Tag Archives: fear

Your Child’s Safe Haven

I’m not exactly sure what time the world is supposed to end today.  But my guess is if you are reading this blog, the earth is still intact. It seems we can’t learn our lesson enough, previous predictions that have turned out to be oh-so-not-true.  Although, it seems more people are holding weight in the Mayan calendar running out. As if my teens didn’t have enough to worry about (no, they really didn’t think the world was going to end today), there were other attempts to wreck their last day of school before winter break.  Several threats of violence against … Continue reading →

Are You Emotionally Ready to Start Your Own Business?

 We all know that a business plan is essential for starting a home – based business. There are other things, though, that are just as essential to home based business success that get mentioned far less often. One of these things is emotional readiness. Starting a home – based business is a leap of faith, and whether you are employed at a job and planning to leave in order to start your own business or currently unemployed and about to invest what little savings you have into working from home, it can be scary to take the plunge. Fortunately, just … Continue reading →

How Well Do You Know Your Spouse?

We all have individual likes and dislikes. Sometimes they are the things that make us the person we are. Try this fun quiz to see how much you really know about your spouse. Then get your spouse to answer the same questions about themselves? Swap over and see how much they know about you. Compare your answers. You might just find a few areas where you don’t know as much about your spouse as you thought. Also it might speak off a really interesting conversation. 1. What is your spouse’s favorite color? 2. What do they most enjoy doing? 3. … Continue reading →

Swine Flu and Fear: the Doctor’s Verdict

Yesterday, I had swine flu on my mind — I’ve been running a low-grade temperature since Wednesday, and was worried that it was an indicator of something serious. I decided yesterday that if I still had a fever today (Saturday), I’d go to the local walk-in clinic. I woke up this morning still feeling that old familiar body ache and headache. A check of the digital thermometer showed that sure enough, I was still running a fever. Off to the clinic I went! There was a big sign on the door saying that if a patient was experiencing a cough … Continue reading →

Swine Flu and Fear

I’m writing this on day three of a fever, so I apologize if it isn’t as coherent as I’d like. I’m sick. It started off feeling like my usual sinus troubles, so I treated it in the usual way: irrigating my sinuses with salt water. This plan has worked in the past, fending off several sinus infections before they got to the point where I’d need a doctor or antibiotics. But while the sinus problem cleared up, the feeling of not-good stuck around. My head was still pounding. Two days ago, the headache was joined by an all-over body ache … Continue reading →

Reassuring a Suicidal Person

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In our continuing series on suicide, we look today at how to give reassurance, information, and hope to a person at risk of suicide. Suicide claims the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year, and victims are of both genders, and come from a multitude of backgrounds. Certainly success and money are no insurance against the depression and anxiety that predates suicidal thoughts and actions. Once the crisis point has passed, (see links below for how to help a suicidal person), it is important to provide ongoing support for your friend or family member who has expressed suicidal … Continue reading →

What to Do When Satan Interferes

Satan loves to interfere in God’s work, to distract, disrupt, discourage, cause arguments and do all he can from stopping God’s work going ahead. When our daughter, with a team of young people was involved in a mission, Satan tired to interfere. On the day she was to give her testimony, she was so sick. But people prayed and God overruled. She gave her testimony and God’s work went ahead, despite the opposition. Satan hasn’t changed his tactic. Back in Nehemiah’s time, Satan tried to disrupt God’s work and stop it from happening. Nehemiah 6:1-9 Nehemiah’s enemies conspire to harm … Continue reading →

Jump Right In!

The other day at the beach I watched people cautiously approach the water and stick their toes in then jump back muttering,‘It’s cold,’ or ‘It’s freezing,’ or something similar. Those of us already in the water laughed, though I admit it is cold initially. Part of living on the South Coast of New South Wales is that the water seems to take longer to warm up. It’s a matter of getting over the initial reaction and getting in and getting the whole body wet not just up to the ankles. That first minute or two are cold but then you … Continue reading →

Are You Up For A Challenge?

In a recent newsletter I subscribe to it asked ‘When was the last time you challenged yourself as a writer? What challenge did you make?’ Let me turn that around and ask when was the last time you challenged yourself as a Christian? Challenged yourself to take on a job or ministry that takes you out of your comfort zone? I love writing. Writing bible study questions and notes was no exception. Leading a discussion group was also something I felt comfortable doing. But when asked to become the teaching leader, standing up each week to give a 40 minute … Continue reading →

Preparing a Child for the Dentist—Part Two

Yesterday, I introduced the topic of preparing a child for a trip to the dentist. I talked about how to explain the facts and take away the mystery of what is going to happen by being as honest and open as possible. Another element in preparing a child for a trip to the dentist—even a child who has been before—is to give them the opportunity to ask questions and express their own fears and anxieties. For a child to truly be prepared for something unsettling but inevitable, I think that he needs to have a chance to talk through concerns … Continue reading →