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Why the Church Has a Mental Health Stigma Problem
Before you read: This post talks about mental health struggles. If you’re in crisis right now, please scroll to the bottom for resources, or text/call 988. You don’t have to read this; take care of yourself first. Post 5 of 5 in the Weaponized Verses Series: five Saturdays of Mental Health Awareness Month, five posts…
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I Can Do All Things…So Why Do I Keep Saying “I Can’t”?
Post 4 of 5 in the Weaponized Verses Series—five Saturdays of Mental Health Awareness Month, five passages we often get wrong. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). We see this verse plastered all over social media. We hear about people who have overcome all odds and attribute it to…
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Jesus Knew Lazarus Would Be Okay—He Wept Anyway
Before you read: This post talks about grief—specifically a season of compounded loss in my own life. I don’t get into clinical detail or suicidal ideation here the way I did last week, but if you’re in active grief right now, please take care of yourself. You don’t have to read this today. Post 3…
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“God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle” Is a Lie
Before you read: This post talks about depression and my own past suicidal ideation in the context of grief. I’m writing from the other side of it, but if you’re in crisis right now, please scroll to the bottom for resources, or text/call 988. You don’t have to read this; take care of yourself first.…
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Is Anxiety a Sin? What the Bible Actually Says About Worry
Post 1 of 5 in the Weaponized Verses Series: five Saturdays of Mental Health Awareness Month, five passages modern Christianity gets wrong. “Don’t worry.” “If God takes care of the lilies, He’ll take care of you.” “If you really trusted God, you wouldn’t be anxious.” “Anxiety is just a lack of faith.” How many of…
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Restoration Is a Process, Not a Replacement
My legs stick to the hard, wooden chair as I shift my weight, eyes glued to my Bible as I follow along while my small group reads. “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you”…
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How to Defend Your Children from Spiritual Attacks
“And if you get scared, what do you say?” “I rebuke that in Jesus’ name!” It sounded cute coming from my toddler, but I still get floored by the power in those words. She had just calmed down from a huge tantrum, one very out of character. She hadn’t been herself all day. Something just…
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What Do You Do When a Friendship Starts Pulling You from Christ?
I sat there saying nothing, but feeling like I should be saying something. Isn’t this one of the times they talk about where you’re supposed to “witness” to someone? But it didn’t feel right, so I did nothing, which also didn’t feel right. My mind replayed the moment on a loop after. Did I compromise…
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Depressed AND Blessed: The God Who Showed Up Anyway
TRIGGER WARNING: This post discusses clinical depression and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You are not alone. I should’ve been the happiest I’ve ever been. I had just graduated college and met my soulmate. I was finally in…
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Sin Ranking: The Works-Based Faith We Don’t Talk About
This week at my small group, we were exchanging our salvation stories. When I was a kid, I used to wish I had a dramatic salvation story. My story is a slow burn, very unexciting, unlike some of the women in my group. I found myself comparing my story to theirs, subconsciously “ranking” our pasts. …
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I Didn’t Know How Dysregulated I Was Until I Had Kids
I didn’t realize how silly it sounded until I said it out loud to my therapist. “You shouted, ‘TAKE A DEEP BREATH’ at your toddlers? And wondered why it didn’t work?” my therapist clarified. And I nodded, laughing with her when she pointed out my toddlers could definitely tell I wasn’t calm or regulated, so…
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Addicted to Comfort: How Culture Suffocates Our Growth
When did we start believing that if something is uncomfortable, something must be wrong? We live in a world engineered to eliminate any trace of discomfort. We can order food without talking to a physical person. We can end relationships without a conversation. We can curate our entire reality so we never encounter a thought…
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Feeling Guilty About Not Doing Lent: Am I a Bad Christian?
I was halfway through my pepperoni pizza when I opened my phone and saw my family’s texts about Lent. I stopped mid-bite—Lent literally just started last Wednesday, and I already cheated and ate meat on the first Friday of Lent?! I immediately thought, “Does God even care that I’m eating meat?” And then the guilt…
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Why Everything Feels Disposable (And What Biblical Love Is)
We were sitting in church last weekend (yay, we finally found a church!) when our pastor brought up contracts versus covenants. He said that somewhere along the way, we started treating relationships like transactions. “If you disappoint me, I’m out. If this gets hard, I’ll find something easier.” We live in a throwaway culture. If…
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Why Faith Can’t Exist Without Doubt
When I was a teenager, I went through a doubting phase. I started to question if God was real and tried to find ways to “prove” His existence. I started obsessing over being a lukewarm Christian and pored over Revelation so I’d be “prepared” for the end times. I spiraled from doubting to feeling guilty…
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When “Protect Your Peace” Creates an Echo Chamber
With social media, we’ve mastered the art of never being wrong. Our news sources agree with us. Our friends validate us. Our social media feeds confirm everything we already believe. ChatGPT even affirms us. We call it “curating our space” or “protecting our peace”. But what if we’ve accidentally built a prison of our own…
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What I Saw vs. What I’m Being Told: Why I Can’t Stay Silent
I’m writing this with shaking hands and tears in my eyes. I voted for Trump, and right now that makes me feel sick because this is not what I voted for. But I’m writing this post anyway because my allegiance to Jesus supersedes my political preferences. I saw the video of Alex Pretti getting killed…
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What to Look For in a Healthy Church: 10 Green Flags
We’re almost four weeks into the “Grand Church Search”, and I’m learning that finding a healthy church is a lot harder than I expected. Not because healthy churches don’t exist—but because when you’ve been hurt or witnessed other people’s hurt, it’s hard to know what “healthy” even looks like anymore. Last week, I wrote about…
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When to Leave a Church: Red Flags vs. Preferences
Guilt plummeted into my stomach, my head swirling with “traitorous” thoughts. “Don’t be a church hopper,” I told myself. My soul was getting fed here—but it was getting harder to ignore the things I knew. I was getting fed less and less over time. “We can’t stay somewhere toxic,” another voice said. I thought back…
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When Faith Becomes Transactional: Why God Doesn’t Owe You Anything
The Unspoken Expectation When did I decide that I deserved anything for following God? When did I develop a sense of entitlement that I was going to be rewarded for stepping into my calling? I thought once I committed my life to Christ that things would get easier, not harder. I thought I’d be rewarded…
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Worship Wars: When Fog Machines & Hymnals Both Miss the Point
As the holidays wind down and we all scramble to establish new habits in the new year, you may be thinking back on that Christmas Eve candlelight service. The flickering amber ambience, Silent Night echoing throughout the dimmed space, maybe even goosebumps prickling your arms. But then the lights came back on, and it was…
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Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Grace?
“Wow, if I were you, I wouldn’t have been able to forgive that quickly.” After months of wrestling with forgiveness, having to forgive multiple times a day until my heart finally softened, I didn’t think it was “quick”. I felt good about my decision, felt the burden lift off my shoulders as the forgiveness finally…
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Should Christians Do Santa? What the Bible Actually Says
My heart thumped in my chest as my siblings and I waited in our parents’ room. “Is it time yet?” my brother asked, jumping up and down. “Okay! You can come down now!” We tripped over each other, racing down the stairs as the bulky camcorder held by our mom followed our every move. In…
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Salvation Is Simple. Christians Made It Impossible.
I squeezed my eyes shut, hands clasped together and focused on my pastor’s words. “If you haven’t already, now’s your chance to invite Jesus into your heart,” he said. I already had the previous week, but I worried I needed to do it again. So I repeated the prayer, just like I had last week,…
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Your Worst is Still Your Worst: Pain without Comparison
Pain shot through my body as my fingernails dug into my palms, white knuckles straining against my tight skin as I clutched my hands into fists. “I’m just, like, so stressed out. I don’t even know what to do. I have to do well on this exam,” the girl kept chatting to her friend as…
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When Culture Tries to Modernize the Bible
The Pendulum Swing I grew up watching people weaponize Scripture without context. Now I’m watching people use context to dismiss anything uncomfortable. It makes sense. When you’ve been hurt by rigid, legalistic Christianity, the type where you’re shamed for not “following the rules”, of course, we’d swing to the complete other side. “That was just…
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When Your Reality and God’s Reality Feel Like They’re Fighting
I know that God works all things for the good, but why aren’t things good yet? I remember laying in bed, this thought replaying over and over in my head, my tears creating a damp spot on my pillow. I knew deep down that God was using this pain for something, that somehow I’d come…
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Discerning True Spiritual Gifts from New Age Imitations
We live in a world where “being spiritual” has never been more popular, while Christian ideals are almost frowned upon. The result? A confusing marketplace of spiritual experiences where Christian gifts of the Spirit are rebranded as “intuition,” “energy reading,” “manifestation,” and “personal power.” I’ll be honest, the first time I heard someone praying in…
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The Comfortable Jesus We’ve Created
Have you noticed how Jesus seems to agree with whatever’s popular these days? In desperately trying to spread the message of Jesus to non-believers, sometimes we mold Him into a more palatable version—a version who affirms anything we do, who guarantees our success, who holds a checklist and keeps track of our good deeds. A…
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The Problem with “You Are Enough”: When Self-Love Enables Sin
“You are enough.” “Love yourself.” “Speak your truth.” Our culture embraces being true to ourselves and showcasing self-love. Self-love in and of itself is a good thing. Self-love can be a healthy recognition of worth and confidence. We can celebrate ourselves as God’s priceless creations and praise Him for his masterpieces. But what happens when…
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Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
My kids will be trick-or-treating this year. No skeletons on the porch, no scary movie marathons (they’re too little anyway)—just costumes and candy. And honestly? I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about it. I keep seeing post after post by Christian creators condemning Halloween, even the “harmless” parts of it like dressing up…
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Let It Stand: Celebrating Victories Without Apologizing
“Well, I’m just doing what God tells me to do.” This is usually my response to anyone praising ARMR Collective. “It’s not me, it’s all Him,” I’ll say, dismissing myself. But a small voice says, “It is Him, but you’re actually listening and following through.” And then I squish that voice down again. I constantly…
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Why Do We Punish Ourselves for Sins God Has Already Forgiven?
Someone asked me recently, “Why do you keep living like your sins haven’t been forgiven? Why do you punish yourself for things He’s forgiven?” And I was floored. I punish myself for past mistakes all the time. “I should’ve done this, why didn’t I do that?” replays in my mind at the most inopportune times.…
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Scripture Guide: What to Read When You’re Feeling…
I created this Scripture guide as a companion resource to help you speak truth to yourself when rumination and self-punishment cycles start. Bookmark this page – you’ll want to come back to it! What to Read When You’re… Discouraged Anxious Depressed Insecure Angry Feel Guilty Feel Alone Overwhelmed You are a beloved child of God,…
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Why We’ve Lost the Ability to Disagree Without Hating Each Other
Imagine this: you’re scrolling through Facebook, some big political news has just dropped, and you want to see what people think about it. You don’t have to scroll too far until you find a particularly inflammatory post. You click on the comments and unknowingly enter into an explosive battlefield. Insults are slung like grenades, holes…
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God Asks What You Have, Not What You Need
“If I only had ___, then I could do ___.” I’ve used so many words in these placeholders and trapped myself in my own expectations and limitations. I’m always on the lookout for more resources, more opportunities to grow. But in the meantime, I don’t move. I ask God for more, more, more so I…
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Offended By Being Offended: Modern Wrath Isn’t Just Rage
Protecting your peace and setting healthy boundaries makes all the difference in your mental health. Deciding to distance yourself from people who leave you spiritually and emotionally empty is a healthy practice and should be applauded. But what happens when “protect your peace” becomes more than taking care of your own mental health? What if…
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The Two Faces of Modern Pride (And Why You’re So Tired)
I was sitting in church this week when my pastor mentioned Elijah and Ahab, and suddenly God started showing me something about modern pride that I’d never realized before. He spoke about the story of Elijah climbing Mount Carmel to worship God and pray for others while Ahab stayed behind in comfort to eat and…
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Modern Greed: When God Prepares You for Bigger Blessings
“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” I’m sure you’re heard this phrase thrown around almost dismissively, maybe after baring your soul to someone. Maybe they meant it in an encouraging way, but it can definitely rub you the wrong way. I don’t necessarily agree with that statement. What if instead God doesn’t…
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Modern Sloth: Why Playing It Safe Is Killing Your Calling
Doomscrolling. We’ve all been there. Sucked into the black hole of TikTok, Instagram, sending reel after reel to our friends. Before we know it, it’s been hours and we haven’t moved an inch. This probably isn’t the scenario that came to mind when Solomon wrote about sloth in Proverbs, but it still applies. While the…
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Everyday Deliverance: When Your Mind Feels Hijacked
As I’ve mentioned in the previous posts in the Armed for Battle series, I’m relatively new to spiritual warfare, repentance, and everything. So after I repented, I thought everything would magically be better. I thought I’d never have any desire to commit the same sin again. But I realized that repentance wasn’t the end of…
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True Repentance: Why I Still Wonder If I’ve Done Enough
“You haven’t confessed and repented to everyone you need to. This is what’s holding you back and keeping an open door for Satan in your spirit.” I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped onto the floor after reading the above text on my phone (text has been modified to protect identities). I received that text and…
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Spiritual Warfare for Beginners: A Guide for Real Life
I’ve been staring at my laptop for a while now, feeling completely unqualified to write about spiritual warfare. Honestly, I feel like a fraud. I’m so new to understanding this that I keep second-guessing myself. But maybe that’s exactly why I need to write this—because I’m learning alongside you, not preaching down to you. Then…
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Spiritual Discernment: Why That Gut Feeling Might Be God’s Protection
That sinking feeling in your stomach when something’s off, but you talk yourself out of it anyway? I know it well. I spent months ignoring my own spiritual red flags because I thought being a good Christian meant giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. I joke a lot that my spiritual discernment is broken…
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When Negative Emotions Are Actually Biblical
“If you’re really trusting God, you wouldn’t feel this way.” I’ve heard this sentence in various forms my entire Christian life. And for years, I believed it. I thought being a good Christian meant being nice and peaceful all the time—never having a bad day, never expressing frustration, and absolutely never having a negative emotion…
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The Hidden Trauma of Unanswered Prayer
“Well, God didn’t answer my prayer so He must not be real.” I’m sure you’ve either heard these words or thought them before. And I understand why so many people do say them. After all, if you pray desperately for something—especially something good like healing for a loved one—and it doesn’t happen, the logical conclusion…
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Running To or From God: How Trauma Affects Faith
“Surprise!” my parents cheered when I entered my dorm room. They handed me a ‘congrats’ balloon as I collapsed onto my bed. I had just finished the IU Dance Marathon and had been standing for 24 straight hours. I took a moment to really look at my parents and noticed their smiles seemed strained. “What’s…
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The Grace You Don’t Want to Give: When Emotions Fight Faith
It was in that moment I realized it. I didn’t think they deserved to go to Heaven. The grace I’ve written about, the forgiveness and mercy I post about…for some reason I didn’t think it should be extended to them. And all of this was so suppressed that I didn’t realize it until that moment.…
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When Sexuality Becomes Identity
Last week, I wrote about modern idolatry – how we place good things above God. Today, I want to talk about probably the biggest idol in western culture and how it creates confusion around our identity. Sexuality. I know, I know. Our culture has completely distorted sexuality and relationships, and when anything becomes more important…
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Beyond Golden Calves: Understanding Modern Idolatry
Idolatry sounds like an old-timey idea that we don’t experience anymore. After all, who has a golden calf chilling on their living room mantle? But modern idolatry is more than that. Anything can become an idol as soon as it’s placed even half an inch above God. Even religion can become an idol. Even your…
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Spiritual Abuse: The Hurt That Drives People from Faith
Content Warning: This post discusses spiritual abuse, manipulation, and religious trauma. “God is speaking through me to give you direction.” “If you reject us and my advice, you’re rejecting God.” “You are spiritually lifeless and separated from the Holy Spirit.” I pray you’ve never had these words spoken to you. But if you are someone…
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The Ministry of Presence: A Guide for Supporting Mental Health
This month we’ve covered a number of common mental illnesses and ideas. But what about those who may not necessarily be experiencing mental health issues themselves, but are wanting to offer support? Support is a key to healing for those with mental struggles, so in this post, I want to talk directly to those who…
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The Lie of “This Is Just How I Am”
The National Association of Mental Illness’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Month this year is “Awareness Into Action.” This resonates deeply with me. While talking about mental health and validating our experiences is vital, it’s just one piece of the healing puzzle. We must also discuss action steps toward healing, lest we get stuck in…
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Trauma Triggers: A Journey of Faith and Healing
I don’t remember exactly when I first experienced a trauma trigger, but I do remember how it felt. One moment I was fine, the next my heart was racing, my chest tight, my thoughts scattered like leaves in a windstorm. Something harmless – a smell, a phrase, a location – had catapulted me back to…
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The Illness We Mistake for Choice: Addiction Beyond Stigma
Mental Health Awareness Month brings with it an opportunity to shine light on truths that often remain in shadow. Today, I want to talk about something many of us would rather not discuss – addiction. Whether it’s alcohol, prescription pills, illegal drugs, gambling, pornography, or any other substance or behavior that takes control of our…
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Rethinking Suicide and Salvation
Content warning: This post discusses suicidal thoughts and theological questions around suicide. If you’re in crisis, please reach out for help immediately by calling or texting 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. When Darkness Overwhelms “I wish I could just disappear,” my brain whispered to me as I laid in bed, my eyes…
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The Battle with Intrusive Thoughts
They strike when you least expect them. You’re driving down a familiar road when your mind whispers, “What if you crashed into the pond?” You’re holding a fragile heirloom and suddenly think, “What if I just threw this?” You’re waving goodbye to your spouse and think, “What if that’s the last time I see them?”…
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Death to Life: Easter’s Promise of Second Chances
Easter always makes me think about new beginnings. There’s something so profound about the story—Jesus, buried in darkness for three days, then emerging victorious from the tomb. It’s not just a religious tale; it’s a pattern woven into the very fabric of our lives. Death, then life. Ending, then beginning. Failure, then redemption. I’ve been…
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More Than a Divine Wishlist
Have you ever found yourself treating prayer like it’s Amazon Prime for God? I know I have. I’d add items to my spiritual shopping cart—good grades, relationship fixes, career success, health concerns—click “pray now,” and expect two-day spiritual delivery on my requests. Free shipping included, of course! For years, my prayer life looked like a…
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Not What He Had in Mind: Jesus vs. Today’s Christianity
A quick note before we begin: This post is going to be more direct than my usual writing. I’m not writing this to judge or condemn anyone—and I’m certainly not claiming to have this all figured out myself. I’m writing from a place of having made plenty of mistakes, having been part of the problem,…
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On Trust: Stronger at the Broken Places
We’ve all been there. That gut-wrenching moment when trust shatters. Maybe it was a betrayal by a friend who shared your deepest secret. Maybe it was a spouse who broke their vows. Maybe it was a family member who chose addiction over a relationship. Or maybe—and this is hard to admit—you were the one who…
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Reclaiming You In Parenthood
There’s a moment every parent experiences: you’re standing in your home, surrounded by baby gear, possibly covered in various bodily fluids, and suddenly you think, “Wait… who am I now?” I had that moment about three months into motherhood. One day I was a person with hobbies, interests, and a sense of self. The next,…
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When Faith Feels Flat
“Okay, I believe… now what?” If you’ve ever found yourself asking this question, you’re not alone. That listless feeling, the subtle drift from passionate faith to going through the motions – I’ve been there. We don’t talk about it much in church, but spiritual apathy is real, and it can hit at any point in…
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Breaking Free from the People-Pleasing Prison
One day I looked up and realized I’d built my own prison. The walls were made of others’ expectations, the bars forged from my desperate need for approval. I had been people-pleasing to the point of rejecting myself and my ideals, censoring my every word and action through the lens of others’ opinions. Every decision,…
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The Sacred Art of Setting Boundaries
Boundaries are as old as creation itself. In Genesis, we see God establishing the first boundaries – separating light from darkness, water from land. These weren’t arbitrary divisions; they were intentional acts that brought order, purpose, and life. Just as these cosmic boundaries protect and define our physical world, personal boundaries protect and define our…
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The Struggle for Mercy in a World of Quick Justice
Let’s talk about something that’s been on my mind lately: the tension between cancel culture and mercy. I’ve come to realize that cancel culture is the antithesis of mercy – it’s everything mercy isn’t. Where mercy opens doors, cancel culture slams them shut. Where mercy offers hope, cancel culture declares “game over.” I see this…
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How Could a Loving God Allow Suffering?
The Question That Haunts Us All This one’s going to be heavy, friends. Of all the questions I hear about faith, this might be the hardest. “How could a loving God let bad things happen?” It comes up in countless conversations – when a child dies of a terrible illness, when natural disasters devastate communities,…
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The Daily Choice of Forgiveness
Growing up in church, I heard about forgiveness constantly. My pastor talked about how Jesus forgave us on the cross, how we need to forgive others, how we “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”—It seemed so straightforward, almost simple. I nodded along, thinking I understood what forgiveness meant. Then…
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The Gossip Trap
“Spilling the tea.” “Sharing the latest news.” “Just catching up.” Gossip has a clever way of disguising itself in today’s culture. Between endless Kermit memes and casual conversations, it’s become so normalized that we barely notice we’re doing it. I certainly didn’t – until it almost shattered my closest friendships. In Fall 2024, I found…
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When Simple Tasks Feel Heavy: Living with Depression
Depression can make the simplest things feel impossible. When I was in its depths, something as basic as getting out of bed to brush my teeth felt like climbing Mount Everest while carrying the weight of the world. Time moved strangely – days blurred together in a fog, but each individual moment felt endless. My…
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‘Pray It Away’ – Let’s Talk About What Actually Helps
“Just be happy.” “Just give it to God.” “Just pray about it.” These well-meaning phrases may come from a place of love but can completely invalidate your struggles in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, I’ve heard these words many times, mostly when I was deep in the trenches of depression. These phrases only made me feel…
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Moving On Isn’t Forgetting
I see you struggling with the guilt that comes after loss – those moments when joy feels like betrayal and moving forward feels like goodbye. After walking this road myself, I want to share something I wish I’d known sooner. Grief and I became unwilling companions early in life. Within just a few years, I…