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Zacchaeus, a tax collector, lived in Jericho a little over two thousand years ago. Zacchaeus collected taxes for the Romans.  Whatever taxes Zacchaeus collected above what the Jewish people owed the Romans, he could keep for himself. The people had no choice but to...

Many years ago, publisher Justice Rain faced an uncomfortable situation that every businessperson knows well—an angry customer demanding a refund he believed was unjustified. The customer was rude and arrogant, stirring up Justice's anger and destroying any...

💃 What Kind of Dance Are You Doing with Your Partner? After nearly 200 marital and pre-marital counseling sessions, I’ve noticed a few common problems that plague relationships. One of the biggest? How couples communicate — or don’t communicate. 💬 When Love Exists but...

A Humbling Experience To become a Board Certified Chaplain, a person must have a college degree, a seminary degree, and four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). This represents a full year of supervised training, usually in a hospital setting. In addition,...

Character in Story and Scripture In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch embodies strong moral character. He lives with integrity, practices courage in defending Tom Robinson despite community backlash, treats opponents with respect, and upholds fairness and justice....

There are three words that change everything. They’re not “I love you.” They’re not “I forgive you.” They’re these: “I was wrong.” Why are they so hard to say? Because our pride resists them. Our brains scramble to defend us, to prove we were right, to protect our...

The Medical Reality of Alcohol Use Disorder As a chaplain, I frequently visit patients who struggle with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The medical field now recognizes AUD as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that alters brain structure and function—particularly in...

“Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” – A.A. In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown writes that our first response to pain is often self-protection. We shield ourselves by blaming others, turning to judgment,...

 “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” As a pastoral counselor, people often come to me for help in overcoming their addiction because I bring both theological training and psychological education to the table. What...

Step One to Sobriety  We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. Who’s the Boss of You? Once I heard two children arguing, and one of them said to the other, “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not the boss of me.” Truthfully,...

The Smells of Football The scent hit me like a memory bomb—wet grass on a humid morning. I was on my hands and knees pulling weeds from my lawn, but in an instant, I was seventeen again, face-first on a football field, the weight of bodies pressing down, lungs...

When was the last time you failed at something? Every week I sit with someone in my counseling practice who’s failed at something. For some, it’s their marriage.  For others, the failed relationship is with a parent or a son or daughter.  Children that don’t get a...