Feeling like visiting the wayback machine again. Even that reference, “the Wayback Machine” harkens back to a wonderful, underappreciated show from my youth, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show”.

I got into the mood as I was grilling some pork chops for dinner, and listening to 50’s and ‘60’s music on Pandora radio. We had pork chops, corn on the cob, and tomatoes for dinner- the perfect summer fare, right? Yes! Except that tomatoes aren’t tomatoes anymore. You know, “old timey” tomatoes had great texture, wonderful fresh taste, and… well, they just don’t taste that way anymore.

Yes, I can perhaps rightly be accused of being that old guy in the rocker on the porch who says that “things aren’t like they used to be! Research tells us that our farming industry has made some trade-offs. Apples, tomatoes, and other produce are now less genetically diverse, more disease resistant, and much blander in flavor. They have a longer shelf life, are more uniform in size and color, but less appealing to the taste.

So, this is not so much a rant as a recognition that there is a price to pay for success in any endeavor. We just have to decide, is it worth it? Indeed, in the attempt to feed the world in an efficient and sustainable manner we must make some hard choices. I understand.

But I miss the tomatoes.  

Are there things that you are putting off doing? I would bet that there are. Just like everybody, there are some things that you have avoided doing, or been “putting them off” for one reason or another. I have found that doing just one of those things- that phone call, that appointment- whatever it is, will give you the momentum to do more of those nagging tasks that are just waiting out there that you have said you were going to do someday.

Those little things that you are putting off are probably causing a low level of stress that you may have been carrying for a long time. By doing just one of those little tasks, you open the door to change your whole attitude and outlook.

Remember one of my sayings- “change one thing, change everything”. By overcoming the inertia of completing just one simple task, you open up the door for a relief of an underlying stress. You can change your whole outlook.

That’s it. That’s the whole message today. Do one thing, one little thing, that you have been putting off, and see how relieved you will feel!

Prayer: Lord, help us to do that one little thing today, Amen

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us                         I John 1:8

I recently had a discussion with a client about taking an honest inventory of our broken areas. Such self-awareness exercises are healthy and important aspects of not only maintaining good mental health, but of accepting our personhood.

We cannot hide from ourselves. If we try, it always comes out badly in the end. Being honest with God and ourselves about our resentments, our hurts, our disappointments etc. is a healthy exercise.

The paradoxical result is that we, having come to some better understanding of our broken areas, feel better about ourselves. We can be honest with ourselves. We can recognize some resentments that have become grievance narratives that we tell ourselves that have become the basis for negative images of our situation.   

Sometimes, we have grievances toward God that we do not want to admit or acknowledge. But let’s face it- God already knows our heart, so why not admit those disappointments? Phillip Yancey wrote a book many years ago entitled Disappointed With God. In that book, he simply acknowledges that as human beings, we have a mind and will that have expectations of God that will simply not happen the way we want.

So, my friends, the truth sets us free. Let us have a look at ourselves, and take that inventory that sets us free.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making us beings that can question ourselves, Amen

Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”                                                                  Matthew 19:24

This passage, from Matthew chapter 19 is often referenced when discussing the role of wealth in salvation. I think the answer is that it has nothing to do with salvation. Yet what we do with wealth is all important.

I think Jesus gave this metaphor to let people know that wealth can actually be a hindrance to a God-directed life. Some people of wealth confuse their wealth with God’s blessing upon their life. Sometimes wealthy people feel that they have done it all on their own, and that they do not need God or anyone else in order to be just fine in life.

In other words, wealth can be interpreted in many ways that suit our personal narrative. I think Jesus used this opportunity to explain that wealth can be an obstacle for people in their search for eternal life. In this case, I think Jesus was saying, yes, it is just as impossible for wealth to get us into heaven as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

Our own efforts and wealth can never get us into God’s Kingdom. It is only dependence upon God that can get us into his kingdom. Our own efforts will never be good enough.  

Fortunately, our remedy is trust in Jesus and submission to his plans for our life.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your plans which are higher than ours, Amen

You are Peter, a stone; and upon this rock I will build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it.                                                                                                                                              Matthew 16:18 (Living Bible)

Sometimes the words Christendom and Christianity are used interchangeably. They are not the same. Christendom is a term applied to countries and states where Christianity has historically been the dominant religion. In the Middle Ages and into the Age of Discovery, the concept of “Christendom” was used as a cover to give sanction to exploring powers to “Christianize heathen populations” and win those souls for Christ.  

I think we all know the problems that came from colonization, and the overpowering of indigenous cultures all in the name of “Christianizing”. This is to say that we can put sanitized labels on our behaviors in the name of God.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a renowned European scholar of the 19^th century who loved American ideals, said “In Europe, Christianity has permitted itself to be intimately united with the powers of the earth. Today these powers are falling and it is almost buried under their debris.”

His warning should be well heeded. To the extent that Christianity allies itself with governmental power, both suffer.  Neither Christians, nor the Church, need the power of a national state to prosper or to have influence. Indeed, the church only has influence to the extent that it is NOT allied with the governing state.

I am concerned about the people who advocate for Christian Nationalism. This is not healthy, neither for Christianity, nor the nation.

Prayer: Lord, you told us the Church will prevail through your power, Amen.

Just a brief word today my friends. I will be participating in a memorial service this morning for a man named David Phipps. He passed away on July 10, succumbing to the devastating effects of Lewy Body dementia.

I knew David for many years as we both served in our church. He was a simple, yet profound man- a man loved by so very many. He was kind, gentle, intelligent and a lover of people. He was an educator and counselor who impacted so many young lives- and those of us who were not so young. His truly was a life well-lived, and I am certain that the service will honor him, as well as his father in heaven.  

I am guessing that you may know someone like David – a kind, self-effacing person who drew no attention to himself, but showed much interest in you. If you do, take the opportunity soon to tell that person how much you care about them. We sometimes do not get the time with people that we think we may have.

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts Colossians 3:16

I was speaking with a client the other day about gratitude as a remedy to the “what ifs”. He stated that he sometimes caught himself asking “what if I had not married?”; “what if I had children?”; “what if I had not experienced my childhood medical issues?”

The problem with these questions is that they helped inform a victim narrative. He recognized that he is not a victim, but an overcomer. He knows that gratitude is the proper remedy for negative thinking. We discussed the idea that gratitude can be either intentional or emotional in origin. That is, we can be grateful because we feel the emotion of gratitude, or we can intentionally offer gratitude, even when we don’t necessarily “feel it”. So, even if we are not feeling especially blessed on a certain day, we intentionally recognize the blessings we have.

I think that is a wonderful mindset to have.

Prayer: Lord, we are indeed grateful for our blessings, seen and unseen, Amen

 You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.                 James 3:18 (Living Bible)

One of the roles of a counselor is to help clients refute the irrational beliefs that anxiety constantly brings into their mind. I recently had a client who suffers from social anxiety who had the belief that she was not interesting enough for other people. This was one of the lies of anxiety- “you are not worthy”.

We looked into some of her past and saw that she had become adept at trying to determine emotional safety by trying to figure out what might please or displease others. She had become risk aversive, and the irrational thought that supported this was that she should avoid others because they would find her uninteresting. In short, she felt that she might get rejected.

As we work through this, she is beginning to see herself as a person of worth and value. Further, it was not her responsibility to ensure that the other person would approve of her. It is her job to be truthful and caring, not to make herself “interesting” to others. Indeed, I told her “When you show interest in others, they find you interesting!”  This client has high empathy for others, and I know that if she takes the risk of reaching out to engage others, they will find her interest in them, “interesting”.

It is so rewarding to be able to give people the assurance that they may not have had in the past. I ended by asking the client to consider that she was well worth knowing, and that people needed to see her gift of empathy in action. To her credit, she agreed to try to engage one person next week to get to know them.

She is going to do just fine in that homework.

Prayer: Lord, you have made us in your image, and worthy of respect and care, Amen

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint                                                   Jeremiah 31:25

Are you tired? Well, we all get tired, but there are different kinds of tired. What I mean is, as three-part beings, we can get tired on any, or every, level. So, w can get physically tired, emotionally tired, or spiritually tired.

Sometimes it is hard to tell what dimensions are experiencing being tired. For example, we can typically understand being physically tired. Yet there are times when being emotionally tired feels like being physically tired. That is why when we are depressed, we seem to experience having less energy, and we feel tired.

So, the remedies for each kind of “tired” are different. Of course, the remedy for being physically tired is rest or sleep. But if that rest or sleep is not replenishing, maybe we are experiencing other kinds of tired.

When we are emotionally tired, the best remedy may well be physical exercise. That may sound counterintuitive, but it works. It replenishes our brain chemicals and hormonal responses. We feel physically tired perhaps, but energized mentally.

Finally, when we are spiritually tired- have lost our zest for connection with God, or perhaps we are just irritable and distant- the remedy may well be fellowship with other people of faith. This can be refreshing and encouraging for our soul.

It is not always easy to determine what kind of “tired” we are. Just consider the fact that there are different remedies for replenishing our energy, depending on the cause.  

Prayer: Lord, refresh us when we are spiritually tired, Amen

His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them                                                                                 Genesis 50:18-21

I spoke recently with a client who had experienced early trauma in his life. He had, as a child, a life-threatening illness that limited his opportunities to participate in many activities with his peer group. His very life was often threatened by it. He eventually developed some coping skills that allowed him to become an overcomer. I explained to my client that there are different responses to trauma in terms of outcomes later in life.

Getting adequate support and therapy is key in dealing with any traumatic event, and not all traumas are created equal, of course. However, these are the general categories I have seen in trauma response.

First, there are those who get stuck in the “victim” role. These people tend to blame their problems on circumstances or other people. They may fail to flourish in life, and they have a ready-made explanation of their failures. They become victims because they see themselves as victims. They tend to live a life that is defined by their trauma.  

Then there are the “survivors”. They have managed to live a life that is successful despite early trauma. While their life is not fully defined by the trauma, they have been limited somewhat by the events of earlier life. They may have lowered their own expectations of what they may have achieved in life, and they never quite get to the place that they had hoped in life.  

Finally, there are the “overcomers”. These people are not defined by their trauma, and in fact, they may use their own experiences to help others in life who have had similar difficulties. They have overcome stigma, physical impairments, and their own sense of self-limitation. They have overcome to the point that they have utilized the trauma to make their life better than it might have been had they never experienced the traumatic past.  

Trauma changes people in every way possible. The question is, how can we use that trauma in ways that help ourself as well as those around us?

Will we be victims, survivors, or overcomers?

Prayer: Lord, help us use our life experiences to shape our best intended destiny, Amen