Mental Health
Posted on November 1, 2023
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
Identity statements aren’t always true. So, get them out into the open and then speak God’s Word out loud into the situation. But, what if the foundational thoughts are true? What if these are the things we’re thinking about: I have been abused; I have suffered real injustice; I have experienced real loss. What do we do then? Grieve. Mourn. Lament.
Mental Health
Posted on October 17, 2023
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
We’re having a conversation on mental health, but what we’re going to talk about isn’t just for people who struggle with mental health; it’s for all of us. We have a simple point, which we’ll expand upon in a moment. Here’s our simple point: What you think affects how you feel affects what you do.
Godly Living
Posted on September 6, 2023
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
Shel Silverstein, the children’s poet (author of the well-loved Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Runny Babbit, and more), in the playful poem below, raises a question that plagues us all: What if…? In this article we will dare to answer the question.
Mental Health
Posted on May 12, 2023
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
Build your life on right thinking and ordered passion. Mental health involves many things, with a life built on right thinking and ordered passions foundational to it. Before we go any further, please understand that the words in the preceding sentence are deeply significant. To be mentally healthy, we must aim for lives established on […]
Mental Health
Posted on April 23, 2023
by Ruth Barz, tLMHC
We were made for connection in relationship. Most of us, at one time or another, have run out of gas in our car. We meant to fill the tank yesterday, but we were too busy. Or we drove just a bit farther in search of the lowest gas prices, but our tank was empty before […]
Marriage & Relationships
Posted on March 5, 2023
by Susan Shields, LMHC, LIMHP, LPC
A toxic relationship is a relationship characterized by behaviors on the part of the toxic partner that are emotionally and, not infrequently, physically damaging to their partner.
Lutheran Family Service News
Posted on November 1, 2022
by Lutheran Family Service
It is with great joy that we opened our new, physical office in Bettendorf, Iowa and are able to serve the Quad Cities area and beyond.
Mental Health
Posted on January 17, 2022
by Toni Larson, LISW
There are many possible advantages to telemental health as well as some drawbacks. And, not everyone is appropriate for virtual counseling.
Church Worker Wellness
Posted on June 4, 2021
by Toni Larson, LISW
Church workers don’t enter their vocation without bringing along their personal histories. This is the case with many helping professionals; they enter service professions having experienced their own issues. These issues could be personal or family trauma (abuse, substance abuse, loss of a parent or sibling, etc.); they may be genetically or biologically predisposed to depression, anxiety disorders, or addictions; they may develop, due to their circumstances and personality, depression, anxiety, addiction issues, etc.; and they may encounter current stressful life issues with their own spouse or children, congregations, transitions in life such as empty nest and retirement, and community conflict.
COVID-19
Posted on April 23, 2020
What we are facing in these days of COVID-19 pandemic requires the same vigilance when it comes to our relationships with other people. Social distancing may make it more difficult, but at the same time, more demanding that we are aware of other people in our lives and how the stress of the situation is affecting them.
