Wisdom
Professional Burnout
Burnout (Of Pastors, Other Leaders, and their Spouses)

Burnout (Of Pastors, Other Leaders, and their Spouses)

During my early years as a pastor, I had a hard time balancing the demands of my job with the needs of my wife and family. Putting in long hours, struggling to get organized, and trying to figure out if I was up to this, I considered leaving the ministry. Eventually, the stress contributed to a divorce from my first wife.

During the difficult time when I was going through my divorce there was only one person from the church who called me daily, took me out for coffee to listen to me, and invited me to dinner. He did not lecture, did not pry, and did not try to get my wife and me back together. He was simply, steadfastly there for me. I will never forget the strength that man gave me.

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| 6 min read

CancerDeathWisdomWisdom Podcasts
Caregivers Taking Care of Caregivers

Caregivers Taking Care of Caregivers

Don't overlook the major caregiver. He or she needs some uplifting too! The most difficult time for my wife (Jean) and me was dealing with the two-and-a-half-year losing battle with cancer waged by our nineteen -year-old son, Paul. Within days of the diagnosis, his left leg was amputated two-thirds above the knee, and after metastasis he endured a series of six lung surgeries. My response was to personally appropriate the stories of Jesus' encounters with heartbroken parents: Mark 5:23 became, "My son is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on him, so that he may be made well, and live."

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| 4 min read

Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease

When Frank's mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, I think each one of the family members had the same reaction at first - grief. However, over time we dealt with her illness in different ways. Frank's sister and brother quickly moved into the denial stage and remained there until their mother's death. Frank himself stayed in the grief phase for quite a while, but then moved on to acceptance. "Acceptance" didn't mean, of course, that he gave up all hope - he still longed to see moments of lucidity in his mother.

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| 5 min read

Challenging RelationshipsRomantic
Relationships: Troubled and Broken (Romantic)

Relationships: Troubled and Broken (Romantic)

I went through two broken engagements over a five-year period-same girl, both times. After the second and final break, I went to visit my friend. I was numb and tired of hurting. I felt dead inside. We talked for a while, and when I got up to leave he suggested that we pray together. I prayed first, mumbling to God the best theology I could think of under the circumstances. I then waited for him to begin. Nothing came for a long time. I was about to ask what was wrong when I heard something-a sob. I asked him what was wrong. All he could say was, “It hurts so much.”

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| 2 min read

IllnessesYoung Child
Illness Of A Young Child

Illness Of A Young Child

Sharing the Pain, Sharing the Joy

When my daughter, Crista, was four months old, her pediatrician found a lump on the right side of her abdomen. The first indication of the blood tests, ultrasound, and needle biopsy was that the tumor was malignant. For two and a half weeks we waited anxiously, yet with the peaceful knowledge that God was in control.

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| 3 min read

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