Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”
120+ Articles Driven by Research and Practice
Can Christians Be Free From Uncertainty? Part 2/4: Christian Intolerance of Uncertainty
This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians. SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower. Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]
Read More >Can Christians Be Free From Uncertainty? Part 1/4: Uncertainty Can Be Utterly Uncomfortable
This four part series is meant to be a brief, yet fairly comprehensive, overview into the world of uncertainty for Christians. SUMMARY: In Part 1, uncertainty is explored as a human experience- one for which Christians do not escape simply in lieu of being a faithful follower. Part 2 addresses what ways people generally handle […]
Read More >Five Principal Christian Commitments To Help Guide the OCD Sufferer
Peter’s Paradox Peter* came to counseling and admitted he was overly obsessive about faith matters- and that obsessing itself caused problems. But he couldn’t break free. He acknowledged the classic paradox of OCD: insight outside of the moment to see that his behavior was unreasonable, but simultaneously doubt and lack of insight during severe periods […]
Read More >The Curious Case of the Blank Instagram Story
I’ve got another confession to make. No, I’m not starting the song, Foo Fighters’ “Best of You.” I have been trying to cram WAY too much into life recently. My brain feels that stress, and so does my body. Blame it on the world, my environment, being “busy” with my life, my kids, my job- […]
Read More >the OCD Stories: Walking faithfully as a Christian while doing OCD treatment- considerations and common concerns
I once again joined host Stuart Ralph in the OCD Stories podcast. My prior one, “Faith, Spirituality and Religion in OCD Therapy” (#250), led us to go even deeper into the topic, specifically for Christians who have OCD. These bullet points are a very rough draft of what we covered. Here it is: Justin Hughes: Walking faithfully as […]
Read More >Jon Seidl’s “Finding Rest” Book Review
I just finished the soon-to-be released autobiography on a Christian’s suffering with OCD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Depression. My connection with the author was a special one, after contributing articles to I Am Second myself, one day I looked at the related articles and discovered that someone shared publicly on their struggles with OCD. As […]
Read More >The Holy Spirit is Different Than Your Emotions or Thoughts- Part 2 of 2: How Does God Speak?
Our Feelings and Thoughts Are Not A Guarantee In Part 1 of 2: Doubt, Fear, and Uncertainty, I emphasized a key point: Just because a problem deals with a spiritual issue doesn’t mean it must be exclusively a spiritual problem, addressed through exclusively spiritual means. Let me add one: Just because I feel or think something […]
Read More >5 Things Christians Need to Know About Back-to-School Anxiety
I am Second has graciously published my Back-to-School article: 5 Things You Need to Know About Back-to-School Anxiety Click Here to Read NOW Here’s the quick summary: 1. Anxiety going back-to-school is normal. Why be surprised? Embrace it; accept it as normal; lean into it. 2. Don’t make anxiety personal. There’s no shame in suffering. […]
Read More >The Holy Spirit is Different Than Your Emotions or Thoughts- Part 1 of 2: Doubt, Fear, and Uncertainty
Confusing Doubt and Fear With God Speaking When Susan* began therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), she had a lot of questions pertaining to her faith. In fact, she often thought she was dealing regularly with inherent spiritual problems, when, in reality, much of her concerns were just problems that […]
Read More >An Introduction To The “Over-Active Conscience”: Understanding Scrupulosity & Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Dr. Ted Witzig
This article is aimed at Christians but also provides a rich overview on scrupulosity. It was written by Ted Witzig, Jr., PhD and was graciously allowed to be reproduced in its entirety. I first met Dr. Witzig at IOCDF conferences. He is compassionate, intelligent, and provides some of the best overviews I’ve seen with OCD […]
Read More >Is Anxiety Sin? When The Faithful Are Fearful (Part 3/3)
Being the last installment (here’s Part 1 and Part 2) on this important topic, we have explored fear/anxiety as a warning system, how godly characters in the Bible experienced it without being a problem, and how spending the time to address fear and anxiety properly can bring about more freedom. This last article will briefly […]
Read More >3 Ways I Got Unstuck From Anxiety & Depression
Check out my featured article as part of the Mental Health Grace Alliance. This is my most vulnerable personal writing yet on my journey with mental health. I hope you’ll be encouraged. 3 Ways I Got Unstuck From Anxiety & Depression Not familiar with MHGA yet? They are a strong voice for mental health recovery in […]
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