We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ                         II Corinthians 10:5

I was discussing anxiety with a men’s group the other evening, and I talked with that group about how anxiety manifests itself in several different ways. The way we most expect anxiety to manifest is in excessive worry and intrusive thoughts. Of course, that is one type, and that is bad enough.

However, another way anxiety presents is through negative thinking about oneself – self-loathing type thinking. This is a more insidious presentation because it can lead, over time, into shame and low self-worth. As I have often said, anxiety over a period of time becomes depression.

I think it is important to realize that this is a form of anxiety, and not truth. Yes, at times we feel guilty for certain actions we have done (or failed to do), but the negative thinking that comes from anxiety is not truth based. It is a sort of self-destructive mechanism that we have built into us.

We are given a remedy in the Bible in the verse above. Since God has made us in his image, and loves us with his fierce love, he would not see us as unlovable or unworthy of him. Therefore, we take those destructive thoughts captive and speak truth to them.

God loves me, and I am worthy.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your fierce and unending love, Amen

An unreliable messenger can cause a lot of trouble. Reliable communication permits progress. Proverbs 13:17 (Living Bible)

Just a quick thought today about communication styles. Did you ever notice that sometimes, conversations are easier side-to-side than face-to-face? Sometimes, it is easier to communicate walking together, or sitting in the car together than an intentional face-to-face meeting. Why is that?

Well, there can be a lot of reasons, but side-to-side communications can be more disarming and feel less threatening to people. There is a certain casualness and ease of talking when walking side to side. I sometimes tell couples, to take a walk together to communicate. This way they not only get the benefits of exercise, they get the value of easy communication.

By all means, there is tremendous value in eye contact when communicating. Yet, don’t discount the value of easy side-to-side communication, which can feel less intense. This is especially helpful when communication has been difficult for the couple. This style seems to be helpful also in communicating with teenagers, who dread the invitation of “we need to talk”.

So, just a thought today. Enjoy your talk!

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the gift of communication. Help us to use it wisely, 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

His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.                       Mark 8:4-5

This passage from the book of Mark recalls the time when Jesus fed 4000 people- with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. This miracle illustrates so much to me. First, this miracle could have taken place if Jesus had no bread and no fish. He could have performed the miracle any way he chose. But he chose to use what he had in order to illustrate some things to us. Namely, Use what you have, even if you don’t think it is enough.

I can just imagine that conversation with the disciples when they told him that they could not procure food for these masses of people. They were in the middle of nowhere. Jesus, thinking about the needs of the people, refused to send them off without feeding them.

So, Jesus said, “How many loaves do you have?” They said- “Seven”. I can just see Jesus saying, “Well that should do it. We got this”. He wanted to show them that with him, they could use their puny resources and do great things for other people.

Jesus also wanted them to be part of the miracle. He used the bread and small fish that they had gathered up in order to feed to crowd. They were to distribute the food, then collect the leftovers- yeah, the leftovers!

The intent of the story? Use what you have to serve others. Our job is to trust and serve, it is not to be fixed on the outcome. Jesus can take care of the outcome just fine.

We just bring those few loaves and a couple of small fish.

Prayer: Lord, thanks for the plan to use us in your work, Amen

He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. Psalm 147:8

As I was walking this morning, I saw a familiar beautiful phenomenon- pink clouds. I am guessing you have seen them too. They often appear just after dawn as the rising sun lights up the sky. The western sky shows the reflection of that gorgeous sunrise in clouds that are tinged pink. Those clouds often have other spectacular colors as well, but the pink ones- they really get your attention! The problem with pink clouds is that they don’t last long. After just a few minutes, maybe a bit longer, they lose their pink tinge and go back to being – clouds.

In recovery work, people in early recovery from substance abuse may get the “Pink Cloud Syndrome” That means, after finally getting beyond their physical dependency, they start to live a life without the influence of an addictive substance. They feel better than they have ever felt in their life! Looking at life through those pink clouds is a wonderful experience, but it does not last. The regular stresses of life come, and the clouds are not pink anymore. Recovery is still in place, but the blush of joy of early recovery begins to fade.

Life is like that, and we run the risk of becoming discouraged when those pink clouds just become clouds. Just being aware of that phenomenon (and good sponsors tell their sponsees that this is a likely outcome) is helpful in preparing for the event.

Maybe even if we are not in recovery, we can get carried away with some unrealistic expectations. Hope is important for all of us, but we must then become aware that even if the clouds aren’t pink, we can be grateful for just the clouds. You know, without clouds there is no rain, so let’s appreciate the clouds in our life too.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the clouds, even the ones that aren’t pink! Amen

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.  On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good

Romans 12:9-21

In this passage, Paul lays out a number of very practical rules for Christian living, much as he does in other books such as Galatians and Ephesians. In this passage, we are called to demonstrate our faith by not only loving our brothers and sisters, but by living out our faith in the face of those who would call us their enemy. Paul tells us to not repay evil for evil.

That is the way of the world, that is, to repay good for good, and evil for evil. The way of Satan is to pay evil for good, for his goal is to knock down those who would do good for the sake of right. We are challenged by Paul to feed our enemies, and to repay good for evil. In that way, it will be very clear that Christians are answerable to a higher calling- one that has turned the world system upside down. We are called to overcome evil with good. We are not able to do that if we become discouraged and defeated by evil. Paul said in verse 21, “Do not be overcome by evil…” It is easy for us to become fainthearted in the face of injustice, war, poor health, or poor treatment from others. We are called to overcome these setbacks by trusting in God for His provision, and becoming that provision for others, as we are called to do in verse 10 (“Honor one another above yourselves.”)

Paul’s message is simple, but it is not easy. It is not natural for us, it is supernatural. Living a life of repaying good all around us can only be done by abiding in Christ through his Holy Spirit. We can take heart in the behavior we see around us lived out through others in the faith. That will be a physical witness of the Spirit who dwells in us.

 

Prayer: Father, thank you for the simple message of living out our faith with the idea of honoring others above ourselves. We are far from perfect in this, but we ask your grace for the journey, Amen.

 

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  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 2:2-4

Quick thought to consider. Did you help someone today? I mean, did you do anything to lighten the load of another person? Did you brighten their mood with a smile or an encouraging word? Did you help babysit a child, or send a card or call or text someone you love?

Yes, it could be one of a thousand different things that you did that made the life of another person just a little better. If you did, you served God and other people today.

Do not underestimate the value you may have brought to another person today.

Good work!

Prayer: Lord, help us to see that when we serve others, we serve you, Amen

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder                                     James 2:19

Belief is a verb. That is a position I have come to over the years as a Christian. Yes, technically, the word belief is a noun, but in terms of our faith, I think that one must live out belief, not just assent to a set of creeds or dogmas.

I stated in a blog some time ago this explanation as I went over the contents of a book I had just read…

One of the explanations the author used was that of the Hebrew language. It had a vocabulary of about 80,000 words. Compare that to the English language which has perhaps 400,000 words. Hebrews were used to having a rich and elaborate meaning to their words since they did not parse them out as freely as English-speaking people might. There may be several different associated concepts with one word in the Hebrew language.

When Jesus, for example, used the word “hear”, that meant that the hearer would not only hear the word, but believe it as well. Further, if one believed a concept, they were expected to act upon it as truth. In other words, hearing, believing, and doing were all tied together. If you hear your master tell you something, and believe it, the expectation is that one would act upon that belief.

Yes, simple assent to a truth does not make one a believer. In order to live out that belief, one must make it a part of their life and make it real. That is what Jesus called us into- a life changing and world changing model of his love for creation.

Prayer: Lord, help us to make our belief into a demonstrable faith, Amen

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.                                                     Psalm 34:14

I live in a cozy little town named Troy, Ohio. We have lived here for 50 years, and we have counted it as a blessing. In fact, I’m sure I will devote a future blog to my hometown. But not today. You see, the other evening, we attended a free concert sponsored by my hometown. The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and the community choir put on a wonderful show. It was the annual Mayor’s Concert.

Every year, the Dayton Philharmonic comes to town, puts on a great show that is concluded with the 1812 Overture and Stars and Stripes Forever. I mean, it just does not get any more Americana than that my friends, and we love it. It is time to see fellow community members, and revel in the beauty of the talented musicians, and especially the grandeur of the 1812 Overture.

I marveled again at the structure of the 1812 Overture. It begins with a simple Russian melody, representing the Russian people praying for divine intervention from the invading French army of Napoleon. Then we hear strains of the Marseillaise, signifying the oncoming attack of the French. Then there is a period where both hymns are competing, and later, the canon shots indicating the battle of Borodino. Finally, there is the victory of the Russian forces staving off the French invasion with the canon, chimes, and blaring brass of the horns. The brilliance of Tchaikovsky is on full display in this masterpiece of melody and emotion.

Sadly today, Tchaikovsky’s country is the aggressor in Ukraine, bringing horrible destruction and death. Indeed, the world is rocked by savagery and war waged upon civilians in unprecedented ways. War is not to be celebrated, but the moving work of Tchaikovsky remains as a monument to this day.

Let’s pray that these current wars abate or end soon. There can be no celebrations in those conflicts.

Prayer: Lord, sustain those people who are suffering from the effects of war, Amen.

 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.                                               II Peter 1:5-8

I heard a story from a client the other day that needs to be shared. Of course, like any other stories which involve clients, circumstances and details are changed, and names are not used in order to maintain complete confidentiality.

A female client in her early seventies relayed a story to me about the birth of her child some 50+ years ago. My client was a teenager, and her parents forced her to give up the child she was carrying for adoption. All these years later, she thinks about that child, but she does know that her daughter was adopted into a loving family.

However, in those lonely days in the hospital after she delivered her baby, she was grieving a loss. She was grieving without the support of parents who had judged her to be shameful to her family. Then her hospital roommate, as she was preparing to leave the hospital with her own baby, reached over to my client, and handed her the baby she was about to take home. She allowed my client to hold her baby, even for a few moments, to ease her pain. To this day, my client remembers this loving act as a healing gesture.  

This story touched me as such a loving and thoughtful gesture. It was a simple act of kindness to a person who was experiencing rejection and loss, now remembered over 50 years later. We never know the impact of seemingly simple gestures. We have the capacity to change the trajectory of suffering for people with simple gestures of kindness.

It restores one’s faith in people, doesn’t it?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the loving acts of people- people we may not even know, Amen