'encouragement' Tagged Posts

An Open Letter to Those Suffering from Depression

An Open Letter to Those Suffering from Depression by Shona Murray “My dear friend, I’m so sorry to hear that you are suffering with serious depression. Although you feel hopeless and helpless, I want to assure you right up front that there is hope and there is help. I’ve been there myself and I’ve felt the same despair and darkness that you feel. But God, in his great mercy, brought me out of it and I trust and pray he…

An Open Letter to the Suffering Christian

An Open Letter to the Suffering Christian by David Powlison “Dear friend, What words can I say to you when your life is hard and you are hurting? If we were face to face, I probably wouldn’t start with words at all. I would want you to talk when you are able. I want to know you, what you are going through, what it is like for you, and how you are doing. Simply being present and conveying that tears,…

Learning about Sanctification from Groundhog Day

Learning about Sanctification from Groundhog Day by Mike Emlet, Dean of Faculty at Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation “We recently celebrated that oddest of American traditions, Groundhog Day. Every February 2, the nation awaits a weather prediction from “Phil,” a groundhog who makes his home in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. If he sees his shadow that morning, it means six more weeks of wintery weather or so the lore goes. If he doesn’t see his shadow, it predicts an early spring….Are you…