Character more than talent determines success in life. Not necessarily more money, power, or prestige. But as someone of whom people touched by them remember kindly.
Who you are shouts louder than what you do.
Archive for the ‘Wisdom’ Category
Character Over Talent
October 29, 2024Put Away Evil Speaking
September 4, 2024Put Away Evil Speaking–John Wesley.
O that all you who bear the reproach of Christ, who are in derision called Methodists, would set an example to the Christian world, so called, at least in this one instance! Put ye away evil-speaking, talebearing, whispering: Let none of them proceed out of your mouth! See that you “speak evil of no man;” of the absent, nothing but good. If ye must be distinguished, whether ye will or no, let this be the distinguishing mark of a Methodist: “He censures no man behind his back: By this fruit ye may know him.” What a blessed effect of this self-denial should we quickly feel in our hearts! How would our “peace flow as a river,” when we thus “followed peace with all men!”
I was brought up in the Methodist Church and have spent most of my adult life as a member. I don’t remember any specific instruction on Wesleyan thought. Some recent reading suggested several books to read next, so I picked up Wesley’s Collected Sermons. 141 of them. When the book opened in Kindle, the note told me 24 hours remaining of reading time. I’m now half through. I stand amazed at how much my thought came from John Wesley.
The quote from John Wesley should be “inscribed on the heart” of all who call themselves Methodist of whatever flavor. Furthermore, the thought is good for all who claim to follow Jesus. Even further, it wouldn’t hurt every person regardless of religion or politics or whatever to follow this advice.
Choose This or That
August 14, 2024Seth 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.
Volunteering, Service, Happiness
August 12, 2024You 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. 🙂
Trusting the App for Advice
August 8, 2024My 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.
Prayer for Serenity
August 1, 2024The 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.)
Teach Your Mouth
June 28, 2024Wisdom from the Desert Fathers:
Abba Poemen said, ‘Teach your mouth to say what is in your heart.’
This is difficult for some of us. Maybe we have no awareness of what is in our heart.
Maybe we go with impulsive feelings rather than what is deep within us. (Especially when we have fingers to keyboard and social media applications open.)
This reminds me of the wisdom found in the Letter of James. And, remember, Jesus is always concerned with the state of our hearts. Let us get it right.
Empty Yourself
June 14, 2024Have you ever met someone so full of themselves that there is no room left for empathy?
Perhaps it is that person in the mirror in the morning?
The world revolves around them, they think. For some that is a deeply seated feeling where they just feel and know that others are merely accessories. They exist to serve us, bolster our esteem, bring us things, console us.
A jar is only useful when it is empty. Think of the potentials of an empty jar. It can save lives by ferrying water. It can bring grain to the hungry. It can be a tool to help us share from our bounty to someone in need.
We can only be useful (and healthy) through the emptying of our selfish thoughts and cravings. Empty, we now can feel empathy for another so that we may reach out in love to serve where needed. A kind word, a meal, a ride to the doctor.
We empty ourselves before meditation in order to allow room for the entrance of the Holy Spirit. Filled with the spirit—or even just a half-tank—we have the energy for service and caring and love.
A Simple Formula
June 7, 2024Theologian/scholar N.T. Wright wrote a “magnum opus” on the Apostle Paul, Paul and the Faithfulness of God. The book contains 1,700 pages and weighs in at just over 5 lbs. It took me some time to read.
One nugget of insight stands out. I made a note and refer to it daily. Wright calls it Paul’s Shema—a truth thought one repeats daily. It’s found in 1 Corinthians 8:6. The Greek has no verbs. This is Wright’s translation.
One God, the Father, from whom all things and we (belong) to him.
One Lord, Jesus Messiah, through whom all things and we (live) through him.
Ponder this, pray on it. There is great insight.
Unplug It
June 3, 2024I’ve had the pleasure of trouble-shooting computers and automation equipment during my career.
First question I asked was always is it plugged in? Does it have a power source?
Follow up if yes, unplug it, count 20, plug it back in. (Turn it off, then turn it back on.)
That latter just fixed a glitch in my iPhone.
It’s the same with us.
Are we connected with a power source?
Think God.
Are we stressed, unfocused, frustrated?
Unplug for a bit. Probably longer than a count to 20, but you get the idea.
Maybe we only need to unplug for a few minutes several times a day. Maybe we need a week to unplug, refresh the mind, do something different. Then we can plug in again full of power and energy.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 