Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”  Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:13-15

There was a time when Jesus was providing a teaching to those following him when he was interrupted by one man in the crowd. This fellow piped up and asked Jesus to intervene for him to his brother to ask that the brother share his inheritance with him. This man evidently was not really catching the message that Jesus had been teaching. The man was hoping for Jesus to use his authority to set his brother straight. You know, he seemed to be saying “Jesus make my brother do right by me!”

The response Jesus gave made it clear that he was not going to get involved in the petty dealings of this man and his brother. Jesus told him essentially, “I’m not the judge of this dispute!” Then, Jesus went on, in my opinion, to tell this man “Have you actually been listening to what I have been saying?”

We hear things the way we want to hear them. Some people in the “prosperity gospel” world hear that Jesus is the giver of wealth to those who do certain financial dealings. Jesus could not be more clear as he goes on in this passage in Luke to say that we store up treasures by giving wealth away to those in need. God knows our financial needs and provides for us, but he is more interested in our heart attitude.

God is looking for hearts that are turned toward caring for their fellow human beings.  

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the deeper truths you have for us, Amen

I look up to the mountains. Where does my help come from?
 My help comes from the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He won’t let your foot slip. He who watches over you won’t get tired.
 In fact, he who watches over Israel won’t get tired or go to sleep.

 The Lord watches over you. The Lord is like a shade tree at your right hand.
 The sun won’t harm you during the day. The moon won’t harm you during the night.

 The Lord will keep you from every kind of harm. He will watch over your life.
 The Lord will watch over your life no matter where you go, both now and forever

Psalm 121

This beautiful Psalm is one of the Hebrew Songs of Ascent. I understand that it was sung by pilgrims as they made their way up toward the heights of Jerusalem for holy worship. These travelers might become weary on the long trek, and they encouraged one another by singing these Psalms that they had committed to memory.

The King James translation renders that first line “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills…” That catches my attention, not only because of its poetic beauty, but because of the literal value of the idea- I will lift up my eyes. There is a specific value in deciding to look up. It talks about a decision to look up when we are weary, not to hang our heads.

Have you ever seen athletes on the basketball court or on football sidelines put their hands on their hips? It is a sure sign of fatigue. Many coaches caution their players, even when fatigued, to not give in to a gesture that might give others the idea that they are exhausted.

Deciding to look up when the journey gets hard is a good concept. After all, the Psalmist reminded the pilgrims that their help comes from the Lord- the one who made the mountain that they were trudging up. God would give them strength if they looked up to him.

So, fellow travelers, when the journey gets hard, lift up your eyes to the Creator who gives strength.

Prayer: We are weary Lord, but our strength is renewed in you alone, Amen

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father                                                                                                      Matthew 24:36

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.                                                   Micah 6:8

We look around and we see that the world is in a precarious place. Dire situations in Gaza, Ukraine, and other lesser noted hot spots have produced untold suffering for people. Political unrest in the United States seems to be as vile and volatile as one can remember. Religious institutions have lost much credibility, with younger people simply opting out of traditional faith orientations. Such world affairs have led many to question whether we are approaching those dreaded “End Times”.    

For me, speculation on the “End Times” is not a very fruitful pursuit. First, I have no control of when and if such times are truly upon us. Maybe they are- but then does it really help to panic about such things? Jesus didn’t seem too excited about when the end was coming, saying that only the Father knows, and He is not telling. Jesus told us to occupy until the end, living out our faith and caring for one another no matter when the final bell rings.

Speculation about end times prophecy fulfillment, mystical interpretations, and dire warnings are, to me, not helpful. Maybe it’s just me, but trying to cram some apocalyptic meaning into scary world events just does not seem a good use of my time.

Even if time is short, shouldn’t we just concentrate on making this place we call earth a little bit more livable for those who suffer?  

Prayer: Lord, help us to keep first things first, caring for those who need our help, Amen

Without wise leadership, a nation is in trouble; but with good counselors there is safety.             Proverbs 11:14

Being a counselor, I of course advocate for people to get counseling. It is a normal, helpful tool that anyone can benefit from. Over the years, the stigma of going to counseling has decreased markedly, and that is a very good thing. There is no big secret about how or why counseling works. You get to talk with someone who is going to listen to you- hear your story- in order get rapport and show respect in order to help you through some of life’s difficult times. They will help you to see things objectively, and will give you feedback about that. They will be honest, and they will be loving in their approach.

As I have said numerous times, deciding to go to counseling can be difficult because people may not know what to expect. They may fear showing vulnerability, and yet that is the very essence of human healing. Acknowledging (not admitting, acknowledging– big difference when you think about that) that we are vulnerable and in need of help is a courageous step, not a sign of weakness. It is the beginning of a healthy journey.

My job as a counselor is not to judge you, but to engage with you to find solutions for problems. It is to come alongside you as a support and also an accountability person to keep you on track. Frankly, our job as counselors is to show God’s love to people as human vessels of support, encouragement, and engagement.

Yes, we have developed tools to diagnose and treat clinical conditions that need treatment- things like anxiety, depression, trauma recovery, mood disorders, relationship problems, and many more issues. We will refer to helpful resources, and typically, we will refer our clients to doctors for a physical examination, and/or to psychiatry for medication if needed. We will give homework, and we will ask for accountability on that work. The work of counseling is not all played out in the counseling session, it is effected through the work of the client outside the counseling venue.

I mentioned earlier that we acknowledge our vulnerability, not admit to it. You see, admission has the connotation of wrong doing. Acknowledgment is acceptance of a purely human condition. See the difference? Yes, words matter!

So, if I have opened the door just a little to make counseling a good alternative, I have done my job.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us one another to share the journey marked out for us. Give us wisdom in helping others along the path, Amen.

Jesus watched him go and then said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”                Luke 18:24-25

This passage from the book of Luke took place after Jesus had told a rich man that he needed to sell everything and give the money to the poor. Then he was to follow Jesus. That was what Jesus said he needed to do in order to get to heaven. The rich man had turned away- the price of following Jesus was too high. Then Jesus made that statement about it being easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

I think the point here is that it is impossible to get to heaven on our own merits- even if we did sell everything, give the money to the poor, and say that we are following Jesus. No amount of good deeds, generous gifts, or grand gestures can merit the grace to get into heaven.

But I think what Jesus was pointing out to the rich man was a condition of his soul that said the man was not willing to rest on the merits of anyone other than himself. He may have been a “self-made man” in his own eyes. He was used to finding out the cost of what he wanted, and then making the purchase. The cost of his soul was something he could not pay. Only the grace of Jesus can do that.

But let’s think about our own hearts before we judge the “rich man” in this story. The vast majority of those who read this would be considered “rich people” by any worldly standard. Are we really “selling out” everything in order to find the justice for others that Jesus asked? Do we conveniently donate to causes for others or are we “all in” to make this world a better place for all God’s children?

Prayer: Lord, help us to see where we can be the instruments of peace and justice in this world, Amen

 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds                                             John 12:24

These last beautiful days of October allowed me to take a walk in a state park. I took in the spectacular views of changing leaves, and I experienced first-hand once again the cycle of life. In the woods, things are always dying- and also coming to life. In fact, they do that in a cycle, as we are aware. There is no new growth without the old passing away and passing life on.

As I walked under fallen pine trees, the signs of new little pine seedlings peeked up all around the base of the fallen tree. On the rotting carcass of another fallen tree grew fungi, feeding off the decaying cellulose.

I participated myself in this cycle of life, albeit unwillingly. You see, the mosquitos, recognizing that their chance to breed was down to a few precious hours, swarmed up when my partner and I walked by, and they went for my neck for a blood meal to ensure the success of a new batch of little mosquito critter pests. They needed my blood to complete the breeding cycle. Unfortunately, I am sure that I helped a few to live for another generation. On the other hand, I know that Iprevented a few more generations with some successful swatting!

So there is it folks in a nutshell. We are all in the life and death game. Death begets new life, and inevitably returns to earth again.  What a miracle our Creator brought about!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the plan of death bringing about new life, Amen

I was speaking with a client recently about his communication with a person he is seriously dating from a distance. We talked about some of the miscommunications that can come from reliance upon texting for communication. Texting, by definition is a short fast medium meant to convey mostly factual information. It is not always very good about communicating emotional content. Texting has its place, and it can be very effective as far as it goes. However, for conveying something deeper, more intimate, handwritten letters are great.

Yes, very old school- but it is effective.

The beauty of a handwritten letter is that it slows things down so that meaning can be absorbed. In the hyper fast world of texting, instant response is often expected. That response may be hurried, lacking nuance, and certainly, it does not by its very nature communicate warmth and intimacy.

Handwritten letters can convey some weight. They take time to reach the recipient, and they can be received with a sense of warmth. You are holding a piece of paper that was handled by that person with whom you are corresponding. You are seeing how they formed letters, and you can respect the amount of time and effort that it took to compose the letter. There was a process, a somewhat cumbersome process, involved in that person reaching out to you. That letter was crafted with forethought. Time was taken to say what they wanted to convey, and you as recipient have time to process the information before you respond yourself. It slows down the process, but it also deepens it.

In the classic Ken Burns documentary, old letters helped us to learn about the Civil War in a very personal way. Burns gathered a great deal of history from those letters, and more importantly, he explored the perceptions and thoughts of those people who were affected by the war. These were beautiful, poignant letters preserved through history, which helped to make that history come alive. Those handwritten letters were a lens into the thinking and feeling of people who had poured their hearts into the written word.

We of course cannot rely upon handwritten letters as our primary or expected mode of communication. However, there is something to be said about that “old school” way of communication that we can still use to great effect in a world where instant communication does not always hit the mark very well.

We can easily be distracted into despair if we dwell on the news of the day. Bad news in every corner. So, when I walk, and turn off the podcast, I can enjoy the present that surrounds me. It is good for the soul.

Today, I was struck as I walked around in the last few days of the beautiful Autumn weather here in the upper Northern Hemisphere. The trees are a splash of incredible color, with deep scarlet leaves contrasting with hues of yellow, amber, gold, and green. I wondered how I could keep that image in my mind as the days of Winter slowly descend on us. I took some pictures, of course, and that helps me to feel that I have done something to preserve the image.

Then I realized that the pictures will never totally capture the scene. The scene before me must be appreciated in the present. This moment lasts only briefly, but it is the present reality to be embraced. The point I reminded myself of was this- embrace this moment. Stand and appreciate the beauty at hand. Sure, capture it in a photo, but don’t be fooled that sometime later this will give the comfort of right now. Enjoy this moment. Savor it, and be grateful for it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the beauty of the present moment- a gift of your creation, Amen

What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record  Psalm 32:1-2 (Living Bible)

I recently met with a dear young couple who are having relationship problems. There are a host of core issues, and both come to the marriage with some significant trauma of abuse in their family of origin. They hurt one another when they argue, and those old wounds are triggered fairly easily.  

We discussed the issue of forgiveness, and we went into some depth. I discussed with them that there is a difference between asking for forgiveness and apologizing. An apology from the offending party is only a partial remedy, because it lets the offender keep the results in his/her hands. In other words, by simply saying “I’m sorry” there may be a tacit understanding that they have sufficiently remedied the problem by owning it and apologizing.

On the other hand, if the offender asks the offended party to grant forgiveness, that puts the locus of control into the hands of the offended. They have been empowered to forgive (or not), and it restores to them some of the dignity lost in the offense.

The other issue that this brings up is the motive for the apology/asking for forgiveness. If the motive is simply to end the discussion or argument, or to alleviate guilt, that motive is incomplete. If the motive is remorse for the wrong that was done- that is, recognition that the offender’s actions have hurt someone they care about, sorrow ensues, and we want the other to be nurtured and cared for- that is a proper and healing place to begin restoration.

These two people have been hurt, and they sometimes cause hurts, but they are remorseful, insightful, and teachable.

This young couple will do fine.

Prayer: Lord, you are the author of forgiveness. Thank you for that foundational process, Amen

The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust                                    Psalm 103:13-14

I love Psalm 103, and I often prescribe this as a reading assignment to my clients. I especially like the verses above, which depict God as the loving father who is drawing his children to him. Years ago, a friend painted a picture of these verses which has stuck with me. It is that of the father of a toddler, just learning to walk. The father has his arms outstretched to the child, urging him/her on, encouraging the child when they stumble, picking them up when they fall.  The father does not yell at the child for incompetence- they are still a child. He draws them to him as an encouragement, knowing that this is a stage of development.

So, I like to think of God the father as this encourager. He remembers that we are dust, and I am glad for that. I think God wants us to know how much he loves us, and he is pleased when we acknowledge that. You parents who are reading this understand that it gives us great pleasure when our kids know how much we love them.  

I see too many clients who question whether there is a loving God, much less one who personally loves them. Sometimes we all do struggle with lovability. There are times when we feel unworthy of love, and do not even love ourselves.

That is when we need the experience of being loved the most.

Prayer: Thank you Father for loving us like little children. Indeed, we are children dependent upon you, Amen.