When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So, they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”                       Luke 5:4-8

I listened to a sermon the other day from a pastor I really like. In fact, he is the pastor of my daughter’s church, and we have come to see him and that ministry as our adopted church. He spoke about this passage from Luke 5 and his message was great, but I have always had a different takeaway from it than many people.

This passage involves our friend Peter. Peter was a business man, a fisherman. He depended on fishing for his livelihood. It was not sport or recreation, it was catch fish and eat, or fail and not eat.

What I find so interesting in this passage is that it took this particular event to convince Peter about the majesty and authority of Jesus. It was not too long before this that Jesus had healed Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. Jesus had done a flat-out healing of someone close to Peter- a healing he clearly was aware of. But it took Jesus to get Peter a great business success before he reacted in the profound way that he did to Jesus.

Peter was clearly awed by the power and authority of Jesus after the great haul of fish that day. So, that makes me think, Peter is just like me. Maybe all of us. We are of the “what have you done for me lately?” persuasion.

Yeah, I’m not really proud of that, but I also recognize the humanness of that. We all forget so easily what great things have happened in the past. Great answers to prayer, recovering from illness- whatever it may have been. We remember those things that hit close to home better than some other things. For Peter, that great catch of fish may have rescued him from financial disaster- who knows? It surely got his attention.

What I do know, is that Peter and I are probably pretty alike. Even after a long history of grace and answered prayers, I tend to say, “yes, but what about now? I need you now more than ever!”

I know that God recognizes this in his creation. I note that Jesus did not get upset with Peter in the least. In fact, Jesus told Peter that he would be, from that moment on, a powerful member of his team.

What a great fish story!

Prayer: Father, thank you for the great things you constantly do for us. Help us to remember them even in the lean times, Amen.

The road to life is a disciplined life;
    ignore correction and you’re lost for good.                                                                                                          Proverbs 10:17 (The Message)

I remember reading the book years ago written by Florence Littauer titled, It Takes So Little to be Above Average. The concept is so simple, so basic, yet the results can be profound. I had the privilege of having dinner with Florence Littauer, along with my wife and a mutual friend, shortly after she had written that book. She was very encouraging to me in my early attempts at writing. She also seemed to live the title of the book she had written. She really believed that we could, with very marginal extra effort, live a more compelling and impacting life. I think she was right.

It takes just a little effort to make our lives, and the lives around us, just a little bit better. I thought about this again recently while walking. I saw discarded paper masks, pop bottles and other assorted trash outside of the store I was about to enter. “Litter”, I told my wife, “is a measure of how people value their community. The more litter, the less community cohesion and collective discipline”.

Now, litter has been a problem for many years. Further, my hypothesis about the amount of litter and the inference about the collective care for the community has not been measured- at least to my knowledge. Nonetheless, I am disturbed by the presence of litter because it reflects poorly on my community. More importantly, it makes me believe that the general level of discipline has slipped.

It really, truly, is not hard to find a receptacle for trash. The laziness of those who litter gives me concern for the deeper, more negative implications that it holds. That is, people do not care enough about others to take a minute to do the right thing. They are thinking, at that moment, only of themselves. I think, as a society, we are becoming less disciplined, less caring, and less community focused.

As Florence Littauer wrote, it really takes very little to rise above mediocrity. I think that is true. I wonder how many people really want to do that?

Prayer: You have created us to care for one another, and our shared environment. Forgive us for our careless behaviors which dishonor you and our fellow travelers, Amen.

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.                                                                                                                         Luke 5:12-13

I am always struck by how Jesus dealt with this leper who asked for healing. Jesus touched him. If there was ever a forbidden act in those times, it was to touch a leper. I think in that very act, Jesus not only healed the man of leprosy, he healed the man’s shame and isolation.                              

Human touch can be healing.

I was speaking with a client the other day about the long-term effects of maternal bonding and affection. Rather, I was pointing out that the lack of such primary nurture and cuddling can lead to failure to bond, and long-term effects such as feelings rejection and abandonment.

The classic study done in this area was that of Harry Harlow, who used macaques for some of his studies. The baby macaques were separated from their mother, and the mother was replaced by either a wire framework that resembled an adult macaque mother, or one with cloth that gave warmth and comfort to the touch. The babies gravitated to the “cloth mothers”, searching for reassurance and affection. The babies deprived of the “cloth mothers” grew up isolated socially, and unsure of their place in the framework of the macaque community.

The studies were controversial due to later questions of ethics, in that the treatment of the animals could be considered cruel and inhumane. Some other studies of Harlow were also somewhat dubious in their approaches, but some valuable information was gleaned from the studies.

The need for touch and warmth at the earliest possible time in life is essential for attachment and proper development of affection.  We learn very quickly that we need loving touch to survive in this world. We learn, even before we have language, or brain capacities that are cognitively aware of our surroundings, that human touch is essential. It gives security in a world that is completely unknown. The earliest sensations of warmth and cuddling are critical in our development.

Let’s not diminish the need for physical touch and affirmation as we grow. While some people need such affirmation more than others, all of us need the grounding and anchoring, and indeed the validation that we physically need one another’s touch.

So, if you are a “hugger”, get your daily hug from your loved ones. It is good for you and them!

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the gift of healing, even in a loving touch, Amen

 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens; don’t turn away from me or I shall die.  Let me see your kindness to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for my prayer is sincere.               Psalm 143: 7-8

I just read an interesting article from my friend and colleague Joe Wegmann, the Pharmatherapist. Joe wrote about the theory of chemical imbalance in depression, specifically the concept of Serotonin depletion as a cause of depression.

Joe indicates that it is too simplistic, and very inaccurate to blame Serotonin depletion alone for depression. Depression is a multi-factor illness, with roots in the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual parts of our being. Serotonin depletion can be found in depressed individuals, but is it a cause or effect, or even a by-product of depression? Yes, it is real, but to blame depression on merely low Serotonin levels is not doing a justice to the complexity of the illness.

That being said, anti-depressants which help to raise or maintain Serotonin levels are still beneficial for many patients. If you are taking an SSRI, don’t stop without serious conversations with your therapist and your physician. Yet, realize that depression is multi-faceted, and that the remedy too must include all parts on one’s life. Strong social and familial connections are still the best tools one has in dealing with depression.

If you are a reader of this blog for any length of time, you will also note that I strongly suggest regular and even vigorous exercise, and close attention to one’s spiritual life as tools to effectively combat depression.

So, recognize that you do have tools to deal with depression, and that others around you want to help.

Please reach out to them.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us many people around us to lean on in hard times. When we are depressed, remind us again, Amen.

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. Colossians 1:15-17 (The Message)

 I was speaking recently to a client about energy. He is depressed and grieving, and he is having trouble coming up with the energy to do what will be most helpful for him. We need to supply energy into a behavior, like exercise, in order to accomplish the goals we want. When we are depressed, there seems to be very little energy available. There are, I think both physical and emotional reasons for this. However, somehow, we need to find a way to manufacture energy to do things, especially when we lack motivation to do them. At that point, it is sheer discipline to do the things that are good for us, regardless of whether we are motivated to do it or not.

In thinking a little further, I see that all energy in the universe comes from the hand of God. He is the creator and sustainer of life- even those wild sub-atomic particles which make up matter- those things that I do not really understand.

So much of life is in the invisible realm. Coming up with the energy to do anything comes from a place of the invisible. We cannot see God, but we see his creation. We cannot see the cellular interactions in our body that give energy, but we rely on them for every movement we make.

So, it takes faith to move ahead, even when we do not want to. Faith that as we move, we will actually gain some momentum to move a little farther.

Prayer: Lord, your creation is marvelous, and your best work is invisible. Help us to make your presence more visible to others, Amen

If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place.                                     Proverbs 24:10

How many times have we heard this refrain in the past two years? “And then COVID hit…”

So many of my clients had been dealing with relationship problems, employment problems, anxiety, etc., and then COVID hit. The presence of COVID issues became a multiplier for misery. Whatever problems my clients had, now became exponentially worse because of COVID-19.

COVID has literally changed our culture. It exposed existing cultural cleavages in thought and attitude which had been simmering for several years. When the pandemic hit, those long-simmering worldviews, which had been lingering beneath the surface for years, burst forth in anger. One could not easily be angry with a disease, but one could certainly label those who differed in their opinions about the disease, as an enemy.

Thus, COVID became politicized, and that can never be good. Political responses to health problems are often opportunistic ways to capture votes. Our world is now a different place than it was just two years ago. Not just different in the normal way that we grow and change, but different because we see the world differently.

So, post-COVID world is a thing. Crises define and illuminate character. We can embrace the new challenges and find ways to work together for one another, or we can be angry, spiteful, and politically opportunistic.

I suggest that we are all in this together, and that we try not to become tribal and opportunistic. Let’s humbly listen to one another. Divisive issues such as abortion and gun control are opportunities to listen to one another and decide to love one another, no matter our positions.

What do you think?

Prayer: Lord, give us ears to hear and patience to listen well, Amen

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.                                                                                                                                                John 16:22

I was speaking recently with a client who is going through the grieving process, and I talked with her about my view of grieving. I explained it is like standing at the shore of a large body of water where the tides roll in. In early grief, like those ocean waves, the waves of grief seem to wash over us completely, frequently, and fearsomely. We think that we might drown because we cannot catch our breath.

Then gradually, the waves diminish a bit. They still roll over us, but with a bit less frequency and less intensity. Then later on, the waves still come, but they are even less intense and less frequent. They can still come, and they can still at times wash over us, but this sense of being overwhelmed by them is diminished.

Finally, after some period of time (never try to put a time limit on the grieving process), there will be waves, but now quite infrequently. They may still come, and indeed may surprise us with their intensity at times, but they do not overwhelm us, and we can have some reflective perspective on them.

Grieving is natural and important. It honors those people and even things we have lost that were important to us. Yes, we grieve all losses, and that is what helps to make us human.

The analogy of the waves of grief has been helpful for me, and I hope it is helpful to my readers as well.

Prayer: Lord, we are visited by pain and loss, and we are joined to others in the fellowship of suffering that we all experience. We look to you and others for comfort in those times, Amen

When you give a gift to a beggar, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you in all earnestness, they have received all the reward they will ever get.                                    Matthew 6:2

I came across this hierarchy of charity many years ago in graduate school. It is from the writings of the great Medieval Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides.  I found it fascinating that he was able to define the levels of charity toward others, basing it upon the dignity of the recipient, which reflected directly upon the dignity of the giver.

I hope it blesses you…

There are eight levels of charity, each greater than the next.                                                        [1] The greatest level, above which there is no greater, is to support a fellow Jew by endowing him with a gift or loan, or entering into a partnership with him, or finding employment for him, in order to strengthen his hand so that he will not need to be dependent upon others . . .

[2] A lesser level of charity than this is to give to the poor without knowing to whom one gives, and without the recipient knowing from who he received. For this is performing a mitzvah solely for the sake of Heaven. This is like the “anonymous fund” that was in the Holy Temple [in Jerusalem]. There the righteous gave in secret, and the good poor profited in secret. Giving to a charity fund is similar to this mode of charity, though one should not contribute to a charity fund unless one knows that the person appointed over the fund is trustworthy and wise and a proper administrator, like Rabbi Chananyah ben Teradyon.

[3] A lesser level of charity than this is when one knows to whom one gives, but the recipient does not know his benefactor. The greatest sages used to walk about in secret and put coins in the doors of the poor. It is worthy and truly good to do this, if those who are responsible for distributing charity are not trustworthy.

[4] A lesser level of charity than this is when one does not know to whom one gives, but the poor person does know his benefactor. The greatest sages used to tie coins into their robes and throw them behind their backs, and the poor would come up and pick the coins out of their robes, so that they would not be ashamed.

[5] A lesser level than this is when one gives to the poor person directly into his hand, but gives before being asked.

[6] A lesser level than this is when one gives to the poor person after being asked.

[7] A lesser level than this is when one gives inadequately, but gives gladly and with a smile.

[8] A lesser level than this is when one gives unwillingly.

(Credit to Chabad.org)

 He called, “Any fish, boys?”

“No,” we replied.

 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get plenty of them!” So we did, and couldn’t draw in the net because of the weight of the fish, there were so many!

John 21:5-7 (Living Bible)

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”                                               John Wooden                                                                                                                                                            

I was talking with a friend the other day about grace. Specifically, we talked about grace that is invisible to us until we are enabled to see it. I suggested that the key to have the lens to see such grace is humility.

We were talking about the incident when Jesus told Peter, (after Peter and others had spent a whole night of fruitless fishing), to cast his net on the other side of the boat. Peter, a fisherman by profession, must have been taken aback when this itinerant preacher and part-time carpenter, gave him fishing advice.

Peter did as Jesus suggested, and he came up with the biggest haul of his life. He received the grace of a bounty of fish that had heretofore been hidden from him. Peter’s decision to accede to the directions of a non-fisherman took some humility. This came from Peter’s trust of Jesus, as well as perhaps a sense of “Well, I’ve got nothing to lose” thinking. Who knows?

I do suggest that it took humility on Peter’s part to cast that net where Jesus said to. Humility is the mindset- “There are things people can teach me. I don’t have all the answers.”

Teachable people are humble people. They are successful ones too.

Prayer: Thank you for the hidden graces that await us as we trust in you, Amen.

 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.     Philippians 2:3-4

I first became aware of Buck O’Neil when I watched the marvelous Ken Burns series on PBS about the grand game of baseball. Buck O’Neil was a Negro League player and manager, and he became the first African-American coach in Major League Baseball in the 1960’s with the Chicago Cubs.

He should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 with other Negro League greats, but instead, he gave a powerful speech about the inductees without any reference to his own snub. Buck O’Neil was able to celebrate the success of others with grace and joy.

He had his own credentials for induction, and finally received that honor this year. It is very sad to me when people do not get to experience the joy of being rightly honored in their lifetime. How might he have felt if he had been able to stand at the dais and make the acceptance speech for his own induction?

Yet, he loved the opportunity to see those whom he helped to prosper. He helped to establish the Negro League Hall of Fame in Kansas City, a shrine I intend to visit this summer.

Buck O’Neil, a victim of Jim Crow racism found a way to overcome hatred with love of others. I think he embodies Paul’s words in Philippians above. Buck O’Neil loved his God and fellow man. That is the best tribute one can have.

We love you Buck O’Neil!

Highlight, then click on this link below to see the great speech and warm embrace he gave to the crowd in 2006…

 The Greatest Thing – YouTube