Jesus’s prediction came true. Before the rooster crowed, Peter denied Jesus three times. When Peter realized what he had done, he wept bitterly. Why would Peter deny he knew Jesus? What was he afraid of? We will never know Peter’s fear. What we do know is that Jesus forgave Peter and then used Peter, the rock, as the foundation for His church (Matthew 16:18).
What do you say when asked if you know Jesus? Are you afraid of being judged…..
Do you use the words “happy” and “joyful” interchangeably? Could there be a difference between being “happy” and being “full of joy?” I suggest to you there is a difference. What makes you happy? Some people say that working at the right job makes them happy. Others say that marrying the right person makes them happy. If having the right job or the right marriage makes you happy, why aren’t you happy 100% of the time? Statistics show that 60%…..
Does a wealth of information create a poverty of attention?1 When we want to transform our minds and our thinking, it is the emotional and sensory distractors that get in our way. In order to transform our minds, we have to have an inner focus that guides our values, intuitions and decisions. We have to desire a relationship with God, one that is driven by awareness of self-defeating habits.
If we can remember to pay attention to our emotions and…..
What drives the human soul? Where does passion come from? How will we know that we have lived a life with no regrets? Today’s events may leave us rudderless, with inadequate answers to what we seek. Dallas Willard summarized this when he stated, “Individuals suffer from a poor image, are caught up in self-rejection, and have no defenses against group pressures.” We lack reasoning skills and the emotional drive to do the work, to stand on our own. Instead, we…..
In order to experience spiritual transformation, one must take up the practice of contemplative prayer, in addition to prayers of thanksgiving, praise, and worship. Prayer can be practiced as a one-way conversation, with praying for what we need and thanking God in advance that He will grant our desires. This practice of thankfulness, praise and worship, are directed one way – towards God, asking Him to listen. We should pour out the inner most thoughts and wants to God, but…..
How do humans deal with being wrong? It has become customary to deny or rationalize our opinions, regardless of the facts. There is a lack of self-esteem and excessive pride that breeds self-deception, that one is right and another wrong. Let’s face reality – humankind is a mess! Humans do not rule the universe and cannot do what they please without consequences. History shows that the end of every successful civilization begins when humans “believe [they are] responsible for [their]…..
What do you do to express gratitude for the good things in your life? How does the expression of gratitude impact you when you do? Gratitude is an attitude – acknowledging the goodness in your life and recognizing the source of this goodness. You don’t usually have gratitude for yourself, but for another person, things you have, special events you have attended or accomplishments you have made. Gratitude indicates humility. None of us could be who we are without the…..
Where does the feeling of abandonment come from? The feeling of abandonment can come from the loss of love or the loss of connection. Sometimes abandonment involves the break-up of a marriage, betrayal in a relationship, the death of a spouse or parent, or loneliness when children leave home. Abandonment can be felt immediately or even years after a traumatic event. People would describe abandonment differently. Abandonment can even be the fear of the future and can get in the…..
When bad things happened, my tendency was to live in the past or think of a time when life would be different. Have you heard yourself say, “If I had only— If I had gone to college, taken a different job. If I had spent my money more wisely. If I had said no to the kids more. If I had worked less. If, if, if—” On the other hand, maybe you are the opposite, the one who constantly looks…..
Welcome. My name is Dr. Deb Hedderly, author of Grace and Peace: The Healing Power of Faith. I’m so happy to have you as a visitor to my blog about my new book. This project is very special to me, and I hope to share some of that excitement with you here.
I’ll be using this blog to interact with you about Grace and Peace, expanding on some of the…..
