Kate Motaung

Our culture has bought into the lie that humans are inherently good, but unfortunately, the church often promotes this message as well. While the church proclaims the message of the gospel, I still encounter many Christians who don’t think they are sinful. Typically they are people who grew up in the church, possess moral virtue, and exhibit good behavioral tendencies. Of course, they need to be saved, but to them, salvation is more of a costume change than a

Body image—we’ve all heard that buzz phrase. It’s become an umbrella term society uses to encompass anything from low self-esteem to eating disorders, and is especially common to hear in relation to women’s health. What is Body Image? Everyone has a body image, men included. Put simply, it is the way we view our body’s makeup, literally and figuratively. This can include our opinions on our weight, shape, height, muscle composition, and bone structure as well as how we

Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Spencer Fox and I get to sign my name Spencer Fox, LMFT on all sorts of documents. That little LMFT after my name stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. This describes what I get to do every day, but often confuses people as to the exact nature of my work. My hope is that this article will demystify those four little letters and help you to understand how I or

Anger is an emotion that can cause a lot of harm and get people into a lot of trouble, but anger in and of itself isn’t bad. In fact, experiencing righteous anger towards injustice can be a positive catalyst for change. We should get angry about injustice, especially towards the weak or poor. God experiences anger and his wrath and anger are talked about in the Bible. We may be very familiar with Numbers 14:18 which says: “The Lord is

Imagine rooms full of babies where none of them cry. Picture children sitting in a room together completely silent with blank looks on their faces. Walking into this space you might not even realize there were dozens, sometimes hundreds, of children present because it is so quiet. At first we wonder if there’s some sort of powerful abuse going on. Perhaps they are hurt or filled with fear of being loud? Then we realize these infants and children are

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD or Complex PTSD) is different from other types of PTSD. The clue is in its name – Complex PTSD is more complex than “regular” PTSD, which makes the condition more difficult both to live with and to treat. That’s not to minimize the impact that PTSD has on sufferers’ lives, of course. For sufferers of C-PTSD, hope is often very difficult to find. In addition to the symptoms such as flashbacks and avoidance that

"Would you rather be single and lonely or married and bored?" So asks one well-known comedian. From the world’s perspective, these are the choices when it comes to marriage and relationships. This suggests that the way to avoid both loneliness and boredom is to date but never commit to marriage. Sounds descriptive of our culture, doesn’t it? Our culture glorifies sex outside of marriage, making it the “human experience.” However the church can go the opposite pathway of disparaging

Abandonment issues aren’t something most people are willing to talk about. Acknowledging the fear often makes people feel needy or weak. But, in reality, most people will experience some anxiety surrounding the fear of being abandoned. For most, these feelings may arise when you go on the first date with someone who is distant and cold, or when a significant other is ignoring you on their smartphone. Instances like these can trigger the fear of being rejected in almost

Before getting into this article on setting boundaries, the term “boundary” first needs to be discussed. Many assume boundaries are unloving defenses intended to create distance rather than relationship. In reality, boundaries aren’t as much about keeping others out as keeping yourself in. It’s not about keeping others out, as much as it is about defining who you are and what you think. You can choose to think about boundaries like barricades and fortifications keeping others out, and that’s

What is Bipolar Depression? How is it related to Bipolar Disorder? This article will offer an explanation as well as symptoms to look for and various treatment options available. Let's start by looking at some of the facts. Bipolar Disorder is a chronic type of mood disorder. It actually used to be called manic depression because people with Bipolar Disorder go through periods of intense depression and other periods where their mood is extremely high. These high periods are known

For many individuals, anger feels like a force that can just completely take over and be a major source of stress in your life. Anger might show up in a variety of situations and at a variety of levels. Some of our earliest experiences of anger revolve around issues with siblings or parents or just the fact that we are hungry. Have you ever noticed how some people seem more prone to anger while others seem able to stay

Codependency goes beyond clinginess and is often characterized by an excessive need for another person. If you’re in a codependent relationship, you might find that you or your partner have a number of unhealthy tendencies when it comes to relating to each other and other people. Signs of a Codependent Relationship Do you or your partner go out of your way to get people to like you? Are you or your partner constantly going out of your way to