“When a defiling evil spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return it finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse off than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.                                                                    Matthew 12:43-45 (The Message)

I was talking with a client the other day about her teenage daughter who admitted that she has an addiction to electronics- specifically her phone. First of all, I believe that such addictions are really a thing. Devotion to electronic media is insidious and it is clearly addictive. There is a built-in reward in the brain when the proper stimulation is provided. Media devices can provide the perfect stimulation to start an addictive process. Easy access, immediate gratification, and the initial sense of it being a benign influence all set up addiction potential easily.

Typical of all addictions, there needs to be initial abstinence before recovery can take place. Abstinence itself is not sufficient to sustain recovery, but it is necessary for the recovery to begin. Also true with recovery, it is not a journey to undertake alone. The addicted individual needs the humility to ask for help. In this case, she has caring parents who are willing to help her in the journey of recovery.

Finally, I suggested to the parents that simple abstinence will not help, because if there is nothing substituted for the addictive behavior, relapse is much more likely. I suggested that she become involved in healthy groups, sports, a part-time job or volunteer work. All such activities involve the input and cooperation with others, breaking the isolation and self-interest that electronic media feeds. I reminded them of the parable that Jesus spoke as a remedy for demonic oppression. I take that parable (cited above) to be a powerful metaphor for healing- a good principle of mental health.

Simply voiding our mind of damaging thoughts is not sufficient. We need to “fill the void” with behaviors that are positive and productive. If we do not do that, we are apt to drift back to those same damaging behaviors that gave temporary relief or pleasure.  

That is why the 12^th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is so powerful. If a person in recovery directs themselves to the care and healing of others, they ensure their own sobriety.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the recovery plans that Jesus set forth for us, Amen.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…                                             Galatians 5:22

I wrote yesterday that there is a time for peace. In this election year in America, peace seems to be a bit distant. Social media is alive with angry memes, accusations, and forecasts of doom if the other candidate is elected.

I have come to the understanding that I am not going to convince anyone out of their current beliefs. My job is to speak the truth in love, but not to convince- that is the Holy Spirit’s job. Clearly, the Holy Spirit does a much better job than I do in changing hearts.

So, when engaging others in social media (if you feel the need to do so), remember some points.

• Do not expect to change minds.
• Speak whatever you want to say in humility and love.
• Remember that the person with whom you so clearly disagree is a person, just like you, made in the image of God
• Calling another person a name is not only ineffective, it is counterproductive
• Don’t assume that you have a corner on the truth
• Lift up the teachings of Jesus, who taught us to love those with whom we disagree.
• You can be at peace with others if you are first at peace with yourself.

These principles are simple, but they are not easy to practice. I fail at them too- keep trying.

Prayer: Lord, we submit to your lordship, not our opinions, Amen

Happy are those who strive for peace—they shall be called the sons of God                           Matthew 5:9

A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late…                                                                                                        The Byrds (Turn, Turn, Turn)

Former president Donald Trump was attacked in an assassination attempt yesterday. This horrible attack is one in a series of past violent actions that have happened on American soil so often over the years. Indeed, many writers have said “This is not who America is!” The unfortunate truth is, this is indeed the sad legacy of a violent American culture.

Until we own the fact that gun violence and inflamed political rhetoric are a part of American culture, we cannot solve it. As with any significant problem, we cannot adequately address it until we fully own it.

After any assassination attempt, there are conspiracy narratives that arise to explain it. My hope is that people on social media will hold off on any conspiracy theories that can inflame already raw emotions. Can we decide to take an approach that fosters peace? Wild speculations do not lead to peaceful discourse.

Our pastor delivered a sermon today that calls us to be peacemakers. Peacemakers actively seek restoration and reconciliation when anger and violence seem to rule the day. In the words of the old song, Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds, “There is a time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.”

Prayer: Lord, let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me, Amen

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.                  Philippians 2:3-4

I have written in this space in the past about the Hippocratic Oath that physicians typically take in one form or another. The Oath has been around for many centuries, and the intent is to provide an ethical framework for those in the helping professions.

The phrase, First, Do No Harm, is actually not a part of the Hippocratic Oath, but the concept it embodies, non-maleficence, is a concept very well known to all in the helping professions. In other words, whatever you do, or don’t do, make sure that it is not harmful to the one whose care is entrusted to you. The first duty of those who are in positions of trust is to do no harm.

 Now, wouldn’t it be great if every profession were to subscribe to that simple concept? Can you imagine if media organizations were to adopt that creed? Oh, this is a good one- what if politicians were to adopt that principle? Can you imagine if politicians were prohibited from trying to do harm to their opponents? What if they were ethically prevented from name calling or slandering, or shading the truth about things?

Well, in the real world, that does not, and unfortunately will not happen, but I just wanted to consider the idea out loud. Shouldn’t we have some kind of ethical boundaries for those in elected office? We do entrust them to make good decisions when we elect them, and they do swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

Too bad they don’t swear to an ethical set of behaviors that honors and dignifies even those with whom they disagree.

Prayer: Lord, help us all to first do no harm to others, Amen

 And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.                                            Philippians 4:8 (Living Bible)

I spoke with a client recently about comparing himself to others. He has a stressful life, including caring for special needs children. This is hard work, and it is often really not understood by others how hard that really is.

My client noted that when he compares himself to others, he gets frustrated, irritable, and self-pitying. Those others do not deal with the daily stresses that he does. He knows that this is not a good practice, and to his credit, he is working hard at avoiding such comparisons.

We talked about the idea of trying to keep in mind the blessings that he and his wife do have. Whenever we can think about positives in our life, it breaks the narrative of comparison and self-pity. The field of Positive Psychology recognizes such actions as therapeutic, and likely to have a positive effect on people. It breaks the stacking of perceived problems and interrupts negative self-thinking.

My client and his wife are actually heroes in what they do for those children that they care for. I suggested that he consider that truth also when he gets into a negative narrative. That is not an easy thing to do, but the effects are worth it.   

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember the positive things when we are beset by negative thinking, Amen

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.  And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.  We love each other because he loved us first.

I John 4:16-19

I have always marveled at the truth and simplicity of these verses. What great mental health principles! One of the things I often tell my clients is that “It is better to go toward the good than  try to avoid the bad!”

I point out how weary and discouraged we can become if we are always trying to escape that thing chasing us. As hard as we run, that bad thing is going to eventually catch us we think. But if we are driven by a positive goal, an aspiration, we can find the energy to keep on.

So it is with love vs. fear. The natural consequence of living in fear is anger. People who live in constant fear end up with resentments and bitterness. Fear often is driven by a perceived loss or potential loss.

The natural consequence of living in love is gratitude. Understanding that God is love frees us to have security in him. It also frees us to love other people, and not to fear them.

Prayer: Lord, help us to lean into love, not fear, Amen

 Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.                           Proverbs 22:6

I had a discussion recently with a man who struggles with becoming overly restrictive and punitive to his children when they misbehave. Every parent, at some time or another, questions themselves in this area. We ask, “Am I reacting too quickly or harshly when my child breaks the rules?” “Should I pick my battles better on when to come down hard?” We question when to show mercy, or simply when to ignore certain s behaviors.

These are good questions that good parents ponder. As I spoke with this parent, I reminded him of the key question- “For whose benefit is this?” In other words, is my decision based upon my need for “justice” or compliance? Or is my decision based upon what is the best way to teach my child right from wrong, responsibility versus comfort, better ability to recognize the rights of others, etc.

It is a complex kind of algorithm, guided by many factors. When we consider the key question, “for whose benefit is this decision?”, things can become a little clearer.  It is never easy to figure some of this stuff out, but when we know that we are working on behalf of our children’s best interest, it can give us more peace and clarity.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the gift and privilege of rearing children. Continue to give us the wisdom to guide them well, Amen

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

James 2:14-18 (The Message)

I have always enjoyed this passage from the book of James, stated above from the translation, The Message. It points out the classic dialogue in Christian views of how one expresses their faith. In the seminary terms, it discusses the tension between orthodoxy (right beliefs) versus orthopraxy (right practices). In reality, both should be in place, inextricably linked. Our beliefs should result in good practices, loving practices. Sadly, what many outside the faith tend to see is an emphasis on right belief, not right practices.

Do most people see Christians exercising loving practices, or do they see smug judgement of people who may not believe in quite the right way? Well, we all need to look at our orthopraxy, because people will care very little for our orthodoxy if they do not experience our right practices.

Prayer: Lord, help us to practice what we believe, Amen

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.                                                                  Galatians 3:28

Do you know anyone who had been in a Nazi concentration camp?

I did.

Yes, a distant memory, but as real as yesterday. My childhood playmate, Betty W. (I still don’t want to use her last name because I do not have her permission) introduced me to her mother when I was about 10 or 11 years old. Her mother, of Roma heritage from Hungary, had been sent to a concentration camp, and she showed me her inner forearm where she bore the tattoo of Nazi imprisonment.

I was too young to fully grasp what this meant. I wish that I had been older and I had been able to talk with her about what that meant in her life. Betty, along with Ray and Mary Jo were my neighborhood friends. We had great fun as playmates on Mayfair Ave. in Cheviot, Ohio (a Cincinnati suburb) where I grew up. Who knew that years later, I would reflect upon the realities of the horror that some of the generation ahead of me had endured?  

As I look back on those innocent years, I can also see that the presence of totalitarianism is always lurking in the shadows. The repression and control of years past has never really left, in the sense that there are still people who fear the “other”- people different than themselves.

Jesus was very clear that we cannot “other” people. We cannot say that some are “more equal that others”. Betty’s mother was not bitter as she showed me her arm. Maybe she was trying to send a message to future generations that people who are seen as “other” may be singled out for persecution.

I feel the need to pass that message on.

Prayer: Lord, impress upon us that discrimination because of race or culture is simply wrong and destructive, Amen

The time came when the Lord God formed a man’s body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person.                                 Genesis 2:7

When the universe was set into motion, the Creator had made all the material that has ever been made. No new matter nor energy is being created. What we have now is an exchange of matter and energy, and various particles of matter, such as water, simply being endlessly recycled. As Albert Einstein explained, mass and energy are interchangeable, so both are part of the same creation. Indeed, matter is bursting with energy within its atomic structure.

I started thinking about this again today when there was a song at church with the lyrics stating that even the air we breathe was first breathed into us by God. That made me think of molecules that have been around, well, forever.  There are no new molecules out there, they are just recycled into different forms. Indeed, those first air molecules breathed into God’s creation are still hanging around today.

This simply reinforced for me the fact that the universe is created by God. If the universe were simply an evolving mass of material and energy, more would constantly be being created, right? I mean, if there are no creation rules, and things just…happen, then why isn’t there new stuff being created.

Yes, we can and do manipulate our creation and our environment. We have high speed particle accelerators that can change our current particles, split them into various components, etc., and even make new elements. But the basic material we have to work with, atoms, sub-atomic particles, etc, we have had around for some billions of years. All there right from the Big Bang or as I call it, creation

Nope, no new molecules springing forward, just the same old ones in different form. Kinda crazy, pretty amazing!

Prayer: Your creation is too amazing to understand, help us to simply appreciate it, Amen