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Ministering to the shame-based child
Shame is a sense of being totally unlovable… worthless. While guilt is a feeling we have when we feel bad about what we have done, shame is when we feel bad about who we are. Shame can be the result of...
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Where does the “pursuit of happiness” without Jesus get you?
I have recently spent two weeks for the “intensive” in the final year of the Doctor of Ministry program at Multnomah University. The biblical grounding for the subjects we will explored in this year’s...
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Humility, Humiliation, and what it means to be “poor in spirit”
I can still remember chuckling when I saw one of the anonymous comments to a “Pastor/Leader 360” evaluation I did while in a previous ministry setting. At the time, I was part of a Doctorate of...
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The shallowness of sad and the need for mourning
In Dr. Paul Metzger’s post, “‘Blessed are those who mourn’—not those who are spiritually comfortable,” he makes a distinction in the mourning and comforting referenced by Jesus in Matthew 5:4 from that...
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A full house with ACEs? More on the meaning behind the blog name
It happened again… another family told me their story of working through the ramifications of a kinship adoption, bringing a troubled child of a troubled relative into their home and their lives,...
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Can we achieve true justice?
How do we recognize true justice when we see it? One year removed from the shooting death of Michael Brown, the unarmed teen in Ferguson, MO, local authorities are preparing for a repeat of the violent...
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For God so loved the world… not just me.
Dr. Paul Metzger, in his blog “Blessed are the merciful, not just those who look out for #1,” reflects on the amazing forgiveness and mercy of God by saying: If this is how God treats us—and we are all...
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Our seven senses in worship–what helps and what hinders?
One of the things I have learned from working at a children’s therapeutic group home, and through having a son with sensory processing issues, is how numb adults have become to sensory issues. I...
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Sheep-like sight needed for seeing Christ in the lowly and needy
In his article, “‘Blessed are the pure in heart,’ not the double-minded and those with cloudy vision,” Dr. Paul Metzger writes, The pure of heart will truly see God. They will understand God’s ways....
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Breathing, Glitter Jars, and Casting all your anxieties on God
Recently I came across this excellent video produced by Julie Bayer Salzman and Josh Salzman called “Just Breathe.” What I like best about it is that children explain in simple terms what it feels...
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“Blessed are the peacemakers” in the context of caring for the emotionally...
Dr. Paul Metzger, in his article, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” not the cheesemakers, states, “There is nothing passive about making peace. It is hard, active work. It is God’s ongoing activity, as he...
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Working with those who have ACEs… not just for them!
A recent article from Dr. Paul Metzger, a friend and mentor, prompted me to think more deeply about my own advocacy work on behalf of children who have emotional disturbance and mental health issues as...
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Advocating for Rachel, part 1 – guest contributor, Crystal Amundson
Crystal Amundson, LCPC, RPT-S Note: Crystal Amundson LCPC, RPT-S runs a private practice in Helena, Montana, where she works as a child play therapist. Crystal specializes in Play Therapy, working...
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Multi-faith dialogue done best when we recognize our differences
(c) Great Falls Tribune In a recent blog post, Dr. Paul Metzger likened the perils of inter-faith dialogue to something we, in Montana, know a great deal about–fire fighting. Seasoned fire fighters and...
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The Problem with Resilience and Choice in Relation to ACEs by Cissy White
Sometimes, what is inspirational can also be annoying. NOTE: The greatest part about getting more involved in the advocacy work on behalf of those with ACEs is to read, converse, and contemplate the...
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Advocating for Rachel, part 2 – guest contributor, Crystal Amundson
(In a previous post, we met Rachel and followed the first part of her journey. In this second installment, we will continue to look at Rachel as a case study and interject ways in which faith...
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The slow march to freedom–our own!
In Dr. Paul Metzger’s provocative message, “Unfinished Business,” he challenged his hearers and his readers to consider how tolerance is too low a goal for Christianity, especially in the face of...
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What do Dawkins and social Darwinism have to do with ACEs?
In a twitter exchange last year, Richard Dawkins suggested that it would be immoral to NOT abort a baby that was known to have Down’s Syndrome and “try again” for a healthy baby. Of course, his callous...
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Should ethics be “Biologicized”?
Dr. Paul Metzger, in a recent post, brings up an interesting idea that some like Harvard University’s Edward O. Wilson have suggested–that ethics be framed in biological terms as to what is best for...
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Know your place and pray for an opening…
“Shy Evangelist” (c) christianpost.com In a thoughtful piece about the role of a chaplain or pastor in end-of-life care, Dr. Paul Metzger writes: Christian ministers may share their beliefs concerning...
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