• : Curator

    Kate Motaung is the Senior Writer, Editor, and Content Manager for a multi-state company. She is the author of several books including Letters to Grief, 101 Prayers for Comfort in Difficult Times, and A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging. Kate is also the host of Five Minute Friday, an online writing community that equips and encourages Christian writers, and the owner of Refine Services, a company that offers editing services. She and her South African husband have three young adult children and currently live in West Michigan. Find Kate’s books at katemotaung.com/books.

  • God’s Forgiveness: Is it for Me?

    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. – 1 John 1:9-10 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.– Ephesians 4:32 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me,

  • Does Online Couples Therapy Work?

    Does online couples therapy work? Before I can fully answer this question, let’s first talk a little about what couples therapy is. A Definition of Online Couples Therapy By its very nature, the definition of couple’s therapy is a form of mental health counseling used to treat relationship distress, such as poor communication skills, incompatibility or a wide variety of other psychological disorders. Its purpose is to restore functioning to the coupled relationship and address the reasons for the

  • Activities for Christian Married Couples: Games to Spice up Your Sex Life

    * Please note: This article contains mature content.  Mignon McLaughlin describes it best when she says, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” Marriage is beautiful, but just like the saying every rose has its thorn, so does marriage. Marriage is always depicted in romantic comedies as easy and fun, carrying a lighthearted energy when the woman is in the presence of the man. Culture and films create an unrealistic expectation for

  • If you are thinking about marriage counseling, don’t be surprised if you feel a lot of resistance to finding a therapist and scheduling an appointment. Couples who see marriage counselors typically have reached a point where things are so bad that they are willing to see a stranger to talk about it. Often there are feelings of shame associated with the marital disruption, which makes it even harder. To make the decision even more complicated, you may be asking

  • The Importance of Play as a Balance to Work

    Many successful and joyful people have worked with dedication and responsibility on their life’s work, only to find that along the way somewhere, they have lost their love of life. The opposite of play is not work – the opposite of play is depression. Over the long haul, when these spice-of-life elements of play are missing, what is left is a dulled soul. Play and work are mutually supportive. Neither one can survive without the other. We need newness

  • Effective Coaching Techniques to Overcome Burnout and Enjoy your Work Again

    Most people I work with who are feeling “burnt-out” describe feeling like being a gerbil on a hamster wheel. Some describe it as that panicked feeling, a fluttering, or a “wash of overwhelm” that is difficult to manage, and has started affecting their everyday way of living. For confidentiality, we’ll describe the following client as ‘Nancy.’ Nancy is a healthcare provider who came to me for burnout coaching and anxiety counseling during a crisis. She was balancing over 70

  • Signs of Self Harm in Teens and How to Help

    Do you know someone who intentionally cuts or burns themselves? Chances are that you do know someone who has engaged in self-harm behaviors, since it has been estimated that 14% to 17% of adolescents and young adults have reported engaging in self-injurious behavior (Whitlock, Eckenrode, & Silverman, 2006). In one study of community adolescents, researchers discovered that 46.6% of participants reported engaging in non-suicidal self-injury (Lloyd-Richardson, Perrine, Dierker, & Kelley, 2007). From these and other studies, it is obvious

  • 8 Effective Anger Management Techniques for Men

    But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! – Galatians 5:2-23 One of the most common things I hear from men in my office is “… and then I just get so angry.” Anger seems to rest on our population like a plague, often creating a wake of devastation in the lives of families all over America. While many

  • Most Common Signs of Abuse and What You Should Do

    Domestic abuse is a topic that has become more prevalent and is becoming more openly discussed, but it is still a difficult topic to talk about, especially if it is about yourself. Domestic abuse is a serious subject and I have found that people tend to suffer alone out of fear of disclosing the abuse. That fear can arise for many reasons. This article will talk about the more common types of abuse, in which the man is the

  • Creating a Professional Development Plan that Works For You

    Thirty years ago there was a phrase bouncing around the halls of business: aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time. Without a plan, we live by impulse, taking whatever comes along, essentially leaving the courses of our lives to chance. If you are naturally controlling, you probably already have all kinds of plans in your life. For you, I would say hold the outcome lightly. Work with whatever diligence you can muster, try everything you can think

  • 5 (Hundred) Premarital Counseling Questions to Ask Before the First Appointment

    Congratulations! If you’re reading this, then you’ve most likely found yourself engaged, or perhaps thinking of taking that next step. Whether you’ve been dating a short time or for years, you have found the person who you want to spend the rest of your life with. As you’ve gotten to know this person, you have probably learned about what they like, what they hate, what gets them excited and what their passions are. Looking forward, you can’t wait to

  • The term “nervous breakdown” is often overused and ambiguous. It could mean anything from a bad day and being overwhelmed to a having a psychotic episode. We often hear of celebrities “going through a nervous breakdown” when there are reports of erratic behavior or a significant change in the way they present themselves, but we may also hear a coworker proclaim “I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown” when circumstances are particularly chaotic at the workplace. But what