Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us “not guilty” of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.                                Romans 3:23-24 (Living Bible)

I am a member of a community leadership forum, and recently there was a question posed about ethical leadership principles. One of those principles was about owning our biases. This presupposes that we have an awareness of our biases. Then, we must be willing to take a look at those biases and determine to what extent that they may be affecting our decisions, our relationships with others, and how we run our organization.

My response to the forum was this analogy.  In 12 Step work, there is the 4^th Step which calls for us to take a fearless and searching moral inventory of our character defects. Owning a bias is not a character defect. Denying that we have biases is.

 Taking a 4^th Step inventory is a very healthy process. Everyone, regardless of whatever recovery status one may have, could benefit from working the 12 Steps of AA. As one of the slogans stated in our Recovery Service at Church, Recovery is Not Just for Alcoholics Anymore.

Yes, we are all recovering sinners, loved by God and precious in his sight.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the freedom of owning our own defects and biases, Amen

Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
    don’t for a minute lose sight of them. They’ll keep your soul alive and well,
    they’ll keep you fit and attractive.

Proverbs 3:21-22

You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus                                                         Mark Twain

As I was taking a delightful walk this morning with my wife and daughter, we came across a large pond with ducks, turtles, geese, and various aquatic fauna. We saw some turtles crawling up a little ramp onto a little island in a nearby pond. The ramp had been placed for the turtles to get a better foothold to climb up to the island.

We noticed that two turtles were already at the head of the little ramp, but they blocked the way of a third turtle who was trying to get onto the island. Try as he might, the little turtle could not push one of the blockers out of his way. He repeatedly tried to push the offending turtle out of the way, but as we left the scene, he was not making a lot of progress.

The interesting part was, that as we walked and talked, we were making up fun stories about the turtles. We speculated that it was a sibling rivalry, and the younger turtle was blocking his annoying older brother who had always teased him as a kid. We developed other narratives that were fun as we spun some expandatory tales of the situation.  

It struck me that when we are confronted with a scenario that has no obvious explanation, we will invent one. We will “fill in the blank” with a narrative of our imagination that is fun or interesting. While this is an enjoyable and creative exercise, it can also lead to more dark narratives, such as conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories again can be interesting, but the caution is that just because the theory can plug the information gap, that does not mean it is true.

Even more nefarious are those theories that are conjured up to make the case for our pet notions that have no evidentiary base. Sometimes, we may latch on to a theory simply because it seems to align with a needed belief system of ours. When we dismiss other more plausible explanations, then we are really in trouble.

So, using our imagination to come up with our own narratives to explain the world is natural, and can be fun and creative. We just need to have the self-awareness to discern if the narrative is simply to meet our own needs about how the world works.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the wonderful gift of imagination, help us to use it wisely, Amen

You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies—humans, animals, birds, fish—each unprecedented in its form. You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies—sun, moon, stars—all these varieties of beauty and brightness. And we’re only looking at pre-resurrection “seeds”—who can imagine what the resurrection “plants” will be like!                           I Corinthians 15:39-41 (The Message)

I know what you’re thinking. What in the world is up with a headline titled Bananas. Well, bananas illustrate an important biological fact. The bananas that you eat are likely Cavendish variety bananas. In fact, about 99% of all exported bananas are now the Cavendish variety. That was not the case 100 years ago when the Gros Michel (Big Mike) was the predominant variety of banana that hit the export market.

Why does that matter you say? Well, about 50 years ago or so, a fungal infection overcame the Gros Michel variety, and it was found that the Cavendish variety was able to withstand the fungal plague that has all but eliminated the Gros Michel variety. The good news for banana lovers is that the Cavendish variety seems to have immunity to that killer fungus.

Except, now maybe it doesn’t.

Here is where the point of the story emerges. The Cavendish variety has been bred so that it is actually reproduced by cloning itself. It is genetically so lacking in diversity that it has no resistance to menacing predators that might now come along. It is so inbred, that if that certain fungus attacks the Cavendish, we are out of bananas! Current research indicates that the nasty fungus that devastated the Gros Michel may now be able to attack the Cavendish variety also. Lack of diversity tends to doom life forms that are not diverse.

God’s plan for diversity is an insurance that there is a healthy response to diseases and predators that would overwhelm highly inbred life forms. That is just the way it works. We humans tried to get “pure stock” (the eugenics debacle of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries), by naming some races inferior, or some people as “defective”.

God’s plan is for the marvel of diversity- accepting that differences in nature work for the good of preserving life.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the beauty of diversity in your creation. Help us to truly appreciate it, Amen

Whoever has ears, let them hear…                                                                                                          Matthew 11:15

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.                                                                                James 2:14-19

I recently read a book titled Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. In this book, the author is trying to get the reader in mind of how Jesus taught and thought, and how those who heard him may have received his teachings. 

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.

I find it interesting in Western Christianity, we have somehow been able to separate belief from actions. Somehow, just holding onto a belief can be divorced from actions, causing some to fail to truly live out their faith. For them, holding a belief in the mind becomes paramount over acting out that faith for others to see.

James talked about the kind of faith that works- that is, the kind that other people can see and experience.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be doers of the word, not just hearers, Amen

From time to time, I run a copy of my daughter’s blog, www.traumamom4.com. She is a great writer, and I love to share her work. I know you will enjoy it as much as I do! Here it is…

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”                                         Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

Blessed. We throw that word around a lot, but I’m not always certain we really grasp what it means. Or the depth of what it could mean. The English language, bless its heart, consistently gives us one word for something that in another language would have multiple words to describe a range of rich meanings. Think about the word love. In Greek, there are many words for love, with nuanced differences. (eros, philia, agape, ludus, pragma, and philautia) We are really missing out on the sweeping beauty of a concept when we limit ourselves to just one word.

I’m still stuck in Matthew 5. Namely, The Beatitudes. It’s so dense, it’s hard to take it all in. I feel like this is the essence of Jesus, right up front. His first sermon. Some of the first red letters we find in the Bible. I’ve been reading it in several different Bible translations. But I am consistently drawn to the Amplified Bible. I find it really helpful to read the commentary in the parentheses that brings richness to the text that we lose with the English language.

In Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus uses the word “blessed” nine times. “Blessed are…for they shall…”. I rearranged the words on a separate page, grouping together all the meanings of blessed, then all the types of people who are blessed (the poor in spirit, those who mourn, etc), and then all the rewards (comfort, mercy, etc). This painted a new picture for me. A more complete picture of the word blessed.

Here is what I learned blessed can mean: (Matthew 5:3-12, Amp Bible)

spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired

forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace

inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect

joyful, nourished by God’s goodness

content, sheltered by God’s promises

anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature

spiritually calm with life-joy in God’s favor

comforted by inner peace and God’s love

morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness

All too often, we use the word blessed flippantly to describe material wealth or comfort. Prosperity theology can be very attractive, but I don’t see that definition anywhere in Jesus’ description of blessed. Jesus doesn’t mean wealth or power, Jesus means peace and joy.

I hope you find new ways to understand blessing. I don’t think it only means what we have reduced it to mean. God bless, y’all!

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be full of joy and be glad in it.                                                   Psalm 118:24

Over the years of my counseling practice, I have literally seen thousands of clients. I have been blessed to be in the field for nearly fifty years. (Yes, I did start young!) Over those years, I have been blessed to be a part of the story of so many people. I saw people who struggled with mental illness, relationship problems, anxiety, depression, complicated physical problems, symptoms that resulted from emotional and neurological problems, grief issues- the list goes on.

In that time, I have been so impressed with the human spirit. I saw many clients who dealt with significant problems, to the point that I did not know how they kept going. But the ones who did keep going had a chance at healing and recovery. Some simply needed support to keep that hope alive.

My point here is that there are times that people indeed want to give up. I don’t necessarily mean people who contemplate suicide, although many more people do contemplate suicide than one would ever guess. I am talking about people who decide to stop trying to live a healthier or more productive life. They simply give up on hopes and dreams, and sort of “go through the motions”.

Please understand that I am not blaming people for their choices. I have not walked in their shoes. I do not know the pain that they faced, nor the troubles that they have experienced. I do say though, that the only failure is giving up hope. The only failure is to not try to live a life that is meaningful.

To be sure, not everyone has the same opportunities, the same gifts. We do all have a life that God has given to us to use until we die. We can live a meaningful life, even when we are disabled, paralyzed, sick, or even terminally ill. The decision to live until we die, not just exist until we die is all in our hands.   

So, take heart dear readers. Look at each day as a gift of time to be used, and cherished.

Prayer: Lord, you give us one day at a time. Help us to cherish that day, Amen

This above all: to thine own self be
true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to
any man

William Shakespeare (from Hamlet)

I recently talked with a client about being aware of
how he felt and being able to express those feelings safely with others. Some
people struggle to do this because it is a somewhat difficult exercise. This
particular client told me that he believes that he is on the Autism Spectrum,
and that such things come hard to him because he has never really been able to
have a safe place to even bring his feelings to the front of his awareness.

He is having some relationship issues, so he decided that he needed counseling. We discussed the idea that his expression of those inner feelings can be almost invisible to him. When he feels fear or sadness
for example- or a mixture of both- it often comes out looking like anger.
Others, like his wife and adult child, then are hurt by what they see as anger.
My client then gets confused as to how to reconnect with them because he could
not really see how the process played out.  

He is growing and trying new things. I have so much
respect for him because this is new territory for him, and it feels strange and
perhaps scary. What a brave person he is! Trying new things, whatever they
might be, can be daunting and scary.

Yet, when we stretch, we grow.

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength to try new things for growth, Amen

“This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’                                                                                                                                          Jeremiah 33:2-3 (The Message)

So, that is what God said to the prophet Jeremiah. We can’t even begin to understand the marvels of creation.  Every day it seems we learn more about how incredible the human body is designed. Intricacies of animals and insects can scarcely be understood, even by brilliant scientific minds. 

While I was listening to a podcast the other day on my walk (yes, you know I am a podcast addict), I was fascinated by a discussion of the chemical make-up of wasp venom. Yes, I am also a nerd- I like that stuff. At any rate, the podcast host was explaining how there are certain complex enzymes and proteins in the wasp venom that make it incredibly effective. Such detail in the design of a wasp!

We take so much for granted in our creation. Indeed, we get preoccupied with so much noise of bad news around us that we fail to breathe in the wonder of creation and appreciate the most common things in life.

I often tell my clients that the first thing we need to take control of in situations where we feel no control is our breathing. We can take voluntary control of an involuntary function. It helps us to slow down and regain our cognitive control when emotions carry us to an anxious place.

The very act of inhalation and expiration is a complex chemical reaction of enormous proportion. Maybe when we take control of that breathing, we can also be thankful just for the opportunity to do it.

Sometimes I marvel at the innocence of lower life forms who are not sentient and are unaware of their own existence or significance. Maybe, in our own way, we are sometimes just as clueless.

I think that there are marvelous and wondrous things we will never figure out on our own…Prayer: Thank you Lord for this amazing life you have given to us. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made, Amen.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”                                                            John 13:35

Throughout the history of the Christian Church, Christian witness to the world has been demonstrated through benevolent acts of grace to the community. The early Christians were known to take in babies abandoned by Roman families- unwanted babies who had been left out to die. Infanticide was then often considered as a form of birth control.   

Move on to the early and Middle Ages Church which established schools, orphanages, hospitals and schools for the benefit of the community. Today we see the legacy of those movements in so many schools, hospitals, healthcare organizations and non-profit corporations founded by Christian entities for the benefit of the community in which it exists.

The Christian movement has been marked by love of the community in which it resides, and even in places where it does not reside. Love of people, extension of grace and benevolence to friend and stranger are hallmarks of the faith.  

Today, the perception of some of the population is that the Church is known by what it disapproves of rather than for providing love and care for others. How sad that the message that Jesus lived and died for is so misunderstood by so many.

The Church needs to continue to be creative in how it shows love for a broken world- by providing solutions, rather than condemnation. Child care, job training, education, health and mental health care are just a few areas where the Church can impact the world in positive ways.

I am confident that the message still resonates – God so loved the world…

Prayer: Lord, you reminded us that Christians shall be known by their love, Amen

Marriage is not a place to “stand up for your rights.” Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out.                                                                                                                                                                         I Corinthians 7:5 (The Message)

I had the opportunity recently to share an analogy with some clients who are in a difficult marriage situation. I used the analogy of a yoke of oxen. The oxen are yoked together so that they can share the load and pull in the same direction. If one is pulling sideways, or not pulling at all, the whole operation comes to a grinding halt. They are yoked together to share the burden, but also to lighten the load of the other. The yoke, while confining, also helps to leverage the maximum amount of power from the straining oxen.

This couple needed to be reminded periodically that they are on the same team. They are not trying to out-pull the other, or to try to make the burden harder. They are yoked for a reason. If they can remember to see that as they pull together, the burden gets lighter for both, they will be fine.

They are on the same team.

I find that clients who somehow have the belief that their partner does not have their best interest at stake are often not able to stay together. Even when couples are in disagreements, arguments, or just a strained place in the relationship, if they can deep down know that their partner has their back and wants the best for them, they will probably be OK.

So, even when things get tough, remember that your partner wants the best for you, even if it does not feel that way at the moment. I trust that is the case in the majority of stable relationships. Just remind yourself that you are together in it.

Prayer: Lord, help remind us that we are loved, even in the midst of trials, Amen