Hope + Help for Fighting Destructive Habits with Rush Witt
In this episode, Christine Chappell guides a powerful conversation with Pastor/author Rush Witt on the topic of fighting against diehard sins and destructive daily habits. Rush shares about his personal experience with biblical counseling, helps listeners unpack the undercurrents of our heart struggles, gives practical steps for attacking "acceptable" sins while avoiding the pitfall of destructive introspection, and ultimately offers courage and clarity for the Christian who is desperate for change but feels stuck in the struggle.
When Mom Falls Away from Grace
When mothers mourn their inability to "do better" and "be better," they can use it as an opportunity to press into God's grace or as an occasion to fall away from grace, believing they ought to be law-keepers instead of grace-receivers. What rebukes and encouragements does the Apostle Paul have to say on this matter? Continue reading...
Good News for the Discouraged Mom
Sometimes Mother's Day weekend looks like limps in our strides and lumps in our throats. When we feel we don't measure up to what it means to be a "good mom," we don't feel much like celebrating life, let alone motherhood. But there's good news to be found for discouraged mothers. Here are gospel truths to remember as your weary heart heads into Mother's Day.
Walking Our Children Through Depression: Four Ways We Imitate God
Mental health issues can be complex in nature, and parents can run the risk of overlooking particular facets of treatment because of prejudices about underlying causes. But when we look to the Scriptures and see God serving the sorrowing with individualized, calculated affection, we see a multifaceted approach to managing mental anguish — one that acknowledges the dichotomy of man (as body and soul) and the necessity of the body of Christ.
When Jesus Touches Our Shame
In Christ, we are loved as well and as rightly as one could ever hope for.
5 Truths that Help Moms Overcome Anger by Grace
In this video produced by Thrive Moms, I share five biblical truths that help mothers overcome anger by grace. Post also includes helpful links to biblical resources and audios to equip mothers to examine their hearts on the subject.
Encouragements for the Depressed Mom: Video
Walking through depression can be a dark, deep, lonely season of life–especially for mothers. It’s a topic I’ve written about in a number of ways, and a battle I continue to fight against by faith with every ounce of strength I am afforded by the Spirit. In this most recent video feature at Thrive Moms, […]
Don’t Hurt Yourself: Self-Condemnation in Mental Health Recovery
What Is Self-Harm & How Can We Help?
Promises of Renewal, Hope, & Change for Overwhelmed Moms: Live Audio Recording
Join Christine Chappell as she shares a collection of stories, convictions, encouragements, and Scriptures from her book, “Clean Home, Messy Heart: Promises of Renewal, Hope, and Change for Overwhelmed Moms.” This live audio recording was taped at Cornerstone Community Church’s Mom2Mom group in Wildomar, CA on October 6th, 2016.
What Is Self-Harm & How Can We Help?
The road to recovery from self-harm must travel through Calvary, where a true and better blood was spilled.
Into the Fire: Fear & Doubt in Mental Health Recovery
Mental health recovery can be a season plagued by fear and doubt. Our fears become particularly burdensome when we meditate upon the question, “Will I ever get better?” If you find yourself asking this question, I'd like to share some hard-learned encouragements from my own journey through recovery.
Let the Truth of Your Hope Outweigh the Feeling Of It
It's not the strength of our hope that sustains us, but the object of it. Read more about battling hopelessness in mental health recovery in this "3 Minutes of Courage" Devotional.
Encouragements for the Woman Who Feels Sidelined
There was a season a few years back when the Lord made it extremely clear through a series of circumstances and struggles that it was my turn to sit on the sidelines. I remember the depression that sunk me low because my grasp on activities and service was forced loose. It was as if divine […]
What Can I Do While I’m Waiting on God? Guest Post by Terry Powell
Puzzling. Frustrating. Get-wrenching. When we’re waiting on God to act, those words often describe our attitude toward the delay. We may be waiting for provision of a new job; for God to woo a grown child back to faith; for Him to open the womb for a baby desperately wanted, to bless us with a […]
Walking Through the Dark Part III: Exposing the Lies & Mystery of Depression
In Part III of this Facebook/Instagram LIVE video series, I discuss the need to leave room for mystery in the battle against some cases of depression, the importance of caregivers who are willing to go “down in the well” with the sufferer, and some of the underlying emotions and unbelief at the heart of our most desperate seasons of sorrow.
Wretched Extremes: The ‘Always’ and ‘Never’ of Suicide
Extremes of wretchedness. Charles Spurgeon once said, “I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.” Suicidal ideations often begin in the crosshairs of extremes, where always and never intersect. The wretched “always be this way” and […]
New Biblical Resource Guide For Depression Available for Download
Walking Through the Darkness is a digital download that seeks to bring biblical clarity to the issue, for sufferers and caregivers alike. The guide is a collection of resources curated by author Christine M. Chappell, who personally lives by faith with a Bipolar II diagnosis, and has battled mental health extremes for almost two decades. With helpful checklists, author commentaries, video/audio links, Scripture indexes, and a wealth of recommended books/resources, Walking Through the Darkness will equip both the afflicted and the ones walking alongside them to find biblical hope and help.
Walking Through the Dark Part II: Real Christians Can Experience Real Depression
Have you ever been guilty of jumping to conclusions about the cause of someone's depression? Do you feel a sense that your companionship during that time requires your ability to know how to fix the other person? If you haven't experienced the darkness of depression yourself, is it possible to soften your heart to the experience of the sufferer? In this recorded Facebook Live video, I outline 3 helps for people to consider when caring for someone suffering from depression. Also included in this video are reading recommendations for those who wish to equip themselves for compassionate, biblical care.
Walking Through the Dark Part I: Approaching the Wounded with Compassion
Have you ever been guilty of jumping to conclusions about the cause of someone's depression? Do you feel a sense that your companionship during that time requires your ability to know how to fix the other person? If you haven't experienced the darkness of depression yourself, is it possible to soften your heart to the experience of the sufferer? In this recorded Facebook Live video, I outline 3 helps for people to consider when caring for someone suffering from depression. Also included in this video are reading recommendations for those who wish to equip themselves for compassionate, biblical care.
Brief Biblical Counseling Overview & Resource Audio
In this audio, I give a brief overview of biblical counseling to a group of Care Coaches at JC Cares (jccares.us) in Easley, South Carolina. The talk aims at encouraging the Care Coaches to desire to grow in their ability to administer Christ-centered, biblically founded one-another care to the economically disadvantaged in their community. Websites I […]
Finding Freedom from Mom-Envy (Seeking the Still Video)
In this Facebook LIVE recording, I share a message on the topic of “mom-envy,” exploring what it is, what the Bible calls it, ways it manifests itself in our lives, and how we can work in tandem with the Word and the Spirit for lasting heart change. This video was hosted by Laura Fleetwood, author/podcast […]
4 Life-Changing Truths About God that Move Us from Chaos to Courage
If you find yourself in a season of chaos, let me first tell you that I understand completely. I have found myself in such a season, and it is not for the faint of heart. Yet even in these challenging times, we have an unique opportunity to put our faith into action. There is something about […]
“Stop Struggling, Start Fighting” A Mom’s Mission Field Podcast Interview
Having a hard day of motherhood? Walking through a dark spiritual valley? Finding yourself in a fall/winter season of marriage? I’m so thankful for the opportunity to talk about REAL & HARD things with Tiffany at A Mom’s Mission Field in this new podcast episode. In the episode, I share a bit of background about my book, […]
Knowing When to Walk Away (Thrive Moms Feature)
This article originally appeared at Thrive Moms on March 21, 2017. Christine M. Chappell is a contributing writer for the Thrive Moms blog, the author of “Clean Home, Messy Heart: Promises of Renewal, Hope, and Change for Overwhelmed Moms”, and is currently pursuing her biblical counseling certification. I couldn’t remember the last time I had bent down to feel velvety […]
Lay Your Weapon Down: Invitation to Cutters (Desiring God Feature)
I was recently privileged to share a piece of my heart at John Piper’s website DesiringGod.org. This article is meant to give readers a glimpse into the heart struggle of a Christian tempted to self-harm, as well as the intimate love and affection that Jesus has for such ones who struggle in this fashion. The battle is presented […]
“Lay Your Weapon Down” Desiring God Article Resources
Thank you all for graciously responding with messages of support over my recent article, “Lay Your Weapon Down: Invitation to Cutters.” Obviously the subject matter is not easy to read, but the truth remains that the Lord has a special, tender place in his heart for children who fight against self–harm. He does not consider […]
Make This Your Battle Cry (Thrive Moms Feature)
This article originally appeared at Thrive Moms on February 23, 2017. Christine M. Chappell is a contributing writer for the Thrive Moms blog, the author of “Clean Home, Messy Heart: Promises of Renewal, Hope, and Change for Overwhelmed Moms”, and is currently pursuing her biblical counseling certification. He split his lip wide open. I couldn’t […]
Dear Dreamer: The World Needs You Now
“The soul without imagination is what an observatory would be without a telescope.” Henry Ward Beecher You can’t do it. Stop trying. It’s impossible. Could there be a deeper wound to the spirit than hearing words such as these? Whether they land in our ears from the lips of another, or are the result of darts loosed […]
An Invitation to American Women: May Your Marching (& Non-Marching) Lead Here Next
The pictures are remarkable. The comments are divisive. United we stand, yet on opposite sides. For all the passion and zeal, for all the motivating factors and beliefs, one thing is certain: our Country is filled with capable, energetic, enthusiastic, educated, and strong women. Many of our Country’s women are lovers and fighters. In all of […]
4 Tips for Improving Scripture Memorization
I have to admit that Scripture memorization was a scary notion a few years ago. It wasn’t until I was challenged to do it through a discipleship group I belonged to that I really attempted it at all. Once we began–as a group–to pursue growing in this area of spiritual discipline, we were constantly surprised […]
Preparing Your Heart for Reading the Bible | Free Printable
One day as I was listening to John Piper teach an episode of Look at the Book (an excellent podcast to listen to, by the way–click here for link), I heard him rebuke himself for taking a long time to introduce the segment and the Scripture he was going to expound upon. He hadn’t yet prayed […]
For the Man Who Loves a Broken Mind
We weren’t prepared for this. Certainly “for better or worse” sounded so romantically bittersweet. I’m not sure many of those entering into a lifetime of marriage say those words and think of being worse in a way they cannot see. “In sickness and in health“—a deathbed, an epic medical failure, a withered body with a hand to […]
Cultivating a Teachable Heart | Guest Post by Emily Sue Allen
He really is a stand-out kid; smart, capable, clever, and helpful. He brings me more joy than I could say with his goofy 8-year-old grin, and the thoughtful ways he cares for others. He also knows how to push my buttons with incredible precision. Whenever I correct his behavior, he resists, pushes back and tries […]
When Failed Resolutions Come Back to Haunt You
Facebook memories can often be great sources of joy and reflection. And while it’s usually a treat to look back over the events that have happened on a particular day in your personal history, not all of the recollections come with warm feelings of happy days passed. Sometimes the memories serve to remind us of painful […]
For The Woman Stretched In All Directions | Guest Post by Amy Fritz
♥ Hey friends! My guest post series continues TODAY with writer/blogger Amy Fritz! I hope you enjoy! ♥ There were about a half dozen of us together that morning at our Bible study class- women’s ministry leaders, Bible study teachers, women new to their faith, and women who had been believers for decades. We […]
Two Lies I Believe | Guest Post by Jill E. McCormick
♥ Hey friends! I’m bubbling with writing urges and I can’t wait to start sharing my own posts in just a couple weeks. In the meantime, my 2016 guest post series continues TODAY with writer/blogger Jill E. McCormick! ♥ It took getting hit by a car to realize I believed two lies about my […]
Memories and Remembering: How Advent Gets it Right | Guest Post by Glenna Marshall
♥ Hey friends! I’m taking the rest of the year off from writing original posts, but amazing things are still coming for you! My 2016 guest post series continues TODAY with writer/blogger Glenna Marshall! ♥ It was supposed to be a magical night, one made of sugary memories my kids will draw from when […]
7 Words You Need to Pray from the Garden of Gethsemane
Today, I’m welcoming guest writer Janelle Upton to the blog to share her reflections on the garden of Gethsemane. I really enjoyed her insights and I hope you do as well! Can I be totally honest with you? Most times I do not in, anyway, relate to Jesus. I adore Him. I look to […]