How can I stand up before God
    and show proper respect to the high God?
Should I bring an armload of offerings
    topped off with yearling calves?
Would God be impressed with thousands of rams,
    with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,
    my precious baby, to cancel my sin?

 But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
    what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
    be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
    take God seriously

Micah 6:6-8 (The Message)

The prophet Micah delivered this message to the people of Israel after reminding them how God had delivered them time and again from their enemies. He had even made an analogy earlier in this passage about pleading a court case. Here was his simple plea – Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously — take God seriously.

He told people that God is not moved or impressed by multiple sacrifices of animals, and ample gifts of oil, etc. God’s simple desire is that we treat his creation with love and respect. He wants us to honor one another and care for each other. Oh, and by the way, we are not to take ourselves too seriously!

What a great simple message. Religion over the millennia has gone to great lengths to find formulas to please God. For the most part, I think intentions were good, but religion takes itself too seriously. If rules and formulas are too complicated, they can’t be followed.

I like the way Micah thinks.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving us, and asking only love for others in return, Amen

Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind
    finds life itself—   glorious life!                                                                                                                        Proverbs 21:21

When I saw this verse pop up on my Bible app today, it struck me as a great mental health counseling principle. It is also a pretty good way to look at life in general! As I have stated before in this space, I like to look at the positives in clients, not the problems. The clients are typically well aware of their problems (yes, some are not, that is true), but they may not be able to frame issues with the positive outcomes in mind. One of the basic tenets of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy, is that there is a solution for every problem.   

If one approaches situations with the idea that there are ways to overcome whatever problem we face, we find that there is hope. We also then are energized to get to that solution. It may take some time and work, but there is a way to get through whatever we face.

So, the truth in Proverbs is “hunt for the good in life”, and we will find life itself. Sounds pretty good…

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the possible positives in the problems we face, Amen

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

James 2:14-18 (The Message)

I have always enjoyed this passage from the book of James, stated above from the translation, The Message. It points out the classic dialogue in Christian views of how one expresses their faith. In the seminary terms, it discusses the tension between orthodoxy (right beliefs) versus orthopraxy (right practices). In reality, both should be in place, inextricably linked. Our beliefs should result in good practices, loving practices. Sadly, what many outside the faith tend to see is an emphasis on right belief, not right practices.

Do most people see Christians exercising loving practices, or do they see smug judgement of people who may not believe in quite the right way? Well, we all need to look at our orthopraxy, because people will care very little for our orthodoxy if they do not experience our right practices.

Prayer: Lord, help us to practice what we believe, Amen

 Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

James 2:14-18 (The Message)

I have always enjoyed this passage from the book of James, stated above from the translation, The Message. It points out the classic dialogue in Christian views of how one expresses their faith. In the seminary terms, it discusses the tension between orthodoxy (right beliefs) versus orthopraxy (right practices). In reality, both should be in place, inextricably linked. Our beliefs should result in good practices, loving practices. Sadly, what many outside the faith tend to see is an emphasis on right belief, not right practices.

Do most people see Christians exercising loving practices, or do they see smug judgement of people who may not believe in quite the right way? Well, we all need to look at our orthopraxy, because people will care very little for our orthodoxy if they do not experience our right practices.

Prayer: Lord, help us to practice what we believe, Amen

Please enjoy this post from the past. I thought a re-post of it might be in order as we honor Black history month. Hope you enjoy…

The Woman at the Well

A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)

 The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)

 Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”                                                                                                      John 4:7-10 (The Message)

I bought this painting (a reproduction), titled The Woman at the Well, when my wife and I visited the Barnes Museum in Philadelphia several years ago. This painting almost jumped off the wall at me. When I learned the history of the artist, Horace Pippin, it made sense to me why I was drawn to it. Let me tell you his story in brief.

Horace Pippin was an African-American who was a part of the “Harlem Hell Fighters” in World War I. The U.S Army was segregated in those days, so he was part of an all African-American unit which ended up spending more time in combat than any other American unit in that war.

Pippin was injured in the war, shot by a German sniper in the right shoulder. After the injury, he was only able to paint by holding one arm under the other for support as he painted. Perhaps this led to his simple, yet powerful style.

Pippin was keenly aware of racial struggles- he lived in the midst of them. Several of his paintings reflect his commentary on discrimination, and the injustice of the times he lived through. 

This painting spoke to me from afar as we walked through the museum. I was struck first by the garments of both Jesus and the woman. They are very bright white, and of equal tone. The figures are also are very nearly equal in height. Both of these rendering techniques are a symbol of our equality in the eyes of Jesus.

I also noted that the woman was kind of thick around her waist, in contrast to her regularly sized face. Could she be pregnant?

Finally, there bis a red glow in the background, likely her city. This is the city to where she would return and become an evangelist of the man she had just met. Where other people saw her as a broken woman, Jesus saw her as an evangelist of good news.

I think Pippin captured something deep in this painting. He was a man familiar with inequality, and he was a man familiar with pain. To me, this comes out beautifully in his art.

I am not an art collector, nor do I know much about art. But I know when my soul is stirred by a piece of art, and this did it to me. I share it with you for your enjoyment. I think it is a great statement about the artist and his Savior.

Prayer: Thank you Father for the gift of art, and the power that can be drawn from it, Amen.

Worry is paying interest on a debt you might not even owe…                                                                               Mark Twain

I was speaking with a client recently about putting things off, and the cost of doing that. She stated that she and her husband often just avoided talking about difficult issues, and there was not really resolution. Now they find that years of putting off discussions have made those thorny issues even more difficult to discuss.

I explained to her my theory of “universal interest payments”. That means, that whatever we put off- paying bills, making decisions, difficult discussions, etc., all cost more when we put them off. We need to pay the interest due. As we are now in the IRS tax season, guess what happens when we file for an extension? Yep, interest will be due on the amount owed.

Isn’t it better, in the long run, to pay the cost early and avoid interest charges? The answer is, yes it is, but denial tells us that if we ignore the issue, it might go away on its own. Does that happen? Rarely.

Moral of the story, don’t put off the immediate solutions to the problem, even though it seems to be costly and difficult.   

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength to act in timely ways with you and with one another, Amen

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.                                                                  I Peter 5:7

I recently spoke with a client who has anxiety, and we discussed some ideas which I usually share with clients struggling with anxiety. I call it the “Anxiety Tool Kit”. The point of having a tool kit is that one can use the tools to work on a project. Working on something like anxiety is just that- using new behaviors to combat anxiety.

I reminded the client that one cannot “think your way out of a thinking problem” such as anxiety. One must behave your way out of the problem. If we can change or manage certain behaviors, we now have control. Control is the antidote to anxiety. So, we discussed several behaviors, over which she has total control, which she can use when anxious. She can then use these to help “behave her way” out of a thinking problem.   

True for all of us. So, when confronted with anxiety, don’t try to think your way out of it- behave your way out of it.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see that there is a solution to every problem if we can see it from the right perspective, 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! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life^]?

Luke 12:24-25

I was recently discussing the Responsibility strength (from the Gallup StrengthFinder) with a client who struggles with self-acceptance. He judges himself harshly when he cannot take care of the things that he feels are his duties to others. While this is an admirable strength, (one society could use more of, I think), this strength like all others, must be managed well. As we know, strengths to an extreme are a weakness. Strengths not managed well can cause us trouble.

While I was discussing this with the client, he was having a hard time coming to terms with his own sense of failure for not completing an important goal. He could not get beyond that sense of failure- of letting himself and others down.

He knew that the worry he felt was not necessarily warranted, but he felt like he could not escape it. He asked me about the worry. “Why is it so pervasive?” he asked. I suggested that his worry might be his sense of responsibility gone awry. He was trying to take responsibility of things that were not under his control. Other factors, other people, were in the equation and he did not have full control. As we know, where there is worry, we try to overcontrol. He had little control, and he had high worry.

This is a common issue. In fact we all, to some degree, have this issue. We try to control things, often for very good and noble reasons, but when our control is inadequate, our “worry factor” goes up.

So, what to do? We recognize that we cannot control a lot of things around us. We give ourselves some grace for wanting to do the right things, knowing that we cannot control the outcomes, as much as we would love to ensure that those around us are OK. We control what we can control, and we pray about the rest.

Prayer: Lord, you take care of the things we cannot take care of, and we trust that, 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 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

…not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others           Philippians 2:4

I recently read a piece in the newspaper about the effectiveness of “Wellness Programs” in the workplace. Such programs have been proliferating for the past ten years or so with the goals being increased employee production, higher employee morale, better employee satisfaction, and increased staff retention. Perhaps the companies also are truly interested in the well being of their employees. I hope so.

The results of a recent British survey indicate that many such programs have not produced the desired goals in employee mental health and well-being. That is, except for one option offered to employees- engagement in volunteer activities. This activity outpaced things like self-help apps, coaching, relaxation classes, courses in time management and classes in financial counseling.

It is no surprise to me that activities that are focused outwardly, and not self-directed, are the ones that produce the most effective results. Becoming involved in a mission larger than our own well-being is the most effective way to become truly healthy socially and emotionally.

In fact, my homework for clients frequently involves a suggestion to check out volunteer work in the community or at church. When someone is positively involved in the lives of others, and the goal is the betterment of those whom we can help, we end up helping ourselves.  

Isn’t that an interesting paradox about human nature?

Prayer: Lord, you have made us to have missions larger than ourselves, Amen

 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.                                                       Matthew 5:13

I am fascinated by chemistry. Had my math strengths been better, it is possible that I might have majored in chemistry in college. However, I realize that while I have an interest in chemistry, at best I could only be considered a chemistry “spectator”, or maybe admirer. I do not think I have the academic rigor to pursue the hard sciences professionally. Call me a science “groupie”.

At any rate, I am fascinated by the chemical elements and compounds. One of them is salt. Common ordinary table salt. There are many types of salts, but the one we are most familiar with is sodium chloride. Salt has been valued for centuries, mostly, in the past, for one thing- its preservative qualities. Before refrigeration, people needed to find ways to preserve precious food supplies, such as fish. In the time of Jesus, salting fish was a common way to preserve them. Another was drying the fish, and still another was smoking the fish. All produced the result of allowing the fish to be kept much longer than in its fresh state.

Through the centuries, salt was sought after and wars were even fought to ensure steady supplies of it. Cities grew up around salt mines, and the word “salary” even derives its meaning from salt, since workers often were paid in allocations of salt. It was that important a product.

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus used the analogy of salt. He told his followers that they were to be the salt of the earth. This meant that they were to be the ones to deliver the message of grace and redemption in order to “preserve” the earth. If they failed to be “salty” they would fail in the mission.

In order to live out the full mission of being “salty” not only are we to preserve the earth with the good news of the gospel, but we also need to display other qualities of salt- making things taste better, and making people thirsty. People will not hear our message of hope if we are not making the world “taste better”- that is, be more of a palatable place to live. If we do not make people thirsty to hear about the hope of the gospel, we will not be effective.

So, consider how you can make the world around you taste a little better. It is only then that we can get a hearing for people to know how grace can be freely given to them.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the creation that you have spoken into existence. Even salt is part of your plan for our benefit, Amen.