The Discipline of Worship
The Beautiful Essentials of Spiritual Discipline
What comes to mind when you hear the word discipline? If you’re like most people, you probably think of sacrifice and sweat, self-denial, doing things you’d rather not do for the endgame prize. Exercising to reduce stress or improve your health. Giving up chocolate chip cookies so you can fit into your jeans. Saving money to buy that dream house or go on vacation. Studying to learn something new. Working hard for a promotion. Even if you don’t think of yourself as disciplined, chances are you have disciplined yourself to regularly practice certain behaviors for the anticipated results - brushing your teeth, going to work on time, not saying everything that comes into your mind, paying your bills, buying groceries, etc..
Summer Fun in OKC
How is it June already? Summer has officially arrived and there are so many fun things to do here in the Oklahoma City area! For me, summer has always been a time of finding ways to make memories with family and friends. I hope that you, too, will take time to enjoy the community around you and the fun that Oklahoma City has to offer this summer? The first thing I will always recommend is a good coffee shop! So, here are a few of my favorites.
Slowing Down Summer With Kids
Summer is a complicated season. I long for it to arrive and then I am ready for it to move on out. I welcome the slow mornings and sweet summer evenings; it’s the in-between part of the day (yes, the bulk of the day) that can be a struggle. If you are like me, the idea of outings to public places with your young kids is a bit overwhelming and, honestly, could go really well or be a total disaster. I am in a season where man on man defense is preferred and often required for outings to be enjoyable. If you are familiar with my family dynamic, you know that I am incredibly outnumbered at home. All that to say, I have to get creative! I have come up with some fun ideas for slowing things down at home, saving money, and keeping the day moving.
Marinate on This
Summertime marks the time of year where we prefer to turn off our ovens and fire up the grill. Fresh vegetables and fruits abound, allowing us to savor them in their raw state or perhaps cooked over an open flame. It’s a no fuss season when it comes to cooking or meal planning, and we certainly prefer for our protein to be just as simple and flavorful as the produce we are enjoying.
Summer Book Clubs
Summertime! School is out! Camps! Pool parties! Vacations! But the flip side of all this fun? Your rhythms of friendship and community are disrupted. Whether you need a change from your school year commitments or need an on-ramp to community, Book Clubs are a great opportunity in the intermediate months full of sun.
Biblical Foundations for Emotional Health
God has masterfully crafted us as beings that are comprised of a physical body and a spiritual nature. Within those two components are various additional aspects such as our mind, spirit/soul, and emotional state. In Hebrew thought, our very center of being in which everything (emotions, thoughts, behaviors, etc.) flows out from is our levav or lev (Heb. heart). It seems that when the Lord explains we are to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength, He connects our worship holistically (Deuteronomy 6:5). As part of our nature, God has given us the gift of feeling and expressing emotion to Him, others, and to ourselves. We see that God does not express Himself as a cold, marble statue that is unfeeling and robotic, but rather the Scriptures reveal His joy for us, His grief, His righteous anger, and His merciful compassion on us (Luke 15:10; Genesis 6:6; Romans 1:18; Matthew 9:36). As His image bearers, we too share in this ability, albeit not a perfect ability, to have and express emotion.
Emotional Health Matters
There I sat with my Bible in hand, but all I could do was cry to God that I needed help. I had a stack of Bible studies. I had the dedicated time to sit with God. I had all the journals to help track what I was learning. But I couldn’t get past the emotions it took for me to engage in that Bible study with God when, emotionally, I was a wreck.