Counseling

Keeping a Short Account with God

By Ryan Bailey / 2020-01-03 /

Jack woke up at 3am, and once again he could not fall back asleep. Not even getting into his perfect sleep position seemed to help, even though he was tired. He wasn’t particularly worried about anything. He just could not fall back asleep. He used to get good sleep, but for some reason that stopped a…

The Cost of Not Forgiving

By Ryan Bailey / 2019-04-09 /

By Ryan C. Bailey Does someone in your life keep relating the same painful story over and over again? Is it getting old? Like you’ve heard it all before, and you wonder why they have to keep sharing it? Is there a part of you that doesn’t even want to be around that person? Listen…

Divorce Recovery

By Ryan Bailey / 2018-04-26 /

Usually I work much more on the marriage counseling side, but I’ve been getting a lot more calls from people fresh from a divorce.They are in shock. And in so much pain.  Their spouse may have wanted the divorce, not them. Now they feel shame. They feel isolated and alone. They’re losing friends. They don’t…

Accountability and Shame, Part 3

By Ryan Bailey / 2017-10-31 /

For the past several months, I have been writing about the delicate balance between accountability, shame, and transformation. We have struggled to make sense of why our actions don’t change after inviting people in…seeking honest repentance…and beating ourselves up when we fail. We want to feel bad enough so our behaviors change, but in the…

Accountability and Shame, Part 2

By Ryan Bailey / 2017-10-03 /

“Nothing ever becomes real ’til it is experienced.” -John Keats Last spring, a friend and I went backpacking in North Carolina for several nights. We hiked a trail both of us were familiar with but decided to summit a small peak neither of us had done before off on a side trail. If you’ve been…

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

By Ryan Bailey / 2016-12-23 /

I want to wish you a merry Christmas and Happy New Year from 1st Principle Group! As I reflect on this year I am thankful for the ways you have allowed me to challenge you each week. The responses I receive from you are always encouraging and often challenging to me as well! As we…

The Work of Gratitude

By Ryan Bailey / 2016-11-25 /

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted,…

A Posture of Hope

By Ryan Bailey / 2016-11-18 /

“…the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit…” Isaiah 61:3 I have been camped out in Isaiah for the past few months working on a paper specifically looking at chapter 61. It has been a good exercise diving deeper into what was happening at the time of this prophecy and how the people hearing…

Gospel-Centered Sexuality: Sex and Singleness

By Ryan Bailey / 2016-11-15 /

Compiled below are links to the second series of our Gospel-Centered Sexuality newsletter, Sex and Singleness. Click here to join us and sign up for our weekly newsletter offering Gospel-centered sexual education to empower, equip, and support you.

What Does This Relationship Give Me?

By Ryan Bailey / 2016-11-11 /

“We all of us need to be toppled off the throne of self… Perched up there the tears of others are never upon our own cheek.”  -Elizabeth Goudge This past Sunday as I was listening to the sermon I had a thought that humbled me in a lot of ways. The pastor was talking about what…