Hey there, Kingdom Warrior!
I’m so glad you’re joining us for the episode today! I was pumped when our previous podcast guest, Kevan Chandler, connected us with Douglas Kaine McKelvey, author of the Every Moment Holy books. If you haven’t seen these books yet, then I am thrilled to get to introduce you to them.
In recent years, we’ve seen a resurgence of liturgical prayers as a way to connect with God. This hasn’t been a huge part of my background, but my current church, Bridgetown, incorporates the prayers into their services and I am growing in my appreciation for this kind of spiritual confession. There is power in prayers written by others through the Holy Spirit, in prayers uttered in the common day language of our own relationship with God, and in prayers so ripe with anguish that only the groans of the Holy Spirit can intercede for us.
When I got ahold of the second volume of Every Moment Holy, focused on Death, Grief, and Hope, I knew it was a resource I wanted to get into as many hands as possible. Doug puts words to the situations and circumstances for which we often cannot find words. His prayers are specific, like the ones listed below. To see what I mean, check out some of the titles of the prayers that Doug has so beautifully put word to through the help of the Holy Spirit:
· To Stir Courage in a Child Facing Death
· For Seasons of Uncertainty
· For the Morning of a Medical Procedure
· For Long-Term Care Givers
· For Preparing the Heart to Return to God What Is His
· Giving Voice to the Costly Confession
· Before Ending Life Support
· For One Who Struggles with Guilt or Shame After a Miscarriage
· For Grieving Well Amidst the Confusion of a Suicide
· For Missing Someone
· For Those Who Share a Common Loss
· For Removing One’s Wedding Ring
· For Returning to Daily Life After a Loss
During our interview, we chat about how these prayers came to be: Doug interacted with people grieving all kinds of losses, and as they asked him for specific prayers, the Table of Contents for this book was born. He also built relationships with these people, allowing them to give him feedback on the prayers he had written, and I believe this process is what makes the prayers so powerful.
But lest you think this whole conversation is about nothing but grief and death and loss, it’s actually infused with joy. That’s really the thread of our whole interview today – how joy and sorrow are intertwined, how we can hold them both and experience them both, sometimes back-to-back, how we can mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15), and how we can walk in the maturity of growth in Christ to be able to experience both joy and sorrow throughout the trials and everyday happenings of our lives. For even amidst hardship, pain, and confusion, the rock-hard truth of God’s goodness shines through, making every moment holy.
Plus at the end of the interview, Doug shares his personal story of walking with his daughter on her physical pain journey where she had a horrible reaction to a drug prescribed to her, the fallout of that, and the amazingly redemptive musical piece she created describing her journey, the Dream War Project (linked below).
Enjoy this interview with song lyricist, author, poet, and screenwriter Douglas Kaine McKelvey!
P.S. If you like the Every Moment Holy books, check out Special Grace and my interview with author Elrena Evans!
Listen to learn more about:
· How to grow in being able to truly experience joy and sorrow, without judging yourself for either feeling.
· What it looks like to grieve well amidst loss and pain
· How Doug formed the prayers in Every Moment Holy through digging through the darkness, finding the diamond core of God’s truth in each topic, and then letting the hope of God shine back through to lead you forward.
Listen now:
Click here to listen on iTunes.
Click here to listen on Google Podcasts.
Click here to listen on Spotify.
Click here to listen on Stitcher.
Click here to listen on Amazon Music.
Favorite Quotes:
· “Even if this pain expands to fill all of my awareness, so that I can hardly move, or speak, or form a coherent thought – even then fling wide your doors and draw me into your place of refuge, O Lord, or, better yet, seek me and find me where I have collapsed. There gather me into your arms, carry me to your hiding place, and tend to my distress.” -Every Moment Holy: Volume II, “A Liturgy for Those Enduring Lasting Pain.”
· “So remind me today as I submit to this treatment – remind me each time I am tempted to fear or worry for myself or my family, or even tempted to self-pity – remind me that my future is already settled. And if Christ has secured for me such a blessed eternal station, then he has surely proved himself worthy to be trusted with the lesser anxieties that trouble me here.” -Every Moment Holy: Volume II, “A Liturgy Before a Medical Treatment.”
Links from our conversation:
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For freedom,
Tera
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