Starving for Relief (2 Minute Read)
Daniel Crosby • May 8, 2023

As early as I can remember I’ve always wanted to fit in.


On the playground, in social circles, in our families, and in our work, we silently ask the questions:


  • Am I worthy?
  • Do I matter?
  • Am I going to be ok?


We are starving and desperate for a YES answer to those questions.


The problem with literal starvation is that a starving person WILL eat anything put in front of him whether it’s healthy or not. To a starving person even a piece of moldy bread looks good.


A lot of the tension in our world right now is due to our desperate attempts to get a YES answer by any means, in any way, and by anyone.


We turn to self-help books, intimate relationships, substances, achievement, identity groups, and a myriad of other things in hopes that that thing will say:


  • YES!
  • You are good!
  • You are one of us!
  • You belong here!


What we must consider, however, is whether the thing we are turning to is really healthy or not.


  • Moldy bread WILL fill us up, but it WILL hurt us in the process.
  • A shallow hook up on Tinder WILL cure our aloneness today, but it WILL also make us lonelier tomorrow.
  • A 6-pack of beer WILL numb a bad day at work, but tomorrow WILL be the same...now facing it with a hangover.


My faith and my life experiences have taught me that human wisdom, human advice, human inventions, and human self-identity are, at best, limited and temporary. This is why so many people look to something or Someone bigger than themselves when they are in the depths of despair.


Look to healthy over unhealthy.


Look to fulfilling contentment over temporary thrill.


In all of it, choose connection. There’s safety in numbers as we wrestle with our hurt.


If you or someone you know is hurting, please give them my contact info. I’d love to hear their story. Even if I’m not the best fit for them as a counselor, I’d love to help them find the right counselor to walk with them.

"Uncomfortable" Book Review

By Daniel Crosby • May 7, 2025
“Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community” by Brett McCracken is a great book to read if you’re a church person or if you’ve become somewhat detached and frustrated with the church. McCracken challenges all of us, conservatives and progressives, to think about the WHY behind Christian community and one of the fundamentals of finding the WHY is approaching it with humility. Maybe you having it your way and telling everyone else they’re wrong wasn’t exactly what Christ had in mind when He instituted the church. iPhones and iPads seem to have morphed into iChurch in a sense. American culture has turned Christ’s church into a business that caters to our comforts aesthetically, relationally, and politically. It’s made us consumers, critics, and reviewers of the Church rather than servants of THE Kingdom. It’s not wrong to have preferences and to like some things better than others. Music, décor, and speaking style are all over the spectrum at different churches, but he argues that the point of picking a church and serving in it should be less about does it meet my needs and more about whether I’m showing up and using this place along with this group to glorify God. He annoyed me in parts because he steps on my toes but maybe we need that a little more often. If you’re disenfranchised with the status quo and you feel like it’d be good to be challenged about church then go grab “Uncomfortable” by Brett McCrackin.

Look for Beautiful Things

By Daniel Crosby • April 28, 2025
Look for beautiful things when you're restless, uncomfortable, or on edge. There's something about acknowledging the good around us that helps us reset and realize that it's not all bad. If you're struggling to see beautiful things in the world, come see me and we can talk more about it. www.danielcrosbycounseling.com

"The Needs of the Heart" Book Review

By Daniel Crosby • April 24, 2025
“The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd is a book that will blow your mind. When I picked it up, it’s a very small thin book. Less than 100 pages. I assumed I’d breeze through it in a couple of hours. About a month later I finished digesting it. The truth is we cannot fully live the life God has called us to unless we acknowledge that we do have needs, that these needs are good, and discover the healthy ways of meeting these needs. Chip takes common human needs like Security and Accomplishment and he unpacks what they really are pointing us to in his typical concise but brilliant depth. There’s no fluff here. With chapters just 3-4 pages each, you’re going to want to have a highlighter ready to underline, to ponder these topics, and maybe then to discuss them with someone you know and trust. You’ll come away from this book with a deeper sense what is already fulfilled within you and ones that might be lacking where you need to go do a deep dive with a lot of prayer and introspection. If you liked Chip’s book “The Voice of the Heart,” this is one is your next read. Go grab “The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd.