Articles and Tools

Ministering While Suffering

Ministry While Suffering It is Good Friday. Every year I go through the scripture recounting the Holy Week leading up to the death of Jesus. Reading the story again, today I caught something I had not noticed before. It was a new discovery about Jesus’ character. The man that he was. The God that he is. It is a trait I know but today is pronounced. Reading the stories from the gospels about the last hours before he willingly sacrificed his life awakened a new quality in my

restorerevivecouns

Apr 34 min read

Grief During the Holidays

Christmas is a season of joy, hope, peace, anticipation. It is filled with parties, presents and traditions. It is when love and happiness abounds. People travel, go out of their way to make connections and look forward to time to savor those moments we don’t have time for throughout the year. Children are trying their best to be their best. Excitement is in the air. Everywhere we look there are bows, greens, lights, decorations adorn every store and town. Trees are aglow a

restorerevivecouns

Dec 20, 20254 min read

God's Perseverance

Have you ever missed a miracle? God working in through and around you, but you missed it? Have you ever longed for an answer to prayer? Have you ever wanted healing in a relationship? Sometimes God has already answered through his perseverance, his presence in our situation. After my dad passed away, I went through a brokenness that was deep, painful and ever present. I was hurting in ways I didn’t know were possible. In looking back on that season, God was present, working

Devotions

restorerevivecouns

Dec 5, 20253 min read

The In Between

Today is the day in between the horrific, intentional death of Jesus and the hope that we know is coming tomorrow. It is just like in a movie, when the viewer knows the plot and the background story and even what is going to happen, but the characters portrayed in the movie do not. I know that Sunday is coming. I know that Jesus rises from the dead forever satisfying our debt to God and the penalty of our sin. I know that. I know the hope of the resurrection. But today,

Devotions

restorerevivecouns

Dec 3, 20253 min read

Truth and Love

Ephesians 4:15-16 “ Instead, speaking the truth in love we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.” (NIV) I have always been short… you know the front row in the class pictures, never able to reach anything on the high shelves. So my truth is that I am indeed shorter than most individuals. Sometimes the tru

Devotions

restorerevivecouns

Dec 3, 20252 min read

The Most Excellent Way

The Most Excellent Way I Corinthians 12:31 “And now I will show you the most excellent way.” Any time scripture starts a chapter with a conjunctive word, you have to look back to the chapter before to know what ideas the author is bridging from to make his next point. So looking back through chapter 12 Paul is sharing about spiritual gifts and the giftings that we use to build up the church. It is also talking about the church being one body with many parts. He shares that

Devotions

restorerevivecouns

Dec 3, 20252 min read

Psalm 23

While I have read this psalm a 1,000 times, something recently popped off the page in a new and real way. The word of God is living and active. (Hebrews 4:12) This psalm became alive in a new way. This is a prayer, but it is also a promise. It is a promise of a Good Shepherd who is our provider, our protector, our sustain-er . He leads us to what we need. He sees the dangers ahead and makes provision. Read this amazing Psalm again and look for his promises. Accept th

Devotions

restorerevivecouns

Dec 3, 20255 min read

Hold the Line

I Timothy 1:18-19 18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. Some of the best advice I have ever received is ‘to hold the line.’ I can attest that some of the worst decisions I have made are when I don’t hold the line and I let things s

Devotions

restorerevivecouns

Dec 3, 20253 min read

Gratitude for the Past, Present and Future

Melody Beattie is famous for her quote about gratitude. "Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow". Much of the struggle we have in life is we are stuck in the past or the future and we are not fully in the present. Gratitude is the thread that weaves through our past into our present and celebrates what can be in the future. Gratitude is a lifestyle, a way of thinking that helps us refocus on what we have instead of focus

Mental Health Tools

restorerevivecouns

Nov 19, 20253 min read

Can A Christian Struggle with Anxiety?

Of course! Christians are humans who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But they are still humans. The struggle with the hardships of the world are real. On top of that there are biological, chemical and neurological factors that contribute to anxiety. Trauma is also a factor. Traumatic experiences tend to increase a propensity towards anxiety. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We are gu

Anxiety

Nov 7, 20254 min read

5 Ways to Improve Anxious Thoughts

We all struggle with anxiety. Anxious thoughts are a part of life. Managing them, and controlling them is a key to successful living and reducing overall anxiety in your life. These are some of my favorite tools to help reduce anxiety, improving the overall thought process. 2 Question Rule. The 2 question rule is simple and effective. When you have a thought, ask these 2 questions: Is it true? Is it helpful? So many of our thoughts are lies, or based out of irrational bel

Anxiety

Nov 7, 20255 min read

Clay Has a Memory | The Past Never Stays in the Past

As a potter, Ryan Pederson had been perfecting his work for decades, beginning with an initial curiosity in high school and then as a professional artisan. Never satisfied with simply repeating his prior success or making the next marketable piece, he voraciously learned and honed his craft. But then he met a challenge he couldn't overcome. Even though he sensed there was still untapped potential in both his talent and technique, his work was falling apart. His failures led h

Mental Health Tools

Nov 7, 20251 min read

The Scaling Strategy

I absolutely love the scaling question. This is one of my favorite strategies in conversation, working from minor issues in counseling to severe ones. It is also a great ice breaker in groups. It is a fun way to ask about your kids day that you get more than “fine” as an answer. So what is it? On a scale of 1-10- How do you feel about??? 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8....9...10 Here are some fun examples: How important is the super bowl to you? How much do you like snak

Mental Health Tools

restorerevivecouns

Oct 15, 20254 min read