Category Archives: GENERAL INTEREST

Posted on

WITH SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Pause and Consider no. 2

MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT LIFE

A COUPLE OF SUNDAYS AGO I went to a Trappist monastery in a neighboring county. I absorbed my first visit to the newly constructed, new-from-old church. My mind sorted while classifying what I was seeing, hearing, and considering. Phrases, tunes, chants, and homily all met my inner being in that quiet place of peace.  The pipe organ under the command of a monk played the old familiar tune to “Fairest Lord Jesus.” My thoughts took a wide berth that day.

A contemplative person likes to contemplate. (duh) That’s me. I contemplate all the time, all day long, even at night. I wish I could turn off the narrative. Well, actually, I do whenever I’m praying, talking, reading or watching a program. Pondering and wondering come naturally to me. Reading is a close second. I think it wonderful to have a mind that eagerly desires to think. You never know what it is going to produce.

CONTEMPLATION

LANGUAGE OF LOVE

WISDOM SPEAK
. Words that affirm, speak the language of love.
. Glances that communicate acceptance, speak the language of community.
. Actions that help others, speak the language of kindness.
. Gifts that enrich relationships, speak the language of connection.

 

GOSPEL IN MINIATURE

THE GOSPEL in one sentence–

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised for our justification.” Romans 4:25

 

LASTING IMPACT

I LOVE a book that leaves me pondering its deeper truths. My mind takes pleasure in thinking through the book’s message. It’s like unwrapping a gift, delighting in it, and then using it according to its intended purpose. Books have the ability to impact me for forever.

 

SAY WHAT?

HOW WE FEEL is important. What we KNOW is important. Which one is MOST important? Feelings can bend. What we know is where we find its true nature. Thought vs Feeling is a go-to exercise in problem solving. Feelings can mislead us. Ask yourself, what is true about this? There you have it.

 

TRUE TRUTH

TRUTH STANDS ALONE. One of God’s standards is truth. When lies proliferate around us and seemingly bury the idea of a one true truth, they still cannot change what is. Truth still stands whether its believed or not–even when its being impugned, mocked and assailed.

Nor do I wish the call of God to go unanswered. When God speaks, listen to Him. When God calls, answer Him. When God convicts, confess His name. When God approaches (in thought or word), bow the knee and worship. God is near, very near, and He knows your name and mine.

OPEN EYES, OPEN HEART

I AM CONVINCED that most people see only what they want to see when it comes to the spiritual. Until. Yes, until. Until they are willing, open, and responsive to the things of God. God calls, impresses, loves, welcomes. One can resist, refuse, deny. Only believe.

 

SPIRITUALLY AWARE

BE PROACTIVE in your private, spiritual life. When the Spirit speaks, heed it. Never discount the spiritual realm. Train your spiritual eye to know God’s Word. Train your spiritual ear to discern God’s direction. Train your spiritual heart to follow God’s truth.

Be encouraged.

Thanks be to God for His wisdom, grace, and truth.

 

Posted on

PERSPECTIVE INFORMS a LIFESTYLE

Serenity in Real Life: Sobriety and Peace

The Symptoms of Inner Peace

YEARS AGO my brother-in-law rehabbed a second time and never went off-the-wagon for the rest of his life. He was determined, but his sobriety was hard won at that. Not long after, my sister-in-law divorced him. Being left so abruptly was a hard pill for him to swallow. Jerry persevered. To maintain a level of peace and equilibrium as a suddenly single person dealing with heartbreak and sobriety required extra effort on his part. He knew he needed emotional support. Reading, prayer, and self-care became part of his life. He took this process seriously. That’s when he reached out to me. He knew I also was in a world of hurt.

Jerry shared what he was learning with me. The Serenity Prayer was a favorite of his. He nurtured serenity in his life. Participation in Alcoholics Anonymous helped him implement appropriate balance. These meetings were like his lifeblood. They kept him focused. Through AA  came effective support. The Twelve Step program served as a guide as he improved and defined his daily life. Jerry looked to God to help him face many a challenge. I borrowed his 12 Step manual. I saw the beauty of it as I read its pages and identified with its content. The 12 steps were similar to my own path to healing though without the book and enacted through my own intentional transformation. I thought the similarities uncanny.
Jerry invited me over every so often to talk about life in general. We discussed our ups and downs: problems, concerns, solutions, behaviors, disappointments; you know the drill. Both of us had the painful aftermath of rejection in common. This common bond caused a joining that was rich indeed.  In the other person, we experienced an empathetic understanding in response to the hand we’d been dealt. Neither of us had wanted our divorces.
Pain is a powerful emotion. Jerry addressed his struggles head-on. As a result of his effort, a new quality soon surfaced in Jerry that hadn’t been quite so obvious in our earlier acquaintance. I had known Jerry for over twenty years but had never thought him particularly religious. Now he would start our visits with an uplifting devotional, and he would end them in a heartfelt prayer. I knew his prayers went straight to the throne of grace. We often talked about spiritual concepts, especially salvation and God’s work in our lives. His faith was fresh and unspoiled like the innocent trust of a child. Not too many months out, he remarried and thus came an end to our visits.

Jerry shared with me many writings during our year or two of visits. He had gotten these through Alcoholic Anonymous and elsewhere. One of them stood out, The Symptoms of Inner Peace. He gave me a copy after I asked for one. The truth is . . . I believe Jerry accessed peace in the middle of the storm. God became big enough in Jerry’s mind for him to deal with every problem that came his way–and somehow without a buildup of resentment. Amazingly, I can confidently say Jerry lived the words of Symptoms of Inner Peace.

 

Inner peace speaks life to the soul. You know you have it when your thoughts and wishes have changed from being me-focused and having to be right all the time, to other-focused and being okay with what is. Inner transformation changes the way you live your life. Perspective informs a lifestyle.

Symptoms of Inner Peace

1.  A tendency to think and act deliberately, rather than from fears based on past experiences.
2.  An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
3.  A loss of interest in judging others.
4.  A loss of interest in judging self.
5.  A loss of interest in conflict.
6.  A loss of interest in interpreting the action of others.
7.  A loss of ability to worry.
8.  Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
9.  Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
10.  Frequent attacks of smiling through the heart.
11.  Increasing susceptibility to kindness offered, and the uncontrollable urge to reciprocate.
12. An increasing tendency to allow things to unfold, rather than resisting and manipulating.

 

You are fortunate if you have peace like that. Real peace doesn’t allow for comparisons or resentments to grow and fester. I have noticed when I walk in close relationship with God, I am more like the words in the writing. Things don’t bother me as much. They simply don’t matter. I can let them go because I mentally ‘will’ to release them. Some play out like an automatic response.

The Rest of the Story

The oncology ward at the local hospital housed my last visit with Jerry. It was a private visit, just him and me. He was quite thin and was recuperating from cancer surgery. The prognosis was not encouraging. He was given months to a year. Sadly, he had just weeks.

Jerry wanted to know about me, how I was doing. We hadn’t talked since he’d married. I shared with him how I had given a talk about my life in church and how it had been recorded. He wanted a copy. That never happened. However, his affirming and encouraging words meant a lot to me. Jerry truly was a dear soul. These days I meet with his youngest daughter whenever we can manage it. His love flows in my niece’s veins. She honors me with her love.

I am thankful for the blessings I received via my friendship with Jerry. He lived serenity. Peace ruled his life in a life-giving sense. I think it worked that way for him because peace links to the spiritual side of things. Jerry apprehended that something extra special in his last years. A frequent saying of his was referring to himself as “Jer Dog,” and he even had the T shirt. He said the “Dog” part was God spelled backwards, because God was important in his life. Always the optimist. Although never a church-going person nor well acquainted with deeper spiritual truths, I believe Jerry’s faith was a very real part of who he was.

Jerry greeted everyone with a smile and was always glad to see you. He is missed by all who knew him. The Serenity Prayer, The Twelve Steps, Symptoms of Peace, and Jer Dog, will for forevermore speak of Jerry in my thoughts.

R.I.P. Jerry Dean