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Karl

General Grief & Loss

The Frightening Landscape of Fear

The Frightening Landscape of Fear and the freedom of living a love-based life. Living in fear is not a happy, comfortable, or productive place to live. In a time where a virus can threaten your life, or the life of someone you love, it is difficult not to live in fear. A focus on death counts, being told to wash…
Karl
May 14, 2025
General Grief & Loss

Suffering – A Biblical Response

The "problem of pain," as the well-known Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis, once called it, is a potent weapon against the Christian faith. Our human intellects and notions of fairness reject the apparent contradiction between a loving God and a world of pain. A way to reconcile this issue is to view the world from God's perspective. Understanding God's perspective begins…
Karl
May 14, 2025
General Grief & Loss

How Change Feels

Aspen leaves turn into the familiar shades we love to remind us that the seasons change and nature transitions. People also experience transitions requiring adjustment. We experience loss, whether it be in the form of a person, pet, place, job, habit, or object. We experience loss in the form of change. We experience loss within ourselves. Loss is scary. It…
Karl
May 14, 2025
FamilyGeneral Grief & LossMarriagePre-Marriage

A Garden of Relationships

Loneliness & Isolation in a Changing Culture Growing a Garden of Renewing Relationships Social distancing may be something we do to avoid the transmission of a virus… However, it increases emotional pain in people who feel lonely and crave social interaction. Many of us are energized by working alongside other people, experiencing physical contact, and intermingling with others as part…
Karl
May 14, 2025
Loss by Suicide

The Social Stigma of Suicide

Stigma is defined as “a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation.” Our society does a good job of saddling suicide with stigma. In an effort to make sense of it, perhaps, we label the person who ended his or her life. He was selfish. She was crazy. They took the easy way out.…
Karl
May 14, 2025
Loss of FriendLoss of Sibling

Acknowledging Your Loss

One of the first responsibilities we face with grief is to accept the reality of our loss. Many people find they come to despise the word “accept” when it comes to grief. It has connotations of being okay with the death, or quickly moving on from the person we lost. You will need help with ways to accept your loss…
Karl
May 13, 2025
Deeper Dive Diagrams

Dimensions of Spiritual Formation – diagram

This diagram was edited by Karl Shackelford and taken from Dallas Willard's book, Renovation of the Heart, and is especially useful for understanding how Christlike character is developed in the inner person and influenced by the various dimensions of the human self.
Karl
January 15, 2025