Articles about Hope
Resting in Hope
Brenda Spina, M.S., LMFT, LPC
Hope comes from facing our battles with the flesh before the grace and mercy of God. I Peter 1:13 is the basis of this devotional.
The Hope of Christmas
Brenda Spina, M.S., LMFT, LPC
Christmas is a season in which we are reminded of why Christ came. Two things were guaranteed when Christ came into the world.
A Christmas Sabbath
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
Describes how behaviors and a mindset of peace and rest can bring us closer to God in the Christmas season
Christmas Inspirations
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
What do the Bethlehem manger and a brother dying of AIDS have in common? Article depicts how life-giving responses in difficult circumstances can bring hope and encouragement.
Daring to Laugh: When Celebration and Sadness Join Hands
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
Pain and joy often occur together in life. Learn how God's faithfulness, sovereignty, and hope can be found in the midst of brokenness, failure, or other difficult circumstances.
Emotional Healing for Adults Through the Inner Child
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
Christ's example of love and attention to children can be a model for adults to reconnect with childhood experiences to restore simple joys, spontaneity, and hope.
Grief and Changes
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
Change within a family life cycle can bring feelings of grief and loss. Article lists six ways to weather the storms of family changes.
Marching On
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
Article shows how God can encourage and strengthen us when facing fatigue and discouragement in challenging situations.
Bread of Bethlehem
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
Family and the sharing of communion is the backdrop of this article, which explores how to receive life-giving and healing attributes of God during the Christmas season.
God's Presence in the Midst of Suffering
Christine Vander Wielen, M.S.W., LCSW
Moving account of experiencing God's presence in the midst of horrendous suffering
Finding Hope In the Dark Periods of Life
Suzan Myhre, M.S.S.W., LICSW, LPC
This article looks at springtime as a metaphor for hope in the midst of dark periods of life and presents scripture as encouragement.
Guidelines for Help When You Feel Vulnerable or Lost
Lynda Savage, M.S., LMFT, LPC
Sometimes there is a straight-forward need for some written steps to take when feeling depressed, anxious, crummy, full of discouragement, or when listening to lies in thinking about God's ability to redeem a seemingly failed life. Here are those steps.
How To Move Ahead After Personal Pain
Lynda Savage, M.S., LMFT, LPC
The story you tell yourself and others of your difficult situation is important. It is important because the potential for going on in a capable manner after personal pain can be determined by how we frame the experience. Though it is important to tell the exact nature of the experience, including hope in one’s thoughts and expression after a trauma is a survival tool. This article explains how to be honest about difficult times yet cling to hope.
Helping the Discouraged
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
Discouragement can leave us frightened and unmotivated with feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. Drawing from the biblical story of Elijah and an actual family therapy case, this article discusses five steps to helping an individual recover from discouragement.
Cadence 91: Prayer for Military Families
Sarah L. Pollock (daughter of Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMF
Cadence 91 is a poetic prayer in honor of all military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Based on Psalm 91, this prayer poignantly depicts the physical, emotional and spiritual trials of war and how the great love and security of Jesus Christ will not fail.
Feeling Crazy - The Effects of Addiction on the Family
Suzan Myhre, M.S.S.W., LICSW, LPC
This article describes the serious and debilitating effects of addiction on the family. Hopes for rehabilitation are addressed.
Women, Grief, and Jesus
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
Women experiencing grief and loss can also know deep comfort, individual attention, and a life-giving future through the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ’s loving attention to a mother who lost her only son from the gospel of Luke, is explored in this article.
Twelve Years, Ten Lessons
Mary Lambrecht, M.S. LMFT
An article of tribute and thanksgiving. As Mary Lambrecht follows God's call to Texas, she shares ten basic lessons learned in the therapy room and in ministry through The Center for Family Healing and Practical Family Living.
December Hope Realized
Lynda Savage, M.S., LMFT, LPC
December brings on adult busy work, the joy of children, exhaustion, and a huge amount of hope. This article calls us to prize hope and God’s promise that we will not be abandoned by Him. With a heartfelt and poignant reference to “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” we are able to relive the reason we celebrate Christmas. Reading this short commentary will help you relax and to let God be God.
Just Love Them
Christine Vander Wielen, M.S.W., LCSW
Our children are not perfect, and neither are we. Sometimes their behavior may leave us scratching our heads or pulling our hair out, and sometimes our behavior may leave others scratching their heads or pulling their hair out. Through it all, God loves each of us and has a plan for each of our lives.
Decisions, Decisions!
Brenda Spina, M.S., LMFT, LPC
Waking up to a new day of tasks and events to face can be fun, exciting, challenging or just plain overwhelming depending on how you are hard wired. Being a detail person or a dreamer, it doesn’t matter. Facing the day means facing a blank canvas in which we can look back on at the end of the day to see what has been filled in. Genesis tells us, “The earth was formless and empty…” Even God took His time creating just exactly what He wanted so at the end of day he could say, “This is good!” The same is true for each of us. No matter the day, task, event, or relationship, we have the privilege of being a creator of how this day may look by the time our heads hit the pillow tonight. The decisions may not always be easy ones. Covered in the awareness that God is with us and ‘gets it’ is a comfort. Allow yourself the privilege of decision making today in God’s presence, learning from your decisions, and moving forward to tomorrow with renewed vision and hope from decision-making with Him. You will be able to look back and say, “It is good!”
Affairs Don't Solve the Problem
Lynda Savage, M.S., LMFT, LPC
If you are having an affair and want your marriage, you will need to end your affair. People often look outside the marriage to avoid a personal look at why they chose their spouse in the first place. Very simply put (and not all there is to it) that is; to complete an empty part of themselves. As a marriage matures, it becomes clear that you cannot complete yourself with another's real or imagined attributes. As I do marital therapy complicated by an affair, hope is essential. When responsible changes for personal choice and development are seen and made by each person in the marriage, hope increases.
Slippery Slope
Carrissa Pannuzzo, M.A., LMFT, LPC
Who hasn't heard the phrase "slippery slope"? The road to corruption certainly is one. It's easy to justify something that doesn't seem that bad, only to find that you've justified each step after the first with the same thought. Then one day you look up and wonder how you got where you are. If this is you, keep looking up and remember that where there is life there is hope. There is no unbreakable contract saying you must stay in your current condition. Awareness is the first step. Then, ask and look for help. There are many wonderful resources, ministries, and clinics available to walk beside you and teach you the skills you need to make it. There is always hope!
Secrets and Shame
Carrissa Pannuzzo, M.A., LMFT, LPC
If you or someone close to you struggles with secret sins such as pornography use, bulimia, or alcohol dependence, know today that you are not alone and you are not without hope. People can and do gain the insight, skills, and healing necessary to overcome any addiction or habit. God has given us the ability and tools necessary to create lasting change in our lives and relationships. And the approach He takes is specific to our needs. He often uses a combination of revealed and common grace. God’s love and power is revealed to us through His Word and is made available through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross and His resurrection. His common grace is accessible through study of the world and its rules. Don’t live in shame and secrecy any longer. Find someone skilled and educated in the nature of addiction with an understanding of how to gain victory. Come into the light and get help today.
Buy Wisdom
Brenda Spina, M.S., LMFT, LPC
Money is a big source of hope today. Being rich is not a sinful thing. Being poor isn’t either. Real hope is found in wisdom. It is an internal quality that is pursued and nurtured in heart and mind. Pay the price of obtaining wisdom. Then, do not ever let it go.
The Stories We Tell
Christine Vander Wielen, M.S.W., LCSW
Children are wonderfully creative at thinking up stories, in which they are heroic and triumphant. However, when difficulties arise we can lose the ability to tell ourselves a good story with a positive ending.
Holding On To Hope
Christine Vander Wielen, M.S.W., LCSW
Occasionally the only thing you can do for someone is to hope for them, until they can hope for themselves.
Don't Stop Believing - Handout to Broadcasts 3588, 3589, 3590, 3591, 3592
Christine Vander Wielen, M.S.W., LCSW
Many times parents and family members of prodigals do not share their pain with others and sometimes for good reason. In the broadcast series Christine, Lynda and Sarah offer hope and encouragement to parents and loved ones of prodigals. Get the notes as a pdf download by clicking above.
Rambling Resentments
Brenda Spina, M.S., LMFT, LPC
Bitter discontent at being treated unfairly. We all experience it. People, circumstances and situations lingering deep within our hearts and minds. The result is a life robbed of peace and rest. Just when you think you have it conquered the feelings come rambling quickly to the surface. Resentments create fear about our future; keeping us unfocused on the reality of God’s promise to not harm us but to give us hope (Jeremiah 29:33). Day to day life becomes a constant battle to fight off angry or defensive responses to those who attempt to speak truth to us. The love of God is the only way out. Trusting His love remains the same provides strength and courage to keep moving forward. Resentments keep us stuck in the past; repeatedly reliving old memories rather than remembering with acceptance the fact they are a part of our life experience. Moving forward requires a number of things from each of us. Here are some steps to consider: 1. Acknowledge the existence of resentment. I don’t know of too many people who enjoy this step. However, it is absolutely necessary. We cannot move forward remaining in denial that resentments exist. This means we may temporarily feel worse before we feel better. 2. List all the people who have said or done something that is hurtful to you. Make sure you note what was done to whom. This may take some time and you will relive some of the emotions. Take this steps in small pieces. 3. Next…this is the hard part, write down how you contributed to the situation or offense. Maybe you were dishonest, withholding, or didn’t speak up when you had the chance. No matter the offense, write your part down in black and white. 4. List the areas of your life that were affected and how because of the resentment. 5. Find a trusted friend or prayer partner to share each of the events with, praying over them asking God to forgive you for your part. 6. Last but not least, as the Lord directs, apologize for your part to the person listed (if possible) for your part in the situation. Remember to not insist they apologize. This is about you walking towards freedom and away from bitterness. What they do or don’t do is between them and the Lord. Paul states in Acts 24: 16 that he works to have a clear conscience before God and before men. This is our pattern to follow. No one step can be successful unless we admit to ourselves the resentments that ramble around in our minds. It is the first step in moving away from the rambles into the rest God has promised us.
Holding On To Hope
Christine Vander Wielen, M.S.W., LCSW
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." ~Romans 12:12 NIV When I was in graduate school, my favorite professor was Dr. Bob Castagnola. Although he taught different techniques to use when working with clients, Dr. Bob would often tell his students that sometimes the only thing you can do for someone is to hope for them, until they can hope for themselves. Additionally, he encouraged us to find the hope that situations and relationships would improve and change for the better. Dr. Bob, would also caution us that one of the most hurtful things we can do is tell someone else that there is no hope and to take their hope away. May you be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer, and may hope bring you comfort and peace.
He is Our Hope
Christine Vander Wielen, M.S.W., LCSW
Throughout the Bible, we are encouraged to place our faith and trust in The Lord because He is our hope. According to Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, the definition for hope is "To trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future." Like every good father, it is The Lord's desire to bless us, He has something beneficial for you in your future.
Is This Just My Imagination?
Lynda Savage, M.S., LMFT, LPC
REMEMBER, we don’t “make” another person do the things they do. If you are being blamed for another’s behavior, it’s a sign of immaturity at least and serious abuse at most.
Positive Aspects of Hope
Christine Vander Wielen, M.S.W., LCSW
In the past decade, there have been numerous studies on hope, and science has simply affirmed what God's word has already encouraged us to do. Researchers have discovered that when a person has hope there is a positive physiological effect on circulation, respiration, and motor function. Furthermore, having hope can positively alter the neurochemistry in the brain. According to Romans 12:12, we are to "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (NIV)
But I'm The Nice One!
Lynda Savage, M.S., LMFT, LPC
People hide anger from themselves. They do this because they’ve learned to believe that only nice, hard-working, focused (unknowingly usually stubborn) people are “good.” Being unaware of being angry does not mean that one is not angry. It is the anger unaware which can do most the most damage. It damages you and your relationships with other people. Since anger does get expressed, but in inappropriate ways, it’s like water in a blocked drain dripping and seeping into areas that eventually weaken, collapse, and may even rot support systems.
I'll Get You Back
Lynda Savage, M.S., LMFT, LPC
“Man’s anger does not produce what God wants.” (James 1:20) Have you ever sat back and watched someone “go off the rails” with anger? If it is aimed at you and you know you don’t deserve it (not that “deserves it” is tenable) you may watch in disbelief. After the shock wears off, you have at least two choices: Get even, or get before God. Ask God to help you do the latter. The fruit of waiting in Him is worth it on every level.
