Justin’s Blog: “The Jog”

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

In the first part of this series, fear and anxiety was presented as a warning system that can operate properly or erroneously.  We examined how saints throughout history (in the Bible, specifically) directly were fearful, afraid, or anxious, and this was not necessarily linked with sin.  Let’s jump into why and how spending the time […]

A lot of my clients and readers often ask, “Is Anxiety Sin?”  Here’s the answer I’ll give you today: Maybe, maybe not.  As we do a deep dive into this topic in three parts, we will discover, however, that the faithful are often fearful. Fear Is Not Always Problematic, But Each Person Has A Different […]

Honored to be featured again in the I Am Second mental health blog, this post addresses the common occurrence of Intrusive Thoughts and how those of Christian faith can live in freedom. Click Here to Read NOW

“I feel like I really love my baby, but, I just don’t know. I have these terrible thoughts that pop into my mind. Thoughts of harming my baby. I actually vomited last night it made me so upset. I don’t know why I’m having these” “Everyone around me, including my pastor, seems to think I […]

Most of my clients hear from me at some point (when it’s appropriate for me to share) my examples of dealing with obsessive thoughts.  I have become stuck in obsessive thinking and its resultant feelings (and still do on some days).  Born out of my trials and individually tailored to clients who want a Christian […]

As a faith leader, you are the real front door to mental health. Despite the fact that doctors and hospitals may be attributed this designation, many people feel most comfortable talking about mental health issues with you first, and even at times exclusively.  You are as a whole sought out 50% more than doctors or psychiatrists to help alleviate mental and emotional problems- this puts you on the front lines.

Both in the office and in my life I offer a simple reminder: just because you tremble or are afraid or feel distressed DOESN’T mean you’re doing it wrong.  In fact, maybe it’s very right.  An unbelievably common misconception among human beings is distress = bad.  Sure, distress is uncomfortable.  Yes, it signals something feels […]

A vaccine for Sars-CoV-2 is just beginning to be administered to the public as 2020 is coming to a close, and a palpable ‘shot in the arm’ brings hope for the ravages of COVID-19 for many. Consider with me what life was like prior to 2020?  What was going well?  What made you long for change?  […]

One of the things that is very grounding about the Christian faith is that there is not only truth/Truth we follow, but hopefully a willingness to pursue disciplines that either a) aren’t comfortable, or b), may not necessarily make sense immediately.  This is very helpful in therapy when clients don’t throw up resistance to the […]

I had no plans to write this article today on loss and suffering.  But the more I ponder the life and legacy of “Papa” and the times we are in, I believe more and more it’s a message to share.  When hurting and suffering takes over and the complexities of life are weighty, I believe […]

My daughter Hattie went into hoarding mode this Halloween.  Within 5 minutes, she was in MEGA-CUMULATION mode.  Emily and I got some good parenting moments; “Hattie, you can choose 2 items from that basket.”  (We had to say that about 30 times.) I laugh often when she’s around food, toys, or playground equipment- like an […]