Archive for the ‘Wisdom’ Category

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Anger

January 9, 2026

The early Jesus-followers were magnificent psychologists. They observed how the deepest emotions could grab priority in our lives disrupting our spiritual balance, as well as, our relationships.

Anger held a special place of dishonor on the “Wall of Shame.”

James observes offering advice, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

Silence works wonders. That purveyor of sweetened poison—Pepsi—used to advertise “the pause that refreshes.” The real pause that refreshes occurs in the moment between provocation and response. And the Lord knows that I know how difficult that pause is. I’ve done better over the past 20 years. But sometimes it’s still a struggle.

Quick to listen; slow to speak. Excellent advice for living.

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Posted in Listening, Silence, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Temptation

January 8, 2026

Put a bag of potato chips near me, and I am tempted. I know they will show up as added white adipose tissue (fat) on my abdomen the next day. Knowledge does not negate temptation.

Put a woman in close proximity to some men, and they are tempted to reach out and touch.

Put a sweet treat near some women, and temptation insidiously injects into psyche.

We have small temptations. We have temptations that can lead to life-changing folly.

You can refer to Freud, Jung, Adler, James, or other psychologists. Or, better, check out early Christian writers. For example, our current guide—James.

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Temptation is a fact of life. Quick check—are you breathing? Then temptation lies just around the corner. Even worse today are companies that hire scientists and engineers to develop products (from chips to social media) specifically designed to subtly tempt you into excess.

Self awareness of the desires that pop into consciousness plus a developed routine to avoid such nonsense protect us from yielding. Build a solid foundation that thwarts the invasion of tempters.

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Posted in Awareness, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Wisdom

January 5, 2026

I have recommended a month of reading Wisdom literature to start the year on a good frame of mind for most of the 15 years of this blog. Usually I recommend the book of Proverbs. I will be reading James and the Sermon on the Mount this year for a change.

A class I led once tried to read Proverbs, but they soon grew bored. It’s tough to read straight through. James reads more like a homily. Not quite like your dad yelling at you constantly.

I rather like Andy Stanley’s theme for his podcast (and sermons)—Make Better Decisions and Live a Better Life. The best summary of Wisdom I’ve heard.

And, of course, at this site we are considering the words of Jesus as the foundation for Wisdom—sometimes explained or amplified by other writers. Maybe Paul or James from the New Testament, or maybe the desert Fathers, or later spiritual writers.

James calls himself a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. He continues, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who, gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given himBut let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

Shall we then ask God for wisdom to help us live through 2026?

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Wisdom January

December 31, 2025

January has 31 days. The Book of Proverbs has 31 chapters. Coincidence? I think not. (Well, since January was invented 1,000 years after the Proverbs was published, maybe it is.)

My longstanding tradition, as well as suggestion for others, consists of reading a chapter a day during January and reflecting on them to start the year off on the front foot.

The general letter of James, the brother of Jesus and early church leader, is written in the Wisdom tradition. It is pithy, short, advice as relevant today as 2,000 years ago.

Further, Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus is that of a Wisdom teacher. 

This year’s focus for Wisdom January will include reading and reflecting upon James and the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7.

I may not be writing every day from them, but I promise to study them faithfully—again.

You could do worse than to devote about 10 minutes every morning or evening to these guides to Life with God.

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Posted in Disciplines, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Jesus Was There…Is Here

December 26, 2025

We have had the Feast Day (I hope your “feast” was bountiful, almost healthful, and pleasant) celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Almost nothing is recorded about Jesus from about two years old or fewer when the Magi visited until his ministry. That leaves much to the imagination. The most imaginative book I’ve read speculating on those years is Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Jesus’ Best Pal by Christopher Moore. If you are shocked by imaginative literature, don’t read it. But I found it both hilarious and poignant.

Back to reality. Jesus began a ministry. His first word was an invitation, which I take to mean us as well as the original disciples—Follow Me.

What did it mean to follow—for them and for us and for those we also invite?

Jesus answered that with his only command, “Love God with all your heart, mind, spirit, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Some people stop at the “love God” part. They ignore the rest.

Don’t be “some people.”

If you wonder about the love your neighbor part—James gives some pithy examples. Also read the letter to the Romans—chapters 12-15. These answer the question, “What’s next?”

What sort of person do wish to be in 2026? You could do worse than emulate those instructions.

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Posted in Attitude, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Sometimes It All Becomes Clear

December 16, 2025

Yesterday I was thinking about the “songs” of Mary and Zechariah and how they didn’t realize the full implications of what the birth of Jesus really meant.

Not their fault. They went along with what they had been taught. No problem with that.

We have a few stories later in the Gospels that told of Mary’s struggle to figure out what Jesus was doing.

I thought about this figuring out thing last week as my wife and I were working a jigsaw puzzle.

I group pieces by color and begin assembling. Focusing on one piece at a time, soon I had a chunk of picture completed.

I stood up and stepped back. Suddenly the picture of the old pickup truck startled me. I could defocus and see the big picture.

Sometimes when we study, we focus on a word or phrase at a time.

Meaning only comes when we mentally step back. Maybe going outside for a walk. Maybe closing our eyes briefly and then brewing a cup of tea. Or maybe waking up during the night after a dream.

Suddenly, the big picture comes into focus. We look beyond the little snippets of scripture we recite and see what Jesus really meant.

Those are good moments worth celebrating.

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Posted in advent, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

When a Small Group Seeks Power

November 20, 2025

Often throughout human history a small group (usually men) gather and think that they are somehow endowed with the wisdom to tell everyone else how to live.

Jesus opposed the Jewish religious establishment of his time.

Plato wrote an essay called The Republic wherein he argues that government should be run by a small group of philosophers—because philosophers of his time pursued the “truth” and were therefore wise. Unfortunately, not all people who think they know the truth are also wise.

Throughout a large chunk of the history of Europe, the small group was composed by clerics.

Sometimes it is a group of the very wealthy.

Jesus looked at everyone who through some situation became wealthy or politically powerful or held religious power and asked a simple question—what is the status of your heart? 

I have others to expand on that. Where is your focus? Do you have the humility to lead well? Can you handle your wealth for the benefit of the community?

Do not listen to mere words. Evaluate their actions. Seek the status of their heart.

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Posted in Awareness, Intention, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Don’t Play The Fool

November 7, 2025

You probably are about my age if you remember when Ricky Nelson sang, “Poor little fool, oh yeah, I was a fool, uh huh.”

Success (and happiness) in life does not require being a genius. It begins with not being a fool.

We can turn to one of my favorite documents in the Hebrew scriptures—we call it the Book of Proverbs. The writers describe the difference between the wise person and the foolish person.

Let’s consider a sample of descriptions of a fool.

  • A fool repeats folly. “ (Proverbs 26:11)
  • A fool lacks common sense. (Proverbs 10:21)
  • A fool avoids the wise. (Proverbs 15:12) 
  • A fool pursues elusive dreams. (Proverbs 17:24) 
  • A fool is proud and arrogant. (Proverbs 21:24)
  • A fool despises wisdom. (Proverbs 23:9) 
  • A fool starts fights. (Proverbs 18:6)
  • A fool is easily upset. (Proverbs 12:16)
  • A fool believes everything he reads. (Proverbs 14:15)
  • A fool loves to talk, but hates to listen. (Proverbs 18:2)
  • A fool is fiercely independent. (Proverbs 28:26)
  • A fool makes light of sin. (Proverbs 10:23)
  • A fool hates their mama. (Proverbs 15:20)

I’m guessing that you, like me, find yourself at least partially described at sometime in life by one or more of these descriptions. Shall we take a lesson from these? We exercise our self-awareness. When we see ourselves exhibiting one of these characteristics, we breathe deeply and divert ourselves into a more wise path.

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To Be Free

November 4, 2025

The Stoics were an intriguing group. They were primarily Roman or Greek, so the concept of the “One God” was completely foreign to them. But they were part of a Wisdom tradition that stretches back about as far as we can trace human civilization.

Ryan Holiday has created a career writing about the Stoics. He wrote in a recent newsletter, “At the time, in Rome, many people believed that only freedmen could be educated. In fact, Epictetus said, it was the opposite: only the educated were free. Wisdom is freedom. Someone who doesn’t know what’s what is a slave to impulses, ignorance, and illusions…even if they possess incredible worldly power and wealth.”

I began researching freedom or liberty while in graduate school. Never really published anything. Follow are some thoughts spurred by the Epictetus quote.

Wisdom tradition runs deeply in the New Testament—most explicitly in the Letter from James. Gospel writer Matthew presents Jesus as a Wisdom teacher (plus). 

Researching what Jesus said about to be free, it turns out that Jesus would have not argued with Epictetus—but he took the thoughts to a deeper level.

Consider a few thoughts from my research:

Freedom from sin: One of Jesus’s most direct statements about freedom is in John 8:31-36, where he says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” When people objected that they were already free as descendants of Abraham, Jesus clarified: “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin… So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Here, Jesus presents freedom as liberation from the bondage of sin through knowing the truth and following him.

Consider what habits, foods, prolonged thoughts, relationships you (we) have that separate us from God.

Freedom from religious burdens: Jesus criticized the religious leaders of his time for placing heavy burdens on people. In Matthew 11:28-30, he offered an alternative: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

How many requirements does your church or do your church leaders pile on you? Is service compulsory or performed for the joy of helping others?

Freedom through service: Jesus also taught a paradoxical form of freedom—that true freedom comes through serving others and God rather than serving oneself. He said in Matthew 20:26-28 that whoever wants to be great must become a servant.

Consider my last question. Are you serving because of the Holy Spirit residing within—even when you don’t always feel like it?

Spiritual liberation: In Luke 4:18-19, quoting Isaiah, Jesus described his mission as bringing “freedom for the prisoners” and proclaiming “the year of the Lord’s favor”—language associated with the Year of Jubilee when debts were forgiven and captives freed.

How are we serving the oppressed?

For Jesus, freedom wasn’t primarily political or external, but spiritual and internal—freedom from sin, guilt, fear, and spiritual bondage to live in relationship with God.

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Posted in Freedom, Justice, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Engaging Doubt

October 22, 2025

Sometimes circumstances drive us into wondering what it’s all about. God seems somewhere between distant and uncaring. We say we follow Jesus, but his words don’t reach into us like they once did.

Our soul is enveloped in a cloud of doubt.

I think this is the moment Jesus waits for. I think he appreciated the honesty of the man who shouted, “I believe, help me in my unbelief.” Jesus realizes that in doubt, we are now open to discussion. This is exactly the time to meet with him. Our minds are no longer filled with untruth and lies and cultural manipulations. It’s almost like beginner’s mind.

Now, in our doubt, Jesus words can begin to slice through the fog like the beam of a lighthouse along the ocean’s shore. Sometimes barely noticeable; sometimes penetrating.

This is when we are open to new ideas. New beginnings. If only in our doubt, we can still see.

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Posted in emotions, Faith, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

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