Posts by Sharon Beekmann Blog
Yoga and the Christian
Years ago, I began each day with yoga. I stepped barefoot onto a mat and moved from pose to pose for a half hour. I ended with the prayer pose in which I stood erect with my elbows against my sides, palms pressed together near my heart, and fingers pointed skyward. I bowed slightly to…
Read MoreThe Christian and Energy Therapies
For many years, wholistic health journals, spas, and practitioners of alternative medicine have advocated the use of reflexology, Reiki, therapeutic touch, acupressure, and a variety of bioenergetic works. Christian practitioners begin with prayer and testimonials travel through informal networks and social media. Believers generally feel safe when the therapist expresses sincere faith; they see no…
Read MoreDiscipleship and Deliverance
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16). The gospel is profound. Jesus was born to die so that his people could be born anew. God meets us where we are and changes us to reflect holy, righteous Jesus.…
Read MoreStand With Jesus
Nineteen-year-old Jamie finally acknowledged that the negative voice in her mind was not hers. Her condemning thoughts had recently morphed into a man’s voice holding court in her mind. He mocked her appearance and demeaned her for the slightest mistake. At first, she mentally defended herself, but soon learned that her responses emboldened him. She…
Read MoreDiscerning God’s Angels
Something was amiss in Abigail’s life, so she joined a six-week archeological dig in Israel to figure it out. One morning mid-way through her stay, she awoke and saw a six-foot man dressed in a full-length robe standing in the doorway. Stunned but unafraid, she looked at the man and he at her. Something in…
Read MoreA Boy Saw Ghosts
He eleven-year-old boy Jason stared hard at his hands as he described how he and his friends had watched Ghost Hunters, a television series that researched paranormal phenomena. The boys decided to conduct their own research. Armed with a flashlights, they tiptoed into dark basements and murmured invitations to ghosts to appear. One night, Jason…
Read MoreA Different Lens
People tend to see events, situations, and people through the lens of their culture. In the latter half of the twentieth century, psychological theories entered western cultures. One belief that took root is that people are good at their core, but trauma and relational wounds left scars that obscure the goodness in them. Once healed,…
Read MoreAre There Guardian Angels?
One wintry night, I turned onto the ramp of an interstate. A gust whipped up new fallen snow and erased the road. My car slid as if in free fall toward the edge of the ramp. Miraculously, I felt my car lift and put back on the ramp where the car had traction to enter…
Read More