Never Too Late to Change - Part 3

The parable of the prodigal son portrays a father vigilantly waiting for his lost son to come home. When this wayward son came into view, the father ran to meet him. The Living Bible tells us the father was "filled with loving pity and ran to hug and kiss his son." This father never gave up on his independent, self-indulgent, defiant son.

This father had the right to be angry and hurt. He could have said, "You're a disgrace to the family. You're not welcome here so keep on walking. I will not rescue you from the mess you've made of your life." These words would portray a father who refused to trust or forgive his son for the pain and suffering he caused.

However this man had already forgiven his son since a father's love is not dependent on whether his children are successes or failures. The father's faith never lost sight of the young man's potential, so he could encourage him to live up to that potential. God encourages us to model the father's faith and choices to forgive and renew trust.

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Blog posts will coordinate with the radio broadcast schedule of Attitudes/Answers that airs at 5:45 PM on KHCB radio at 105.7FM in the Houston area. To stream it live or for a listing of sister stations in TX, OK, LA, and FL, you may click on the KHCB link in the "About Me" section of this page.

Managing Mistakes - Part 1

Getting older is desired by adolescents seeking independence and greater control over their destiny. With age comes the privilege of decision-making and the right to choose a career. But by mid-life, disappointments surface as a consequence of earlier choices. Facing disappointments is unavoidable, but the way they are managed depends on your attitude.

Mistakes and bad choices can be attributed to immaturity, but choosing to learn and mature requires being receptive to what God wants us to see about ourselves and to his plan for our future. While mid-life's uncertainties will come, we choose to cope by submitting our future to Christ Jesus who empowers us to make helpful choices and changes.

Your choices permit a shift from trusting your own intelligence and power to trusting God. Psalm 22:5 assures that those who trust in the Lord will not be disappointed. "Trust in the Lord and do good and he will cause you to dwell safely in the land." This is an assurance as well as a choice that ensures positive change.  

Intimacy: The Power of Trust - Part 2

Most adults by their late twenties have found an acceptable person of the opposite sex to marry. We need to be close - to be emotionally, spiritually, and physically attached. Emotional isolation is unnatural and not what God intended, but happens when hurt and angry feelings are mishandled and where healthy communication is absent.

Emotional isolation supplants or replaces intimacy and close attachments if fear of rejection has a strong history. Coupled with fear of rejection is a reluctance to trust others or oneself. Fear of rejection tied with the inability to trust blocks healthy intimacy from taking place. Fear of rejection often originates with distant or absent parents.

Choosing to love and be loved must be grounded in knowing you are lovable. God loves and accepts you as you are, with all your fears, doubts, and lack of trust. God's desire is to transform you into a person capable of intimacy and loving attachments. In Psalm 51, David asked God to "renew a right spirit" within him. Will you do that?  

Intimacy: The Power of Trust - Part 1

Most everyone leaves the safety and security of their parents' home by their late twenties. Adults of this age are faced with a difficult but common truth. "Life is not simple, nor completely predictable." Surprisingly, they accept that the world wasn't created just for their pleasure, yet they can choose to make life meaningful and purposeful.

Choosing to change is done by making a transition from a self-sufficiency mind-set to creating a partnership with a trusted intimate other. It's possible for a couple to have been married five to ten years, but have yet to establish an intimate partnership. Many obstacles can stand in the way, including parents, friends, a career, children, or even the church.

Choosing to change should begin by realizing that marriage links together two people capable of being best friends and ready to establish true intimacy. Love, trust, and respect form the foundation for intimacy that can survive the troubles inherent in every marriage. What seems to be impossible is possible for God when you, in faith and hope, turn to him for help.