All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one               Matthew 5:37

Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge,
 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports
    to those you serve?                                                                                                                                            Proverbs 22: 20-21

Sometimes people get confused about the difference between character and reputation. I am thinking that politicians are particularly susceptible to this, in that they spend a great deal of time crafting their reputation and electability. Reputation is the external part that they want/need to convey and protect.

Character is the internal part of us- our values and virtues that we must cultivate as human beings in order to live successfully and peaceably in this world and with ourselves. Many people spend a great deal of time cultivating and protecting a reputation that may or may not reflect their internal character.

Reputations may fluctuate over time. Sometimes reputations may take a hit when a decision of character needs to be made. None of us is perfect in this realm. Most people care about their reputation- and they should- because it is important to our standing in society.

However, we all need to spend more time in character development than in reputation management. When these forces conflict, when we need to decide whether to do the right thing or the popular thing, character is often vividly revealed.

The current political landscape has left many people deeply skeptical of our elected officials. We have seen positions taken on issues that are simply pandering to a certain political base. We do not truly know what many of those elected really believe and what they are willing to defend. We (they) just know what gets them elected. We are all flawed, but elected office, sadly, seems to bring out the worst in people. Again, this is not all politicians, but the landscape and the position make it an especially dangerous occupational hazard.

Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. What truth there is in that simple statement.

Prayer: Lord, your Spirit is the shaper and protector of character. Help us to yield to that prompting, Amen

A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it                                           Proverbs 31:10

As I write this blog today, June 23^rd, it is my 51^st wedding anniversary. My wife Deb and I celebrated quietly, as we typically do. We went to church this morning, went on a walk downtown, planned a little vacation time for December, then sat on the patio by our little pond and read our books.

It was great.

When the book of Proverbs talks about a good woman, the writer was describing my wife. When the writer says her husband “trusts her without reserve”, he is talking about us. We are blessed beyond measure.

We talked about the fact that 51 years ago we had no way of envisioning this future. We were very young (OK, young) and we could in no way, at that time, see the future of two wonderful kids, six terrific grandkids, and a pleasant home in a little town that is filled with friends.

So, I write this to give a testimony of blessing, and as a tribute to my incredible wife who changed my life.  

Prayer: Lord, you have wonderful plans for us. Thank you for your provision, 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

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.                                 Psalm 19:1 (KJV)

I write this blog on June 20, 2024 at about 6:25 PM. The summer solstice occurred just 2 hours ago. That is the point, for the northern hemisphere, where the Earth is at its maximum tilt toward the sun. That means that this is officially the longest day of the year- the day with the most hours of sunlight in our hemisphere. Yes, wonderful sunlight- it is summer!

I am amazed, as my readers know, with the beauty and symmetry of seasons, and indeed, Creation itself. If that axis tilt of the earth was just a bit off, there would be no life on earth! So today we celebrate the start of summer in the northern hemisphere, and we also celebrate the Creator whose design was perfect. The creatures who populate that earth are not so perfect, but the Creator loves them just the same.   

How cool is that?!

Prayer: Lord, we celebrate the Creation and the Creator! Amen

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.  You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.                  Acts 10:34-36

Yesterday was June 19^th. It is the new American national holiday, Juneteenth, which celebrates the date in 1865 when thousands of African-American slaves in Texas found that they had finally been set free. Many of my international readers may not be aware of this event, and indeed, until somewhat recently, a fair number of Americans probably were not well aware of it either.

It was not taught in the schools I attended, and I was about 21 years old when I learned about the significance of that event. My work partner was an African-American woman who explained to me this date, this celebration, as a part of Black culture.

American slavery is not a subject that White America wanted to discuss or make efforts to remember. In fact, the less it was discussed, the less guilty we felt. However, I think it is important to remember the past, not to simply feel guilty, but to understand ourselves and our country in context and in fact. We need to remember that African-Americans, and the indigenous peoples of America suffered greatly as the North American continent was slowly absorbed into an American culture that favored certain ethnic and racial groups over the years.

Yes, America was known as the “Great Melting Pot”, but that was a nice concept that often did not really ring true. Certain groups were favored over the years, and certain people groups were systematically excluded. That is the simple truth.

 So, as Christians, we celebrate the value of people in God’s eyes- that he loves everyone, and is no discerner of people. We are human and we fail in this concept, reverting to our tribal mentality which unfortunately can triumph over total acceptance of others, especially if they do not look like us.

Let us celebrate the beauty of diversity, and use holidays like Juneteenth to do that very thing every year.

Prayer: Lord, you have made us different, but equally important to you- you love us without distinction, Amen

Love and truth form a good leader; sound leadership is founded on loving integrity                           Proverbs 20:28 (The Message)

I recently spoke with a young man who was asking about leadership, and the best ways to be a leader to his young family. I appreciate the heart of this young man, and we discussed his temperament, and the need to be genuine to who he is, and not try to assume a type of leadership role that is not congruent to who he is. Leaders come in all types of style, and his job is to lead with integrity based on who he is.

I further talked to him about the basic decision that leaders need to make. It is based upon the question, “For whose benefit is this?” Leaders make decisions based upon the needs of their family, not primarily their own desires.

Finally, I spoke with him about his own disciplines. I told him that one cannot lead others without leading themselves. In other words, a person has to be able to make good personal decisions about their own health, their emotional state and their spiritual state before they are fit to lead others.

The fact that he asked this question shows me that this young man is going to be a fine leader. I am happy to see that.

Prayer: Lord, give us the wisdom to be the leaders you would have us to be in our family, Amen

A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years—a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well.” The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.                                   Mark 5:25-29

We recently heard a sermon at church about the time that Jesus healed a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. We do not know the cause of this, but she possibly had some complication of menopause. The point is, when women were menstruating, they were considered unclean, and she would not have been able to enter the Temple. Indeed, according to Jewish law, whomever she touched would also be considered unclean.

In desperation, she reached out to simply touch the cloak of Jesus as he passed by her. She exhibited great faith in this gesture. When she became healed, Jesus called her out. My speculation as to why Jesus did this was one of compassion. This woman was known to have been unclean for many years, and certainly, she was shunned by others as being ceremonially unclean. Jesus wanted to restore not only her physical health, but her social standing. He wanted others to know that this woman was healed. She could now fully participate in Temple life and she would not be shunned.

I think that healing takes place on all the levels on which we function- physical, spiritual, and emotional. Jesus healed her physically, allowing her to participate in her religious as well as her social life again.

The Creator of the universe wrote the rules of healing, and he was teaching them to us as he walked the earth.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the complete healing that you offer us, Amen

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it.                                                                                                             Psalm 139:14

Just a quick note today as I complete my client records. I am struck once again by the resilience of my clients, and the life stresses they endure. The human spirit is both fragile and strong at the same time. Often, I am struck by the strength that my clients show in the face of some very difficult traumas and life stresses.

My friends, I do not know what you are facing, but I know that you likely have the strength and resilience to handle whatever you face, because the human spirit is made just that way. As God said to Moses at the burning bush, “You have everything you need in your hand…”

Prayer: Lord, bless my readers today to remind them clearly of the strength that they have, Amen

A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick         Proverbs 17:22

I told my kids it does our hearts good to see our family acting the way they do toward one another. It just happened coincidentally that on the same day our son flew to Kansas City to see his older sister, our oldest grandson flew to Colorado to see his younger sister. Seeing the pictures that they sent – the warm smiling faces of their joy of being together- did our hearts good!  

Later, I began to think what it would be like if my parents could see this reunion of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren?  Wilder still, what if my grandmother and grandfather (the ones that I knew in my lifetime), could have seen this? They could not, I’m sure, conceive of this prospect. Their progeny, decades after they are gone from this earth, still carrying on the loving family connections that they had carried on from their ancestors in their own way.  

Well, the point is, such connections of our children, and their children, is such a joy. I wanted to share this, dear readers, as a reminder of our need for legacy. We are building legacies with our actions in our families. Stop and think of how powerful that is. Think about 50 or 75 years from now when perhaps those people in similar pictures will look back at you and say, “I wonder what they would have thought about this…”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the blessing of family, Amen

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17

So, how inspiring is it that the book of Proverbs is explaining the nature and character of God in this way? In the days when that book was being compiled, the current way of relating to a god was a very transactional process. People would find a deity who was the giver of certain gifts (fertility, good crops, health etc.) and, should one make sacrifices to that god, they might be rewarded. There were even societies that made child sacrifices to the god Molech to appease this evidently angry and powerful being.   

Then you have the one true God worshipped by the ancient Hebrews who gave them a moral code that looked quite different. The true God, Yahweh, said that if his people took care of the poor, it was like lending to him, and he would reward those who cared for the “least of the brethren” in the community.

That is still a concept that is true. In the New Testament, there are dozens of assertions that one loves God by loving others. That is a radical concept. Yet, when you think about it, why would anyone want to follow any other Supreme Being? We worship the one who loves those that society discards and marginalizes.

That is all the Truth I need.

Prayer: Lord, what a plan to have us love you by loving your creation, Amen