Foundations' Blog

When life seems overwhelming and trials seem to be queued up awaiting their turn, it is easy to ask God why? Why does HER life seem so easy? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God ALLOW this pain to continue? Is Romans 8:28 only relevant after I'm through my trial? For some of these questions, we will not have answers on this side of eternity; however, one basic truth helps them all make a little bit more sense: 

As human beings, we do not get to define good. 

Webster's dictionary defines the word as "something enjoyable." That human definition certainly does not effectively portray the meaning of this verse! If we expect Romans 8:28 to translate to "all things work together for something enjoyable," it will be impossible to trust God's Word.

However, what if good is not defined by me? If I'm going through trials in my marriage, if the orders just came through for another deployment, if I lost my job, if...

Charles arrived at the counseling appointment defeated. He could not hide his slumped shoulders or his downcast face. He didn’t look me in the eyes, nor could he wrestle a smile during his typical greeting. Charles sat slowly on the loveseat facing me while looking down and wondered why he kept coming back. He admitted he often feels better when he leaves, but yesterday’s wounds are today’s ghosts. His past sins haunt him and hound him until he feels utterly worthless and undeserving of any good thing. He stated, “I just can’t forgive myself.” Charles was living in self-condemnation, and he had some choices regarding how he would like to resolve his dilemma: Will he accept God’s grace, or will he live in self-condemnation?

If you watch movies, you are probably familiar with alternate endings. Writers and producers develop several endings to a movie to see which one would go over best for the test audience, and then they decide which ending...

Through the Christ-centered counseling that Foundations provides, individuals and families can experience how scripture and a relationship with Jesus Christ can help them navigate and even overcome life's challenges. This method of professional counseling recognizes that (without ignoring physical concerns) spiritual issues often lie at the root of the difficulties we face in life, and it allows God's grace to be the solution. In this post, we will uncover some ways this approach to healing facilitates transformation for those who seek it out.

This method of professional counseling recognizes that (without ignoring physical concerns) spiritual issues often lie at the root of the difficulties we face in life, and it allows God's grace to be the solution.

Our counseling is based on God's Word.

Christ-centered counseling affirms that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God and provides guidance for living a fulfilling life. All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable...

Scripture contains a wealth of wisdom when it comes to mental health. For thousands of years, God's Word has helped people cope with and endure their struggles, and it continues to be a source of comfort and guidance for His people today. In this post, we'll explore some of the relevant topics found in the Bible and how they apply to our lives.

Jesus also experienced many emotions and challenges, so He can understand what we deal with in life. Among other things He is our mediator, comforter, and empathizer. 

God Cares About Our Mental Health

The Bible is full of passages that emphasize God's care and compassion for His people. For example, Psalm 34:18 reads: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed." This verse reminds us that God cares deeply about our mental well-being and is always there to offer comfort and support. Jesus also experienced many emotions and hardships, so He can understand what we deal with in life. Knowing that...

Suffering is an unavoidable part of life. Everyone experiences it at some point—some more than others—and it can be challenging to make sense of it all. But what does the Bible say about suffering? How does it address our questions and offer comfort in times of need? Let’s explore how scripture speaks to our suffering and provides insight into why we experience hardship.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, King Solomon reflects on the cyclical nature of life and states that “there is a time for everything – a time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot...”

The Bible acknowledges that suffering exists and affirms that it is a natural byproduct of living in a fallen world. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, King Solomon reflects on the cyclical nature of life and states that “there is a time for everything – a time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot...” The passage also mentions “a...

We All Identify in Some Way(s)

Identity is a powerful thing. It is how we define ourselves, and it clarifies our purpose. It can also be challenging to nail down. Think about it. We all have thousands of identities at any given moment. Sometimes that makes it difficult to answer basic, vital questions like, 'Who am I?'
We're going to walk through a simple visualization technique that hopefully makes it easier to sort all of that out. Let's start by imagining a bunch of steps (as in the image above). Think of each step as just one facet of your identity. For example: student, brother, mechanic, mother, stamp collector, priest, knitting enthusiast, and so on. Write a few down, and see how many you can come up with in your own life. For our purposes, let's put the most important ones lower down on the diagram – closest to our foundation.

At any time, we might live out one facet of our identity more prominently than others. For the woman in the example above, today she's...

As a pastor, one of the things that I deal with is death. I have officiated in the burial of many people: young and old, rich and poor, those who claim Christ, and those who do not. For Christians, there is a different perspective on death than unbelievers. When we lose a Christian, we grieve differently. We shed tears in a different way.

Because we know where they are and Who they are with, we can be comforted.

We can grieve differently because we know there is a place with no more suffering, tears, or pain (Revelation 21:1-4). Heaven, like the garden of Eden was intended to be, is a perfect place.
Better yet than where they are is Who they are with. That Who is Jesus. They will be in His perfect presence without the encumbrance of the world, sin, or anything else that keeps us from seeing Jesus clearly (Revelation 22:1-5). Nothing can be more comforting than that.

Because we know where they are and Who they are with, we can be comforted. Since their pain is over, and not just...