Dear Brother in Christ, If you're reading this while feeling the crushing weight of family responsibilities amid varying mental health struggles, suicidal thoughts, isolation, and strained relationships, know that you are not alone. The Lord sees you in this valley, and His Word offers both comfort and direction for fathers carrying burdens that seem too heavy to bear. Understanding Your Biblical Role in Crisis As a father, you've been called to be the spiritual head of your household (Ephesians 5:23), but this doesn't mean carrying every burden alone. Let's explore what Scripture teaches about leadership during life's darkest seasons: 1. Acknowledging Your Humanity "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." - Psalm 34:18 First, understand that experiencing overwhelming emotions doesn't make you weak or faithless. Even great men of God faced deep despair: Elijah wanted to die after his victory on Mount Carmel ...

If you're experiencing suicidal thoughts, please reach out immediately to: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Your pastor or church leadership A trusted Christian counselor Emergency services: 911 Remember: Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."   Matthew 11:28 The Weight of the World on Your Shoulders Dear Brother in Christ, If you're reading this while feeling the crushing weight of family responsibilities amid varying mental health struggles, suicidal thoughts, isolation, and strained relationships, know that you are not alone. The Lord sees you in this valley, and His Word offers both comfort and direction for fathers carrying burdens that seem too heavy to bear. Understanding Your Biblical Role in Crisis As a father, you've been called to be the spiritual head of your household (Ephesians 5:23), but this doesn't mean carrying every burden alone. Let's...

Today, our fearless leader continued his discussion of the "Easter Week" and detailed some interesting facts from biblical history that pointed to Christ's Crucifixion.  It clarified some interests I had and thought I'd pull together what we were discussing. The Passover Lamb in Exodus The foundation for understanding Jesus as the sacrificial lamb begins with the original Passover account in Exodus. In Exodus 12, God instructed the Israelites to take an unblemished, year-old male lamb on the tenth day of the first month, keep it until the fourteenth day, and then slaughter it at twilight. The blood of this lamb was to be applied to the doorposts and lintel of their homes as a sign, so that when God passed through Egypt to strike down the firstborn, He would "pass over" the homes marked with blood. The Israelites were commanded to eat the lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. This original Passover established several important elements that would l...

The Hard Road of Restoration When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about forgiveness and restoration in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, he was addressing a community wounded by betrayal. One of their own had caused deep pain, not just to Paul personally, but to the entire body of believers. Yet in the midst of this hurt, Paul calls them to a radical stance: "If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him..." Paul recognized that continued punishment after genuine repentance serves no redemptive purpose. Instead, it risks driving the offender into "excessive sorrow"—a despair that destroys rather than restores. This delicate balance between justice and mercy speaks pro...

When raising children alongside a parent with a personality disorder who weaponizes relationships or seeks revenge, wisdom and discernment become essential. Scripture provides guidance for these painful situations where children need protection while still honoring God's design for family. Understanding the Biblical Priority of Child Protection Scripture consistently emphasizes the sacred responsibility to protect children: Matthew 18:6 - "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Jesus places extraordinary value on children's spiritual and emotional wellbeing. This verse establishes that protecting children from harm—including psychological manipulation and emotional abuse—is a sacred duty. Proverbs 31:8-9 - "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute....

The cultural narrative around marriage often centers on feelings—being "in love," feeling "butterflies," or maintaining the emotional spark. While these feelings are beautiful gifts within marriage, Scripture points to a deeper, more enduring foundation: the deliberate choice to love as Christ loves. Two Different Kinds of Love Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 don't command husbands to feel emotionally connected to their wives at all times—an impossible standard. Instead, they call for agape love—the sacrificial, action-oriented love that Christ demonstrated. This biblical love operates on a different plane than emotional love: Emotional love responds to worthiness, reciprocation, and circumstances. It flourishes when needs are met and withers when wounded. Biblical love flows from commitment and character rather than feelings. It's demonstrated most powerfully not when it's easy, but when it's difficult. The Crucial Importance of Choice-Bas...

Loving someone who has wounded us deeply—through broken trust, lies, cheating, and deceit—represents one of the greatest challenges to our faith. When their behavior continues through undermining, demeaning, and disrespecting us, the call to reflect Christ can seem not just difficult but impossible. Yet this crucible is precisely where our faith is refined and where Christ's power in us becomes most evident. Recognizing Our Common Humanity The starting point for aligning our hearts with Christ's is acknowledging what Romans 3:23 makes clear: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." This universal reality doesn't excuse harmful behavior, but it places it in the context of our shared brokenness. When I find myself developing a superiority complex toward someone who has hurt me, I must remember Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:10: "But by the grace of God I am what I am." Without God's intervention, any of us is capable of the sa...