The issue of abortion has been a hot topic for decades now, often used as a political tool. The decision of being pro-life or pro-choice has divided many in this nation. Christians have long supported pro-life, believing that every baby is a gift from God and life starts at the first heart-beat or before. Christians have also been criticized, and I think rightfully so, for only caring about women not choosing to abort, but then not caring about the child or mother after birth.

A few days ago we were fortunate enough to attend an event put on by Kirk Cameron called Living Room Reset. It was a three hour gathering and teaching on the topics of marriage and parenting. Those are two things my wife and I are passionate about, since we fit into both categories. What I didn’t know was that Kirk and his wife adopted their first four kids from mothers who had all chosen to not abort and instead give their baby up for adoption. Kirk’s wife, Chelsea, was also the child of a mother who chose birth and adoption over abortion. …

It started out as a normal Friday morning. I took my oldest two kids to their weekly home-school gym class. Every week I try to challenge them both to meet someone new in their class. Each of my kids have different personalities, so they both attack this challenge in different ways.

For my daughter, the social butterfly, she sees this as an opportunity to meet a new friend. She does an excellent job of connecting with people and has rarely met a stranger.

For my son, meeting new people is more of an obstacle. He would rather play with someone he knows than to meet someone new. If he can’t find someone who he already has an established connection with, he’s perfectly content playing by himself. …

Most of the topics I love to write about most on this blog is anxiety, worry, fear, and depression. I’ve written a lot about some of my own personal struggles with all four of them. As I said in one of my most recent blog posts, the hardest part in coming clean about your struggles with your emotions is that you think you’re alone. You don’t want to come off as weak or be shunned.

It’s easy to feel insecure about our feelings, because sometimes we think we need to have common ground with a person before we open up to them about what we think. Usually I don’t have a problem sharing my viewpoints if I know the person across from me will be in total agreement. …