It's been a busy week for me, as multiple things previously in the pipeline have made their debut online, all in the same space of time. Here are the highlights, in case you missed them.
In the aftermath of the whole Ashley Madison "affair finder" online data dump, I was having a conversation with a group of men I lead in a sexual integrity recovery group. We were discussing why it sometimes might be easier to emotionally share with a potential affair partner than with a spouse. All of us (history of affair or not) need to be aware of this. Otherwise, we won't see the dangerous slippery slope of an innocent conversation that could easily turn into something much worse over time.
There are lots of things we can do when we realize we’re under attack by the enemy: make a healthier choice, quote Deuteronomy to the devil, phone a friend, sing a favorite hymn. All of these are good things to do. But if these are the first things we do, it will turn into more of a self-help maneuver than a biblical response.
So, here's a funny, yet poignant story that came from my time working on my workbook manuscript. I've come to rely on Siri quite a bit for my creative writing work. As you may know, Siri is Apple's virtual assistant found on all its electronic devices. For someone with ADHD like me, it's very freeing to walk around my office with an iPad and just tell Siri what I want to write. For the most part, she's fairly accurate. My need for corrections is minimal. But yesterday, I had a humerous, but surprisingly teachable moment.
Today I'm completely surrounded by distractions. So, this was the best therapy I could think of to perform a reset. I'm supposed to be working on the workbook for my forthcoming book, Unburdened. The workbook will be a free download from my website for everyone who is signed up to receive my blogs by email. So if you're reading this, chances are you'll get a copy of it. That is, once I can get beyond these distractions.
Some may ask what distinguishes those who eventually embrace the path from those who don’t. From God’s view, it’s simply a practical manifestation of his grace towards us. But on a human plane, there were a few key realizations in retrospect that had significant impact.