Word Origin: First recorded in 1570–80; from Greek katastrophḗ “an overturning,” from katastréphein “to overturn”;

 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them                                                                                                            Genesis 50:19-21

Well, that is quite the word to discuss! In looking into the root meaning of words, like I did yesterday with the word humility, today I look at the word catastrophe. I think we can all understand what a catastrophe is. Each of us, in our own way, has at one time encountered an event(s) that we would consider catastrophic.

Typically, we would define a catastrophe as a sudden, perhaps violent upheaval in our lives. Indeed, the word means “an overturning”. A catastrophe overturns the things we are used to, and it changes everything immediately. Sometimes it changes things dramatically, possibly forever.  

So, anything that changes what we are used to, or causes us to lose something or someone precious, can be a catastrophe. Yes, a catastrophe can cause that sudden upheaval, but it can also cause us to respond in a resilient way that can eventually be used for a good purpose. Anytime there is a sudden change, especially one we did not choose or anticipate, it is a shock to our system. However, once that shock is absorbed, we can learn, grow, adapt, and use it for good purpose.

It often takes time and support to weather such things, but in the long run, a catastrophe can become an entrance to a new start that may hold untold benefits that would never have been known without it.  

Prayer: Lord, I pray that the events that we see as catastrophic, can also bring new life and positive changes, Amen

Humility (n.)

early 14c., “quality of being humble,” from Old French umelite “humility, modesty, sweetness” (Modern French humilité), from Latin humilitatem (nominative humilitas) “lowness, small stature; insignificance; baseness, littleness of mind,” in Church Latin “meekness,” from humilis “lowly, humble,” literally “on the ground,” from humus “earth”

(Source- etymonline)

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way                          Psalm 25:9

I was struck by one of the speakers at Chautauqua this past week when he explained the root meaning of the word humility. It literally comes from the word humus, or “earth”. I find it meaningful that humility really means “grounded” in every sense of the word. A person with humility is a person who is grounded- one who knows where he/she stands.

A grounded person has perspective on both strengths and weaknesses- flaws as well as gifts.  We are of course talking about true humility, not hubris disguised by false humility. True humility is a reasoned understanding of ourselves- a sense of self-awareness.

I often tell my clients that humility is the beginning of wisdom, and I think that the excerpt from Psalm 25 would agree. That old saying, “When the student is ready, the master will appear” has much truth in it. When we are ready to learn, things that have been around us but not absorbed, will suddenly appear when we have the humility to receive it.  

Prayer: Lord, help us to see ourselves in a true grounded sense, knowing that you love us right where we are, Amen 

My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Chautauqua, New York, home of the original Chautauqua movement. I quote from Wikipedia to succinctly explain the institution:

 In the late 19th century, following the model of the Chautauqua Institution, the Chautauqua movement spread throughout the United States and was highly popular until the start of World War II. By the mid-1920s, when circuit Chautauquas were at their peak, they appeared in over 10,000 communities to audiences of more than 45 million. The movement combined several concepts prevalent in the post-civil war US, including:

• The Lyceum movement which attempted to raise the level of public education with lectures, readings, and entertainment with goals of lifelong learning and self-improvement.
• Camp meetings and revivals which used outdoor gatherings
• Sunday School for the purpose of religious education.

The ideals of the Chautauqua Institution spread throughout the United States through many Independent Chautauqua assemblies. Popping up were a series of traveling Chautauqua meetings, which incorporated many of the program’s components, including lectures, music, nondenominational religious studies, and a focus on current issues. Several Independent Chautauquas have survived into the 21st century

(Citation) Wikipedia

The weeklong experience is amazing due to its excellent speakers, musical programs, and educational and cultural experiences. We experienced, for example, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Morgan Freeman, and Brian McLaren among the speakers. We were moved by the challenges they gave to understand how the past has informed the present.

Lifelong learning is, I believe, a critical part of not only aging well, but seeing the need to be vital and interested throughout our entire life. I am thankful for the foresight of those who went before us, who established such a program which is now in its 151^st year.  

What a legacy!

A person’s conscience is the Lord’s searchlight exposing the hidden motives          Proverbs 20:27

I spoke with a client not long ago who was struggling with inadequacy, especially regarding his income. While he was earning a decent living, and was not in debt, he was triggered to feel inadequate when he discussed finances with his wife. After some discussion about this, I asked him what his “self-talk” was about how he felt. How did he internally process the feelings he was having?

He talked about his family of origin, as well as some past financial plans he had made, etc., and I asked him to consider in his self-assessment the difference in outcomes vs. motives. I explained that we often default to looking at certain outcomes in our life- “did this work out well or poorly for me”? At the same time, we often do not consider our motives. Did I mean to do the right and loving thing? Were my intentions geared toward the best interest of my family or others? Did I do the best I could given the information that I had at the time?

These are motive questions. I am a believer that outcomes are not totally under our control, but our motives are. There can be other circumstances that may hinder the outcome that we desire, but our motives are ours, and we must own them. They are totally under our control. If our motives are good (not perfect, they seldom are), then we can give ourselves grace about outcomes. We may be too hard on ourselves for outcomes without considering our motives.

My client considered that, and that was his takeaway from the session. He recognized that he did have good motives, but the outcomes were not always what he had hoped for, and indeed that is what he judged himself upon.  

So, consider motives when judging yourself. Self-aware people do judge themselves, and that is fine, as long as we do it in a way that is balanced.

 That allows us to give ourselves grace in the process.

Prayer: Lord, help us to extend to ourselves a portion of the grace you give to us, Amen

To answer before listening is foolish and shameful.

Proverbs 18:13

I have had several clients this week who have suffered with anxiety, as well as grief, and I noted once again that just having someone really hear the pain that they are in is a start to their healing. Sometimes, clients are dismissed by others, who sometimes have good intentions, by responses like, “just let it go”, or “you take things too seriously”.

People with anxiety know that they need to let things go, and that they do overthink. What they need is understanding, validation of the pain, and then some solid support from those that care for them.

Just getting into the space that people who have clinical anxiety live in can be a start to healing. They can be encouraged that they will learn to control their anxiety- that they can manage this monster in their life. I let people know that the anxiety simply won’t “go away”, but that with some time and tools, and perhaps medication, they will be able to manage the anxiety, and they will learn to control the anxiety- the anxiety won’t control them.

So, my friends, good empathic listening is a wonderful healing tool. We all have more power to heal than we realize.

Prayer: Lord, you have given the gift of healing to all of us in some forms. Help us to see that gift, Amen

Our pastor delivered his sermon from II Corinthians, and explained to us how we are ambassadors for God on earth. It reminded me of a teaching I did for our Lay Pastor community many years ago. I dusted it off to share today for your consideration…

These are essential attributes of a faithful ambassador:

Trustworthy. He/she will represent the interests of the sending authority– Remember who the Sending Authority is

• Has the full credit and authority of the sender– God has given us all that we need. Like Moses, our staff in our hand is enough! We don’t go in our own strength, but that of the King.

• Is empowered to act on behalf of the sending authority– God has chosen to limit Himself by sending us broken vessels to propagate the Kingdom on earth. He has empowered us to deliver the news of His love and salvation!

• Trusted not to exceed authority vested in her/him–We can do nothing without Christ, nor should we want to act outside our given authority. 

• Spreads good will on behalf of the sender– Our job is to win friends for the Kingdom, not win arguments. Judging others does not win friends!

• Understands the customs and culture of where he/she is sent– We are in a foreign land, but we need to respect the customs to gain a hearing.

• Understands the mission given by the sending authority– Our mission is to love people into the Kingdom, to reflect the loving nature of God.

• Speaks with the authority of the president/leader– God has given us Truth as the standard so we speak the truth in love to others. We speak the truth boldly toe who do not understand it.

• Maintains close, regular communication with the sending authority We can do nothing without prayer as a connection to our Sender

• Citizenship remains in the sending country– Remember who we are and whose we are. Our citizenship is in the Kingdom of God.

• Must learn to understand and affiliate with foreign assignment without losing sight of the mother country and citizenship. In the world, but not of it…

• Helps to protect the interests of fellow citizens in a foreign land– Above all we must tend to the needs of brothers or sisters in Christ as we journey this world together.

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

 “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Matthew 14:12-14

Jesus used various opportunities to teach his disciples. Once, on the way to a party of a prominent Pharisee, he chose to heal a man on the Sabbath. This was just the warm-up for future paradoxical teachings that day.

Upon arriving at the house of the Pharisee, he noted that people were jostling for position at the head tables. He told his disciples to pick the lower, less prominent seats. In that way, they could be asked to move up to the front. If they chose a front seat, they risked the embarrassment of being asked to move down in the social pecking order.

Finally, he told his host, When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

His message? Don’t follow usual social conventions. He was saying that his world view flew in the face of the world’s expectations. This is the concept of “contra mundum”. That is, going against the conventions of the world system.

We as Christians are always being asked to determine our values in light of how Jesus sees the world, not popular conventions. So, care for the poor and marginalized is a value that Jesus holds. We need to decide how that drives our own value system.

Prayer: Lord, help us to follow your road less travelled, Amen

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Out of the genius of Benjamin Franklin came the concept of the lightning rod. It is counterintuitive really since the object of the lightning rod is to get struck! As we know, the lightning rod absorbs the massive energy from a lightning bolt and thereby saves the building, on which it is perched, from harm. The lightning rod directs that massive energy to a safe place- the ground. The lightning rod is not harmed, usually, because it is an efficient channel to move the electricity to where it will cause no harm.

I was speaking with a couple the other day, and we discussed her role (unwanted) of being a lightning rod for her husband’s anger. While she is effective at deflecting his random energy into a safe place, and thereby allowing him to feel some relief, both needed to discuss this with another lightning rod- me.

I was not affected by their storm of energy and hurt, and therefore I was a safe place to absorb all that energy. I did not take it personally, and I was not hurt at all.

Jesus was a lightning rod of sorts too. He willingly accepted the wrath of those around him who did not understand him. Many believed that he was a threat to the current order and system of worship. He was. Jesus attracted such pent up energy because people saw that he was different, and therefore, a threat.

Jesus absorbed our sins and dissipated the harm that would come from them. He directed that energy into healing and salvation for humankind. His body paid the ultimate price for that, but he arose from death and emerged as an on-going source of peace to those afflicted with hurt and pain.

Maybe you as a reader sometimes feel like a lightning rod for those around you. Consider how that affects you, and how you function in that role. Sometimes it helps to see that lightning rods can be of great use, as long as we understand the process and our role in it.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see our role in turning pain into peace, Amen

That great philosopher, Ted Lasso, said the line “be curious, not judgmental” on his popular streaming series of the same name. Okay, Ted Lasso’s character was that of a soccer coach, not a philosopher, but he was truly good at both.

The series, Ted Lasso, arrived around the time of COVID-19 scourge, and boy, was that series ever needed at the time! Ted Lasso’s (Jason Sudeikis) gentle, optimistic philosophy on life, and his humility and open kindness were a real balm in the midst of the pandemic.

The line, be curious, not judgmental, has often been attributed to the poet Walt Whitman. After some rather cursory research, it appears that this is not actually correct. However, the source does not really matter- the truth of the statement matters.

As I have engaged various friends over the past months about our differing political opinions, the truth of the statement, “Be Curious” keeps resonating. Trying to convince one another is much less important than being curious and trying to understand why others think about things in a different way.  

Of course, this takes discipline and humility, and those are some of the virtues I appreciated most about the character Ted Lasso. I am far from perfect in this, but it is a great aspirational goal.

So, my friends, Be Curious!