IBC Blog

Hope & Healing

Realistic Optimism

I used to think I could define myself by what our pastor Barry would call a “realistic optimist.” I think those of us who are believers really should live in that space; seeing things as they really are yet being optimistic that God is at work and we have hope. It took walking through some particularly dark times to realize that I’d been living according to the wrong definition of this term my entire life.

Hope & Healing

3 Reasons Why True Love is Not Just a Feeling

First Corinthians 13:4-7 is often used to characterize the love that one person has for another or what a couple should strive for in a marriage. However, Paul’s assertion here to the Corinthian Church calls to mind the true character of Jesus Christ - Jesus’ PERFECT love for us. It is a love that has the ability to withstand the fiercest of storms and the most barren droughts. It is a love that has the ability to empower us to love even when we feel unlovable, with nothing left to give.

Hope & Healing

An Unexpected Journey

How does a girl with many things working in her favor end up at rock bottom, which in this case, was a strip club?

It did not happen in one instance, or even two or three. It didn't happen on a rebellious whim. It stemmed from a lifetime of unspoken messages from a patriarchal society, from systemic misogyny, and from the childhood indoctrination into what it means to be a woman. All of which were communicated by otherwise well-meaning individuals - some of whom are Christians themselves. Let that sink in for a minute—Christians themselves. Even if it wasn’t said outright, there was certainly the undertone.

Hope & Healing

Is Self-Care Selfish?

I burrowed into the far corner of the white leather couch, clutching the silky, floral pillow like a life preserver. I looked up; my gaze floated away into the painting pinned to the wall behind her. Maybe I was hoping to drift away from this ceaseless cyclone of frustration, exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. Seated across from me, my counselor gently began to navigate into the depths of my unsettling emotions and thoughts.

Hope & Healing

My Journey of Grief

On the evening of December 7, 2006, I embarked on a long and hard journey that I never wanted. The journey of widowhood. Little did I know that while attending an event at IBC, my beloved husband Joe, my soul mate and best friend of 35 years, was entering the gates of Heaven and into the arms of His Savior.

During this season of grief, God whispered to my heart several times: “absent from the body, present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Hope & Healing

I Am Not Crazy

I would say that it’s safe to assume that the summer between junior and senior year of high school for most students is stressful. It is a time filled with studying for college entrance exams, taking college entrance exams, starting college applications, and writing essays for college applications. My high school, like many others, offered a quick one-day breakdown tutorial on how to navigate college applications and how to begin to write your college essays.