“Let’s begin by gathering our loneliness and shame and taking them home to our Father, who will overwhelm our shame with His perfect love and satisfy our deepest longings for belonging.”- Ruth Graham “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.”- Proverbs 14:13 (ESV) “God makes a home […]
“From a faith perspective, we can think of healthy conviction as a motivating factor that leads us to repent of, or change, our actions. This is a beautiful, necessary part of growth and learning to try softer. . . . We all need a healthy sense of personal responsibility to help us love others well.”- […]
“One of the most important truths that serves as a compass for us on our God-journey, ensuring we always head in the right direction, is refusing to keep secrets with the devil. This means we have to be transparent with God.”- Heath Adamson Heath Adamson concludes Chapter 6 of The Sacred Chase as he talks […]
” . . . we must never use relevance as an excuse to compromise. . . . adjusting your lifestyle is not equal to walking humbly and purely before God. There is a realm of intimacy with God based solely on the access to your heart you provide to God. Self-awareness can be difficult. We […]
“Clear any toxic clouds of shame that have been clinging to you. And in their absence, it becomes a lot easier to discover your blue flame, as well as the truest version of yourself.”- Jennifer Fulwiler In Chapter 8 (“You Can Finally Accept Yourself”) of Your Blue Flame, Jennifer Fulwiler states we often extinguish our […]
“You’re going to have to make some conscious choices to get your life back. The first has to be to confront your pain for what it is and determine to process it rather than obsess over it. The second is to not let it steal the rest of your loved ones from you.”- Phil Waldrep […]
“When we are emotionally hurt or have experienced trauma, our subconscious minds often work to protect us in ways that are counterproductive. Shame and vulnerability are so toxic to our identities that our subconscious mind does everything it can to avoid them.”- Phil Waldrep Phil Waldrep continues Chapter 5 of Beyond Betrayal as he observes […]
“Although it is tempting to hope that we can eliminate shame from our relational diet, it is futile to wish for this. Our hope is, rather, changing our response to it as we journey together toward God’s kingdom. . . . As such . . . we starve [shame] over time, not by avoiding it […]
“Pick what you like, then see how it grows. If that little plant dies in a week, well, then you’ve learned something. But another outcome is also possible. What if it blooms?”- Emily P. Freeman (emphasis author’s) In Chapter 20 (“Pick What You Like”) of The Next Right Thing, Emily P. Freeman observes that it’s […]
“When you tackle your character, though, things get uncomfortable. The blaming stops. The excuses get pushed to the side. And honest — painful honesty — is required. You finally have to deal with you. Which explains why it’s so much easier to keep focusing on your complaining and keep compromising your character.”- Carey Nieuwhof Carey […]
“I only find true freedom when I bring every part of my heart into the light, letting unconditional love pour water onto the destructive fires of shame and fear.”- Christa Black Gifford As Christa Black Gifford concludes Chapter 7 of Heart Made Whole, she notes the scary nature of intimacy. Especially to a human heart […]
“Shame can be silenced. Even as we wait in unwanted realities and sickness and broken relationships, unwhole and unwell, we can still silence shame.”- Ann Swindell “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured […]