Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.                                                                               James 3:13

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

John Wooden – coach and philosopher                                                                                                       

As I was reading this passage from James, I was struck by the timeliness of this ancient wisdom. In a time such as we have in the United States today, there is a need for “humility that comes from wisdom”.

I heard a podcast interview with a scholar today who is noted as a bit of an expert on the causes of the Holocaust. He has done a lot of research, and after much reading, and even insightful exposition of the causes of that horrific exercise of violence and racism, he notes that he still cannot understand all of the immense historical and cultural factors that led up to it.

The interviewer also noted that often, people who have the least information on a subject often portray great confidence and certainty of their own conclusions. That circled me back to the passage for today. James mentioned that only the truly wise person has the humility to know that they don’t know it all.

Albert Einstein, that great, brilliant physicist, admitted that he could not come to terms with some of the ideas of quantum physics, even though he could be considered the “grandfather” of quantum physics. Einstein looked for explanations of the causality of the universe, and he believed that there had to be better explanations than the “uncertainties” that quantum physics requires. He had a quote that he used often- “God did not roll the dice” when he created the universe.

Even Einstein had the humility to know that he did not possess the answers that only God knows. It feels like there is a good lesson there…

Prayer: Lord, gives us wisdom, but first give us humility to use it well, Amen

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.                                                                                                     Philippians 4:8-9 (The Message)

Think back to a time in the summer when you were young and carefree. You had no particular responsibilities, and you were free to do pretty much what you wanted to do- within parental limits of course. Okay, we won’t tell about some of those other times…

My point here is that our memory bank can be just that- a bank to store refreshing memories to be drawn out when needed. We have within us the tools and resources to restore our soul when things get difficult in life. Those memories can serve as little oases to refresh a weary mind. We cannot go back and actually relive those times, but they can remain with us as precious parts of our life.  Those memories can actually change our brain chemistry and improve mood, lower blood pressure, and give us a more positive outlook, even if the respite is only a temporary one.

I am aware that for some people, their childhood may not have contained a lot of those great memories of carefree times. They may have lived in an abusive environment, or perhaps had illnesses that limited those carefree times. But we all can look back to some times in our life that literally can bring a smile to our face as we think of them.  We can use that tool to bring some light into a day that may feel heavy.

I hope your memories can bring that smile…

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember those times in life that restore our soul, Amen.

The second law (of thermodynamics) states that physical systems tend to slide spontaneously and irreversibly toward a state of disorder (a process driven by an increase in entropy)…

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.                                                                                                                                                        I Peter 4:10

It is interesting to me that the laws of physics govern not only the state of matter, but our human condition. Essentially, the Second Law of Thermodynamics states that all things in the universe tend to go to a higher state of entropy (disorder) if left to themselves. If you ever owned a car, or a refrigerator, or a washer- or anything- you know that it will eventually wear out or breakdown. It is a law of the universe. Stuff, like people, eventually wears out and breaks down.

Some people like to quote Murphy’s Law also, which states that “anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. While Murphy’s Law is not a real thing (yes, some would argue that it IS a thing), the Second Law of Thermodynamics is real, and we are governed by it.

I was thinking about this the other day in talking to some clients about their marriage relationship. Unless you do regular maintenance on the relationship, it will start to break down. Relationships are like anything else. One needs to pay attention to them, work on them, nurture them, repair them when they start to fray. If we don’t, they can wear down and eventually fall apart.

Our job is to maintain what we have been given to the best of our ability. Our bodies, our relationships, our possessions- we need to pay attention to them and maintain them as best we can. That is our job as stewards, not owners of all those things.

So, when thinking of important relationships in your life, what kind of maintenance are you needing to do?

Prayer: Lord, you have made us stewards of your creation, help us to maintain those gifts well, Amen.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…                                                                                                              James 1:19

I was recently speaking to a couple who have a history of arguing. Both are bright, articulate, driven people, and both are achievers. And they both like to be right. Not unusual, right? We all like to be right, and we want to convince other people of our point of view. Again, nothing wrong with that, however, that strength of being confident and self-assured needs to be managed lest it become a weakness. As you have seen in this space before, our strengths to an extreme become a weakness. Our strengths must be understood, then managed well.

I explained to this couple that when we are in “convincing mode”, we are not in “listening mode”. We all do this, and it takes self-awareness and discipline to recognize what is happening, and find ways to listen more and convince less.

This does not mean that we are any less assured of our “rightness”, but when we cut off listening to others, we may be restricting our own learning. Further, in a marriage, the goal is not to win the argument, but to understand one another, even if we do not have full agreement.

So, also in this day also of massive political and cultural divide. We need to keep in mind that the goal of a discussion is not to win another over to our viewpoint, or to vanquish other ideas, but rather to look for the common societal good in any discussions, and to believe that the other person is not the enemy, but one who differs in their strong beliefs.

Prayer: Lord, give us the patience we need to hear one another, Amen

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.                                                                                                                                                           Genesis 50:19-20

Whenever there is a senseless, horrible tragedy like the recent murder of political activist  Charlie Kirk, we must try to redeem it somehow into something good. His death was a senseless and malicious act that can further deepen the political gulf that now exists in our country.

So, how do we honor the memory of Charlie Kirk? Whether or not you were a fan or devotee of Charlie Kirk, we must come together to redeem this tragedy. One great outcome could be the consensus of reason- that political violence is wrong, evil and counterproductive.  Disagreement is a powerful and important part of the democratic process. That disagreement must be civil, productive and respectful. Name calling, ad hominem attacks and, heaven forbid violence, are terribly destructive.

Charlie Kirk was known for his desire to engage people of different viewpoints into a discussion. He was very good at debating, and he felt comfortable in that setting. If we can redeem any good thing out of this terrible tragedy, it would be to honor him by doing what he did with his political opponents. Let us engage one another in civil and meaningful dialogue, agreeing to disagree when need be, but respectfully engaging those with whom we disagree.  

Prayer: Lord, help us to learn from tragedy, and redeem it for good, Amen

The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.                Matthew 13:22

By any measure, the United States is a wealthy country. No surprise there. In fact, the State of the Nation Project (see www.stateofnation.org) recently released a study showing that the United States outperformed 98% of the rest of the world in “Economic Output”. Here comes the rest of the story…

The United States outperforms only 70% of the world in current life satisfaction; 66% of the world in trust in the police; 33% of the world in belief in democracy, and only 11% of the world in depression and anxiety measures.

Are you surprised? Shocked even? I was not surprised by the “Life Satisfaction” results. I had seen those types of numbers before. However, the United States outperformed only 33% of the world in “Belief in Democracy”. Let that sink in- the trust measure for the world’s oldest and most successful democracy is in the bottom third of the world!

The United States is near the bottom of the world in the mental health measures of depression and anxiety. Nearly 90% of the world fares better in what I would call “measures of personal peace”.

As has been so clear for thousands of years, wealth and a sense of personal peace are not well related. In fact, in the case of the United States, they are almost inversely proportional!

Ah, but we already know that real peace rests in relationship with Jesus and trust in his care of us.  

Prayer: Lord, you are the source of real peace, and we are grateful, Amen

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.                            John 15:13

My wife and I recently took a trip to Philadelphia for a family wedding. Along the way, we decided to stop and visit some museums and monuments that are meaningful in American history. The Gettysburg, Pennsylvania battlefield is rich in the history and valor from the American Civil War. We also went through the American Revolution Museum in Philadelphia, and finally, on the way home, we stopped at the Flight 93 Memorial site in Shanksville. Pennsylvania.

For those who may not be familiar with the Flight 93 Memorial site, it was the crash-landing site where a group of 40 brave passengers decided to give their lives to wrestle control of a terrorist hijacked airplane. The plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, interrupting the mission to do terrorist inspired harm in Washington D.C.

It became their grave.

In their brave actions, they may well have saved the U.S. Capitol and a joint session of Congress which was taking place on that fateful day- September 11, 2001. That plane was evidently headed to the U.S Capitol building. Of course, just an hour earlier, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C were attacked in the same manner- with hijacked airliners.

The memorial is very moving, and it includes the last recorded phone calls from the doomed passengers to their loved ones at home. The passengers and crew’s valor were demonstrated by their actions. Their phone messages to family members showed not only courage, but the love that caused them to take those bold actions.

I was struck by the words written in a letter posted at the memorial:

God chose our fields of Shanksville to lay you to rest. We’ll take care of you now. You are the heroes of all America now. This is our thanks. God bless the Crew and Passengers of Flight 93.

Signed- Sam and Coni Stevanus & Jeff Cooper,

Indian Lake

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the courage of those who give their lives for those they love, Amen

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit                II Corinthians 4:8

I took this picture while on a walk in a state park. It struck me because it showed the tenacity of life. This tree was fighting for life in a near impossible situation. It is literally growing sideways on this hill because there was no other place to grow. It is now competing for the sunlight it needs to survive, and somehow, it is surviving.

I have written in the past about growing where we are planted. Sometimes, we can grow even if we were not planted correctly. I think of people who have managed to deal with disabilities and adversities that I could not imagine surviving, much less thriving. But with tenacity and determination, people can overcome so many incredible things.

So, my friends, whatever you have been dealt, there is a way, somehow, to overcome. It may not look the same as the life of other people, but you can find a way.

Prayer: Lord, help us to never give up, and find a way to overcome adversity and prosper, Amen

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”        Luke 1:28

I am currently reading a book about charisma, and how that has influenced American political and spiritual leaders throughout the centuries.  The word charisma has at its root the word “charis” meaning gift, grace, favored, or a variant of those concepts. Paul used the word, for example, to describe how Mary was given the gift of being a “God carrier” as she carried Jesus during her pregnancy.

Charisma, as we have come to use the term, tends to take on the meaning of likeable, charming (there is that root word charis again), compelling others to follow or be drawn to them. Many political leaders have been described as charismatic, partly due to looks, mannerisms, sense of humor, passion etc.

The bad news is that people with charisma do not always use it for good. There have been leaders who use their charisma for evil or egotistical purposes. We need to be careful to look beyond what appears to be charming and winsome. We need to see consistent character, servant leadership and humility as guide stars for our leaders. Yes, that is a very idealistic benchmark for our elected leaders, right?

Wouldn’t it be nice if such characteristics were expected and demanded?

Prayer: Lord, help us to discern the qualities that make strong and faithful leaders, Amen

If you feel pain, then you’re alive. If you feel other people’s pain, you’re a human being.

Leo Tolstoy

There is a great deal of discussion these days about the value of the virtue called empathy. Indeed, any virtue taken to an extreme could probably be considered a vice. However, I am going to land on the side of risking that empathy must be explored and exercised much more deeply in our current culture.

To that end, I would suggest that empathy is a verb. I know, it is technically a noun, but for me, to paraphrase a quote often attributed to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “silence in the face of evil is complicity”. Therefore, to feel empathy and do nothing about it feels wrong to me.

I am thinking about the atrocities around the world to which we have apparently become inured. The vicious invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin- an adjudicated war criminal- continues and is nearing its three-and-a-half-year mark.

To date, that war has produced 1.4 million soldier casualties (killed or wounded) on both sides. There have been over 50,000 Ukrainian civilian casualties, both figures according to the U.S. based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Many thousands of those casualties have been caused because civilian targets have been a priority in this awful conflict.

So, empathy, -indeed humanity- says that we must speak out about this, and then do what we can to help people who are suffering and dying. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of suffering people in this world. Yet the suffering of this war is so needless, so senseless. It is the result of one man’s desire for empire and glory. Deliberate causation of human suffering is… evil.

I felt the need to speak out on this atrocity and, fortunately, I have this small platform to give expression. I am doing what I believe is right and I am compelled to respond. Further, I am donating to causes such as Doctors Without Borders which provides medical help to the places in the world where doctors are needed most.

I am convinced that we are called to respond to crises such as this, and many others as well. I am urging my readers to respond in ways that you feel called to respond, whatever that might be. I would also ask that you consider forwarding this blog so that it may reach others.

We can make a difference by using whatever resources we have at hand.

Let’s do that.