Joey O'Connor's Blog, page 11

How to Find Peace and Perspective in Pain

I recently met a friend for coffee who was seeking peace and a greater perspective for his life. Like a lot of people I know, maybe you included, my friend was struggling in his relationship with God. It wasn’t that things were necessarily going bad or that he was making poor choices. He was just wrestling with uncertainty and frustrated with the same issues resurfacing in his life. Issues that he thought “should” have been resolved long ago. In essence, he was “should’ing” all over himself....

If You Were This Man, Would You Jump?

If you were this man, would you jump? What would you be thinking? Feeling? Praying?

What does this photo tell you about your life right now?

(If you’d like, you can Tweet this question right now.)

I’d love your thoughts and comments.

Enter your email address to subscribe to the Art, Life & Faith blog. Receive The Longing: Embracing the Deepest Truth of Who You Are by Joey O’Connor for FREE!

Photo Credit: Sean Buckley

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Joey Passes Out, Hits Head on Curb, Doesn’t Die

If I’ve been a bit radar silent here on Art, Life & Faith for the past week or so, I have a really good doctor’s note. You’ve just read the Cliffs Notes version of my past week: Joey Passes Out, Hits Head on Curb, Doesn’t Die. Has all the makings of a bestselling book, doesn’t it? After two and a half days in South Coast Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach, I have a whopper of a story for you. It all started with that wee little flu bug that’s going around… Read on…

A week ago Sunday, right when...

3 Creative Focus Questions for 2013

For the past several years, focus has been a key theme in my life. In juggling several large writing projects and running The Grove Center for the Arts & Media (a non-profit ministry for artists), I’ve often struggled with where to focus my best energies during the day. In 2013, I am asking myself, “What is my creative focus for 2013?” (You can read my answer in the Comment Section below.)

As you move into these first few weeks of 2013, I have three simple questions that I believe will make a...

Top 10 Art, Life & Faith Posts for 2012

Thank you for your support and encouragement on Art, Life & Faith in 2012. I want to share with you the Top 10 posts for 2012 read by you and the rest of my friends. This past year, I saw more visitors and new subscribers to Art, Life & Faith than ever before. In writing about God, creativity, faith, the arts and the daily challenges of life, I hope you were inspired and encouraged to live a life of deeper meaning, creativity and purpose. Here’s a peek at the 2012 Art, Life & Faith posts that...

After Advent: What’s Ahead in 2013?

Now that Christmas is over, you might be asking yourself, “What’s ahead in 2013?” As we consider the coming New Year, I want to encourage us to ask ourselves, “How are we to live in these days after advent?” Though we are loading up our trashcans with torn Christmas wrapping, I think it’s critical we just don’t blow by Christmas.

My friend and art colleague, Cam Anderson, the president of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA), wrote this thoughtful Christmas reflection that has much to say abou...

A Christmas Story: Play Your Best for Him

As I was sitting in a Christmas church service yesterday listening to a powerful rendition of “Little Drummer Boy,” the one lyric that caught my attention was “I played my best for Him.” It reminded me how Joseph, Mary, and the entire cast of unlikely characters in the Christmas story really did play their best for the newborn king. Earlier in the service, my wife Krista and I watched in awe as our best friend’s daughter, Kara, performed a beautiful Christmas dance to Mary Did You Know. Kara’...

Are You in Awe of the Aching Beauty of God’s Creation?

When was the last time you soaked in the aching beauty of God’s creation? Or let me ask you, how does the aching beauty of God’s creation move you? I hope it does. God’s creation could be the very heart monitor you need to check the condition of your spiritual life. The music of God’s creation is all around us and this past weekend, I had a deep soak in the visual artistry of God. A long drive through vineyards, past California oaks, and the Pacific Ocean along Santa Barbara tunes you into th...

Question of the Week #6: How do you handle interruptions, distraction or lack of focus?

Welcome to the Art, Life & Faith Question of the Week #6: How do you handle interruptions, distraction or lack of focus? Okay, I know that may be a risky question for some of you, so I’ll go first. I’m not going to lie to you. As a writer, producer and executive direction of a non-profit organization, I frequently wrestle with interruptions, distraction and lack of focus in my work. Did you hear that? Frequently!

I can’t claim that I suffer from ADD, ADHD, or TBI (traumatic brain injury), tho...

Pray and Take Action for Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

For the past five years, Ken Straw (my screenwriting partner) and I have been researching and writing about the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). I typically don’t write posts of a political nature, but today’s Art, Life & Faith post is about preserving life. Call it exercising faith through prayer and action. First, I want to ask you to pray for the safety of the people in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. I have very dear friends who are leaders living, working an...