In Chapter 4 of Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he gives us basically an anti-anxiety list of things to think about. I’ll say up front that this is not medical advice, and if you need medical advice and care, please do see your healthcare professional. Yet, here’s what Paul places at the top of his Top 8 Favorite Things to Not Be Anxious: “And finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true… think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV) (ellipses... Read more
Remember that scene from “The Sound of Music,” when the children gather in Maria’s bedroom because they’re afraid of the thunderstorm outside? And she sings, “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens… these are a few of my favorite things”? Maria sings about a whole list of pleasant things for the children to think about “when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when [they’re] feeling sad.” Apostle Paul gives us a similar list of things for us to think... Read more
Sometimes I’m scrolling (I know, don’t judge me), and I see ads for “Armor of God phone case – Shop Now.” And for that brief, glimmering moment, I imagine myself with that armor-clad woman’s perfect flowy ponytail (I currently have very short hair), kneeling down in front of Christ with her fancy sword in hand, and I feel… epic. Then my yoga pants and T-shirt jolt me back to reality – sigh, it’s just a fantasy image on a phone... Read more
“I’m almost there!” I insisted breathlessly into my walkie-talkie. “Copy that, Coco. Be careful!” squawked back the line producer of the film production we were working on. Off in the distance, the tall, muscular man and the short, equally-muscular man were leaning in, and I was getting close enough to hear their yelling. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Ephesians 6:18a (NIV) “Please, God, get me there before the first punch... Read more
A dangerous job: Prayer as God’s armor, Part 1 One of the more interesting/quirky/dangerous jobs I’ve had was being a First Assistant Director. That’s “1st AD” in cool film set lingo. This cool film was in the ultra-low-budget category; therefore, many of us wore multiple hats. For example, the director was also the writer, casting director, and executive producer. For this story, I’ll change his real name to “Robert.” My hats? First AD, 2nd AD, substitute script supervisor when our... Read more
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 (NIV) Recently, I saw a fancy sword on display at our oral surgeon’s office. It had a very fancy inscription on the blade; I couldn’t read it from a distance, and the letters didn’t look like the English alphabet anyway. Yep, waiting for my 17-year-old to have his wisdom teeth removed, I pondered the question: “Why do many swords – even... Read more
This week’s article is a brief, neat little tangent from our Novena Devo on the Full Armor of God. We’ll circle around to pick up His Sword of the Spirit next week. For this week, let’s consider another type of biblical sword: the reckless tongue that spews piercing words. Like mine tends to do. My son had his wisdom teeth removed and I… The day after my husband left for a last-minute out-of-town job for 4 to 6 weeks,... Read more
“Take the helmet of salvation” Ephesians 6:17a (NIV) I made a new friend one Friday evening when I volunteered for a kids’ event at my church. He was one of the other volunteers on the event team. I recognized him as the new singer in our church’s incredibly talented worship band. His voice is so tremendous, I had been curious all along if he were a professional singer. I live in Los Angeles, LaLa Land of Milk and Honey Voices,... Read more
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16 (NIV) Within 2 months of my baptism, I had pulled God’s Shield of Faith over myself at least a half dozen times. In hindsight, I probably should have used it several dozen times. But I kept forgetting I even had a shield. The times I did remember, I clunked it around, unskilled and inexperienced.... Read more
“… and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15 (NIV) I’ve been a dancer since the age of 5. I performed professionally with a dance troupe in the 5th grade. Stayed involved in student productions and dance marathon fundraisers through college and med school. Realized my childhood dream of being a paid dancer in a dance company on my 32nd birthday. And started my own dance company then became a dance... Read more
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