Cultivating Love: Choosing Change is available for purchase at Amazon! It’s with great joy that I’m able to announce the eighth and final book in the Cultivating Love series, Cultivating Love: Choosing Change is available for purchase in the Amazon bookstore! Click here to order the Kindle or Paperback version. What’s in the book… Cultivating […]
It’s with great joy that I’m able to announce that the Kindle ebook version of Cultivating Love: Daily Bread For Life, Volume 2 is available for you to download for free in the Amazon bookstore beginning Saturday, November 10th to Wednesday, November 14th! Stay tuned for other opportunities to download this book for free in the future. You can […]
“For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life” – Psalm 56:13 (NIV) Welcome to Daily Bread for Life! What you will find on this blog are primarily biblically related posts that will hopefully inspire you in your bible study as […]
Printer-Friendly PDF – Ten steps to improve your Emotional Self-Awareness using the Emotions and Feelings Wheel by Dr Ken McGill Use the Feelings Wheel along with the questions on the opposite side of this sheet to help you think about your emotions, feelings, thoughts, needs and how they impact you and your relationships – Dr. Ken […]
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” – John 8:31 – 32 (TNIV) Good morning and welcome to 2020! Over the past 4 years, the keywords I’ve written about to start the new year are Lovingkindness (2016), Understanding […]
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and […]
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” – Romans 8:28 (NIV) We were stopped at the intersection of Spring Creek and Coit Blvd in Plano, TX on our way home. How do you answer a question […]
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” – […]
You know how it is. Can’t sleep. Look at the clock, it’s 2:42 am. Try to get back to sleep, perhaps I do. Look at the clock, this time it’s 4:15 a.m. Its Saturday morning and although I tend to get up early, this is a bit much. I’d like a few extra hours to […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scripture that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scripture that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scripture that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scriptures that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scriptures that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scripture that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scriptures that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scripture that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scripture that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read this series of posts “55 for 55: Passages of Scripture that mean a lot to me.” Below are the passages that continue in this series. Thanks again, and may God bless you as He has done so with me by conveying His love and wisdom to me through the […]
Thanks for taking time to read something that’s very special to me. As I’m turing 55 this year (September 5th), I thought I’d share with you 55 passages of scripture that have meant a lot up to this point in my life. I’m very grateful for the years that God has given to me and […]
Thanks for reading the previous posts on the Fruit of the Spirit (Fruit of the Spirit #1: An Introduction, Fruit of the Spirit #2: It all begins with Love, Part 1, Fruit of the Spirit #3: It all begins with Love, Part 2, Fruit of the Spirit #4: Joy, Fruit of the Spirit #5: Peace, […]
Dear Gabriel – Not that you’re too concerned, but here’s a little note about how Mom and I occupied ourselves on Friday while you were away at your Senior Football Retreat with your Coaches and teammates. After a great dinner at The Royale Magnificent Burger (and they were good)… …we lapsed into one of those “lets […]
Thanks for reading the previous posts on the Fruit of the Spirit (Fruit of the Spirit #1: An Introduction, Fruit of the Spirit #2: It all begins with Love, Part 1, Fruit of the Spirit #3: It all begins with Love, Part 2, Fruit of the Spirit #4: Joy, Fruit of the Spirit #5: Peace, […]
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ – Matthew 25:21 (TNIV) Thanks for reading the previous posts on the Fruit of the Spirit (Fruit of the Spirit #1: An Introduction, […]
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” – Ephesians 5:1-2 (TNIV) Thank you for reading the previous posts on the Fruit of the Spirit (Fruit of the Spirit […]
Thank you for reading the previous posts on the Fruit of the Spirit (Fruit of the Spirit #1: An Introduction, Fruit of the Spirit #2: It all begins with Love, Part 1, Fruit of the Spirit #3: It all begins with Love, Part 2, Fruit of the Spirit #4: Joy, Fruit of the Spirit #5: […]
Thank you for reading the previous posts on the Fruit of the Spirit (Fruit of the Spirit #1: An Introduction, Fruit of the Spirit #2: It all begins with Love, Part 1, Fruit of the Spirit #3: It all begins with Love, Part 2, Fruit of the Spirit #4: Joy and Fruit of the Spirit […]
There is nothing quite as inspiring to me as listening to Keith Green sing the Easter song, on this day, Easter Sunday, as well as on any other day of the year. The song, based on several passages of scripture (Matthew 28; Luke 24), is a herald that new life and new outcomes are possible […]
“For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below – there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the […]
Thank you for reading the previous posts on the Fruit of the Spirit (Fruit of the Spirit #1: An Introduction, Fruit of the Spirit #2: It all begins with Love, Part 1, Fruit of the Spirit #3: It all begins with Love, Part 2 and Fruit of the Spirit #4: Joy). In this post, I’d like to take […]
Thank you for reading the previous posts on the Fruit of the Spirit (Fruit of the Spirit #1: An Introduction, Fruit of the Spirit #2: It all begins with Love, Part 1 and Fruit of the Spirit #3: It all begins with Love, Part 2). In this post, I’d like to briefly take a look […]
Thank you for reading the Introduction and The Fruit of the Spirit #2: It all begins with Love (Part 1). As we read in the Introduction and in #2, there are nine Fruit of the Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control) and ten descriptors of Love (a person who Loves, […]
“Do everything in Love” – 1 Corinthians 16:14 (TNIV) As we read in the Introduction, there are nine Fruit of the Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control) and ten descriptors of Love (a person who Loves, Esteems, Cherishes, Respects, Favors, Honors, Accepts, Prizes, Relishes and demonstrates Devotion). Simply put, we’re […]
It’s with great pleasure that I’m able to announce that Cultivating Love: Daily Bread For Life Vol. I is available for purchase in the Amazon bookstore for your Kindle and in paperback! Furthermore, I’m very proud to announce that 100% of all ebook and 50% of all paperback proceeds will be donated to Marissa’s House Projects. Marissa’s House Projects […]
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” – Galatians 5:22 – 23 (TNIV) There are nine Fruit of the Spirit (printed above) and ten descriptors of Agape Love (a person who Loves, Esteems, Cherishes, Respects, Favors, Honors, Accepts, […]
Congratulations Gabriel! Mom and I are extremely happy for you and proud of your accomplishments with the Football team as you guys won your State championship game yesterday! We are so proud of you! I am proud of you because you held this as a goal for yourself since last year, and man, have you guys blown the […]
These are a few of my favorite memories that we have shared, that have made the past 25 years moments of joy in my life with you. I hope and pray that our son Gabriel will be blessed with a wonderful Proverbs 31 woman like I have. Given with love to you, Ken 1989: The year […]
The scriptures below are truisms, affirmations and “re-mind-ders” of who I actually am and reading them remind and inspire me to live up to my DNA, my character. As time permits, please take time to read them to remind you that you too are more than the sum of the behavior you have engaged in, committed […]
Thank you for reading “The Emotion of Shame” Part 1 of 3 and Part 2 of 3. In this final post on the Emotion of Shame, I would like to suggest how Steps Four through Step Seven of the Twelve Steps of Emotions Anonymous (or of any Twelve Step fellowship) could help us as we endeavor […]
Thank you for reading “The Emotion of Shame” (Part 1 of 3). In this post, I would like to suggest how the 1st seven steps of the Twelve Steps of Emotions Anonymous (or of any Twelve Step fellowship) could help us as we endeavor to overcome and grow beyond the effect of toxic and dehumanizing […]
Shame is one of the most intriguing but also one of the most damaging of all emotions that human beings experience. In a moment we’ll take a look at two sides of Shame but as we start to “unpack” and explore this emotion, have you ever considered how this particular emotion, which many of us have been taught is damaging to ourselves and […]
Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson (If time permits, please read “Purpose” on “3-2-5-4-24”) I’m Gonna Make A Change, For Once In My Life It’s Gonna Feel Real Good, Gonna Make A Difference Gonna Make It Right . . . As I, Turn Up The Collar On My Favourite Winter Coat This Wind Is […]
“…But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all Truth” – John 16:12 (TNIV) “You will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free” – John 8:32 (TNIV) Thank you for reading “The Emotion of Guilt” (Part 1 of 3 and Part 2 of 3). In this post, […]
Thank you for reading The Emotion of Guilt (Part 1 of 3). In this post I’d like to share some thoughts about two passages of scripture from the Bible to deepen our understanding about the emotion and to learn how “healthy guilt” helps us to experience safety and success with behavior that is problematic or addictive in nature. I think […]
Guilt is an emotion we typically feel when we have not lived up to a standard or value that we have set or that someone else has set for us. Guilt is also an emotion we feel in our body, but we also feel guilt when our conscience (#7) “informs” us that we have not lived up […]
Just like anger, we ask ourselves the question: Is all fear bad fear? Not at all. Fear is an important emotion that tells us there is something we need to look at or address which could be an actual threat to us or to someone we love. However, unhealthy reactions to fear, as we read […]
Fear is an intense emotion of uneasiness, connected to a real or perceived danger from an identifiable object, person or process. The emotion of fear may have elements of worry, panic and anger however, fear is typically experienced when it is brought upon by a basic feeling of being vulnerable to a person or process […]
Anger Management Tool: My Feelings Letter Use these feeling stems/letter format to identify and work through your feelings connected to a person, or a past or current life experience. Feel free to use other feeling words if they are not listed here. Also, feel free to record “multiple entries” for any of the feeling stems […]
“Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil” – Ephesians (NIV) 4:26-27 Thanks for reading “Experiencing and Expressing Anger” Part 1 of 4 and Part 2 of 4. What follows is a “quick reference” guide to assist you to reflect on then communicate you anger with […]
Anger tends to be a reactive emotion that we experience and express when we perceive, or are actually threatened and we sense or fear that we may not have the ability to create safety for ourselves or control the situation (or person) that triggered the anger in the first place. Being a reactive in nature, […]
Thanks for reading Is it “Love” or is it…Desire? Part 1 of 3, and Part 2 of 3. In these two posts we looked at how the emotion of “love” (or lust and desire) may have gotten us in hot water in our past and if so, how could a more complete understanding and demonstration […]
A Constructive Response A constructive response to the emotion of “Love” as it is described in Is it “Love” or is it…Desire? (Part 1 of 3) invites us to take a closer look at how our thinking and behavior connected to lust or desire may have led some of us to experience superficial, immature, broken and possibly […]
“Hello, I love you won’t you tell me your name” – The Doors (1968) “Love” as described in this post is not the emotion marked by care, devotion, compassion and sensitivity from one person to another. In this case, “love” is more appropriately termed “lust” or desire, which has as its expression the selfish craving to […]
“Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil” – Ephesians 4:26-27 (CEV) Is all anger bad anger? Not at all! Remember, anger is a message from our body to us that our physical or emotional well-being may be under some form of threat and […]
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” – Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV) Our emotions are barometers of our spirit and soul, mind and body, providing us with important information about how we feel when we encounter various […]
I will follow by Chris Tomlin Perhaps the song/lyrics may speak to you, as they timelessly do with me. If not this one, which song is God dropping into your spirit in an effort to replenish, revive and inspire you? Please note that this post is also connected to a previous one “So you wanna […]
Most of us shudder in fear at the thought of what could happen to us if we stepped into a trap like this. If we were the unwitting victim who unfortunately got caught in this situation, we’d probably feel profound fear, pain, agony and a terrible sense of dread that someone or something is trying […]
You’ve been working hard, and time for a break! For me, God drops certain songs into my awareness, and this one by Phil Keaggy, Carefree, was the one I received this morning. Perhaps the song/lyrics may speak to you, as they timelessly do with me. If not this one, which song is God dropping into your […]
O p i a t e s Introduction Opiates is the name given to the family of drugs that are derived from opium and have properties similar to opium and its main active ingredient, which is morphine. Opiates, which are abused either in their natural or synthetic form (Opioids), are frequently called narcotics, due to […]
Hallucinogens (Marijuana and LSD) Introduction Marijuana is the drug that produces the “dumb” high. It is composed of crushed leaves, stems and flowers of the female hemp plant and is smoked or orally consumed in baked goods. Hashish is the resin from flowers and leaves and is more potent than marijuana. It is also smoked […]
Sedative/Hypnotics Introduction Barbiturates and benzodiazepines belong to the family of drugs that are frequently called the Sedative/Hypnotics or Tranquilizers, due to the fact they reduce anxiety and cause sleep as well. The “major tranquilizers” are used to treat schizophrenia and the severely mentally ill (by reducing delusions, hallucinations, agitation and aggressiveness), while the “minor tranquilizers” […]
“Come on Now!” 4. Pharmacology 101 Although there are some 60 different neurotransmitters in the brain, there are three that predominantly deal with our emotional well-being: Norepinephrine (NE), Dopamine (D) and Serotonin (S). If we are in a normal and balanced state in our lives (homeostasis), these neurotransmitters are functioning and doing the job the […]
A l c o h o l Introduction Alcohol is the oldest and most commonly used drug in the world and is taken orally, and is the only drug that contains calories. It is rapidly metabolized and absorbed and distributed to cells throughout the body and is metabolized into carbon dioxide and water within a […]
A m p h e t a m i n e s Introduction Amphetamine is a synthetic form of Ephedrine, which is found in the herb ma huang, as this herb has been used in China for the past 5,000 years. Amphetamine is a stimulant and has some of the same effects on the […]
Drugs of Abuse: C O C A I N E Introduction Cocaine is derived from the coca leaves of the coca plant found predominantly in South America. Cocaine is probably the most addictive drug, as it powerfully stimulates the Mesolimbic Dopamine Pathway, creating the intense and euphoric “rush” users desire and forcefully “imprints” the “I […]
“Come on Now!” So in previous posts we’ve been doing a lot of talk about addiction, drugs, drugs of abuse, recovery, passion and the misplacement of passion. So how does some of this fit together with you and your relationship with God? If you have ever been in a black church and heard the preacher […]
7. Let’s get this one thing straight I Corinthians 6:12–20 reminds us of some very important truths about our lives and our lives in relation to God. First, the Apostle Paul, the author of the book, reminds us in verse 12 that “everything is permissible for me, but everything is not beneficial,” in addition to […]
In this post, we are going to look at the “head games” or the effect of psychoactive drugs in the life of the person who abuses or is dependent on alcohol and other drugs. It must be noted that these “games” are neither fun nor entertaining but are very dangerous, as overdose and death are very […]
“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” – John 4:13-14 (CEV) Poured water knows […]
“Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature” – Romans 12:2 (CEV) A friend told me that when he was a child, his family used to drive through the […]
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” – Psalm 119:105 (NIV) To me, the word of God is a mirror. As I look into it, it reveals to me how much I have grown in my devotion and commitment to live by the values and principles that are important to […]
4 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond […]
Daily Bread for Life 