This time of year, we begin seeing and hearing information about the National Day of Prayer. Many people ask if Living Word is participating in the event. The answer is “yes,” but in a creative way that is unique to us. First, a little history. The National Day of Prayer was formed by a joint […]
I am currently working on several writing projects. My early morning routine consists of devotions, reading, and writing. Seasons of life vary for me. There are times when I do more reading and less writing. Then I will cut back my reading so I have more time to write. Right now I am in a […]
One of the best books I ever read on learning was a book about Leonardo Da Vinci. How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael Gelb is NOT a self-help book. It is a manual on learning, thinking, growing, creating, and stewarding the knowledge and wisdom God gives you. […]
Greatness is not a final destination, but a series of small acts done daily in order to constantly rejuvenate and refresh our skills in a daily effort to become a better version of ourselves. Maurice Ashley (the first African American International Grandmaster in Chess) The key to a great life is simply having a bunch […]
You want to be wise about your emotions. There are some things we often do with and about them that we must learn NOT to do. Growth and maturity happens in several ways. One way is that we learn to do good things we are not doing. Another way is that we stop doing harmful […]
This question seems simple and innocent. Instead, it opens the door to a snarky and tangled complexity. It is not easily answered. Biology, psychology, and spirituality provide different insights. Here is how I see it. When you feel angry (i.e., have the emotion of anger) you are not only having an emotional experience, you are […]
Clueless is Never a Compliment! Being clueless about your emotions is never a good thing! Self-awareness about your emotions is the first step toward healthy emotions. This is one more reason why I love the psalms. The psalmists were profoundly self-aware about their emotions. They felt deeply about their experiences. They knew what they felt. […]
On Sunday, the sermon theme was Psalms: Life as Worship. The focus was on the psalms being full of emotional experience that is lifted to God through various forms of prayer. The psalmist uses his emotional energies as the launching pad to seek after God. I only had a few minutes to talk about the power […]
On Sunday we talked about life as worship as we looked at the book of Psalms. The Psalms are a rich depository of prayer and praise that capture the continuum of emotional experience – from sorrow to joy, despair to hope. Those who composed the Psalms, the ancient songwriters (including David), give us language to […]
We are introducing a new song at Living Word this Sunday called “Reckless Love”. We look forward to singing this together as a church family, considering our own stories and how fiercely the Lord’s love pursues His children. My small son Jude is just learning how to color. He has absolutely no desire to keep […]