Geoff W. Sutton Blog

  Demons, Spirits, and Scary Spirituality Evangelical Christians are warned against activities that invite Satan or evil spirits into their lives. “Don’t read Harry Potter.” Stay away from the Ouija board.” “Yoga is a pathway to spiritual evil.”  Christians who read the Bible in a literal or near literal way have plenty of texts to give them reasons to believe they are in the midst of millennia-old spiritual warfare and the battle is getting more intense as some see the end of the world in sight. In 2020, I completed writing a textbook on Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians . One topic that struck me as unique is the subject of Chapter 14, “ Devils, Demons, and Deliverance. ”  When I looked at books that offer approaches to Christian Counseling, I noticed a gaping hole when it came to helping Christians troubled by what they understand as demonic influence or the work of the devil in their lives. 12 Things to Know About Christian...

The Big 12 of Gratitude Thanksgiving is a good time to focus on gratitude. Gratitude is a common human emotion and a virtue among adherents of many religions.  Christians are encouraged to count their blessings and offer thanks each day.  You do not have to be religious to benefit from a grateful attitude. In psychology, gratitude is a positive emotion expressed toward those who have given some gift or benefit. For people of faith, gifts ultimately come from God.  It’s no surprise that there is a positive correlation between religiosity or spirituality and gratitude. Don't wait for Thanksgiving to enjoy the benefits of gratitude. The Grateful Living What’s true about grateful people compared to those who are low on gratefulness? THE BIG 12 BLESSINGS OF GRATITUDE 1.  Higher positive feelings 2.  Higher life satisfaction 3.  More vitality 4.  More optimism 5.  More generosity 6.  More helpfu...

When Reward Systems Fail to Reward On a recent trip, I used rewards to pay for part of a hotel stay, purchase a quick lunch at McDonalds, and pay for my wife’s jacket at Sam’s Club. Some reward systems work better than others. We also stopped at a place X for hot drinks. Alas, my reward had expired. Yesterday I stopped by my local X and was told I was one visit away from a reward. I smiled and thought they don’t know how to do rewards. It’s not just that the rewards expired too soon but they don't always offer rewards on items I particularly like. Give me points toward things I like and I will come more often. Effective reward systems must actually reward someone for their loyalty.  That’s hard to do when people have different tastes. However, companies like McDonalds, Subway, and Firehouse Subs get it right. Loyal customers earn points on a tier system. You can select from a variety of low cost items or save points for better items--things you would actually buy there l...