There is freedom in embracing powerlessness. Most of the time we’re scurrying around trying to fix things — relationships, issues at work, problems with the cars, problems at our kids’ schools — our lives seem like a bewildering array of problems, all of which we believe we have to fix. We believe this deeply enoughContinue reading “Embracing Powerlessness”
Author Archives: temparbor
Get God off your priority list!
I tell my congregation all the time that the place for God is not at the top of your priority list, it is at the center of your life. You may think these are just two different ways of saying basically the same thing, but they are drastically different. In fact the difference between theseContinue reading “Get God off your priority list!”
Twelve suggestions for talking to people with chronic illness
Disclaimer: This post is in no way intended as a rebuke of anyone in my life. I am blessed to be surrounded by caring, compassionate people and have no complaints about how my friends and family treat me when I am sick. But I do hope this post can help and encourage even those withContinue reading “Twelve suggestions for talking to people with chronic illness”
Bring it On!
Last week I went into an eye surgeon for a consultation. I have a cyst in the corner of each of my eyes. It doesn’t hurt, and isn’t even very obvious, but it bugs me. They needed to check to see if removing the cysts will interfere with my tear ducts. Apparently the way theyContinue reading “Bring it On!”
From god to pariah — thoughts on Joe Paterno, prt.2
In my last post I told you that in this one I would share with you a way of avoiding the all-or-nothing thinking most people tend to adopt in situations like Joe Paterno’s, where we take a man who has been a hero all of his life and make him a pariah overnight because ofContinue reading “From god to pariah — thoughts on Joe Paterno, prt.2”
From god to pariah — thoughts on Joe Paterno, prt.1
I don’t know anything about sports. In fact I know less than nothing about sports. So until a week or so ago, I am not sure if I had ever even heard of Joe Paterno. But I have studied up on this story a little bit. The reactions I am hearing from people demonstrate howContinue reading “From god to pariah — thoughts on Joe Paterno, prt.1”
A Primer for those Struggling with Faith
[featured-image link=”null” link_single=”inherit” single_newwindow=”false”]Image courtesy of Coralie Mercier, licensed under Creative Commons[/featured-image] One of my main goals as a teacher, counselor, pastor, and writer is to help people who are really feeling lost on the faith journey. At the bottom of this post you will find links to posts that I believe might be helpfulContinue reading “A Primer for those Struggling with Faith”
Lessons in love from Dexter and Breaking Bad
If you have not watched either Showtime’s Dexter, or AMC’s Breaking Bad, chances are pretty good you have been living in a hole, but I’ll begin with a quick summary. Dexter tells the story of Dexter Morgan, a handsome, charismatic blood spatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killer, killing only the guilty who wereContinue reading “Lessons in love from Dexter and Breaking Bad”
T is for Things I’d Never Miss
[I am currently blogging, along with my daughter, all the way through the alphabet. Check out how the idea started, and get the rules here.] A list of things I would never miss if they disappeared from planet Earth overnight: 1. That whole “doggone it/carnsarnit/dagnabbit HonkeyTonk thing 2. Men who refer to themselves as “cowboys” andContinue reading “T is for Things I’d Never Miss”
Divorce your spouse today!
WARNING: CONTENTS HAZARDOUS! READ CAREFULLY! If your marriage is in bad shape, I want to encourage you to divorce your spouse. Immediately. Don’t wait until you get home. Just divorce. It’s too hard carrying around the frustration and resentment you feel. It’s too exhausting dealing with your spouse’s insecurities and worries. It’s too constraining havingContinue reading “Divorce your spouse today!”
Temp Arbor 