Gary Mintchell

Author Archive

Can’t Sit Still?

December 7, 2023

Blaise Pascal, 17^th century French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer, said, “Many of our major problems derive from our inability to sit still in a room.”

Pioneering Swiss psychologist Carl Jung told of a patient who exhibited anxiety and restlessness. Jung prescribed for him to go home, go to his office, close the door, and sit for a few hours every day.

The patient returned for his next appointment stating that he didn’t feel any better. Jung asked about his day. He said, well, I sat in my chair. Then I got a book and went through a few pages. Then I got out my violin and played for a short while. Then I tried another book.

Jung reprimanded him, “I told you to sit quietly. Just be with yourself. Just sit.”

Modern psychology? Pascal prescribed that 300 years earlier.

If you cannot stand to be alone with yourself for even an hour or even a half-hour a day, is it any wonder that others cannot stand to be with you, either?

The story concerns an elementary schoolroom from many years ago, but it could be yesterday. The teacher noticed that while she was explaining something a little boy sat staring out of the window. “What are you doing, little boy?” asked the teacher. “Thinking,” replied the boy. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to think in class?” responded the teacher before realizing the irony.

The boy was on the right track. Finding time to sit and think is a good thing. Try it.

Posted in Disciplines, Meditation, Thinking | Leave a Comment »

Blessing for Work

December 6, 2023

I was greatly blessed at work. For most of the positions I held, I was the first person to hold the position. I had the opportunity to forge new paths and ways of doing things. Yes, I had several terrible bosses that cost my health for a bit. But many more were the bosses who taught and provided opportunities for growth. Most of the time I did not feel like a functionary simply filling in my time—like the protagonist in Franz Kafka’s eerie story of the man who turned into a cockroach over night.

Given an Irish and Welsh ancestry and vast eclectic reading habits, I don’t know how I missed John O’Donohue. Jerry Colonna introduced us in his book Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong.

O’Donohue seems (although I haven’t found the document to study) to be the closest to my interpretation to the German philosopher GWFHegel, The Phenomenology of Spirit. That enough was enough of an enticement. But it his capture of the Celtic spirit that captivated me.

In the fourth chapter of Anam Cara (soul friend), he discusses work. And how modern work can be soulless robbing us of imagination and creativity. (He also references an early essay of Karl Marx about the alienation of the worker in modern industrial work. One of my favorites.)

With that long introduction, I will leave you with O’Donohue’s blessing for work.

May the light of your soul guide you.

May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart.

May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.

May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light, and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work.
John O’Donohue

Posted in Disciplines, Grace, Work | Leave a Comment »

Advent Replicates Waiting

December 5, 2023

I have been much impacted by the Samuel Beckett play, Waiting for Godot. It is a two-act play where two people (often portrayed as tramps) meet while waiting for someone named Godot to show up. He never does. But the conversations are deep and meaningful.

Many people throughout humankind must have thought that they were waiting for someone who never shows up. Maybe a parent? Maybe a lover? Maybe God?

Hugh Laurie, English actor, comedian, writer, musician, noted, “It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.”

Here is another kind of waiting. It is the waiting to act before we feel ready. We are waiting to write the Great American Novel, but never get the pen or laptop out and begin writing. We will be a pastor or teacher or business leader—someday when we are ready. Some things we should not sit around waiting for the time to be right. I have seen people waiting for permission—from someone, anyone. We must seize the moment and do something.

Then there is waiting in anticipation. This I like the Jewish people waiting for The Anointed One, meaning King, Messiah in their language. Most of them pictured David returned to kick out the foreigners and re-establish the empire. Not being alive in the first century, I have no idea how prevalent this waiting, indeed longing, was among the Jewish people at large. Definitely it was among the more spiritually attuned. I have read histories that described that era as one of great spiritual longing. The success of Paul among the non-Jews shows that that longing was more widespread than just among the Jews.

I think of the stories in Luke about Anna and Simeon waiting at the Temple convinced that the baby who was the Anointed One would be brought to be dedicated. They were there not just years but decades. Waiting. And then Joseph and Mary brought little Joshua (Jesus in Greek and now English). And they knew. How? God obviously spoke to them. The waiting was over.

Advent as a season of the year to recreate that waiting, but instead of a political king a man who points us toward God with the invitation to enter God’s kingdom the kingdom of heaven. “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (around us),” he said at the beginning of his ministry. Turn your life around because you, too, can live with God in the Kingdom. Beginning now.

We wait now. Then, we go and do for the wait is over.

Posted in advent, Waiting | Leave a Comment »

Watching

December 4, 2023

I still remember the story I read as a child about the European/American pioneers trekking from the eastern USA to the western part that was being new developed thanks to gold and stories of plentiful farm land.

The trail went directly through territories inhabited by various tribes of native peoples. Those people weren’t thrilled with the invasion and were known to attack those “wagon trains” traveling through. At night the travelers would post guards to watch for attack. After a hard day of traveling, the guards would be tired. Falling asleep could be fatal for them all.

They solved a problem with a 2-legged stool. They could sit. If they dozed, the stool would tip over and awaken the guard.

The common lectionary for this year’s first Sunday of Advent included the thought of watching. It draws from an odd passage at the end of Mark. I thought of other watching, especially in Luke. There were shepherds watching their flocks. They, too, were observant for predators. But being awake, they could observe the angels and hear the message and take action. There was Simeon in the temple watching for the arrival of the Messiah. And there was Anna also at the temple watching for the arrival of the Messiah.

We are beginning Advent. Are you on guard, watching? What do you expect to see or hear? Who is coming? Where will you watch? Do you expect to see or hear Jesus? Where?

I watch. And wonder. And expect.

Posted in advent, Awareness | Leave a Comment »

Plugging In to the Spirit

December 1, 2023

The weekend following Thanksgiving Day finds my wife turning all that food into energy as she begins decorating the house for Christmas. It is her favorite time of the year. And in 50 years of marriage she has accumulated manger sets, ornaments for the tree, Santa figurines, candles, and God knows what else.

I am not the Grinch, but I don’t experience the season quite the same way. I do enjoy rising early and plugging in the Christmas trees (yes, plural). The distinctive light in the early morning dark brings a sense of the Advent season to the soul to begin the day.

I found an old note tucked away in my digital files from a book long out of print where the author Michael Ray talked of the Highest Goal. He concluded the highest goal for each of us lies in the experience of connection or truth, like that described by the contemplatives of the past 3,000 years or more. He says, “If you live for the highest goal, you are living a life of the spirit.”

That is a good definition we can live with. Its simplicity beats the thousands of words that Paul uses to also try to describe life in the spirit.

To return to our Christmas trees, I view this same thought as “plugging in” to the spirit of God. I often think of it as the “supreme creative force of the universe.” There are times I am plugged in and can feel the light surging through. Then there are the times when the plug has been vibrated loose. In those cases sort of like The Righteous Brothers sang, “I’ve lost that lovin’ feeling.”

In such cases I must return to the roots of simplicity. Thinking long term far beyond my current problems and concerns. I return to my path leaving the path someone else tries to divert me onto. It is time to refocus attention and look at others with compassion. Throwing off the yoke of preconceived ideas and prejudices, I can look at other humans as siblings—fellow children of God.

The simple act of plugging in a few Christmas trees during the season has the effect of reminding me to plug into the spirit of life.

Posted in advent, spirit | Leave a Comment »

Perceived but False Problems

November 30, 2023

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that ain’t so.” — Josh Billings

Peter Diamandis, engineer, doctor, entrepreneur, calls this an example of “Category 3 Problems.” These are perceived, but false problems. Problems that are either based on false data, outdated trends, cognitive biases, or a scarcity mindset. Most importantly (and perniciously), they prevent us from recognizing all the progress we’ve made and blind us to the opportunities in front of us for innovation and creating a world of abundance.

Diamandis preaches “abundance” thinking as opposed to “scarcity” thinking. Some people only see the negatives. Even when things are objectively better (like right now) people probably driven by a media propagating constant negativity and bad news feel as if they are living in scarcity.

I hear echoes of Jesus calling us to live in the abundance of the Spirit within the Kingdom of Heaven. I hear the apostle Paul describing the Fruit of the Spirit or life beyond the Law.

We can grab that life and learn to dispel those things we know for sure that just ain’t so.

Posted in Attitude, Disciplines | Leave a Comment »

Study Groups

November 29, 2023

Did you ever wonder why the Hebrew scriptures are appended to the stories about Jesus and the early church along with advice to the first followers?

Let’s take a look at a story from the Christian scriptures called the Road to Emmaus found in Luke’s history. Two of Jesus’s followers were walking to a village called Emmaus shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus. They were trying to get their minds around these sudden turns of events.

A man joined them along the way. He explained to them from the Hebrew scriptures the meaning of Jesus’s coming, ministry, death, and resurrection. They sort of went, “Wow, that makes sense.” They reached a house and had something to eat. The stranger took a loaf of bread, blessed it, and broke it. The two guys went something like, “Hey, wait a minute, you’re Jesus, aren’t you?” And the man disappeared.

The first Jesus-followers took that story to heart and searched through those ancient texts looking for every mention that could point to Jesus. And that is why the first council of bishops back in the 4^th Century appended the section we call the Old Testament to the Christian scriptures called the New Testament when then compiled the first Bible. (Yes, there was no Bible for 300 years.)

Now let me take you to a different time and place. I attended freshman chemistry with 699 of my closest friends. Well, actually, I probably knew 10. Grading was done on a strict normal curve. A small percentage received As, a larger group received Bs, a massive group got Cs, a group larger than the Bs got Ds, and a group larger than the As received Fs.

I was getting Cs. Then somehow I was invited to form a small chemistry study group. We went over the texts and notes before the tests (there were two tests that combined formed your grade). After being in the study group, my grade went to B.

Yes, I’m suggesting that small study groups form a tool that would be of great help in pursuing your spiritual discipline of study.

I suggest a few ground rules.

Agree that everyone is willing to learn new things
Keep an open mind
Don’t let someone with fixed opinions on everything to dominate the discussion—a good leader/moderator gets everyone involved
Keep discussion open and civil
Agree to disagree (agreement is nigh on to impossible at times)
Psychologist Adam Grant says that we all tend to either be prosecutors, preachers, or politicians meaning that we have the right answer and seek to impart it; rather be a scientist who puts forth a hypothesis and then invites disagreement in order to prove or disprove it.

Footnote: I have read a few Jewish Rabbis who have rebutted the claims of those early Christians about John as a prophet and Jesus as a Messiah. They “prove” from text and tradition that neither meet the criteria. That is the intellectual reason that in general Jews do not accept the entire Christian story.

Posted in Disciplines, Study | Leave a Comment »

Many Nice People

November 28, 2023

Need to know what’s going on in the world? It’s easy to know enough without immersing yourself in the news-media-advertising-complex.

As side benefit you stop noticing so much the bad side of people (like my post yesterday about people whose behavior belies their stated beliefs).

This morning during meditation the number of good people I come across every day came into focus. We moved during Covid shutdown to a new city in a different state. We don’t know many people—even now. It’s not easy.

Several women I know volunteer at food banks and/or serve meals to those who need a good hot meal.

I had met a woman who at first glance looks like one of those girls you knew in high school who is pretty, knows it, and is a bit stand-offish. I recently had a chance to talk with her as she is one of the owners of the coffee house where I work once a week or so (writing, not making cappuccinos). Several people came through the shop who knew her and were happy to see her. She turned out to be nice to everyone.

There are people who reach out to those around who are hurting. Many people help out just with random acts of kindness, even small tokens like opening a door for someone or carrying a load.

None of these people rate headlines in the news-media-advertising-complex. But they form the backbone of the community or church or organization.

Be one of those. It is as good for your health as for those being served. And when you meet these people, say Thank You.

Posted in Doing, Service | Leave a Comment »

Put Christ Back in Christian

November 27, 2023

I had a few minutes to browse on Facebook the other day and saw a cartoon.

The older couple sit side-by-side on a couch. He says, “We need to put CHRIST back in CHRISTmas.” She replies, “I’d settle for putting CHRIST back in CHRISTian.”

I showed it to my wife. She just said, “Well, that’s so you.”

Perhaps the description is annoyed. Or disappointed. Or even despair. That’s what I feel when people grab media headlines portraying themselves as christian when simultaneously exhibiting no signs of the spirit of Jesus.

That has become so pervasive (not among a majority of people, but among a majority of headline seekers) that I prefer not to refer to myself as Christian identifying with them. I prefer to describe myself as what I try to be—a follower of Jesus.

Ignatius of Loyola developed a spiritual practice of The Examen. I don’t practice it exactly every night, but most nights I ask myself how have I been a good follower and where have I missed an opportunity and fallen short. And I always fall short somewhere. Which gives me room to be better the next day.

This is a good practice for those of us who profess to be followers to perform. Doing it honestly with self-awareness keeps us humble and striving to be better at following. And if enough people do that, maybe it could be a movement. And maybe we could put Christ back in Christian.

Posted in Awareness, Disciplines, Spirituality | Leave a Comment »

Let Go of Anger

November 24, 2023

Flashbacks of exploding in anger sometimes visit my conscious self. It’s embarrassing now. How frustrations or deep hurts overflowed into words and actions.

I could say that we live in an age of the angry young man where everyone is like that. Politicians around the world seem to be tapping into that anger. Except that angry young men have been around for decades—millennia even. Billy Joel released a song in 1976 described as a sardonic look at “the angry young man who will go to his grave as an angry old man.”

Maybe I lost the edge of that anger when I became 25 or so and my brain finished growing (biological fact, in case you missed that in class). Or maybe years of meditation. Or maybe the times, especially in business, where I was metaphorically stabbed in the back by colleagues or friends, and I realized in the bigger picture, I was better off gone from that environment.

Looking at that bigger picture, would you like the vision of yourself as one of those angry old men (or women)? No one around you? Doing nothing for the family or community? Probably taking years from your life?

I can’t imagine that a person exists who doesn’t experience something sometime that lights a torch inside. A mark of maturity and growing spiritual awareness is revealed when we can let it go. Quickly. Before we say or do something foolish. Hitting that internal pause button before we hit the keyboard return button that will send that email or publish to social media.

How about if we go to our graves known as kind and compassionate rather than angry and bitter? We can do that. It does take work. And time.

Posted in Attitude, emotions | Leave a Comment »

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