Living Story Blog
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6 Types of Spiritual Legacies
Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of men. Psalm 66:5 In addition to preparing well for death and blessing our loved ones by creating a practical legacy, we can also create a spiritual legacy. A spiritual legacy may include...
6 Steps to Creating a Practical Legacy
“I told my neighbor I was taking this workshop, and she said, ‘I’m not doing a thing. They can figure it all out after I’m gone.’” A member of my Organizing Your Life and Legacy workshop shared this comment with our group, and we all shook our heads sadly. The comment...
What Is Your Legacy and How Will You Share It?
Have you ever given any thought to your legacy? Has it occurred to you that you are a legacy, and that you have a legacy? I believe God has created a legacy of good news in each of us and that we are made to share it. Let's begin by considering the word legacy. What...
A Prayer about Waiting at Christmas
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 Coming Savior, In this season of “advent,” as we remember your first coming, we anticipate many things, some eagerly, some anxiously. Some of us are waiting eagerly for family members...
Medicalized Dying: How to Make Wise Decisions for the End of Life
Dear Friends, This month we tackle a tough but important topic. I had never heard the phrase “medicalized dying” until I began doing an independent study for my D. Min. program on death, dying, and eternal life. But when we think about it, we’ve all witnessed or heard...
Grief During the Holidays: Six Ways to Cope
Dear Friends, As we enter the holiday season, I am all too aware that many of you are grieving the loss of a loved one or the loss of health for yourself or for a loved one. Last year, the first holiday season after my mom had died, I described my grief this way: “I...
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Daily Prayers
A Prayer about the Countercultural Nature of Marriage
Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23 Creator God, In our season of history, the idea that one woman could belong to one man, that one man could belong to...
A Prayer about Caring for Those Who Grieve
Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless. Psalm 88:15 Merciful Father, Today we continue our prayer for those grieving an agonizing loss with more words from Psalm 88. For those who feel: “Your wrath lies heavy upon me; and...
A Prayer about Getting Good at Grief
I am shut in so I cannot escape; my eye grows dim through sorrow. Psalm 88:9 Compassionate Father, We don’t pray Psalm 88 enough, and maybe that’s why we’re not very good at grief. Today, we use the words of this dark yet hopeful Psalm to cry out for ourselves or...
A Prayer about the Power of God’s Grace
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 Gracious Father, Forgive me (us) for underestimating the power of your grace. Your grace is not a Southern woman with “nice manners.” Your grace is not...
A Prayer about Practicing Forgiveness throughout Our Lives
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 Forgiving Father, Secular studies have shown that people who know they are dying benefit from asking forgiveness and granting forgiveness at the end of...
A Prayer about Receiving Jesus’ Cleansing
“You will never (to eternity) wash my feet.” John 13:8 Jesus, our Faithful Servant, If we’re honest, we feel the way Peter did: you are too good, and we are too unworthy for you to wash our feet. According to Greek scholars*, Peter’s response to the idea of Jesus...