When someone is hearing voices, spiraling in delusion, or trapped in torment, helpers face a hard question: demons, diagnoses, or both? In this thoughtful essay, Jennifer Jill Schwirzer, LPC, EdD, offers a biblically grounded and clinically informed guide for pastors, coaches, and counselors. With clarity and compassion, she calls us to holistic care that honors brain science, spiritual reality, and the hope of Christ for those seeking to escape the darkness.

Negative emotions have become suspect in some spiritual spaces, treated as evidence of demonic influence rather than part of ordinary human life. This reflex to cast out what should be understood ends up multiplying fear rather than healing it. Discernment requires patience, not panic. Growth rarely comes through a single dramatic moment. It comes through the slower work of examining habits, renewing the mind, and walking the long road of sanctification with honesty and care.

Has the pendulum swung too far? While feminism corrected many historic injustices against women, it also left many young men feeling discouraged, distrusted, and unsure of their place in society and the church. Jennifer Schwirzer explores the cultural shifts affecting masculinity, acknowledges men’s struggles without minimizing women’s, and offers a biblical call to reject resentment, embrace Christlike strength, and rediscover a godly vision of manhood.

A witty poem challenging the belief that women cannot teach men Scripture. Through Huldah, Deborah, Priscilla, Timothy’s mother and grandmother, and Mary Magdalene, it highlights biblical women who proclaimed truth, offered spiritual instruction, and served God boldly. Using rhyme and sarcasm, the poem invites thoughtful debate about women’s roles in church leadership, ministry, teaching, and the Great Commission.

When Canadian immigration blocked Cree’s plans, it looked like her future had come to a halt. But God was writing a greater love story. Discover how prayer, unexpected detours, and faithful perseverance led to a godly marriage that crossed borders and strengthened faith. This inspiring testimony reminds us that God’s timing often exceeds our own plans.

After growing up in the courtship movement, Jennifer Schwirzer reflects on both its safeguards and its harms. She proposes a Covenant-Seeking Model that restores dating as a thoughtful path toward marriage through friendship dating, committed dating, and engagement. Rooted in Christian service, wisdom, and mutual care, the model helps singles build healthy relationships without hookup culture, premature commitment, or rigid rules.

What if Pride Month pointed us to the deeper problem of pride itself? This reflection explores how pride distorts God’s design for sexuality, fuels self-exaltation, and harms the vulnerable through pornography, adultery, divorce, cohabitation, and other broken patterns. Rooted in Scripture, the article calls for repentance, Christ’s forgiveness, recovery, and a return to the Creator’s life-giving plan for sexuality.

The Southern Baptist Convention has moved to formally prohibit women from preaching to assembled congregations, deepening a divide with Seventh-day Adventists, who broadly affirm women’s preaching ministry. Dr. Jennifer Jill Schwirzer explores the biblical, historical, and theological issues behind the debate, examines the influence of Ellen White on Adventist practice, and reflects on her own decades of preaching and teaching ministry.

Charlie Kirk’s "Stop in the Name of God" offers a compelling defense of Sabbath rest, justice, and human dignity. I found myself applauding many of his biblical arguments, then shaking my head at his conclusions about Sabbath obligation. Insightful, frustrating, and thought-provoking, the book reveals both the strength of the Sabbath truth and the tensions many Christians feel when confronting it.

Narcissism dominates today’s mental health conversations, but does the popular narrative tell the whole story? This article explores narcissism through a biblical lens, challenging common assumptions about diagnosis, redemption, and self-protection. Discover how Scripture presents the human condition, the possibility of transformation through grace, and a healthier way to respond to difficult people without allowing fear, suspicion, or labels to define your relationships.

Marriage was created to be a blessing, yet abuse can distort it into something harmful and dangerous. Explore the research behind physical and emotional abuse in marriage, including intimate partner violence, narcissistic abuse, and psychological aggression. Drawing from scientific studies, biblical principles, and counseling experience, it offers a balanced, fact-based look at how abuse affects both men and women while reaffirming God’s original purpose for marriage.

Sam Allberry’s resignation after an inappropriate same-sex relationship has reignited debate over “Side B” Christianity, gay identity, celibacy, and biblical transformation. This article explores why identity in Christ, rather than sexual orientation, shapes sanctification, discipleship, and lasting change, while examining the theological tensions between Side A, B, X, and Y perspectives.

Struggling with insomnia, restless nights, or poor sleep quality? Learn the real causes behind common sleep disorders, including stress, circadian disruption, sleep apnea, and lifestyle habits. Discover practical, natural sleep strategies like CBT-I, nervous system regulation, better routines, and faith-based encouragement to help restore deep, restorative sleep and improve overall health.

From 2000–2003, Philadelphia’s Expressly Vegetarian Cafe served a community-favorite Better Burger that became legendary for its wholesome flavor and comfort-food appeal. Made with oats, walnuts, herbs, and simple vegan ingredients, these high-fiber homemade burgers offered delicious plant-based nourishment that kept customers coming back through life’s biggest moments. Now, this beloved recipe can be enjoyed right from your own kitchen.

Explore how online radicalization takes root through pain, isolation, and echo chambers, and discover practical, compassionate ways to help loved ones return to truth. Through listening, curiosity, addressing unmet needs, and persistent prayer, this faith-based guide offers hopeful strategies for countering extremism with understanding instead of division.

27 years in the U.S. One mistake. Time served. Then deportation. Ober left behind a special-needs daughter and a billboard he was funding to share hope in Christ. His story hits close and raises a hard question about how we respond when it matters. A real family, real pressure, and a simple way to step in and help carry the load.

A reflective call to revisit modesty through a balanced, biblical lens. Drawing from personal extremes, the author explores freedom, responsibility, and social awareness in how we present ourselves. Modesty is framed as humility and consideration for others, not rigid rules. The piece invites thoughtful dialogue, urging neither overexposure nor fear-driven restraint, but a Christ-centered approach shaped by love, wisdom, and respect.

Ever wondered if a moment was a sign from God or just coincidence? This reflection explores how to discern God’s leading using reason, judgment, counsel, and conscience. It balances faith and wisdom, cautioning against overreliance on signs while affirming God’s guidance through both quiet conviction and unmistakable moments.

Struggling with insomnia that won’t let you sleep? This personal story traces a lifelong battle with mid-insomnia and shares practical, faith-informed strategies that finally brought relief. From intermittent fasting and light exposure to mindset shifts and sleep reset techniques, discover what actually helped restore deep, consistent rest.

Is the social gospel actually the gospel? This article explores its origins, appeal, and hidden dangers, contrasting it with the true gospel centered on the cross. Discover why lasting change begins with transformed hearts, not systems, and how compassion flows from Christ, not political power.

Does social media activism fuel narcissism? This article explores “communal narcissism,” where moral superiority replaces genuine humility. Drawing on Micah 6:8 and current research, it examines how online justice movements can reward performative virtue, distort empathy, and damage relationships, especially within faith communities. A candid reflection calls readers back to humble, Christ-centered justice.

Somali-born writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s memoir Infidel traces her journey from Islam to atheism and, more recently, to Christianity. Her story raises a deeper question: what turns religion into oppression. This reflection explores how fear-driven faith distorts both Islam and Christianity, and why the gospel’s center, a God who sacrifices Himself for humanity, protects religion from becoming bondage and restores faith to its true purpose.

Medical frustration meets practical solutions. After years of allergic rhinitis, hair thinning, and SIBO, Dr. Jen shares three treatments that finally brought relief. From sublingual immunotherapy drops to red light therapy and targeted digestive support, these discoveries highlight the power of human ingenuity and the hope of restored health.

Should pastors address politics from the pulpit? Christians face a tension between moral clarity and partisan division. Issues like abortion, immigration, marriage, and justice are deeply moral and deeply politicized. How can churches preach truth without becoming political? This article explores how to lift up Jesus while guiding believers through complex cultural debates.