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.

Dear Rosa