I thank my God every time I remember you,always praying with joy for all of you.                         Philippians 1:3-4

I have two big brothers and a big sister. I am the youngest of four children, and now I am the only one in my seventies. Yeah, I am such a youngster they keep reminding me. I am so blessed to have these siblings in my life. We are a close-knit family, and that is a legacy to my parents and grandparents and beyond.

We do not have the luxury of picking our ancestors, obviously, but we do have the responsibility for carrying on family legacy and values. We try to pass those things down to our own children and grandchildren, and from what I see, we are in good shape on that front.

We are all getting older, and we never know how much time we have to tell those we love how important they are to us. So, to my dear siblings, I love you and I have been blessed to be your little brother.

To my brother Ed, whose birthday we celebrate today, you are my mentor, and the guy I always followed. Thanks for being a great big brother, and happy birthday!!

Love you, big brother!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of family, Amen

“The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens.”     Jimmy Carter

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown and with his own people and in his own home.”                                                                                                                                               Mark 6:4 (NCV)

James Earl Carter Jr., better known as “Jimmy” Carter, was the 39^th President of the United States. He was elected in November, 1976, following Gerald R. Ford. His presidency was widely seen as ineffective, largely due to the Iran hostage crisis, and his failure to effect a plan to rescue the hostages. The military rescue operation he enacted ended in a disaster in the desert, and he was never able to overcome the negative blowback resulting from that.

He was able to engineer the Camp David Accords which was a major international accomplishment. Despite some successes in his presidency, his one term was not considered to be particularly remarkable. It was only after his presidency that he gained acclaim and honor as perhaps the most impactful ex-president in U.S history.

His work for Habitat for Humanity, the Carter Center, and his stature internationally as a trusted impartial mediator of elections attest to the trust and respect given to him throughout the world. His 2002 Nobel Peace Prize is just one validation of his legacy after he was president.  

He is now in Hospice care at age 99, and he has little time left on earth. By all measures, his life has been well lived and impactful. His Christian faith has been his beacon and standard, and in a time when Christians are seen as hypocritical and judgmental, he stands as a real follower of Jesus and a true model of character.

The quote of Carter, cited above may well sum up his view of life and his Christian faith. So as his time winds down, I salute the life of this man who served his God, his country, and the world.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the life and work of Jimmy Carter. Bless him on his journey home, Amen

 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”                                                                                                            Mark 9:33-36

So, I can just imagine the conversation among the twelve disciples before Jesus confronted them about their bickering. They were ashamed because they were trying to decide among themselves who was the greatest. Maybe, most likely, they argued about who was the favorite of Jesus. These are grown men mind you, and they had been around Jesus for a while, and they were arguing over who was his favorite. They had, of course, completely missed his message, and the irony was that they were, in effect, trying to decide who missed his message the worst!

Jesus had to call them out by showing them, again, the paradox of power- the ones who give it away most effectively, are the ones who are the most successful.

I think about religious denominations which essentially argue, “Who has the path to God?” In other words, “who are God’s favorites?” The answer is, those who most effectively serve others without worrying about who gets credit. Wars have been fought over which Christian denomination is “right”. Pretty ridiculous, right? Yet it is human nature to be competitive with “closeness to God”.

So, we shouldn’t be too hard on the disciples. They just wanted to be the closest to Jesus. Great goal. The way to do that is to do his will, and to serve his children.

Prayer: Lord, your message is so simple that we often miss it. Thank you for your plan to be childlike to be close to you, Amen.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;                                                         I Corinthians 1:27 (KJV)

A favorite metaphor in many cultures is that of David and Goliath. This Biblical story seems to be known throughout the world as an example of the underdog who overcomes great odds to win. We love it when the unexpected happens, and especially when the little guy is facing long odds to win- better yet when the opponent is so vastly superior, or so it would seem.

The David and Goliath story used in the Bible explains that God seems to favor the weak over the strong. The dependent over the arrogant. The faithful over the haughty. David won the contest with Goliath through his skillful use of a sling as opposed to the brute force of Goliath.

But more than that, David was willing to face this giant because of his faith that God would protect him, and that he would somehow prevail, despite the obvious power of Goliath.

Malcolm Gladwell in his book David and Goliath gives numerous examples of the paradoxes that we find in life, and the reasons that we are confounded by them.

 I find that the essence of the Bible is about the unexpected. The apostle Paul said that “when I am weak, then I am strong”.  Jesus said “The meek shall inherit the earth”; James states “God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith”; and on it goes. Our usual thinking turned upside down.

There was nothing more unexpected than a savior coming from a little backwater village in Palestine to save a broken world from its own sin and failure.

Then again, maybe it makes all the sense in the world.

Prayer: Lord, you have challenged us to believe things that are upside down to our thinking. What an amazing plan, Amen.

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds                             Luke 12:24

As I have mentioned before, I feed birds- and secondarily squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, ducks, and possibly a whole phylum of animals. Who knows who eats in my yard? The point is, I find it to be fun and entertaining to feed God’s creatures. It makes me think of the fact that they have no idea where the food comes from, they just know to show up and eat it.

In some ways, we eat off the land too. The process of how food comes about – the intricate chemistry of photosynthesis, the habits of the animals that we eventually consume as protein, are in many ways still unknown to us. Yes, we can produce crops, raise domestic animals, and even hunt wild animals for food, but the intricacies of nutrition are still being uncovered by humans.

So, I take the provision of my daily sustenance, my “daily bread” if you will, as being produced by God in ways that I do not fully understand. That is what sort of levels the playing field for me with the animals I feed. We are all simply grateful consumers in many ways!

Prayer: Lord, you provide for your creation in marvelous ways, Amen

 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.  Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished.  And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.                                                                                                                                                 Jeremiah 29:5-7

You may have noticed that I was gone this weekend and did not post a blog. I took a few days for R&R. Glad to be back with you. I wanted to share a little lesson from my time away…

I took this picture while on a weekend getaway in southeastern Ohio. I immediately thought of the verse in Jeremiah where the prophet, exiled in Babylon cried out to God about his plight. God replied to him, essentially, “Jeremiah, pray for the prosperity of the people around you- even that pagan city of Babylon, for as they prosper, you prosper.”

Even in the roughest, most hostile environment, this tree found a way to grow. It grew on a rock! So, the word for us is, don’t fret about your current circumstances, grow where you are planted!  

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.                                        Proverbs 17:22

I have discussed many times in this space the connection and correlation of mental, physical and spiritual dimensions of our life.  Each dimension affects the other in complex and mysterious ways sometimes.

I was recently listening to a podcast about the effects of isolation on general health. Some of the discussion centered around the effects of COVID-19 and the isolation it brought on due to quarantine orders and distancing rules during the pandemic.  It was no coincidence that during the pandemic, we became highly sensitized to the rise of mental illness in the world. As we became more isolated, stressed and hopeless, our mental health was adversely affected by the pandemic.  

One of the findings of research indicated that not only our mental health was affected. As loneliness and isolation became more numbingly prevalent, several health indicators also declined.

This led me to consider again the Broken Heart Syndrome. This condition is caused by acute stress, or loss of a loved one. The heart can literally begin to malfunction, and it can lead to death. Yes, people could actually die from a broken heart. Our emotional health is tied to our physical health in amazing and sometimes, frightening ways.

So, when the book of Proverbs talks about the heart, maybe it can mean both our physical heart as well as our soul and spirit.

Wow.

Prayer: Lord, you have made us connectional beings, so fragile in some ways, and so strong in others, Amen

 If you refuse criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept criticism, you are on the road to fame.            Proverbs 13:18 (Living Bible)

I was talking to clients in marriage counseling the other day, and I observed the interactions between them. Sometimes, our behaviors become so ingrained that they become invisible to us. In this particular case, the husband was talking to his wife about an issue where he wanted her to be involved in a venture with him. He felt that it was important, from a professional standpoint, that she join him in this venture.

As I reflected back on their interactions, I noted that her response was very hesitant and even a bit tearful. His tone in discussing her willingness to join him in this venture seemed like more of a command and an expectation. She felt like she didn’t have much of a choice in her answer.

I pointed this out to the husband, and he at first was a bit defensive, but then quickly understood my observation. He had essentially given her a command, not an invitation. Once he went back and explained what he really wanted, and why he wanted her involved in the venture, she was grateful, relieved and affirmed. The husband, is a really good guy- insightful, caring, thoughtful- but he needed an observation from outside that he had come across in a way that was not respectful to his wife. This kind of thing is not unusual. All of us fall into certain behaviors and patterns that can become invisible to us over time.

Sometimes the nuance of how we approach others for what we want is misinterpreted. Sometimes, our tone or language is perceived in ways we did not intend. Such things happen often.

In this situation, this husband’s willingness to see other ways that were better methods to communicate really carried the day. I really appreciated his humility and grace in receiving coaching, and I told him that.

Indeed, humility is the beginning of wisdom.  

Prayer: Lord, help us to keep a humble and teachable spirit, Amen

Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires                                                              James 3:4

I recently spoke with a client about homework that I had suggested for him to do. There were two or three things on the list, and he said that he would do all of them. I told him that his approach and willingness were commendable, but if he only did one of the new disciplines we had discussed, it would be great. In fact, I told him that if he only did one of the things we had discussed, and he would be regular in doing it, this would give traction to the others and make them easier to accomplish.

I take this to be a truth. When we find a little success in one small area, it can carry over to other areas which gives traction for further growth. Did you ever get stick in a ditch with your car? In trying to free the car, you often only need just a slight bit of dry, level area for the tire to bite, and when it does, you get the traction you need to pull the whole car out of the ditch.

So it is with new habits. If you just get a little bit of traction- a little success- you find that you get the momentum to “get out of the ditch”.

Prayer: Lord, we know that a little success can bring much joy and victory, Amen

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves    Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

…Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?                                       Job 2:10

Suffering. It is a part of the human experience. It is unavoidable, much as we try to avoid it. It is not a matter of if we will suffer, but when we will suffer. It is natural to try to avoid or minimize suffering, obviously, but it is unreasonable to think that we can simply completely avoid it.

So, as suffering is an inevitable travelling partner of human beings, it makes sense to have a philosophy of how we will approach suffering. Suffering comes in many flavors- physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, mental- in every way we can perceive the world- and often when one area is affected, all are affected.

Our attitude about suffering will be the indicator of how we survive it. As the great Viktor Frankl wrote “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” As a concentration camp survivor in World War II, Frankl was deeply acquainted with suffering. He understood that no matter what his Nazi captors could do to him, they could never control his mind and attitudes. That was under his control.

The famous Biblical sufferer, Job also had a great philosophy toward suffering. He said “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” He accepted that in this life, there is both joy and suffering, and that he could not blame God for the way this human experience on earth works.

Finally, we serve a God who chose to send his son to the earth to experience that very suffering that we all share. Jesus was a man “acquainted with grief” so that he could fully understand his creation.

So, my friends, we are joined in a fellowship of periodic suffering in our lifetime. The question is, how will we redeem it for good?

Prayer: Lord, you have given us resources to deal with suffering. Help us to use those resources wisely, Amen