You’re addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.

Proverbs 21:17 (The Message)

Early in the days of laboratory exploration of the brain, there was an experiment with rats. The experimenters hooked up these rats with electrodes that were connected to a machine that would give a very mild stimulation to the area of the brain we call the “pleasure center”. When the rats pressed a lever, they were given a mild brain stimulation which resulted in an experience of pleasure. The rats would press this lever endlessly, foregoing food for the stimulation. Later, in other experiments, intravenous cocaine was offered at the same time as food was presented, again based on pressing the lever, and the rats consistently pressed for the shot of cocaine over eating the food.  

The point here is that anything that produces immediate pleasure is addictive. Think of those potato chips, or those Hershey Kisses, or maybe those peanut M&Ms. You name your addiction (I just named mine with those peanut M&Ms). If it gives immediate results, that is, makes you feel good right away, it has the potential to be addictive.

That is the thing with those immediate “feel goods”. We end up paying a heavy price if we are not aware of the potential that lies therein. Food, sex, gambling, alcohol, drugs, etc. make us feel good right away, as soon as we “use”. The key is awareness of what we are actually doing. Denial says that “I can handle it”, or “just one more time”, “I’m not like them”, or whatever particular line works for you.

Again, moderation in things that give us pleasure is important. God gives us good gifts, receptive senses, and a host of things that are available to give us pleasure. Our job is to be aware of what we are doing, and honestly look at our behaviors over time. That is one of the truths that set us free- literally.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for good gifts you provide for us. Help us see them as gifts and use them wisely, Amen.

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.               Matthew 28:6

When I was growing up, the celebration of Easter was surrounded with some beautiful traditions. Midnight Mass on Saturday night before Easter was an experience of anticipation. The Resurrection was celebrated with ceremony that had been centuries in the making. The statues  of the saints in the church had been covered in purple drapes ever since Ash Wednesday- a mark of sorrow and sobriety anticipating the coming sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday.

At Midnight, the bells, which had been silent all during the Lenten season, pealed out all over the church. The purple drapes fell from the statues, and the choir broke into joyous songs such as “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”. The joy and atmosphere was electric in the celebration!

Much liturgical richness has been lost, I think. Certainly, in many Mainline Protestant churches, such majesty has been absent. Yet, as I read social media, and speak to many Christians in several venues, I think that many in the younger generations long for the rich liturgy of formal worship that has been largely stripped away in the past two or three decades.

Informal worship and seeker friendly services may not be as inviting as once thought. Many people long for their churches to have a more formal, participant-engaging experience in worship. Long beloved liturgies that embrace some predictability and comfort enhance the beaty of collective worship.

Formal choirs, familiar recitations of prayers by the congregation, and a predictable pattern of service are often very comforting in a world of incredible unpredictability.

I am not saying that we throw everything out. I am just positing that people yearn often for their church to be a place of comfort, so that when we are out in the world, living the Resurrection message, we can have the solid footing that we need every weekend.

Just a thought.

The more important message is that however we celebrate the miracle of Resurrection, we recognize that we stand in a line of centuries of believers who expressed joy at this marvelous Easter celebration.  

Happy Easter, my friends!

Prayer: Lord, how can we even comprehend fully the miracle of Resurrection? You have provided for us that which we cannot do on our own, Amen

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”                                                                                                                               Luke 11:4

Forgiveness. This concept, so essential to the Christian faith, is really a foundational principle of human interaction. Often, I discuss with my clients the need for forgiveness. Forgiveness of others, as well as ourselves. As the Easter season draws close this week, the concept of Jesus dying for the sins of the world is celebrated.

Just think about what forgiveness is. It is the act that frees us from guilt. It is the tool that allows a fresh start. It is the healer of broken relationships. It is the act that frees both the forgiver and the one forgiven.

Frederic Luskin wrote a book titled Forgive for Good (what a great title, right?), and in it he discusses the dynamics and process of forgiveness. He talks about how we tend to build up “grievance narratives” in our mind, and how this tends to make our case for why we were “wronged”. We can then begin to nurture a sense of entitlement to hold resentments. Such resentments, over time, become bitterness, and eventually, they rob us of joy.

All of us at one time or another have held on to our own little grievance narratives for some period of time, and at some point (hopefully) we have seen the futility of such thinking. Those narratives, if held long, lead us into a victim mentality, and there is only one thing that can come of that- if you think you are a victim, you become one.

That, of course, is a very bad plan.

So, this week is a good time to consider that we have been forgiven of our sins by Jesus. What better way to express our gratitude for such forgiveness than to make sure that we forgive others who may have wronged us?

Prayer: Lord, help us to extend to others the forgiveness you freely grant to us, Amen  

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.  You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

James 2:14-19

I have written in this space in the past that “good behavior beats bad thinking”. It is one of my mantras because it really does make sense- at least to me. What I mean about that mantra for today’s blog is the elephant that has been sitting in our national living room for over a month now. The evil Russian invasion of Ukraine stares at us from across the globe. We feel helpless, angry, stunned- well, you can fill in your own blanks here. Those are just some of my feelings.

Today, our church took up a special offering to go directly to help the suffering people in Ukraine. I am so glad that we did this. You see, praying for the Ukrainian people is right, proper and appropriate- but it is also not enough.

By digging deep into my pocket, I felt like there was something I could actually DO. By taking action, I did not feel quite as helpless. There was a tangible way to provide help, care and support to these suffering people. Yes, we find numerous ways to help others, and that again is simply the right thing to do. But in this case, by taking an action, I could focus my thinking away from anger toward Vladimir Putin and his lengthy list of war crimes and atrocities. I could make an action toward help rather than decrying evil. You know the old adage- “It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark”. Yes, that old adage is eternally true.

So, my dear readers, continue to pray for Ukraine, but see if you can put some feet to those prayers and get involved in a project or program that gets resources to the Ukrainian people. I think you will feel a little better then too.

Prayer: Lord, we plead for your mercy grace for the suffering people of Ukraine, Amen.

Several days later he returned to Capernaum, and the news of his arrival spread quickly through the city. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there wasn’t room for a single person more, not even outside the door. And he preached the Word to them. Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They couldn’t get to Jesus through the crowd, so they dug through the clay roof above his head and lowered the sick man on his stretcher, right down in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw how strongly they believed that he would help, Jesus said to the sick man, “Son, your sins are forgiven!”                                                                                                                                      Mark 2:1-5 (Living)       

 The story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man in Mark 2 is powerful for many reasons. The faithfulness and tenacity of his friends is remarkable. They stopped at nothing to get help for their friend who was hurting. Their commitment paid off, because Jesus healed that man, and he did it simply by telling him that his sins were forgiven. Yes, another example of physical, spiritual and emotional connectedness.

However, the theme I am picking up on today is the actions of the ailing man’s friends. I often tell clients that they need to identify their “team” as the people that they can turn to in time of trouble. They need to be able to name that team, and also communicate with that little team that they are part of his/her healing and recovery. I have never seen a situation where a potential “team member” was not honored to be named as a part of the helping team for the client.

The first step is the hardest one- to ask people to be part of your recovery team. Mental health and addiction recovery is a team effort, make no mistake about it. Once the team is in place, like the group we saw in Mark’s gospel, the power of their help is remarkable.    

Prayer: Thank you for the plan that we go about this journey in life in teams, Amen

I am posting a blog today as an additional entry. Just because I wanted to…

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32 (Living Bible)

I was speaking with a colleague recently about the privilege we have as counselors to be able to help people to speak their truth into existence. What I mean by that is, sharing a difficult experience, or letting go of a shameful experience, into the light of day with another human being is freeing. Often, we as counselors have the privilege of being that “trusted person” to whom a client relates a deep, painful part of their life so as to free them from the bondage of secrecy.

Once we can release that deeply held information, perhaps hidden due to shame or guilt or some other reason, we become free of the shackles of the secret. I call that speaking truth into existence so that it is no longer the shameful darkness which needs to be hidden. Rather, the unburdening process becomes the fact of life that makes us human.

Everyone has some kind of darkness in them, large or small. Sharing deeply held beliefs, or even traumatic events, frees the mind and soul. To the extent that we can bring such events into the light of day, there is freedom for all.

It does not need to be a counselor with whom people share such closely held parts of us. A safe, trusted partner, friend, confidant is essential for maintaining a healthy soul.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the plan to give light to chase away darkness, Amen.

But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!      Revelation 2:4 (New Living Translation)

I was having a discussion the other day with a church pastor who was disturbed by the lack of love shown to others outside his congregation. It was not just his congregation, he felt, but his growing sense that the Church in general had lost its love for others. His local church had, he felt, had become more “politically aligned” than “Jesus aligned”.

We discussed the inherent paradox of the gospel, and it appeared that the salvation of the Church may well come from outside of the traditional church. Wild, right? Yes, what a paradox.

What does that mean? The author of Revelation stated in chapter 2 verse 4, “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!”  I think the author meant that the gospel was about loving other people. It seems that “church people” may often not seem to love those outside of that somewhat tight circle quite as well as some people who are not “church people”.  Maybe people who identify as Jesus followers need to demonstrate radical love in ways like those who do not identify as “the Church” embrace others. No matter political ideology, we must align first with the commands of Jesus to love one another.

Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35).   We must always be aware of having our priorities right. If your political party disintegrated tomorrow, you would be fine, as long as your first priority is Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, give us wisdom in how we demonstrate your love to others, Amen

 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.                                                                                                          Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV)

I had actually written a different story for today, but recent events call me to write about an extraordinary time in civilization – a time that is right in front of us.

 We are watching – yes, literally watching- death being rained upon innocent women and children in Ukraine. Maternity hospitals are being targeted, apartment buildings are being destroyed, and the wanton terror of indiscriminate shelling of cities continues unabated in Ukraine.

Words cannot adequately describe what the civilized world is trying to deal with. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is not a member of the civilized world. He stands outside of decency and moral standards. He alone, it appears, has decided to revisit the historic pogroms of Russia’s past. The old Tsars of Russia killed or banished Jews in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Josef Stalin visited upon Ukraine, in the early 1930’s, the Holodomor, which was the systematic starvation of Ukraine’s citizens.

Today, Vladimir Putin is once again inflicting heinous crimes upon that land. The Ukrainian people are acting with unimaginable courage, defending their land against a cruel aggressor. The Russian people are getting no real news of this. They get only a steady diet of lies and propaganda. Alas, Truth is another of Putin’s victims.

We can only pray that the Russian people can find truth, and then the courage to depose Putin. I do not, of course know how or if this can happen. In fact, as a broken-hearted individual, I feel helpless and angry, and sad.

As you can see, I write in order to express those feelings. It gives me an outlet to vent those things which I cannot control. I also pray, knowing that I can only acknowledge that this is in God’s hands, not mine.

But those who CAN do something MUST do something. The Russian people, and the civilized world deserve better.

Prayer: Lord, we implore you to deliver us from evil, and to rescue those who are suffering, Amen

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.                                                 Matthew 16:13 (English Standard Version)

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.                                                                                                                      Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

In the past ten days, we have seen a remarkable demonstration of evil in the world. Yes, evil is always present, but there are times that it is so evident, so palpable, that our breath is taken away.  The wanton invasion of Ukraine is evil at work. Period. Such instances strain our understanding of the words of Jesus when he instructed us to pray for deliverance from evil.

I am guessing that you and I, like millions of others, are praying for the Ukrainian people. We pray for them, as well as ourselves, to be delivered from the evil of Vladimir Putin’s genocide. We as Christians are also told to pray for our enemies.

I get confused, and frustrated, and sad.

Then I read that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and his plans higher than our plans. Certainly true, but nonetheless frustrating. After all is said and done, I am left with this conclusion – God must have this, because I surely do not. I relearn my place in the universe- he is God, and I am not.

But God did make us human, with human emotions and intellects, to search after the truth of his word, as well as our honest assessment of our feelings about such evil events. So, we must get in touch with the truth of all these disparate thoughts and emotions.

To summarize, we live in the tension of asking for deliverance from evil; called to pray for our enemies; and recognizing that God has this and we do not.

Prayer: Lord, deliver us from evil, Amen

Tomorrow’s blog drops early tomorrow morning, titled “Deliver us from Evil”. I am going to a once/week format now, posting new blogs on Monday morning, so you can watch for that. Thank you for your faithful following and feedback- I appreciate it!

As always, feel free to check the archives for over 700 previous posts. I started daily reflections on April 1, 2020 as the pandemic was ravaging us. I felt that it was something I could do for myself and my readers. The pandemic is not totally over, but unfortunately, we have a new evil plunged upon the world, which I discuss tomorrow.

We shall hang in there together!