In the Morning When I Rise

"Many people think that what's written in the Bible has mostly to do with getting people into heaven-getting right with God, saving their eternal souls.  It does have to do with that, of course, but not  mostly . It is equally concerned with living on this earth-living well, living in robust sanity.  In our Scriptures, heaven is not the primary concern, to which earth is a tag-along afterthought.  "On earth as it is in heaven" is Jesus' prayer."   Introduction to the book of Proverbs by Eugene Peterson http://www.studiobeerhorst.com/blog/2012/12/8/robust-sanity.html Prov 8:12   "I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity; Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street. "... the truth will set you free... why I am suspicious of Christians is because they lack this sense of realism." Bono in conversation with Eugene Peterson Bono & Eugene Peterson | THE PSALMS I had never placed it before, but there is a similarity in the...

introverts have an unfortunate tendency to ruminate, which can turn an insult into an infection. When we experience something that triggers that old  fear , we have a tendency to flood emotionally...  When someone tells me I’m being too sensitive, it’s giving me feedback that my reaction is bigger than the moment deserves. honor your feelings without worrying about being oversensitive or crazy, he says: “If you’re feeling like something is off, you’re probably right." if you do find yourself throwing up defenses, ask yourself, “What are they touching that I believe myself?” This woman no longer speaks to me... So the way I see it now: I wasn’t too sensitive at all. I was  perceptive . https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-introverts-corner/201605/what-it-means-when-someone-tells-you-youre-too-sensitive https://www.truity.com/blog/why-enneagram-type-3-and-type-7-score-lowest-empathy-and-how-they-can-change-it https://lesliehershberger.com/type...

[Athletes] believe the pleasures of the “wreath”... are superior pleasures to the pleasures of self-indulgence. 1 Cor 9:24-27 We often chalk up our discipline failures to a lack of will power...  Our will always obeys our wants... [but]  once we experience the unpleasantness of self-denial, the inspiration evaporates...  we didn’t  really  believe in it. It was a fantasy...  It wasn’t a lack of will power; it was a lack of reward power. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-secret-to-self-discipline God demands our firstfruits, but when it comes to our mind, too often he gets the worn-out, haggard thoughts at the end of the day...  We want to be like David.  We want all of the glorious victories, but we don’t want any of the tedious struggles. https://oxfordvalleychapel.org/sermons/focus-and-discipline-in-the-life-of-a-christian/ ... the goal is to be be  formed  into Christ likeness, to be  present  with Chris...

Luke 10:42   New International Version (NIV) 42  but few things are needed—or indeed only one. [ a ]  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” During this time of COVID-19 quarantine, I can't help but think of how I've failed. Of course, I am enjoying this time as most others, spending time with my family and rooting deeper in the things most important. But there is a sense of gloom around it all. There is an air of fear. I am sick and have been so for weeks. The elderly are dying. And we are all in our houses getting ghostly white, pale from lack of exposure. It is in this state that I think of my falling short. And I consider my distaste for appointed work. I would much rather do the work of my own choosing, but in that I show myself a bit of a selfish leader; a great leader does the thing that needs to be done, and makes that the thing that he most desires. As I thought about doing the thing most needed, I considered the co...

The 5 ugliest words that no one ever says, yet are implied all of the time: "I am better than you." How disgusting if these words were said to another, yet do we not say them repeatedly, everyday? As I quibble with my wife over nonsense, am I trying to communicate to her that I am a better human than she is, and she should adopt my way of doing things? How very small. How very quibbling. How very sad. In today's Southland reflection, Briggs writes about "ranking", an old past-time for middle-schoolers to rise to the top of the heap. Briggs reflects on a friend of his, Jeff, who, in the graceful, self-assured way that we all seek for ourselves, went about life courageously and honestly, as a matter of course. There are those people that resemble Jesus in that way. They often call it what it is , or take the high road , or show compassion, but never to win acclaim; again, it's a matter of course. There's something inside that doesn't allow any o...

Everyday I am pulled in different directions, my attention shifts, mostly depending on who I am looking out for: my wife, my daughter, my colleagues, my students... MYSELF. It is this last one that seems to overpower the others. When I want in my heart to be a better person, to be selfless, I find that I am conflicted looking to at least some part of self-preservation amidst looking out for whoever else is in my care. It is only natural to think this way, and we are quite complex creatures capable of running a highly sophisticated algorithm arising in the choices we make. Still, something feels wrong about it, something amiss. Something very calculating and cold, a plus scenario sought over a zero sum. This writing's deduction is that the mind cannot rule the heart. The mind can govern the heart, but it must not rule. The mind doesn't perceive enough of reality to rule, though it is wonderful at reasoning and logic. The heart, on the other hand, is not as reasonable. It...