by Janel Breitenstein | Aug 29, 2019 | discouragement, encouragement, failure, identity, shame
Recently I noticed something curious as a friend described talking to herself. She leaned forward. Her eyebrows turned down into arrows. She jabbed a pointer finger repeatedly, thumb held up like a pistol. It was crazy: It was as if there were two of her. The bouncer...
by Janel Breitenstein | Aug 27, 2019 | Ideas, listening, Marriage, relationships
So my husband is a classic introvert, which may (rightly) make you wonder what it’s like being married to a person like yours truly. He’s also a friendly introvert. His entire occupation is dedicated to taking care of people, and sometimes his entire day...
by Janel Breitenstein | Aug 22, 2019 | compassion, difficulty, discouragement, emotion, encouragement, enduring love, failure, faith, time alone with God
It was the second time in a week I’d misread her texts. GAH. We’d been trying to go on a walk together, but if I wanted it to rain? I should just schedule a walk. So as a hail mary, she’d suggested we go at 7:15. True story: The text said...
by Janel Breitenstein | Aug 14, 2019 | children, compassion, Ideas, kids, love, social justice, spiritual life skills/spiritual disciplines
I don’t know about you, but back-to-school prep is real, folks. Your kids are asking if they need shots (which makes you, in turn, ask if they need shots.) You’re buying 8-packs of dry erase markers, enough pencils to take the SAT every day for an entire...
by Janel Breitenstein | Aug 9, 2019 | children, Church, closeness and intimacy, closeness; intimacy, community, Culture, helping others, spiritual life skills/spiritual disciplines, tweens and teens
It’s a disturbing statistic. A friend quoted me a study cited in Johann Hari’s Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression–and the Unexpected Solutions (please forgive me if it’s misquoted). In short, the study asked how many...
