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

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them                                                                                      I Timothy 2:1

I recently spoke with a client who struggles with anxiety. We discussed his “escape tool kit,” which is my name for the plan of action to be deployed at the times when anxiety “overthink” gets troublesome.

We talked about his kit, and he stated that one effective tool he uses is to pray for someone else when he starts to feel the revving up of anxious thoughts in his mind. When he does this, he feels that he has taken the attention away from himself and has begun to consider the needs of others.

I thought that this was a brilliant strategy. He believes that gratitude and anxiety cannot exist in the same plane. So, he prays for others to dissipate the overthinking on his own worries.

I told him that his strategy was brilliant.

Prayer: Help us to remember that praying for others serves us as well, Amen

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
 and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant
 and remember to obey his precepts.

Psalm 103:13-18

I typically give homework to my clients as I have noted in this space in the past. Sometimes I will assign this passage from Psalm 103. What beauty and simplicity is found in this passage. I tell my clients that the Bible writers would often give analogies to teach about the character of God. We can only know of God through the senses, and the tools given to us to understand our world and our environment. Of course, the Spirit of God enlightens us as we give him the room to do so also.

This passage reminds us of God’s love for us – like we love our own children. We can relate to that. I especially like the idea that God knows how we are formed, and he has pity on us. He knows that we are like failed children sometimes, yet he has compassion for us, like we might for a four- year- old child who makes foolish mistakes at times.  God is not interested in shaming and humiliating us. Like a loving Father, he has compassion, grace and understanding.

Remember that.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for these simple reminders, Amen

Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it                                                                                               Matthew 13:45-46 (The Message)

In the message today at my church, my pastor referenced the movie City Slickers as he explained the first commandment that God gave- “Love the lord your God”. What an excellent reminder he gave about the 10 commandments starting with positive statement- not “thou shalt nots”.

I decided to reprint an old blog based upon that movie as well. Hope it hits home like his message did today…

Years ago there was a great movie titled City Slickers. It starred Billy Crystal, a genius comedian and Jack Palance, a veteran “tough guy” actor. The movie is a story of some men who were casting about in their life with career and relationship problems. They left for a western adventure and came away with some amazing life experiences and changed lives.

In one scene, Billy Crystal’s character, Mitch, is riding alone with Curly (Jack Palance). Mitch asks Curly some probing questions about his life, and Curly replies, “You just have to find that one thing and go after it”. Mitch says, “What is that one thing?”. Curly replies “That’s what you have to find out”.

Jesus spoke in parables often to teach his followers the great answers to life. Jesus said in response to a question from a follower, Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

Jesus was talking about the Kingdom of God- the source and final goal of salvation. He related to them that once one finds that “One Thing” he or she will give up everything for it, because it is the prize worth everything.

Finding our source of redemption, the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, is that jewel, that “Pearl of Great Price” as the old translations called it. So too, we have aspirational goals- the life missions we have been called to. We search for that, and upon finding it, we sell out everything to pursue it. That is what gives life satisfaction and fulfillment.

So, to go back to Mitch’s question, “What is that one thing?” for you?

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the teachings of Jesus which change our life and give us life, Amen.

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”

G.K. Chesterton

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 (The Message)

I recently came across this quote from G.K. Chesterton, and it rings true with one of my themes in life. The things that truly motivate us well, and consistently, are positive things. Motivations that come from fear, and desire to escape, can be powerful, but they are ultimately short lived and draining.  

In the long run, positive motivators give energy and zest to life. Motivators based upon fear and escape deplete energy, and can wreak havoc on our emotions and our body. Chronic stress depletes serotonin levels, and raises cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone involved in regulating our metabolism, blood pressure, immune response, weight control, and inflammation of body tissues.

When we are in a constant state of stress- such as is caused by fear and need to escape- we are damaging our bodies and minds. Some stress, of course is unavoidable. That is the price we pay for being human. Yet, if we can keep in mind positive motivators, and recognize the negative motivators, we have a choice of how we want to proceed.

Seeking the positive goal is the motivation that energizes us.

Prayer: Lord, help us to keep in mind what our true goals and motivators are, Amen

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end                                  Ecclesiastes 3:11

Does time go faster as we age? Yes, it does! And no, it doesn’t. How can that be? Well, time goes at the same pace all the time, as long as we are not approaching the speed of light, and I don’t think that we are. At least not yet.

However, our perception of time changes as we get older. Since those of us with some decades under our belt have a breadth of experience with time, time seems to go quickly. We have many years to compare the passage of time with. Younger folks have less experience with time. For instance, a year is a significant proportion of a 6-year old’s life. In fact, about 16 % of it.  

For some of us older folks, one year is only perhaps one seventieth of it, or around 1.4% of it. So, a year to a 6-year-old is a long time. For those of us in our seventies, it is a mere blip on the screen. Perhaps too, we see the passage of time differently in other ways. We feel that time may be running away from us, while a 6-year-old cannot wait until that next year is completed!

So, you get my drift. The perception of time is indeed relative. Therefore, we are encouraged to cherish each day as a gift from God. One more day he has given us to live in his amazing creation!

Prayer: Lord, help us to redeem each precious day! Amen

and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.                                                                                          Genesis 20:2

I am continuing the discussion of the “peaceful type” today. Yesterday, I explored the strengths of the peaceful type. Today, we look at those strengths if they are not managed well.

The reluctance of the phlegmatic temperament (the peaceful type) to be more proactively engaged with others can be construed by others as aloofness and a lack of involvement. Distance, perhaps, can be inferred. Their willingness and ability to see both sides can also be a way of simply not taking a stand in order to avoid social risks.

Finally, the unwillingness to commit can also be a way to avoid difficult decisions, or the desire to not offend others, leading to sacrificing truth for peace. As we see in the Bible verse above, Abraham slanted the truth (see Genesis 20:12) in order to have peace with he and his wife Sarah in Egypt.

All of the temperament types have wonderful strengths, but if those strengths are not managed well, they become weaknesses. In past blogs I have discussed the other temperament types. If you let me know, I will gladly go over those as well in the future.

In the meantime- “Go in peace! 😊

Prayer: Lord, you have made us in your image. Help us to honor you in that, Amen

So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.  Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”                 Genesis 13:8-9

I spoke recently with a client about her husband’s temperament. I explained that his temperament was that of the phlegmatic, a temperament type whose main strength is being a peacemaker and conciliator. That strength makes phlegmatic types great team members, ones who make the whole team function better.  

I likened this type to the catalyst platinum. If you add platinum to certain chemical reactions, it speeds up the reaction, but often it then precipitates out of the chemical solution, not being part of the final product.

Do you know someone who has the phlegmatic temperament? They are often more introverted, not putting themselves forward, and may be reticent to get involved in areas where they have not been specifically invited. They have a lot to offer, but they usually need to be invited to participate, not wanting to push themselves on people. They are peacemakers who value peace over conflict. They make great ambassadors who are able to see both sides of an issue, but they are often reluctant to weigh in on one side over another.   

Of course, this is a very brief and cursory explanation of the type, but I explained this to the client who has trouble with her husband’s temperament. Tomorrow, I will discuss the strengths of this temperament, which, if not manage well, becomes a weakness.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for how you make people in different temperament types, flavors and colors, Amen