You Get What You Pay For

This idea makes me think of a store that advertises, "Cheapest brakes in town". My response, "I don't think so! It's the difference between what I paid to get a job done and the result of the service that was provided. It is the difference between, “Mr. Right and, Mr. Right, NOW’. The chase for the next best deal can easily lead to the bondage of reading, “Insufficient Funds”. We aren’t meant to be bound or enslaved. Incarceration describes an environment devoid of passion, freedom, or hope.

Those in bondage often get ‘what they had not bargained for’. Those in bondage lack mental mobility, relational transparency and emotional freedom. Those in bondage live in fear that their lies will be exposed. Those is bondage do not recognize they live with blind spots and that, people know things about them, that they do not know about themselves.

You can’t buy your freedom, and you cannot afford to live without it. Freedom is not just an idea; it’s a deep voice that tells us that something is not right. I have experienced the feeling of bondage, and I never want to endure it again. When bondage becomes the ‘new norm’, the invitation to liberation, when it finally arrives, is often resisted. This may be hard to grasp, but in all my years of working in the field of addiction, I speak from experience.

“You get what you pay for”… maybe. But when it comes to what Jesus has already paid for you, when you accept his freedom, you receive more than you could ever anticipate. It's a feeling of relief and, a sense of peace that surpasses all understanding!

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The Disappointing Masterpiece

By Dr. Bill Effler • February 4, 2026

I am the most disappointing masterpiece in the world. Over 10 million people come to see me each year.

Procrastination(!)

By Dr. Bill Effler • January 19, 2026

If you were to look up the word procrastination, you would find something along these lines of, Procrastination is delaying a necessary task, despite knowing there could negative consequences. Or, choosing to do something less important or more enjoyable because what is being asked of them, is a challenge (and less fun!). The decision to choose the less challenging task allows them to escape negative emotions associated with a task. Stated simply, procrastination is a (learned?) behavior that demonstrates laziness, poor time management and flies in the face life altering consequences (like losing a job).

Keep It Real

By Dr. Bill Effler • January 19, 2026

I confess, I reached into my journaling and found this piece of writing I had written back in January 2017. I remember the night I describe like it was yesterday. Even now, my eyes are filling… my mind wondering … how many students “got me”? How many did I miss? And then I think, what about today, the people that are in my life now … I have these thoughts as the end of 2025 draws near.

You and Your Negative Thoughts

By Dr. Bill Effler • January 19, 2026

I have blogged about ‘negative mental scripting’ before. I referred to “ANTS”, “Automatic Negative Thinking”, a theory that was developed some time ago. While attending a workshop recently my mind took me on a detour (I got mentally distracted) and this is what I came up with:

What time is it?

By Dr. Bill Effler • January 19, 2026

We are all time travelers moving in one direction—it this true? What if the past isn't as fixed as we think? Can we reframe or reinterpret situations and experiences that were painful and then, rise above them? What about the present, the now? What are you doing with your life? Your dreaming? Your problem solving and, do you take present time, to celebrate, even the small victories?

Since You Asked

By Dr. Bill Effler • January 19, 2026

I am often asked, “What is your take on today’s culture and, what role is the Church to play in our culture ?” I want to begin to answer this question, using this past fall’s academic freshman entering universities as a starting place. (I undoubtedly will do this “Since You Asked” many more times on this website blog).