Gary Mintchell

Author Archive

Choose This or That

August 14, 2024

Seth Godin writes, ““None of the above” is often the best option. We’re regularly confronted with multiple-choice questions. The foundation is already established, the options are already limited, do you want this or that? But the real questions lie in the assumptions that happened before you were even asked.”

When confronted with the choice of this or that I often look for a third alternative. Or a fourth.

Often when confronted with a spiritual question or Biblical “truth” it pays to ask for an alternative. What about this? Why is that? (Five Whys is a most powerful tool.)

Looking for growth in your spiritual formation? Try looking for what the book’s author leaves out. Try asking what or why? The author may be right. But you’ll feel better having explored the idea.

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Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

August 13, 2024

Slow down, you move too fast

You got to make the morning last

Just kicking down the cobblestones

Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy
Paul Simon, 59th Street Bridge Song

I tried getting things done as quickly as possible. I even tried doing two or three things at the same time.

Sitting in meditation during early mornings looking through my study window at the main street through our development, I’m reminded that the 25 miles per hour speed limit isn’t even a target for most drivers. They are in a hurry.

Surely it isn’t only American culture (actually both urban and rural) where people are always in a hurry.

Let us pause and consider. Do we really need all that hurry? Slow down. Enjoy where you are. One of life’s many paradoxes consists of slowing down a little one task at a time and accomplishing more with less internal stress.

Slow down, you move too fast.

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Volunteering, Service, Happiness

August 12, 2024

You don’t want to believe what Jesus and James and Paul and Proverbs say about serving other people, helping them, mentoring them, volunteering at the soup kitchen?

Teams of psychologists have studied people’s actions. Real life. Just like you and me.

They’ve found that volunteering, performing acts of service for others, yes, even when teenagers are forced into it by parents, leads to happiness.

It’s true. It works. Wisdom written 4,000 years ago and 2,000 years ago—all true.

Sometimes you must perform works of mercy and service to bring your heart around to the right direction. Better is to change the direction of your heart to where performing these acts, small and large, is simply a part of your life.

As Paul says in Galatians among other places against such works there is no law.

Be kind. If you get something from these meditations, share with a friend. If not, share with an enemy. 🙂

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Dogma or Experience?

August 9, 2024

The church became officially recognized in the early 300s. By 330 CE, it had a creed, an official book of scripture, and evidently had developed rituals.

It was not much later that groups of men and women trekked into the desert wildernesses of Syria and Egypt searching for an alternative to the Church’s reliance on dogma and doctrinal orthodoxy as the means to understanding the depths of God.

These searchers gathered in small groups or went out to a cave alone to meditate and look for God’s presence.

This tradition has continued even until today. Perhaps the rock’n’roll mega churches were a bit of reaction to formal ritual and dogma. But each group develops its own ritual and dogma.

Many are not satisfied with either. We search for a deeper understanding of God. When Jesus spoke of different types of people, the Greek translation of his Aramaic was makarios. But it means more than “blessed” or “happy.” Its deeper meaning refers to a deep relationship with God. It is not a superficial “you will be happy” sort of thing.

If dogma soothes your soul, so be it. That should not be criticized. Some of us long for a deeper spiritual experience of God that can be translated to outer service in pursuit of peace, justice, healing.

Posted in Faith, Meditation, Service | Leave a Comment »

Trusting the App for Advice

August 8, 2024

My bed has sensors, most likely pressure sensors that can detect breath, movement, and heartbeat. The accompanying app performs calculations based on the readings—average heart rate, average breath rate, restful v restless sleep. It provides an overall score for the night’s sleep. It supposedly detects how long it takes to fall asleep.

It also pops up a piece of advice. Sometimes the advice is ludicrous.

The other day, I opened the app. It gave advice for evening wind down in order to help me fall asleep more quickly. I looked at the graph provided for sleep that night. Sleep came within one minute of crawling into bed.

One of the writers providing advice in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament tells us to seek out many advisors.

We can observe our leaders, political or organizational or otherwise, who have listened to good advice and those who either chose to ignore sound advice or relied on untrustworthy sources.

Pause. Think about your sources of advice. Evaluate the good from the bad. Choose advisors wisely.

Posted in discernment, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

When Heat and Humidity Build

August 7, 2024

Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck feeling dirty and gritty–The Lovin’ Spoonful.

Summer arrives at its peak months. Heat builds to a consistent 90 F (32 C). Humidity, liking consistency, matches the 90 with 90%.

The atmosphere reaches the point of too much pressure. It cannot live with such conditions.

Lightning dangerously connects heaven and earth. Thunder jars startled ears. Rain violently strikes everything in the open.

Then it’s over. The air is cool and clear.

Just so with us. The pressure of annoyances, insecurities, fears fills our viscera reaching the mind. We explode venomous words to whomever happens to be near.

Unlike nature, this seldom clears the air. This storm damages what it touches.

Better for us humans is the self awareness of feeling the pressures beginning and dealing with them with intention.

Deep breath. A walk in nature alone. Baroque music.

Finding a gentle release saving relationships and mental health. Restoring the soul.

Posted in Awareness, emotions, Meditation | Leave a Comment »

Only Love Heals

August 6, 2024

Hate often evolves from fear. Usually that fear of anticipation of perceived threat. Fear of humans who are different from us.

These two phrases describe dealing with hatred.

Hatred never ceases with hatred, but by love alone is healed.

Hate cannot drive out hate; Only love can overcome hate.

Hate is a vicious cycle like the swirling of water released into a drain. The cycle must be broken for peace—peace among people and peace within people—to be realized.

Posted in Love, Peace | Leave a Comment »

Focus for the Day

August 5, 2024

How can I love myself and the world more today?

Jesus knew—we must begin with our heart. What is the status? Where is it residing? Is it God or things he once asked.

How can I love myself more?

The orientation of our hearts settled into the right direction, then we are capable of looking outward.

How do we love others more?

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A Way of Life

August 2, 2024

All of my study, training, reading, listening about Jesus points to just one thing—following Jesus is a way of life.

You can argue different theologies. You can argue what belief means. You can argue about the roles and status of women, gay people, poor people, rich people, people of different tribes or races. These are merely arguments.

Jesus left just two commandments as “requirements” for his followers.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and strength, and mind.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The word love in these commands is an action verb. It is what you do. How you act. How you relate to other people. And he left no room for doubt—other people meant, well, all other people.

This is what having faith in Jesus means. Actively loving in the giving sense of the word.

Posted in Disciplines, Love | Leave a Comment »

Prayer for Serenity

August 1, 2024

The serenity prayer is attributed to American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. I vaguely remember researching his writing in order to write a paper in graduate school. The first part of the prayer goes:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

This has much in common with Stoic thought—also most religions from ancient time. How many of us know someone who constantly batters themselves trying to move a 10-ton rock?

I had a professor in grad school who hated the prayer. I think due to the part about accepting things I cannot change.

There are two other parts to the pray.

Finding the courage to change things. How about practicing what the Hebrew prophet Micah reported, “practice justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

We call Yoga a practice. Medical doctors had a practice. I rather appreciate the idea of a justice practice.

The other key is wisdom. I cannot bring world peace. But I can bring peace to those around me. Of course, if everyone…

During my first semester of graduate school the faculty decided to disband the program. And my professor, well, he was a professor and changed almost nothing. (I looked up the faculty years later to see whatever happened to them.)

Posted in Disciplines, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

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