Weekly Thought – June 29, 2021

Fred rarely sat down and said to his children, “Listen up, I am going to give you wise words.” On occasion he did sit down at his old Selectric typewriter, masterfully using the two finger “hunt and peck system.” This week’s thought is unusual, personal, and brief. Found after Father’s Day his daughter Brenda shared a memo sent in April, 1992. As always, the truths are timely and timeless.

Fatherly wisdom

To Brenda

Today you took another step in the same direction, not a new road. You are on your way to develop marketable career skills and relations. Increased income and/or company promotion is important, but not controlling. Progress, not winning/losing is your emphasis.

Your continued strengths are your integrity, learnability, relations, knowledge, and superior effort. Keep networking and upward as much as possible. Power is a necessity for action. A small vital effective fish will be put into a larger lake. I like to look out of place where I am and like I belong in a larger one. Be the kind of person others want to help succeed. Keep your contact in good repair – neglected contacts corrode.

Along the way make use of mentors and sponsors (not always the same). You need a challenging situation among real pros. The good student calls forth the good teacher…”when the student is ready the teacher will appear” so goes the ancient Greek saying. In the meantime learn from everyone all you can. Share what you have with others and so feel worthy of help you might get.

These are just a few thoughts running through my mind for the last few days as I have thought about your move into the sales manager’s job. Also I might add: every title has a value in your climb up the executive ladder.

Bless, Dad.

This week think about: 1) What words do I have for my children? 2) Which of Fred’s counsel really hits home for me? 3) How faithful am I to consider my family, my colleagues, and my friends?

Words of Wisdom: “Progress, not winning/losing is your emphasis.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Listen, children, to a father’s instruction, and pay attention so that you may gain discernment.” (Proverbs 4:1 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – June 15, 2021

Fred thought much about maturity and health. He engaged in conversations with interesting people who wanted to pursue these themes. As a lifelong learner he constantly sought out ways to deepen his knowledge. One of his areas of intellectual pursuit was emotional health. This week’s excerpt was written in the 80s before psychological research delved into the effect of shame on humans.

In the coming months the archive will undergo a process of capturing the content stored on 3×5 cards – over 13,000 of them! This will be a robust undertaking, but one which will further provide access to Fred’s thinking.

Keeping Things Healthy

I have eclectic reading interests although I stay within the context of philosophy, psychology, and theology. This allows me to study deeply about the nature of God and the nature of man.

My friend T. George Harris, former editor of American Health, devoted an entire issue to the healthful advantages derived from fun. The Christian has the great possibility of moving on to joy. George, Norman Cousins and others in the medical community are building a body of research on the impact of laughter on physical health and healing. Long before they began their studies we find scripture which supports their thinking: “A merry heart does good like a medicine.”

There is a downside to this principle, as well. Scientists are finding that cocaine attacks the pleasure center of the brain. After repeated and prolonged usage, the addict cannot feel pleasure without cocaine.

An article on shame pointed out the neglect of this as a source emotion from which other emotions spring. Much study has been done on guilty, but shame is just now coming into a research topic. I have been doing thinking about it. When I was with Dr. Weber, the Stanford professor of plastic surgery, we had an opportunity to talk about the topic. He said that much is done to improve self-image. As I considered this I saw the difference between shame and guilt. One is an evaluation of condition the other is a reaction to behavior based on personal value systems. The article said that the only physical evidence of shame is “a turning away of the face.” It makes me think of Adam’s response to God, “I hid myself for I was ashamed.”

Revenge is not present in the emotional repertoire of healthy people. It is definitely one of the most damaging of all emotions. Hans Selye, the noted Nobel prize winning scientist in studying stress concluded revenge is the number one emotion to avoid. In having lunch with a corporate President he told me of extremely difficult times centered around a competitor. “I am going to get those suckers!” was his response. I reminded him that good competition is perfectly healthy, but revenge is beyond the pale, especially for a Christian. Scripture says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” God doesn’t want us filling our lives with a vengeful attitude.
Emotional health is part of the bedrock for good living. As we establish well-being the anchors are financial, relational, physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional maturity.

This week carefully consider: 1) How would I measure my emotional well-being? 2) What remnants of revenge still exist? 3) Who can I help assess their maturity?

Words of Wisdom: “Revenge is not part of the emotional repertoire of healthy people.”

Wisdom from the Word: “For it says in scripture, ‘Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and whoever believes in him will never be put to shame.’” (1 Peter 2:6 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – June 8, 2021

Fred spent years consulting with and speaking to executives and corporations. Without fail he sat down with people at breakfast and listened to their stories. They sought him out for his wisdom. With each conversation Fred filed away principles and illustrations for future interactions.

Pot of Gold

A young preacher told me of a meeting with the town’s most prominent citizen soon after arriving at the church. “Young man, you have not seen me I church and you will not see me until my funeral. I own this town and the mill. When I came here as a young immigrant I heard in America there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I found the gold, pastor, but I lost the rainbow.”

The rainbow from its inception has been the symbol of promise and hope. It is the assurance from God to Noah and all who followed. It speaks of a permanent relationship with the eternal and divine. The mill owner lost the meaning of hope and joy.

Recently, a restless friend said, “I feel a lack of joy in my life. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it.” He seemed to be taking a passive position, reacting to a life in which he was acted upon by circumstances, pressured by events, and absorbing the pessimism of those around him. He lost the concept of taking responsibility for joy. He gave up the courage to take charge of his life.

When I speak of “joy for the journey” I am not talking about surface happiness which can comes like the wind without knowing where or why. It is not an emotional response to fortuitous circumstances – it is much more. We need joy when life is out of joint. Joy is the deep adequacy found in the will to survive. It is found in the faith to believe “all things work together for good.”

Oftentimes I’ve read of “secrets” of joy but actually there are no secrets to be hunted and found like Easter eggs, prided out of some mysterious guru, found in effervescent books, or discovered in esoteric cults. Joy is the result of life’s being lived in hope. It truly is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Joy is available to any normal, healthy personality. I am convinced if we have ever been capable of knowing joy we can develop and control our emotions making joy a comfortable and permanent state.

That “somewhere over the rainbow” is not just the pot of gold, but a true spiritual home that can be ours, reflecting hope.

This week think about: 1) How do I control my emotions to produce joy? 2) What makes me happy; what gives me joy? 3) Who can I encourage to focus on hope and not just the pot of gold?

Words of Wisdom: “The rainbow from its inception has been the symbol of promise and hope. It is the assurance from God to Noah and all who followed. It speaks of a permanent relationship with the eternal and divine.”

Wisdom from the Word: “But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.” (1 Peter 3:15 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – June 1, 2021

Fred thought strategically. His analytical style allowed him to maintain objectivity. A strong element in his approach was the clarification of passion. This week, his words build on his rational view of passion.

Focusing Passion

“Passion is concentrated wisdom with high energy in the pursuit of meaning.” That definition is one of my favorites.

Effective leaders are imbued with passion. It gives energy to the business; it sustains in difficult times, and it gives hope.

My theologian friend Dr. Ramesh Richard says, “First in life, decide on your passion. What is your first love? If you have multiple passions, you’ll be ripped to pieces internally, resulting in a fragmented, random life. If anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ is your first love, you will fall into idolatry.”

The advantages of a clear, healthy passion are multiple: 1) brings purpose, unity, intensity, and concentration; 2) gives intentionally to life; 3) provides depth keeping us from the shallowness of mediocrity.

Examples of passionate leaders: 1) Solzhenitsyn had an undying passion for truth and principle; 2) Mother Teresa, a passion for the dying; 3) Moody, Spurgeon, and Graham – a passion for souls; and 4) Churchill whose indomitable passion of will gave the British the needed wartime stamina.

I see two sources of passion: 1) Received as a gift- the person is born with an exceptional capacity for passion. They can unite the mind, heart, and spirit. They have the ability to lose themselves in a cause, dedicating themselves to a single purpose. I listened to an older writer being interviewed by a younger one.” If you had your life to live over, what would you do?” His answer: “I would find something big enough to give myself to.” 2) Vision – the clearer the vision, the more focused the passion. If the vision becomes blurred, the passion becomes dissipated. In an organization where everyone buys into and fully understands the passion and purpose, all effort is unified with high energy. An organization without passion is a car without gasoline, a rocket without fuel.

Passion does not always express itself the same way in leaders… one may be quiet, and another effervescent. It is a mistake to equate passion with charisma.

The purpose of our passion must have integrity. I have heard leaders complain that their employees don’t have the same desire for success that they do. On further examination, often I found the dedication was to personal success, rather than organizational success.

I often ask a question: “Is the object of the passion worthy of the commitment?” The Apostle Paul, a man of exceptional passion, was willing to be accursed if his purpose was not accomplished. Self-sacrifice is the acid test of our passion. While passion supplies hope, tenacity, energy, it also increases vision. It creates its own reality.

I like the prayer of the old saint: “O, Lord, fill my will with fire.” He was asking for passion with a receptive, expectant attitude toward God. A pure passion turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.

This week carefully consider: 1) What is my primary passion? 2) How am I expressing this to those around me? 3) When do I get unfocused about my vision?

Words of Wisdom: “An organization without passion is a car without gasoline, a rocket without fuel.”

Wisdom from the Word: “But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end.” (Hebrews 6:11 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – May 25, 2021

Fred grew up in Nashville, TN. Family resources were not available for him to attend college. However, during his lifetime he received multiple honors, including two honorary doctorates. He also gave commencement addresses throughout the country, including Belmont University. His severely handicapped brother Richard graduated from Belmont as President of the Senior Class. He walked miles and miles with a distinct, disabling limp to attend class and receive his degree from this fine institution.

These words are from his commencement address in 1959 at Belmont when he was 43.

Internal Energy

The discipline of self-motivation is probably the most difficult one you will fact. Recently I met a young man who picked prunes as a day laborer. In his late teens he decided he wanted more. In less than 10 years he became vice president of a company, had a home in Miami, owned an 83 foot crewed yacht, two airplanes, and over one million dollars in securities. I quizzed him thoroughly on his success and one of his major points was: “Maintain a burning desire.”

Education may be the vehicle, but motivation is the fuel oil that drives the desire. Most people who fail do so because of inferior fuel, not an inferior vehicle. Application is a critical key, even more most times than ability.

May I suggest a few thoughts on self-motivation?

1) Accent your strengths. In our culture it has become popular to talk about our weaknesses, appearing to be working on them. However, I assure you, you will not get very far in life spending time trying to strengthen your weaknesses. Accent your strengths.

2) Discipline your associations. Accept the challenge to associate with champions. Owning the smallest house on the best street is much better than owning the largest house in a poorer location. I strive to be the smallest frog in a pond full of winners. Question for you: Are you the most able or the least able in your group? Constantly work to live among those more accomplished, smarter, wiser, and achievement-oriented than you. You will grow.

3) Develop definite goals. Most of us are like the steam pipe with a bunch of holes in it: we have lots of steam, but we are popping off in too many places. We are intrigued with so many things we fail to grasp the truth that we can only do a limited number of things well. The challenge is the discipline of choice. The graduates in this class who will be remembered are those who find that they do not “have a goal,” but the goal has them. They will be dedicated. Great men and women have magnificent obsessions.

4) Recognize the cost. There will be real prices to pay. Don’t turn away. Probably the biggest price you will pay is loneliness. You cannot be a leader and avoid loneliness. Out in front there will be times when you will have to make decisions there will be times when you will have to keep your own counsel, giving up the warmth of belonging for the loneliness of leadership. Another price is tension. You cannot have a spring without tension. You cannot have the placidity of a mule and the winnings of a race horse. Successful people are not hard workers they are intense workers, and there is a great difference. Tension is not to be feared – it is a challenge to be controlled.

5) Accept the reward. Since there is a cost, is there a reward? To most of you it will be the joy of accomplishment. In reading the biographies of twelve outstanding men of science and business, nearly every one mentioned this as a reward. Practically none of them talked about fame or money. I am convinced if we asked those who built Belmont or the great industries here in Nashville they would agree the work was done for the joy of accomplishment.

6) Understand success. Success, to me, is the ratio of talents used to talents received. Developing the discipline of self-motivation is a major key to a successful life.

This week carefully consider: 1) What are my personal keys to self-motivation? 2) How am I measuring the level of burning desire? 3) When is my level of motivation the highest?

Words of Wisdom: “The graduates in this class who will be remembered are those who find that they do not “have a goal,” but the goal has them.”

Wisdom from the Word: “With this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – May 18, 2021

Fred’s interest in human nature led him to friendships with highly qualified psychiatrists and psychologists. When referencing them he always added parenthetically (personal, not professional relationships!) The human mind and emotions intrigued him greatly. Until his death he continued studying human behavior, including his own.

As BWF delves into the further preservation and archiving of Fred’s writings we are updating our platform, allowing for more expansion. Please pray for us, and consider financial support for this endeavor. Share Fred’s thinking with others this week, as well. Thank you.

Reality of Insecurity

All of us have our insecurities… not just a passing anxiety, but the continuing lack of adequacy. Even when we sleep, they haunt our dreams.

Actually, as we become more secure, we are better able to recognize and accept our remaining insecurities.

Insecurity is our urge to grow and gain control of our situation and emotions. When we reject that urge, it can leave us desperate and withdrawn.

Oftentimes we can borrow security from a friend. One of the most interesting observations Howard Rome, the eminent psychiatrist, made was in talking about wives who recurrently confront their husbands. He saw that when in attack mode, if the husband stood firm peace and a pleasant atmosphere resulted. He thought this was insecurity in the wife coming against the husband in an attempt to gain reassurance. He saw it as pushing against a wall to see if it would hold. In his practice he saw this as behavior which reoccurred until there existed an understanding of “I will be here and I won’t fold.”

While we can borrow a small amount of security from others, we cannot depend on it for our total security. One of the most pathetic marriages I know is one in which a very insecure woman married a most secure man. She felt that his strength and stability would be hers, but it didn’t happen. Year by year each new situation triggered her insecurities while demonstrating his securities. She grew more and more resentful of his ability to weather storms. Eventually, their relationship deteriorated into “you don’t love me” conversations. He could never explain to her that he did truly love her, but lacked the skill to fill the holes in her, making her feel whole.

The security that stays must be grown from within. This is the pain of growth. It takes determination. Fortunately, insecurity is not a disease of the will, so the will becomes the path to the cure. I might add that almost equal to will is a healthy sense of humor. I have personally experienced the social gap that occurs when you are raised in lowly circumstances and then given the opportunity to associate with people of higher social class and culture. I found an inner sense of humor to be extremely useful in relieving the pressures of embarrassment. The confidence will come, and it helps to laugh about the gaffes along the way.

Insecurities are part of the human condition. We mature, fill in holes, and grow. It is a process that takes time, hard work – and a good laugh.

This week think carefully about: 1) How well am I doing with moving to a healthier mental outlook? 2) What are the sources of my heaviest insecurities? 3) Who is a good model for stability and strength?

Words of Wisdom: “Insecurity is our urge to grow and gain control of our situation and emotions.”

Wisdom from the Word: “When I am afraid, I trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – May 4, 2021

Fred regarded heroes as one of the key elements in a healthy network. He emphasized the importance of being certain to choose heroic qualities. He also thought realistically about the nature of man, including heroes. He avoided putting individuals on pillars. He particularly studied those he admired, looking for “clay and iron,” as he put it.

Please pray for Christian higher education. They strive for excellence and hold the course against social, legal, and economic pressures.

Heroic, Not Perfect

Heroes are who we can become if we diligently pursue our ideals in the furnace of our opportunities.

We are unrealistic to expect perfection from our heroes. If we do, we may see the inevitable discovery of their weaknesses which causes great disappointment. Does it really matter that our heroes are less than perfect? Should their true greatness be diminished?

When we ask for perfection in heroes, we become vulnerable to those determined to expose the weaknesses, destroying their value. Heroes personify the human ability and capability of reaching nobility, not perfection.

Humankind is incapable of achieving perfection, so we must not be disillusioned, giving up our heroes simply due to imperfection. To look for perfection is to build on a false philosophical and theological base.

The Bible recognizes the imperfection. Ironically, one of the supports for the inspiration of scripture is in the inclusion of the flaws of those God chose to use. If this were just human-generated these stories would have been sanitized. The Bible uses these lives to demonstrate God’s faithfulness and the power of transformation.

On the other hand, the media and social exposure has done a great disservice by replacing the lasting inspiration of the true hero for the momentary excitement of the celebrity. Our son started me thinking about this when he observed, “The heroes of the early church were martyrs and ours are celebrities.” Too many today confuse the two creating spiritual crossovers who live flashy lives, emulating celebrity status. Herein may lie a great deal of the modern church’s weakness.

We know persecution has historically been the greatest purifying agent of the church. This isn’t a popular view of the western church. Too much talk about giving all for Jesus belies the behavior of seeking social popularity and acceptance. Celebrities rise on the wave of applause and break the rocks of inattention. They are fantasy waiting to be exposed.

This week think about: 1) How do I integrate my heroes into my daily living? 2) What criteria do I use for assigning “hero” to a person? 3) Why do I search for heroic qualities in others?

Words of Wisdom: “To look for perfection (in our heroes) is to build on a false philosophical and theological base.”

Wisdom from the Word “But he said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – April 27, 2021

Fred helped many clarify their thinking with his distinction between a problem and a fact of life. “A problem is something you can do something about; a fact of life is a given. It is foolish to spend any time attempting to change a fact of life… focus on solutions to problems.”

Handling Problems Correctly

A former pro athlete, now incarcerated on drug charges, said that his drugs were really a result of lifestyle. He said getting caught up in what the world said was the good life created bad problems. He chose to escape the difficulties by numbing himself with substance abuse. I agree with his assessment, but I don’t think he goes quite far enough.

It is critical to correctly identify the nature of the problem. Current culture says being a winner should be the normal state: we should always feel good, look good, and feel high. Living a life like a TV commercial is desirable today. The “before” and “after” model influences us. If we find ourselves in the before phase, we strive with lightning speed to move to the after. But we all know real life doesn’t work like that – instant results don’t happen. That is why so many reach out to consciousness altering substances for that sudden change. When change doesn’t happen on demand, the choice of artificial, synthetic means look desirable.

This misunderstanding of reality exists in the spiritual life, as well. Too often people don’t want the work of patiently going through spiritual transformation, so start looking for spiritual highs and fixes. The emotion takes over, replacing the steady study of the word, and the often plodding process of sanctification.

Wounds and hurts at the core of problems exist within a broad periphery. This is the area open to instant distraction and pain relief. Without authentic resolution the core of hurt continues to grow, eventually blocking out the effectiveness of any numbing choices. When that happens the problem overcomes the person leaving a sense of hopelessness. Many suicides occur when this emptiness overtakes. Another option is to give in to the darkness, deciding we are worthless and may as well live that way, jettisoning all self-respect.

What is the answer? The rejuvenation of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing that satisfies like the washing and changing through the Spirit. The power of this is the living out of the transformation. We can have the head knowledge of transformation but our experiences must live it out.
The good life so many try to find to overcome their lifestyle choices and accompanying problems can only be found through spiritual rejuvenation and regeneration. That is the only way to the truly good life. Everything else may sizzle briefly, but will eventually fizzle.

This week think carefully about: 1) How can I make sure I handle problems correctly? 2) What safeguards do I have in place to stay consistent and authentic? 3) When am I most tempted to reach for a temporary lift?

Words of Wisdom: “When change doesn’t happen on demand, the choice of artificial, synthetic means look desirable.”

Wisdom from the Word: “We also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance character, and character hope.” (Romans 5: 3, 4 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – April 20, 2021

Fred referred to an intellectual friend as “a man with a superior mental organ.” That was certainly descriptive of him. He grew up in the mill district of Nashville, was disabled at age five, was unable to attend college because of financial limitations, and enjoyed few or none social networks. But God gifted him to think – and he used that gift unceasingly.

Think and Do

“I just can’t believe that I did that; What in the world was I thinking; It just came over me.” How many times do you hear these excuses for inappropriate actions? I am convinced action is the last step, not the first. Here is the formula I worked out for myself: first, the thought, then the mood, then the rationalized action.

First the thought comes in our mind and if we keep it long enough and know it with validity, it creates a mood. The mood then rationalizes the action. Scripture talks of this when James talks of the progress from temptation to enticement to sin and death. Death was not the goal at the outset, but it was the logical end.

How do we control this formula? We start by keeping the wrong thoughts out of the heart. Remember the old adage: “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.” Therefore, our first responsibility is to dislodge the thought before it creates a mood and ultimately births an action. I am not suggesting a mind free from thoughts – far from it. We reprogram our mind by replacing the worthless with worthy. The Apostle Paul spoke often about his system of thought control which resulted in appropriate behavior.

It is my firm belief you can trace back an action that surprised you to the mood in which it was taken. Mood is a mindset we create to facilitate the action. The thought is buried into the soil but doesn’t grow until the root is fully formed. Have you ever lashed out at somebody and wondered what got into you? Think of the emotional mood and mental mindset – the action becomes logical. Have you made a decision that was atypical of your thought pattern? Recreate the mood environment before the decision you will understand what came together to cause that decision. Every action is wrapped in a mood.

The rationalization of action is almost an unspoken process. The thought has come to life. The path to action is in the mind. Once the act is performed we can express shock, but we must take responsibility for we were the one who initiated the process.

Psychologists tell us that to create a new habit or break an old habit takes 21-30 days of consecutive positive activity. The key is consecutive. Undoing the “stinkin’ thinkin’” my good friend Zig Ziglar talks about is the implantation of concentrated, consistent, consecutive discipline.

This week think about: 1) Have I ever said “that just wasn’t me” as a rationale for a bad action? 2) How can Fred’s thinking help me this week? 3) What habit am I working to make or break?

Words of Wisdom: “It is my firm belief you can trace back an action that surprised you to the mood in which it was taken.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The law of their God controls their thinking; their feet do not slip.” (Psalm 37:31 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – March 23, 2021

Fred experienced four major hospitalizations during his last five years of his life. “We don’t know what to say to him,” one of his friends commented. “Bring him a problem,” was son Fred’s wise answer. The family passed the word around to his many friends. This was the key to his rebounding until the final stay in 2007. This inciteful observation gave him the energy and focus to return home time after time.

Handling Problems Realistically

A former pro athlete interviewed upon incarceration said his drug problem was really about lifestyle. He commented he was caught between the idea of the good life and real problems. He chose to deal with reality by escaping through substance abuse…at least until he crossed too many lines and was jailed.

I agree with him, but I also think there may be more.

1) It is how we define a problem. A problem may be a hurt or a life vacuum. The philosophy of the good life says we are winners who will have continuous highs. This image becomes the over energetic imagery of television commercials. If we don’t feel this way then we must be living in the “before” part of the commercial before the product’s solution. Nothing in life can bring instant results, short of consciousness-altering substances. The truth of real life doesn’t have an immediate “before to after” resulting in forever happiness. Too many Christians look for spiritual highs and spiritual quick fixes because we don’t want to go through the transformational process. In all areas of our lives we want to move from before to after in blinding speed, enjoying it all the way. It just doesn’t happen that way. The good life philosophy fails because we would have to lean on the artificial, synthetic, or addictive to consistently operate on that level. The sudden high is a fallacy and a trap.

2) The core hurt always has a peripheral aspect that can be satisfied by these temporary solutions, but can never be truly remedied by the short term. In fact, the effort to soothe the hurt allows the core problem to continue growing until it takes over all temporary fixes and hopelessness occurs. Suicide then becomes a possible solution. Another is just simply giving into the darkness, deciding we are worthless, and choosing a life of degradation and dishonor.

3) The answer is the rejuvenation of the Holy Spirit. Nothing compares to the washing, cleansing, and changing work of the Spirit. The power is seen in the living out of the transformed life. Just knowing about the Spirit’s work isn’t the full answer; application must happen. Einstein’s theories seem reasonable and practical to physicists, but until astronauts climbed into the rocket and ventured into space were they tested. There is always great risk in change. Spiritually, it is the same. We can’t trust the Spirit on a trial basis. But the good life which comes through rejuvenation and regeneration is truly the only good life. All else may sizzle for a while but will ultimately fizzle.

This week carefully consider: 1) How do I handle problems? 2) What is my concept of spiritual transformation? 3) Who helps me clearly define the good life?

Words of Wisdom: “The truth of real life doesn’t have an immediate “before to after” resulting in forever happiness.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NET Bible)