tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41122689376922086422012-01-25T11:25:37.927-08:00These therapuetic musings are created by Michelle Hollomon, MA, LPC, CPC. Michelle Hollomon is licensed to practice psychotherapy in the states of Washington and Texas. Her WA license number is MH60077037 and TX license number is 19045. DISCLAIMER: This online therapy blog is not intended to replace formal psychotherapy in any way. If you are in need of counseling, please contact a licensed professional in your area.Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-12655461643795137142012-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:002012-01-25T11:25:37.941-08:00

My friend and I were talking the other day about her recent therapy appointment. She really likes her therapist and feels like she's making some real progress. But this time, when I asked her how it went, my friend wrinkled up her nose and said, "I don't know, it was kind of weird." "What do you mean, what happened?" I queried. "Well, she did most the talking." "Ew," I said. I've paid for my own

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  Read: James 5:16, Philippians 4:6-7, Ephesians 2:8-10 Think: There are a lot of different methods of bringing up children. When I was a young mom, I think I read about them all. I had the dream of being the perfect mother, able to raise the perfect children. I was on a quest to find the right methods and formulas and programs, to produce the right-behaving kids. One by one, the methods let me

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-78550496341072929202011-04-12T11:05:00.000-07:002011-04-12T11:05:03.896-07:00

Lifesolutions: Adopting a Non-Condemning Attitude: "Have you ever been disappointed by another person's behavior? Maybe at work, your colleague says they will do something and then they d..."

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-46880880693889716922011-04-12T11:02:00.000-07:002011-04-12T11:02:28.538-07:00

Have you ever been disappointed by another person's behavior? Maybe at work, your colleague says they will do something and then they don't get it done? Or maybe at home, your spouse does something hurtful? We interface with other people's behavior all the time. From the neighbor who puts your trash can away for you to the driver who's tailgating you, delight and disappointment alike flow to us

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-31849575199675028642011-04-05T02:00:00.000-07:002011-04-05T02:00:07.416-07:00

Read: Matthew 6:33, Romans 14:17-18, Proverbs 3:3-4 Prioritizing our focus is the key to personal success. Take for instance your profession. You may have many ideas to improve yourself and work productivity, but unless you prioritize the ideas and focus on one of them at a time, none of them will come into reality. Similarly, we can prioritize our worship. Romans 14:17-18 says, “The

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-76294612944777430112011-04-04T02:00:00.000-07:002011-04-04T02:00:02.852-07:00

Read: Romans 12:1-2 One winter, we decided to give our kitchen a makeover. We refaced the cabinet doors, replaced the countertops with decorative tile, painted the walls, and replaced the appliances. When our friends came over, they were astonished by the transformation. They couldn’t believe it was the same kitchen. It was the same kitchen in the same house, just renovated and updated. I am

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Read: Proverbs 19:19, Proverbs 19:3 Think: Have you ever tried to make an angry person happy? You may have found out that it is an impossible task. The harder you try, the angrier the person gets. Some of us may have learned this the hard way. I have an especially hard-to-please family member on my husband’s side (I have a few on my own side, but will save that talk for another devotion). The

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Read: 1 John 5:21, John 12:42-43 Have you ever visited Pompeii in Italy? Or any other ruins of ancient culture? I did a few years back and noticed Pompeii’s many temples, shrines, and pedestals dedicated to the worship of idols. Each place of worship had an altar near it, where some animal would be killed and offered for the god’s appeasement and pleasure. In some ancient cultures, women would

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Read: Proverbs 29:25, James 4:8 Bill Cosby once said, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” I have often thought of pleasing people as trying to hit a moving target. But not like the clay pigeon kind of target where you can pretty much predict where and when the thing is coming. People pleasing is more like trying to hit a flock of crazed

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-80653249065221805002011-03-29T02:00:00.000-07:002011-03-29T02:00:03.971-07:00

Read: Luke 4:18-19, Psalm 139:23-24 Think: Did you know that there are men and women in buildings across the world that drive satellites? It’s like the ultimate remote-controlled air plane. I have a friend that does it in the Air Force. The satellites he drives around the circumference of the world give us incredible perspective. Jesus has got this satellite view on us- he can see where we’ve

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Read: Luke 4:18-19, Psalm 139:23-24 Did you know that there are men and women in buildings across the world that drive satellites? It’s like the ultimate remote-controlled air plane. I have a friend that does it in the Air Force. The satellites he drives around the circumference of the world give us incredible perspective. Jesus has got this satellite view on us- he can see where we’ve been and

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-24974803892417954392011-03-25T02:00:00.000-07:002011-03-25T02:00:00.987-07:00

Read: Luke 19:2-10 I once heard it said, “It’s not what you do, it’s what you do after what you do that counts.” It means that we are all going to make mistakes, and how we respond to those mistakes means everything. There once was a wealthy tax collector in Jesus’ day who figured out how to respond well to his mistakes. His name was Zacchaeus and he made his fortune by collecting more than

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-91818972540712761382011-03-24T02:00:00.000-07:002011-03-24T02:00:15.543-07:00

Read: Galatians 5:13-18 Coming to a new church can be intimidating. I’ve moved around a lot over the years, and have found church hunting a daunting task. Which one is a good fit for me and for my family? Which one seems like we could fit in alright? And most importantly, which one has the best coffee? Getting involved with a church takes courage, and a desire to grow and change for the

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Read: Luke 7: 36-50 Think: We can bring the worst part of ourselves for Jesus to change, redeem and honor. The more I read the bible, the more stories I encounter where this very thing happens. In fact, I think it must be God’s most favorite thing to do, because has done it all throughout history and is doing it still. Luke 7 describes a scene where Jesus is having a dinner discussion with

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Enemy Love #5 Read: Matthew 6:12-16, Matthew 7:1-5 Here are a few steps to guide you as you forgive the people in your life who have caused you pain. 1) Acknowledge the sin committed. In our quest to minimize or maximize someone else’s faults and our own pain, we often misjudge the affect of another’s sin upon us. Instead, we must acknowledge to ourselves the harm that’s been done. Sometimes

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-78984259853842051352011-03-10T02:00:00.000-08:002011-03-10T02:00:08.538-08:00

Think: I’m no physicist but I do know about a little concept known as Newton’s Third Law. It states that for every action there is an equal and opposed reaction. It is true in the science of physics as well as in the science of relationships. If person A hurts person B, then person B either ingests the pain for wreaking havoc on the inside, or he gives the pain back with equal force wreaking

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-60352342506645231922011-03-09T02:00:00.000-08:002011-03-09T02:00:08.684-08:00

Read: Matthew 6:12-16, Matthew 7:1-5 Think: Our home group last night talked about forgiveness, and just as home group is designed to do, it brought some people to mind that needed a little attention in that area. As a group, we talked about the hard work of forgiveness for the neighbor who complains about you to the housing association, the kid who broke into your car and stole your GPS, the

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Going Back Read: Matthew 5:38-48 Think: There is a mechanism within the limbic system of the brain that is designed to react to a threat. When we are faced with a threat, the brain is programmed to react with flight or fight - which ever seems the best to the brain at the time. Often, these reactions come so quickly and involuntary that it is only after we have reacted that we can give some

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Enemies is a term I'll use loosely this week. An enemy is just someone who causes you some pain, and we're going to look at what Jesus really means by "loving our enemies." The closer a person is to us, the easier he/she is to confront. For example, if my spouse or my children do something hurtful, I respond fairly quickly to the matter. So quick, in fact, that I rarely think through the offense

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-42208907157055607732011-03-04T02:00:00.000-08:002011-03-04T02:00:05.758-08:00

Phil 2:3-9 We may be familiar with the words, "Though shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor." These were the words that I learned when I was a kid. So I decided to do a word study, thinking that "bearing false witness" could give me a little insight on this whole matter of lying. A witness is generally a person that we look to for accuracy and honesty. We believe that they have

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-58057804650283773522011-03-03T02:00:00.000-08:002011-03-03T02:00:06.736-08:00

Henry Cloud, psychologist and author wrote, “Who a person is will ultimately determine if their brains, talents, competencies, energy, effort, deal-making abilities and opportunities will succeed.” In his book Integrity, he says that every person leaves a wake behind them. Just like a boat moving through water, we create a wake in the industry, the family, the ministry that we are in. The wake is

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-88313460745762515992011-03-02T02:00:00.000-08:002011-03-02T02:00:03.380-08:00

Proverbs 4:25-27  Hebrews 12:1-3 Max Ehrman, the poet once said, “if you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” When thinking about leaving a legacy, we may be tempted to gauge our value by comparing ourselves to other people. Sometimes, we look to the left, or to the right comparing our status and rank

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-77028915394388228722011-03-01T02:00:00.000-08:002011-03-01T02:00:04.171-08:00

Proverbs 27:6 “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Helen Keller once said, "Once I knew only darkness and stillness... my life was without past or future... but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living." Though in a different form than Helen Keller, many people

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-5649132079828171862011-02-28T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-28T02:00:08.528-08:00

Maxine was my grandma’s name. She was an artist, a seamstress and a finger-lickin-good chicken dumpling chef- but she was just grandma to me. She converted a little lighted closet, in her one bedroom house into an artist’s studio. That is where she painted the picture that is hanging on my wall today, where she sewed my mother’s childhood clothes, and where she sewed my sister’s wedding dress.

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-18164050298477881712011-02-25T02:44:00.000-08:002011-02-25T02:44:00.986-08:00

Romans 3:21-25 Sin holds onto you longer than you want to stay and takes you further than you want to go. Sin is building your life on, and getting your meaning from other things, even good things, rather than God. If we look at sin that way, we see that temptations don't just lurk in magazines and bars. Our entire culture and post modern age is fraught with temptations to lure us away from

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-77595082943819628722011-02-24T02:31:00.000-08:002011-02-24T02:31:00.103-08:00

Galatians 5:16  "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." Paul admitted what we already knew, but find it hard to say out loud. We want to do what is good and loving, yet the temptation to do otherwise is always there. I like to call this "the Rub". The Rub is the chaffing reality of being human. Every body feels it, but not everybody knows what it is or

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-932039737667943192011-02-23T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-23T02:00:12.503-08:00

Jonah 4:2 "I know that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, One who relents from doing harm." When someone has done us wrong, there is something inside us that wants them to pay. A wrong demands justice, and we think we would feel a whole lot better if justice would be done quickly and thoroughly. I remember times as a child being so mad at my

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-8782362330883059452011-02-22T09:29:00.000-08:002011-02-22T09:29:30.908-08:00

Jeremiah 7:23-24 "I also gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Do all that I command so that good things will happen to you. But your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to me. They were stubborn and did whatever their evil hearts wanted. They went backward, not forward." I learned early on in raising my kids that giving them choices was a good

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-2549428219033543632011-02-18T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-18T02:00:08.412-08:00

Have you ever felt pressure to perform well at something you weren’t feeling very confident about? Remember being 16 and taking the driver test? Remember final exams and public speaking class? What about starting a new job or bringing home your first baby? There’s an element of insecurity that we all feel when we are asked to do something that we don’t have a lot of experience doing. Jesus was

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-9579019306036368282011-02-17T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-17T02:00:05.854-08:00

John 14-21 When teaching me to drive, my dad said, “He who hesitates, is lost.” This was especially true when pulling out into traffic. The philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Each indecision brings its own delays and days are lost lamenting over lost days... What you can do or think you can do, begin it. For boldness has magic, power, and genius in it.” Sometimes we don’t know

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-59224476772445449052011-02-16T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-16T02:00:08.662-08:00

Romans 8:26-30 Have you ever noticed how we try really hard to improve our weaknesses? I wonder if all that trying really helps? I’m not very good at administrative, detailed stuff. I worked at a print shop one summer, and messed up so many projects that I was relegated to gluing scrap paper into notepads all day. I tried being a bank teller at one time, and balanced twice the entire three

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-68294051225632490122011-02-15T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-15T02:00:12.668-08:00

Corrie TenBoom once said, “If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes." Have you ever been out on a hike with the wrong shoes? One year, when I was a girl, my family took a trip to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. I remember having some kind of  sock debacle where I insisted on wearing flip flops instead of more sturdy shoes. I was irritated by the seams in my socks and

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-13436819032485953712011-02-14T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-14T02:00:02.572-08:00

John 14:15-28 At the core of every stressor or worry, there lies one of two fears: the fear of being left alone, or the fear of being out of control. Jesus addresses the first of these fears as He is talking to the disciples in John 14. He is breaking it down to them that he is leaving- that he is not going to be there for much longer. He realized that this news would strike the chord of that

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-9457034586107051542011-02-11T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-11T02:00:06.830-08:00

Michael Dyer, psychologist and expert on addiction states that our nation is addicted to stress. I balked when I first heard this, thinking, “I’m not addicted to stress. I’m not stressed out all the time.” But then something happened that made me rethink my position. Business got slow. So slow, in fact that that I had a lot of extra free time. What does a stress-addicted person do when they

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-24043317720897701442011-02-10T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-10T02:00:04.342-08:00

 Psalm 138:1-8 The Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, TN. He was 39 years old. The ripples of a life well-lived reach the shores of our consciousness still today, forty three years later, encouraging us to live for a purpose higher than ourselves. He was a man who validated the inequalities and injustices of black Americans and championed the civil rights

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-50437691678110249472011-02-09T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-09T02:00:12.273-08:00

Mark 5:24-34 On his way to heal a centurion’s daughter, Jesus was interrupted by a woman. Unannounced and discreetly as possible, she approached Jesus with the intent to touch his clothes. There were a great many people surrounding Jesus on the dusty road, all wanting to witness or experience a miracle. This woman was no exception, in that regard. However, Jesus takes great exception to one

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"I will turn my will and my life over to God's care." Genesis 22:1-18 This is Step Three in the 12 Step process of recovery from addiction. In the loosest sense, addiction is a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance in order to feel normal. I recently went to a workshop where the instructor insisted that we Americans are addicted to stress. Did you know that stress

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-24487904246188627592011-02-07T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-07T02:00:00.675-08:00

Genesis 22:1-18 When things are going well, it’s pretty easy to make sense of life. We may have the tendency to see life in a formula: “self-discipline” plus “good morals” equals “God’s blessing”. Except when the formula doesn’t work and “self-discipline” plus “good morals” equals “lay off” or “divorce” or “sickness”. Then our delicate understanding of life is rocked. God challenges us to stop

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-29274665059953026992011-02-04T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-04T02:00:05.425-08:00

Picture this: A guard stands at the gate of a king’s castle. Loyal and true, he judiciously resides over who is able to enter the castle and who may not. Along comes strong, intimidating stranger, carrying a note. The guard sizes the messenger up, and takes the note to read. It has bad news- terrifying news. News of a growing army with sights set on attack. The guard is mistrusting of this

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1 John 1:8 – 1 John 2:2 Spring was in the air, Easter had just past and our beagle caught the scent of rabbit on the breeze. She was a hunting dog by nature and had little self control when it came to sniffing out foul and rabbits. While we were not looking, our beagle escaped for an outdoor exploit and we didn't find her for hours. While my husband took the car to look for her, I looked under

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-923382175247995172011-02-02T02:00:00.000-08:002011-01-30T21:50:48.102-08:00

I like God's style: involved, but not pushy; in control, without being controlling; loving, but not smothering. It's an effective way to lead, I think. One technique that He uses to draw us to Himself is to ask pointed, and somewhat obvious questions. We can see this over and over in the bible.When something especially difficult and painful has happened in one of his children's life, there He is,

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-85706299416744409332011-02-01T02:00:00.000-08:002011-02-01T10:33:45.188-08:00

The entire Bible points to Jesus. From the beginning to the end, the Bible's theme is bridging the gap between humanity and God. Though Jesus doesn't formerly introduce Himself until the New Testament, there are pictures of Him throughout the first half of bible's epic story. The Old Testament stories give us a taste, or a snap shot of Jesus as the Coming Rescuer. These stories include; God

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-44537362713798098172011-01-31T02:00:00.000-08:002011-01-31T02:00:03.093-08:00

Francis Schaefer, in his book, True Spirituality writes, "Coveting is the negative side of the positive commands." When Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment in the Law, He replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Jesus then went on to say, "Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-86600563410977062792011-01-28T02:00:00.000-08:002011-01-28T02:00:01.021-08:00

Rosa Parks, after her fateful decision to stand her ground on a segregated bus caught the attention of a nation. Something inside her allowed her the courage to do what she believed to be right and good. Later, she was quoted as saying, “I will no longer act on the outside in a way that contradicts the truth that I hold deeply inside. I will no longer act as if I were less than the whole person I

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-48251311538932820152011-01-27T02:00:00.000-08:002011-01-27T02:00:02.502-08:00

“If you continue to obey my teaching, you are truly my followers. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31). This week we've been talking about coming to God just the way you are, but being determined to grow. The following are some common characteristics that growing people do . They see opportunity in every problem. We can easily focus our attention on the

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-56275827956528748942011-01-26T10:44:00.000-08:002011-01-26T10:44:10.276-08:00

Proverbs 20:27 "The Lord looks deep inside people and searches through their thoughts." Have you ever caught yourself acting a certain way around certain people, that didn’t seem quite consistent with how you normally are? Or have you ever done or said something stupid that, when looking back, it didn’t even seem like you? Sometimes I will catch myself exaggerating a truth around certain people-

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-78050181968876505882011-01-25T02:00:00.000-08:002011-01-25T02:00:03.615-08:00

Ephesians 4:13-14 "This work must continue until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God. We must become like a mature person, growing until we become like Christ and have his perfection. Then we will no longer be babies. We will not be tossed about like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another." Think: A sure sign of life, is growth

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-10067627277219670372011-01-24T02:00:00.000-08:002011-01-24T02:00:08.264-08:00

But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. At one time you were not a people, but now you are God’s people. In the past you had never received mercy, but now you have received God’s mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)http://www.biblegateway.com/

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-64242400015486429752011-01-20T12:55:00.000-08:002011-01-20T12:55:10.993-08:00

Come Monday, January 24th I will be changing the format of the blog just slightly. Several months worth of devotionals are sitting in a file folder on my desktop losing their patience. Quietly, they wait to experience the World Wide Web on their own; to explore the inboxes of many around the globe. And so, I shall set them free one by one, day by day, like little honing pigeons looking for their

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-14002814088855368122011-01-13T12:52:00.000-08:002011-01-13T12:52:56.579-08:00

Since adopting our dog Frisco, I have been on a learning curve. He's been with us 18 months now and he's settled into being a very content dog. So content, I think he forgets that his name is not on the mail box, but in fact, it is actually mine, and my husbands. So we, as responsible adults will, buckle down on the discipline and hierarchy and "no you can't eat the expensive salmon off the

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-25307894712203577402010-12-08T16:51:00.000-08:002010-12-08T16:51:29.829-08:00

If you are a woman looking to make a difference in your home, business or corporate economy, listen to Halla Tomasdottir speak on five valuable principles for smart, sustainable, principled business practices. You'll be motivated to take a second look at your bottom line. .http://www.ted.com/talks/halla_tomasdottir.html

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-73215508001729966112010-11-16T10:45:00.000-08:002010-11-16T10:45:28.092-08:00

What you think about is crucial to your overall success. You can bring thoughts into your awareness and challenge them easily. It's the unconscious or automatic thoughts that take a bit more work. Automatic thoughts are those thoughts that occur in the space between an event and your emotional reactions to the event. They often go unnoticed because they are part of a repetitive pattern of

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-52651612588951412162010-09-23T13:53:00.000-07:002010-09-23T13:53:54.751-07:00

Nothing can rev the engine like a hearty disagreement in the office. Whether sparks are flying or it is stone cold silent, conflict is a part of normal office life. You may not be able to resolve all conflict, but you can learn to manage it in a way that keeps you from losing yourself (and your shirt too). Zack was a partner in charge of sales of a midsize company. His strengths included

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-14908431104721766642010-09-08T14:11:00.000-07:002010-09-08T14:11:57.270-07:00

People usually come and see me when something is going haywire in their lives. This is a good thing. Problems are a part of life, and there are some that we just can't avoid no matter how we prepare, forecast or play it safe. If there are no problems, then there are no opportunities for growth and ingenuity. The trick to success, is taking that problem and being hell-bent on making it an

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-23995393923656523492010-06-14T11:56:00.000-07:002010-06-14T12:32:17.164-07:00

JUDGMENTMENTALISMDesired Affect: Judgmentalism is a Christian drug because it makes us feel "better than" as opposed to "worse than". It keeps our focus on others' shortcomings, so we don't have to look at our own. When we see our own frailties and mistakes, we feel a sense of shame. In order to avoid this shame, we keep our focus on other's failings. Just like an alcoholic will drink to numb

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-35361645297456960402010-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:002010-06-12T16:56:17.772-07:00

Drugs, by nature, are mood altering. Any substance with an addictive nature, whether it be prescription drugs, caffeine drinks, street drugs or the common glass of wine has the capacity to alter your mood. That is one of the main reasons people use them, and sometimes even become addicted to them. They make us feel better, or at least numb to pain.Well, Christians have some mood altering drugs of

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-4601418090269157062010-05-20T10:45:00.000-07:002010-05-20T11:33:32.848-07:00

On the trail to the peak, I lost sight of our destination. The wind was fierce and blew us back one step for our two. Mt. Shavano is a 14er. It is a mountain that crests over 14,000 feet and is one of the 58 beasts that tower in the Colorado sky. It is not one of the peaks that serious mountaineers brag about as being treacherous and technical, but it has all the dangerous trappings of craggy

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-51063110162682472682009-11-22T20:57:00.000-08:002009-11-22T22:04:20.249-08:00

Helen Keller once said, "Once I knew only darkness and stillness... my life was without past or future... but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living." Though in a different form than that of Helen Keller, many people would acknowledge that they have felt a kind of darkness and emptiness. Many would

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-88058277497121209872009-10-15T09:09:00.000-07:002009-10-15T09:54:11.371-07:00

Good Self Care: We talk about it, our doctors emphasize it, and Oprah reminds us to do it, but what is Self Care exactly? And really, why is it so important anyway?Good Self Care keeps us from getting too enmeshed, too co-dependent and too addicted to other people and other things. Good Self Care keeps us from losing ourselves on the road of life.Jesus said, "What good is it to gain the whole

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-1162747379411103342009-09-03T11:44:00.000-07:002009-09-03T22:24:12.023-07:00

Anxiety: some of us are prone to it, born with it, or bound by it. But one thing is true- if you're human, you have it. It just comes along with the homo sapien package; opposable thumbs, fingernails, and stress. We all experience anxiety from time to time, some more intensely than others. When we feel anxious, we feel out of control, and naturally we try to control the things around us. The more

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-30800917220408036322009-08-18T14:53:00.000-07:002009-08-18T15:24:12.349-07:00

Have you ever been dead locked between two good choices? We have to make decisions all day long: some big, some small, some easy, some hard. But what about the decisions between two good things? Sometimes, those are the hardest of all. We pray for opportunity, and then when it comes, we sometimes don't know what to do with it.Here are some good questions to ask:What would each option say about me

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-70873390175856763832009-08-11T20:48:00.000-07:002009-08-11T21:38:52.320-07:00

Last Saturday I went to see the author of The Shack, Wm. Paul Young. He was speaking at a local church and I was glad I got the opportunity to hear what he had to say. The book is something of a literary phenomenon; topping the New York Best Seller's List for 67 straight weeks. A no name, from no where with a quirky perspective on God touched something in the reader that just made them want to

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-46210249461229139692009-07-20T07:53:00.000-07:002009-07-20T09:17:35.482-07:00

"Don't smother each other. No one can grow in the shade." ~Leo BuscagliaAn important word that is thrown around in counseling circles is "differentiation". To understand it is rare, but to have it is both rare and priceless.Differentiation is a beautiful balance between knowing who you are, and knowing someone else. David Schnarch says, "Differentiation invloves balancing twobasic life forces:

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-25719567755143894692009-07-07T09:25:00.000-07:002009-07-07T09:33:56.488-07:00

If I were to ask you, “Why do you get out of bed in the morning?” You may answer in two different ways, “Because I have to,” or “Because I want to.”People motivate themselves one of two ways: By obligation, or by desire.If someone feels as though they have no choices in life, their language will reflect that, and I will often hear, “I have to do that because no one else will do it,” or “I have to

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-41111654967420048622009-06-15T17:50:00.000-07:002009-06-15T17:51:02.765-07:00

I like God's style: involved, but not pushy; in control, without being controlling; loving, but not smothering. It's an effective way to lead, I think. One technique that He uses to draw us to Himself is to ask pointed, and somewhat obvious questions.God asks Jonah in chapter 4:4, "Is it right for you to be angry?"He asked Adam and Eve when they hid in shame, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9).He

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-60079372844908370022009-06-04T16:42:00.000-07:002009-06-04T16:55:40.944-07:00

God is a Choice-giver. I once heard a story of a girl who complained to her father that her life was too hard. In fact, it was miserable, one hardship after another. She was tired of life always being a struggle. Her father, having been around the block and no stranger to his own trials, took her to their kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed them all on high heat. The

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-59905915528538112422009-05-13T11:03:00.000-07:002009-05-13T11:11:46.103-07:00

I think a lot of folks have trouble letting God's love in because of the shame they feel about who they are. I think that is one reason why the apostle Paul writes, "I pray that you might have the power to grasp the love of God." It's just plain hard to fathom God's love- it's so different than what we have experienced in the past. We actually need help understanding and accepting it.When I hear

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-9332869088978555652009-05-06T19:42:00.000-07:002009-05-06T19:44:44.084-07:00

If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.I am the aroma of Christ.I am holy and anointed.I am loved and adored.Christ makes intercession for me.I am more than a

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-11760368884448625612009-04-18T21:02:00.000-07:002009-05-13T11:03:02.264-07:00

“Love rescue me, Come forth and speak to me, Raise me up and don’t let me fall,No man is my enemy, My own hands imprison me, Love rescue me.”[1]We know what love is, based on how we have experienced it or how we have wanted to experience it, and haven't. A husband saying the words, "I love you" means something different than a child saying the same words. When a friend, burning the midnight oil,

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-24471015291556929502009-04-10T11:43:00.000-07:002009-04-10T12:08:52.027-07:00

I am finding that the Pacific Northwest is a little behind the eco-curve. My former residence of Texas has been celebrating spring for about a month now. But here in Seattle, the buds are just getting ready to burst. The girls and I visited the Seattle Arboretum where the cherry trees are beginning to look like scoops of pink dripping icecream on a cone. Gorgeous! Nature celebrates the real

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-9562082958593353492009-04-09T22:24:00.000-07:002009-04-09T22:41:32.151-07:00

10) You believe Tolerance is next to Godliness.9) You wonder what the Bible is all about and why people argue about it so much.8) You have a vague idea of Jesus and who people say He is, but never have met Him.7) You think church is weird.6) Your grandmother has been praying for you to come to Jesus your whole life, but you're reluctant.5) You think Christians are weird.4) You are giving this

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112268937692208642.post-7844800612871286412009-04-07T09:09:00.000-07:002009-04-07T09:28:37.776-07:00

1) Your primary motivating factor in life is guilt.2) You compare yourself to others to see where you rank on the "spiritual" pecking order.3) You choose to do things based on what other people will think, trying to avoid judgement.4) You think if God isn't disappointed in you yet, He will be soon.5) You say things like, "God really hammered me" or "hit me with a 2x4."6) You do things because you

Michelle Hollomonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11915442292493537147noreply@blogger.com5