Lobster for the Lady: A Guest Post
By: Kristen Neighbarger Published on: 17/01/2024The tale of when I made Lobster Thermidor for my mother-in-law!
Church Boundaries: Healthy Relationships
By: Kristen Neighbarger Published on: 31/05/2023My name is Kristen, and I’m a recovering serve-aholic It’s taken me several years to be able to unravel the threads and get to the roots of my serving addiction, but I finally arrived at these core beliefs I’ve spent the last few years attempting to unlearn: If I didn’t do it, who would do it? If I didn’t do it, someone would be disappointed in me. If I didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done well. If I didn’t do it, I would be letting people down. If I didn’t do it, my church would suffer. If I didn’t do it, God would be disappointed in me. If I didn’t do it, God would punish me. If I didn’t do it, I wasn’t being like Jesus. If I didn’t do it, people would think I was lazy, not committed, and selfish. Honestly, this list could go on and on. As I think back over the years I spent killing myself through serving, it’s almost laughable to me now because, seriously, what the heck was I even thinking?
Boundaries in Friendships: Healthy Relationships
By: Kristen Neighbarger Published on: 24/05/2023When I left for college at the ripe old age of 18, I remember being equally excited, hopeful, and anxious. Up until that point, my school experiences had been those of a small rural school district. Everyone knew everyone, and the odds were likely that you were related, even if distantly, to at least half of your classmates. I spent my middle school and high school summers attending various church camps and conferences, so it only made sense to me that Christian college would be like church camp on steroids. Everyone would love Jesus. Everyone would be friendly. The heavens would obviously open, and angels would descend and bless everyone with kindness and goodness on a daily basis. *cue angelic choir music* Yeah, so that wasn’t really my Christian college experience.
Partner Boundaries: Healthy Relationships
By: Kristen Neighbarger Published on: 17/05/2023When I first started dating my forever husband Russ, God and I had spent a whole lot of time together discussing what I needed and desired in a husband. I was armed with God’s direction and a fierce spirit committed to never experiencing a toxic, dysfunctional romantic relationship again. Thankfully, Russ met me on equal ground because he had also been through the wringer with marriage and committed himself to the same goals as I had. We had, and still have, the hard conversations. Communication is the key to healthy boundaries (and relationships–but that’s another post).
