Archive for the ‘Wisdom’ Category
Wisdom, Part 0
Posted in General, Knowledge, Proverb, Prudence, Truth, Wisdom, tagged Discernment, Knowledge, Proverbs, Prudence, Truth, Understanding, Wisdom on August 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Prophetic View
Posted in Advent, Day of the Lord, General, God Thoughts, God's Word, Implications, Prophecy, Understanding, Wisdom, Work of Jesus, Work of the Holy Spirit, tagged Discernment, Future Events, Prophecy, Truth, Wisdom, Work of Jesus, Work of the Spirit on September 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »
I haven’t blogged for one month now. I dislike not putting my thoughts down, but the last month has been an wholly unexpected whirlwind. Added to my absence from the blog was the 3-week loss of my journal. I use composition notebooks of the kind you might use in a science lab. This morning I found it. I decided that as time allows I will read back through it. The second entry was concerning a Bible study I had done about Jesus reading in the synagogue, His inaugural speech as it were. He read Isaiah 61:1-2a:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord…”
Then He stops, mid-thought, mid-sentence, and hands the scroll back to the synagogue official, saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21). Jesus was proclaiming the purpose and purview of His ministry. The reason He stopped at this exact place in the passage was “Today”, namely His 1st advent to Earth, it was “fulfilled”. The next parts, “And the day of vengeance of our God, …to comfort all who mourn, …they will rebuild the ancient ruins, …everlasting joy will be theirs,” (Isaiah 61:2b&c, 4a, 7d) refer to His second advent, followed immediately by the Millennium and Eternity Future.
Now, I know that this points to a certain theological perspective, but I am neither ashamed of it nor have any particular doubts about the general outline of it. In fact, my more than usual intense reading of the minor prophets this summer solidified and deepened my conviction that God still has a plan for physical Israel both to judge the majority and to save the remnant in order to fulfill all of the promises He has made and not yet completed. Many of these prophecies are just too clearly oriented to the blessings of land and nation to be spiritualized away. We who are spiritual Israel, which I believe includes the saved remnant of physical Israel, will participate in those blessings during the Millennium.
I had a small diagram in my journal that shows how prophecy frequently teaches us about future events. It is not at all new to me, but I like to put things down and add detail as I am able.
No diagram, analogy, type, or metaphor can ever be a complete explanation of the reality, but they may be accurate to the extent they are intended to explain the reality. The prophet is thought to not be able to see the valleys, because God is just revealing the mountaintops of future events. However, some of the events of the Inter-testamental Period (Silent years) are revealed in Daniel’s vision in chapter 11. Antiochus Epiphanes (though not named) is given as a type of the the Antichrist. So, the Inter-testamental Bad Guy and the “Day of the Lord” Antichrist are featured in the same prophecy.
This is a frequent pattern in prophecies. There is a near or historical (from our perspective) fulfillment and a future and/or spiritual fulfillment. David can truthfully groan, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1), and yet be simultaneously and more completely revealing the crucifixion of Christ a thousand years later. So, the prophet Isaiah proclaims that “The Spirit of God is upon me,” and God is saying that Jesus will say and do these things later over several periods of time.
To place this Isaiah 61 passage on my diagram above, I would understand to to look something like the following:
Prophet Near Fulfillment 1st advent 2nd advent Millennium Eternity
Isaiah 61:1-9 good news to the “The Spirit… “day of “comfort “everlasting
afflicted favorable year” vengeance” all who mourn… joy” . portion in their land”
If I were to add or change anything in my diagram, it would be to add some labeled glasses on the prophet which read, “Holy Spirit vision”. We all need discernment and discretion and these come solely from God (Proverbs 2:1-12).
Lists
Posted in Discipline, Efficiency, General, Hurry, Photo, Prudence, Random thoughts, Wisdom, tagged Chores, Discipline, Efficiency, Organization, Wisdom on July 22, 2019| Leave a Comment »
“Write it down so that you won’t forget.” My son replied, “You write it down for me. You’re better at making list.” I had never thought about it. I just write lists because I have to get chores done and fit in recreation. So, it is true that I have developed somewhat of a list making procedure. It is not complicated or profound, for if it was, it would only make getting things done less likely. I understand calendars, planners, cellphone notifications and the like, but for various reasons they don’t quite work for me. Mostly they don’t work for me because they are cumbersome and elsewhere when I need them.
I make lists on little pieces of paper that I cut from recycled paper. I have the privilege of using a paper cutter and a little filing box in which to store blank ones that sits on the kitchen counter. I have three types of lists: daily, weekly (mid-range), and long-term. I don’t always have all three or even two, depending on what is happening, but frequently I do. Now, you may not see the wisdom in this separation of lists, thinking, “How does that exclude complexity and facilitate availability and convenience?” Well, I make the list on the run, stick it in whatever pocket of whatever pants or shirt I happen to be wearing and update it as tasks are completed, change, or need to be added. Just as you transfer keys and wallet when you change clothes, I move the list, too. For easier viewing of the list, so I don’t overlook an item, and in order to show progress and completion, I bullet the items with a blank. Additionally, I indent sub-items with a blank, “grocery lists” and the like.
I give an example by way of a recent daily list in the picture below. As an item is completed, I place a check in the blank, as shown for weeding, P, and going on a run. If an item is in progress, for example, an attempted phone call or message left, I place a tally mark in the blank. You can see that on the second attempt I mark complete and the time of the appointment, which I transferred to the family calendar on the kitchen counter at the first available opportunity. The same sequence occurred for the e-mail. I must have wanted a reply before I marked it complete. Zeph had two tallies on this Monday, as I was in the process of studying for a sermon (which you may listen to at “The Day of the Lord in Zephaniah” ). I had one tally mark next to comfrey, because I had begun to root a cutting so that someone else could benefit from the healing properties of comfrey by having a plant just outside their door as I do. I am not a slave to my lists. I did not continue to tally this item because the circumstances quickly enabled me to remember to water the cutting daily. In two weeks it was standing upright in the pot and I took it to its new owner with instructions for planting it. It rained that day and I was not able to mow, so I decided to try again on Wednesday. I could not make an appointment with Dr. O because she was out of town for the whole week.
A Daily List
By the end of the day, I had more items on the list completed, but rarely do I complete all items. On occasions when I do finish a list, I celebrate. I’m not into purposefully making short, easy list so I get to celebrate more. I simply have too much to accomplish. Therefore, to reduce clutter, I make a new daily list that will include the few items that did not get done. Items like Dr. O get put on a mid-range list for later completion. Bills that need to be paid by some due date, perhaps within a month or longer, and maintenance items are listed on the long term list, part of the infamous “honey do” list, which is either the calendar or a slip of paper with the calendar. If very little of list is done, I just add a few items and reuse it the next day.
Some readers of the this blog entry will think the whole idea of writing about lists is silly. However, a few people may pick up some hints about how to organize their lives. It is not the exact method that is the point but what works efficiently for you. Use what you can; ignore what you can’t. Secondly, I decided quite some time ago that I would blog about what interested me and about daily life. This blog entry satisfies both ends. Thirdly, I intend my blog to be a journal and open book of who I am and who I am becoming. I frequently give glory to God in my blog entries, not because I think it is an “ought” or “should”, but because I am so thankful for God’s work to regenerate, redeem, and reform me. Becoming a a disciplined, efficient, thoughtful person are characteristics I hope He is working in me for His glory and the mutual good of my neighbor and me. A life well thought out is well lived, and that is best done with a starting point of “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10
Owning the “O” Word
Posted in Experience, General, God Thoughts, Hike, Old, Poem, Praise, Remembering, Wisdom, tagged Old, Poem, Strength, Wisdom on April 13, 2019| Leave a Comment »
I awoke this morning with a number of thoughts rolling around in my mind. Of the ones that rose to the top, I skimmed off the following in a poem that came fairly quickly:
Running fast was once a thing
But now I have grown old
Working ’til the break of dawn
But now I early fold
Once I walked with heavy pack
Many miles in a day
Now I sit in rocking chair
Recalling hard won play
Recovery was quick then
Endurance that would last
Injury slight problem when
Healing would come so fast
Now there is strength in wisdom
Knowing when best to stop
Working smarter not harder
No need to be on top
Much there is I’ve yet to learn
New vistas I would see
But lack of energy
Means that I am not free
My good days are not done yet
Though now I slow the pace
My hope is not in sprinting
But finishing the race
If it were in my own strength
Long since I would have failed
For God is my provision
Or long since I’d have bailed
As life begins to wind down
Vigor begins to wane
Glimpses I see of heaven
Through a dimly lit pane
One day before God I’ll dance
I’ll sing and serve and praise
In His strength forever there
His glories I will raise
Lifelong Learning
Posted in Education, General, Learning, Poems, Random thoughts, Truth, Understanding, Wisdom, tagged Education, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Poems, Truth, Wisdom on April 1, 2019| Leave a Comment »
It’s Marvelous Monday! Just before I stepped back out into the refreshingly crisp and slightly breezy 32 degree morning, I spied the signed that read “…Learning Commons, Encouraging collaboration, exploration, and creation. Supporting lifelong learning since 2007.” I proceeded to my parking lot duty station to stand watch just after 7:15 AM, making my school a kinder and gentler place to be. My mind began to stir with thoughts and comments I had with a student the Friday before concerning the way we do school. As the Sun rose above the small ridge behind the school into a nearly cloudless sky and a songbird repeated his song, my thoughts came together.
Lifelong learners
They tell us we should be
But how do you touch the heart
By compulsion and decree?
Critical thinking skills
Synthesis to high degree
But without facts in their toolbox
What hope that they will see?
College is a must
AP courses, advanced degree
But where is creativity
Without time to explore and be free?
Learning is for high pursuits
For wisdom for you and me
But when will we understand
Growth of the spirit is key?
Look the look, play the part
Be all that you can be
But have you learned of heaven
To be eternally set free?
My Writing
Posted in General, God Thoughts, Learning, Thanksgiving, Truth, Wisdom, tagged God Thoughts, Learning, Musing, Organizing Thought, Thinking, Truth, Writing, Writing Better on February 17, 2019| Leave a Comment »
My pastor asked me if I would share about my writing and how it has benefited me spiritually. I have been writing for many years by many means. I have journaled with pen to paper and fingers to keyboard in order to capture my thoughts. I have written newspaper articles and research papers supporting God’s view of Creation and salvation. I have written poetry and songs and short stories about struggles and joys of everyday life. I have written about family, friends, and colleagues. I have designed diagrams to explain ideas. Writing has been a long-term blessing in my life.
But why writing? Speaking to friends is easy. It’s real time, interactive, and engaging. You clarify and correct as you go. Facial expressions and voice intonations make understanding easier. Writing is harder. It has to make sense without the opportunity to correct misunderstandings. Writing speaks long after you are gone, for posterity or ridicule. Therefore, writing forces the writer to be more careful with words.
Why do I write? I write to focus, organize, and deepen my thoughts. I write in order to understand better and to make myself better understood by others. I write to hone arguments for truth and simplify complex ideas. I write to remember what I thought when God imparted understanding and wisdom to me. I write to quiet fretful, fearful, and frantic thoughts, to put my mind at rest by musing on truth. I write to plead with God, praise God, and thank God.
Psalm 139: 17-18a says, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.” His thoughts are indeed precious and numerous. The more I consider His thoughts, His works, His beauty, and His person as seen in Scripture, in Creation, and in my experience of Him, the more I realize the truth of Johannes Kepler’s words: “I was merely thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature, it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God.” So, I write to record and mull over observations I have made of God and His work in His Word, the world, and my life.
Writing may help you to think more biblically, more deeply, and more clearly. I would urge you to give it a try. If writing seems distasteful to you, it may be because it is difficult for you to do. I don’t claim to be a very good writer, but I have considered what has caused me to improve. Following are my tips for writing. (“P” is such a handy letter for the the tautograms and alliterations of poets and preachers. I went a little wild.)
1) Practice. Focused attempts to write will bring improvement.
2) Write with a purpose. Writing simply to record information is useful, but there are better reasons to write. Tell a story. Organize thinking. Simplify complex concepts with new analogies. Pursue your interests.
3) Pretend you have an audience. This procedure forces you to make yourself understood and tends to induce you to put more effort into delivery.
4) Be precise. Choose words and turns of phrase that convey what you intend. It takes effort.
5) Prune your writing. Concise thought is more organized, better understood, and better remembered.
6) Proof-read your writing several times and have others proof-read it. Make at least one pass for grammar and spelling, one pass for clarity, and one pass for readability.
7) Make your writing personal. Even if you are explaining difficult theological or scientific concepts, tell how it matters to you, why you want to know, what prompted your search, and how it will effect you.
8) Give praise to God for His providence in pleasant and problematic circumstances so that His goodness and power will be seen as active in the present as it was in the past.
Why Me?
Posted in Experience, General, God Thoughts, Hurry, Learning, Problems, Questioning, Sustaining, Wisdom, tagged Difficulties, Direction, Mistakes, Problems, Purpose on February 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Why Me? There are generally two ways to answer that question.
Why me? Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong?
Or…
Why me? What is God trying to teach me? How is He using these circumstances to guide me?
On a very pleasant, sunny afternoon my wife and I were preparing to go for a walk on our local Greenway. We were talking and enjoying conversation and she was understanding well. You see, she is a stroke victim and most days communication is poor and ponderous. We went to the car, talking away as we went. I distinctly remember enjoying the moment.
I pulled out of the driveway, looking both ways. In my blind spot a car had pulled up on the opposite curb. I looked in my rear side mirror and reacted just soon enough to dent his passenger door no more than about four inches. Two inches less and a toilet plunger would have fixed the problem, but the main beam was damaged and irrepairable. It was an expensive mistake.
Now two months later I was at the body shop paying for the repair. I had planned other business nearby. When I came out of the shop, my truck would not start. After a half hour cleaning the battery cable, I was underway, too late to do the other business I thought so important.
Why had all of this happened? Why was I prevented and redirected? What chain of events is God orchestrating for His glory and my benefit through these less than pleasant events?
I may never know, but I do know that the Scripture says, “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9) I lived a good portion of my life frustrated by annoying sidetracks and roadblocks, but I have come to understand what the Psalmist means when he says, “It is vain to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” (Psalm 127:2) I want to end my days trusting God, as the Psalmist says, “The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; and those who know Your name will put their trust in You. For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” (Psalm 9:9-10)
Caught How
Posted in Cultural commentary, General, Learning, Poem, Truth, Wisdom, tagged Learning, Poem, Truth, Wisdom on January 17, 2019| Leave a Comment »
It shall not grow if the soil is not prepared. It shall not be caught if there is no net in the air. No reason, no logic based in truth will occur without the moral component.
What is not caught is not taught
So they say
Lead them to water add salt
Make it play
But how do you break the hard pan
Unfriable soil
Minds for which learning is ban
Refuse slightest toil
Closed to logic and reason
Parroting thought
Flocks of birds out of season
Nothing new sought
Where are those seeking learning
Knowledge sponge
Understanding discerning
For truth lunge
True wisdom comes from above
Two-sided gift
Truth one side, the flip side love
Between no rift
Knowledge to Understanding to Wisdom
Posted in Cultural commentary, Education, General, Influence, Poem, Prudence, Truth, Understanding, Wisdom, tagged Discernment, Education, Knowledge, Prudence, Truth, Understanding, Wisdom on June 9, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Time to graduate some students. It is a time for smiles and celebration and happy tears. The education we give our young is too focussed on knowledge and understanding devoid of moral evaluation, too lacking in wisdom for living and discernment for awareness of various dangers. I hope that I may be a mentor in thoughtful and careful living.
Knowledge leads to understanding
This path will serve you very well
To your mind and heart rewarding
In interactions it will tell
Acquire wisdom in your youth
Always prudent to do what’s right
Acting kindly along with truth
With wisdom overcoming might
Many deceived by false knowledge
Seek that you may discernment find
That at home or work or college
By truth delivered, sharp of mind
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