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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]