Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”

The unforgivable/unpardonable sin (also called the eternal sin or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) can induce some level of fear for even the most convinced of Christians.  To the person who gets stuck on the concept, such as in OCD, Generalized Anxiety, and/or scrupulosity, misery would not be too strong of a word to describe it.  Personally, I suffered for several years […]

America today sees one of the highest levels of anxiety of any place in the world.[1] We are clamoring for attention online, wanting to be seen, to be loved.  Suicides by teens and young adults appear to be higher than they’ve been in years.[2]  We are the wealthiest nation on the face of the planet,[3] and we can’t […]

“You want me to do what?!” Many of my clients, and particularly for the sake of this article, Christian clients, are a bit surprised when I ask them to practice exposure.  Repeating scary, terrible thoughts on paper or aloud.  Doing things that feel risky.  It seems as a clinician I’m disrespecting your beliefs and don’t […]

“You need to pray about that.”  “Resist those thoughts; they are from the enemy.”  “Don’t think on such things.”   I often hear confusion from Christians on how to engage- or not engage- with fear based thoughts, urges, and sensations.  This led me to do a deep dive into Scripture to see if there are […]

When we recently moved to the house we are currently in, we got an extra bonus with some “smart home” features.  Far from a ‘techie,’ I quickly got frustrated in the first week.  When I didn’t know how most of it worked, I began to become irritable.  This is not a growth, learning, or curiosity […]

I Am Second honored me by asking to provide an article on the topic: 21 Ways To Thriving Mental Health from an Anxiety Specialist. Hit Hard By the Pandemic Katherine* was hit hard by the pandemic, and she didn’t understand why.  “I mean, my routines and orderliness can be a little overboard, but I’ve never had […]

I am honored to be surrounded by incredible people who exhibit incredible strength and faith in the most trying circumstances.  These past few weeks as the Coronavirus has led to increased fears, panic, product hoarding, and expressed racism, I have seen the stellar example of many clients and friends wading these uncertain waters with confidence, […]

The Bible has a lot to say about fear and anxiety.  In fact, some variation of “do not be afraid” is the most common directive in Scripture, occurring in some fashion more than ‘do not steal,’ ‘do not kill,’ and even ‘love your neighbor.’ How Does Anxiety Work? When we study these constructs in research, […]

For many, a popular electronic song of the 90’s came to mind when you saw that title.  I certainly hope so.  It’s an amazing song.  It’s also an amazing question.  What is love, really?  I love my parents; I love fall weather; I love guitar; I love burgers.  But what does it mean?  The ancient […]

“Gotta go!” Dave looks at his watch, kisses his wife, and walks out the door.  With just enough time to get ready and leave for work, Dave doesn’t have any time to reflect on the day and pray.  “I’ll do it later,” he thinks to himself.  At lunch, quickly bowing his head over his chicken […]

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11, The Bible, ESV). M. Scott Peck, in his work The Road Less Traveled, explained with surgeon-like precision how people deal with problems and pain.  […]