Even through hard times, God’s goodness and mercy will follow us and eventually catch up! Day 40 of the 40 day devotional.

When God brought people out of a time of trouble and suffering, he often gave them a double blessing. Are you able to let God bless you?

If you want to return from the wilderness after a major setback in your life, you may need to leave some friends behind. These are necessary endings in order to get your life back.

When you experience a setback, it’s easy to take on a negative identity. But if you want to make a comeback, it’s important to take on a new identity, one that’s defined by God.

When you experience a setback, it’s easy to let your shame keep you from making a comeback. If you want to recover from your setback it’s important to face your shame.

Who are you, really? We put a lot of energy in presenting our best self, but is that really helping us? If you are stuck in a failure or setback, the first step to recovery is to admit who you really are, warts and all.

When everything has been stripped from your life and you stand alone and “naked” what do you do? Where do you find your worth? What can you learn about yourself? Facing your nakedness can be a turning point for you.

Oswald Chambers spoke of a “discipline of darkness.” This means that God teaches us things during dark times that we will never learn in the light. What might God be teaching you during your season of loss or hardship?

God allows hard times to come our way and uses them to shape and develop us. We can fight it or yield to what God is doing within us. He wants to help us to exchange our pride for humility.

When you’ve experienced a setback (exile) it’s natural to experience isolation and loneliness. But God never abandons us. He sends us companions to comfort us.

When you experience a loss or setback, it’s easy to go into denial rather than face the painful emotions of anger, fear, and sadness.

We all have setbacks in life. For some of us, we get stuck in these setbacks, what I call “exile.” This post begins a 40 day journey to help you move from setback to comeback in your life. Join me.

I’m heading back to Mexico to speak to pastors about spiritual abuse. I’m also releasing the Spanish edition of my book Broken Trust (Una Confianza Rota) for free on Kindle.

There is an inverse connection between shame and Sabbath, or the ability to rest. Shame causes us to strive for acceptance and never enter the rest that God has for us. But when you stop to rest, you might hear God’s voice of love.

Shame is a painful emotion. As a result, we resort to a variety of coping mechanisms to cover the pain. But is it worth the trouble?

In this final Advent reflection on the weakness of God I look at thoughts from Henri Nouwen on self-worth.

Jesus wasn’t ashamed of being associated with weakness. He’s not ashamed of being associated with you either.

The world champions strength and shuns weakness. But Jesus entered the world and left it in weakness. What can we learn from the “weakness of God” in this Advent season?

The holidays magnify the pain and grief of our losses, especially the loss of loved ones. But for that very reason, God can use the holidays to bring healing and a new life to the bereaved.

Mourning is not a place to live but a process to move through to a place where life is good again. Henri Nouwen offers his wisdom on how to approach loss.