Sue Schlesman

If this is what you’re thinking—breathe. And let’s re-examine your theology. You can’t fail God, and He can’t fail you.

Isn’t that great news? But hold on, because you should know more than that about God and His position on divorce. The church has really screwed up this theology over the centuries. Divorce is a complicated and devastating situation, involving grief, guilt, regret, and heartache. The question “Am I failing God by getting a divorce?” oversimplifies your decision and misinterprets the character of God. Let’s ask and answer a few other questions first.

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By definition, stress is pressure or tension on an object, resulting in difficult circumstances. Often, disunity, strife, and dysfunction occur in churches as a result of unhealthy, unresolved tensions. Inward and outward pressure to perform well, to execute something perfectly, or to please and impress others creates a culture of harmful pressure. If uncorrected, this unhealthy stress generates power struggles, manipulation, lies, abuse, and fear.

Let’s take a look at the six ways stress is damaging to the church. Look for proof of life in your own local church body, without pointing the finger. We are the living Church; whatever we accept within our church is indicative of what we accept in our own spiritual journeys.

After identifying unhealthy stress markers, we’ll list 6 ways to convert those stressors into healthy, holy living.

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It’s been less than a week since the Palestinian militant group launched a highly coordinated attack on Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Our social media feeds are blowing up with posts about all aspects of this conflict. Why should Christians be concerned about the country of Israel?

Rather than looking at this new war through a political lens, let’s try to imagine what concerns God about Israel and why this war should concern us.

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Here’s a look at some major differences between Jesus’ words and some other ancient philosophers. What do the world’s major religions say about life, love, relationships, and purpose?

If you’re a single gal, you may have a mental checklist for finding a godly husband. Maybe you wrote it in your teens, when you did a Bible study on dating and marriage at youth group. Maybe you’ve been on a lot of disappointing dates, and the “what I don’t want” list has been writing itself.

When my husband was trying to get me to go out with him on a date, he asked me, “What are you looking for in a guy?”

I wasn’t sure about him yet, so I answered playfully, “Tall, dark, and handsome.”

Being short in stature, he responded, “How’s two out of three?”

The rest is history. (Eventually, I pulled out my other list.)

The Bible says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” If you want a good guy who’s following God’s direction, you’re going to have to be judicious and gracious. We’re all on a journey to godliness; don’t look for the perfect guy (he doesn’t exist)—look for a guy on the path toward perfection in Christ. Look through this 10-point checklist for finding a godly spouse (or becoming a godly spouse):

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The fact that a mother’s influence is a powerful force over the destinies of her children is undeniable. While the Bible is filled with snapshots of courageous women, no mother is held up as a specific parenting example. We must read the short, tender stories of Biblical moms to identify their actions and character traits.

Even though Christianity didn’t begin until after Jesus died, Biblical mothers from the Old and New Testaments were all women who changed the church because they were women who transformed history. They laid the foundation for nations to follow God’s commandments and accept Jesus.

These mothers endured real problems, yet influenced their children to follow God.

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Being a pastor’s wife has a remarkable way of showing you the truth about how and why people behave the way they do. It’s like being an unpaid therapist. After enough repetition of the same problems, you begin to understand the frailties of human nature. You also start figuring out yourself.

It turns out, people aren’t unlucky. We’re just sinners, and we all swallow the same deceptions and do the same stupid stuff. The responsibility of knowing (and not talking about or being able to control) other people’s sins and consequences can be weighty and stressful. But catching a glimpse of reality can make you wiser and more intuitive.

If nothing else, my life as a pastor’s wife has shown me that people are people. It doesn’t matter how much money they have, or if they’re married, or if they love God. Every person makes the same kinds of mistakes and feels pretty much the same inner turmoil as every other person.

For what it’s worth, this is the wisdom I’ve gleaned from serving people with messy, fairly normal lives:

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If you’re going to say a prayer, it’s probably because you want something to change. When you pray for a blessing, you want to feel blessed afterward. When you pray for protection, you want to feel safe afterward. When you pray for deliverance, you want your problems to go away as soon as possible.

But if change doesn’t happen—or if change doesn’t happen like you think it should—you might conclude that praying doesn’t really work.

That’s probably why God has filled the Bible with stories of answered prayers. People implored God to intercede in their messy lives, which of course, He did. As you read these incredible stories of answered prayers, notice two important aspects:

-The attitude and motives of the person who prayed

-The power with which God answered

These stories could change the way you pray and change how your prayers get answered.

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