Today we hear from worship pastor Chris Smith and worship leader Ryan Lewis as they discuss the vision behind the original songs being written, shared, and captured at Living Word. This past Friday evening our worship ministry recorded several original songs that will be released next year. Chris: Over the past 5 years we have […]
Month: September 2019
Hyper-Reality (Identity 08)
Some people have asked about the author Mark Sayers and his idea of hyper-reality. Mark is a pastor, author, and teacher from Australia. He is one of my favorite authors. You can learn more about Mark here. Mark has written quite a few really good books. The Trouble With Paris was the first book of […]
The Way of Jesus is True and the Way of Jesus Works Because it is True (Identity 07) Part 2 of 2
The Deadly Combination Here are two values that alone are powerful, but put them together and you have a volatile mix. First, the supreme value of the individual. You are supreme. You decide. Whatever you choose, whatever you want, that is good and right for you, even if someone else disagrees. Individualism has been pushed […]
The Way of Jesus is True and the Way of Jesus Works Because it is True (Identity 07) Part 1 of 2
On Sunday, I talked about the issues of depression and anxiety in our culture. I didn’t talk about those things to make anyone feel ashamed. Far from it. If someone is depressed and/or anxious, it is important to be able to admit that condition and then get the best help for it. I referred to […]
The Last Self-Help Book (Identity 06)
On Sunday we showed a word cloud containing lots of negative, painful words. Each word came from a title of a book, a chapter title in a book, a title of an article, or a main theme in an article. Here is the word cloud. Look the words over. This is why philosopher-novelist Walker Percy […]
Social Media is Killing Our Kids (and What to Do About It) (Identity 05)
Yea, I know that is pretty dramatic. Killing them softly, slowly, but surely. Killing their joy. Killing their security. Killing their friendships. Killing their sexuality. Killing their ability to feel loved, accepted, valued, and safe. Parents, I know this is one of the hardest things you will EVER do, but you must monitor and help […]
Frogs, Fish, and Photoshopped Hyper-Reality (Identity 04)
I’m sure you’ve heard of the frog in the kettle. If a frog is in a kettle of water, and the kettle is slowly warmed, the frog will not move. It acclimates to the water temperature as it gets warmer and warmer, until it hits boiling and then it kills the frog. I haven’t double-checked […]
Susan Boyle’s First Audition
This is the video clip of Susan Boyle Pastor Brian mentioned today. Watch it and notice your first impression of Susan. Pay attention to the crowd’s impression. Listen to what she does and notice what you feel as you watch her sing. Finally, listen to how the judges describe their first impressions. All because she […]
Tenth Avenue North Concert || guest blog by Chris Smith
Today’s blog post is written by Chris Smith, worship arts leader. This November 9, Living Word will be hosting a concert featuring Christian artists Tenth Avenue North and Austin French. We are excited to be able to open our doors to the community and invite them in to experience a top-notch concert on our campus. […]
More Than a Cup of Cold Water for the Bahamas || guest blog by John Hilliard
Today’s blog post is written by John Hilliard, pastor of global ministry and local outreach. As most of us watched the weather last week, Hurricane Dorian was bearing down as a Category 5 storm on the small group of islands called the Bahama’s. Because it is near the east coast, I’m sure many of us […]