Posts in Category: down to earth believer
“That’s Enough.”
I was talking with a good friend this morning over the phone. He spoke of struggling with getting too compulsively focused on even good things.
I knew exactly what he meant. I do that all the time. I came up with a mantra that we could say whenever we felt we were getting hyper-focused and out of balance: “That’s enough.” I suggested that we say it out loud when we can, but gently.
Of course, for many of us, “enough” is a word we can hardly spell, much less use in our daily lives. Our slogan is the old MTV slogan, “Too much is never enough.”
But sometimes, too much is just too much, and enough is enough. And sometimes, we need to talk to ourselves.
I’ve used it so far in the following situations:
- While I was eating. That’s enough.
- While I was walking two miles and wondering if I should do three miles. That’s enough.
- While I was working on recovery stuff. That’s enough.
- While I was sitting at my computer. That’s enough.
- While working on this blog post. That’s enough.
“That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
“The Quest for Knowledge. Feeding on Foolishness, and the Depth of Proverbs, Part 2”
“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.” (Proverbs 15:14, English Standard Version)
“You are what you eat.” (A common saying.)
“You eat what you are.” (My own not-so-ancient proverb)
In yesterday’s post I unpacked a bit of what’s going on in the first line of Proverbs 15:14 (the part about the understanding person who continues to seek knowledge). Today, let’s have a look at the fool. Sometimes, we all act like fools, so this is an important matter to consider. If I want to see a fool, I don’t generally need binoculars, just a mirror. If the mirror fits, wear it!
As with many proverbs—both those in the Bible and others—this proverb is very terse. The business about the fool feeding on folly involves the mouth, and it might also mean that the fool’s speech is junk food. (Think of our expression “He’s feeding you a line!”)
Quite likely though, the proverb means that the fool is nourished (sort of) by foolishness. Hence my flipping of the saying that led off this post: “You are what you eat,” becomes “You eat what you are.”
One of the many problems with acting foolishly is that such acting becomes self-perpetuating. The more you act foolishly, the more you crave foolishness. Wisdom may come with age, but only if you are seeking it diligently. If you act foolishly, you will feed on foolishness.
I say again, mostly to myself but also to you, Dear Reader: Be careful what you do and what you eat! Because, you and I really are what we eat, and we do eat what we are!
“The Quest for Knowledge and the Depth of Proverbs”
I used to read through the biblical book of Proverbs rapidly. I thought of Proverbs as a nice little book with nice little sayings that were easy to understand and not very deep. I was so wrong. Many of these proverbs are much more profound and nuanced than I had dreamt. Working through them in Hebrew has invited me to slow down and savor them. Perhaps a lack of depth and nuance in the Bible, (or, for that matter, in my days or in any person that I meet) is simply the result of my not slowing down enough. Perhaps I should omit the word “Perhaps” from the preceding sentence.
Take Proverbs 15:14 for example.
“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.” (Proverbs 15:14, English Standard Version)
Does this proverb seem to you to be straightforward? Slow down and think again!
For one thing, notice that one of the characteristics of the person who has understanding is that she/he puts her/his heart into it. Be careful here, however. The Hebrew root (lbb) doesn’t necessarily suggest “emotions” or “love” as our word “heart” does. More often, the Hebrew word that we translate with our word “heart” suggests what we mean by mind or thought. Probably our saying, “Get your head in the game!” is closer to what the Hebrew root lbb means than is our saying, “Put your heart into it!”
A second thing to note about the first part of this verse is that the root of the Hebrew word bqš is often translated “seek.” Some nuances about the meaning of this root are “to strive after something, be busy, be concerned.” So, this kind of seeking knowledge isn’t as simple as googling a topic in which you have a mild interest! No, there is an intensity about this kind of seeking.
But wait a minute! This proverb indicates that it is those who have understanding who seek knowledge. Isn’t that more than a little strange? If they already have understanding, why do they have to seek knowledge?
Apparently, for the author of this proverb, the quest for knowledge has no boundary. And those who have an understanding heart know that. We may not like it, but there it is. The person with an understanding heart doesn’t know everything. He/she doesn’t know what he/she doesn’t know. But the person with an understanding heart does know this: We are all beginners, and the quest for knowledge is a process, not being zapped by some easy miracle.
Since I’ve used so many words to unpack a proverb (which is only eight words long in Hebrew!), we’ll save the fool for tomorrow.
“Eating Twinkies with God”
Do not read this post until you have watched the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9N8OXkN0Rk.
My wife put me onto this wonderful little video. Thanks, sweetheart!
Okay? Did you watch the video? Good! Let’s proceed!
“25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:31-40, English Standard Version.)
Any questions?
“On Laughing at Your Own Fool Self”
“Prov. 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.” (English Standard Version)
I ran out of ideas just now for this blog, so I said a quick prayer: “Help!” God answered the prayer immediately, but God’s prompting wasn’t all that “spiritual” (whatever that is). Instead, God reminded me of a funny, stupid thing I did last night.
My sweetheart was coming back home after being away for several days taking care of her mom. I missed her so much! I shaved and showered and dressed up a bit. I got her a bouquet of flowers. I even vacuumed downstairs. Aren’t I sweet!
We met at Kroger to get gas for our two cars and three five-gallon gas cans with our Kroger fuel points. Afterward, I hopped in my wife’s car, so that we could go out to a fine dining establishment—Sonic. After we had enjoyed way too many delicious calories, we went home.
After we had parked her car in the garage, it hit me: We had forgotten to go by Kroger to pick up my car!
It wasn’t really a big deal. The Kroger store in only about three miles from our house. I just shook my head and laughed at my fool self.
But here is the thing: Not so long ago, I would not have laughed. I would have been terribly angry with myself over this kind of thing. I would have called myself all kinds of unkind names. I would have thought that this incident was the summarizing of my entire life. I would have seriously dampened my wife’s joy at being home.
But, I didn’t. And if I am willing to laugh at myself, I can have a continual feast. I continued feasting this morning, because of another silly thing I did.
At the beginning of this post, I thought of the verse that leads off the post, Proverbs 15:15. However, I couldn’t remember where it was found. Somewhere in Proverbs; I was sure of that much. When my smart phone game me the answer to my question about a nanosecond after I had asked it, I had to laugh out loud. I had listened to chapter 15 of Proverbs on my You Version app about an hour ago. I call myself an Old Testament guy? And let’s face it: A body ought to be able to remember a scriptural reference like “Proverbs 15:15”.
Again I say unto thee, sometimes you just have to laugh at your own fool self! I hope you have a merry heart today, and a continual feast! May you do something mildly foolish today!
“The Helpfulness of Love”
“1Cor. 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (English Standard Version)
What is love, anyway? Sorry to ask such a simple question, but I really would like to know. Hey, what can I say? I’m a beginner!
According to the Lexicon of the New Testament, the word used for second characteristic of real love is part of a configuration of related words (“χρηστεύομαι, χρηστός, χρηστότης, chresteuomai, chrestos, and chrestotes”) that can be translated with a variety of English words: “to be good, kind, benevolent;, useful, serviceable, good, benevolent, favorable; usefulness, good quality, goodness”
The word is often translated “kind” in English translations. However, I was especially struck by the word “useful” as one of the nuances of the Greek word. Love is useful! Huh!
Furthermore, this word is a verb, an action word. Usefulness is not a quality. It is something we do. Indeed, all the “qualities” of love that are listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 are verbs. And love itself in the New Testament is often a verb. I suspect that this tallies with much in our own experience.
One more nitty-gritty grammatical item: The verb for “being useful” is in the present tense. In Greek, the present tense suggests ongoing, repetitive action. According to Paul, usefulness isn’t spasm or a sprint. It is being useful over the long haul. Real usefulness is a marathon.
When I think of my mom, I think of the word “love”, but I also think of the word “useful”. Mom served. She served me, dad, my brothers and sister, neighbors, people she liked, and the very few people she didn’t like.
I think of my wife, and I think of the words “love” and “usefulness”. She serves me and anybody else who needs serving, and will allow her to do so. As I write this post, she is serving her mom who is confined to a bed and is not always easy to serve.
So, my affirmation for today is as follows: “Today, by God’s grace, I am serving at least three other people in some small way. I am also gratefully receiving all the blessings that God and other people have for me.”
“The Ugliness of Alzheimer’s and the Beauty of Swan Lake”
My wife showed me a wonderful video of a woman who has Alzheimer’s Disease. According to NPR, aspects of her backstory are disputed (or perhaps, even false). But three important things seem to be beyond dispute.
- The woman does likely have dementia, either Alzheimer’s or some other kind of dementia.
- The music of “Swan Lake,” and music in general, is powerful and evocative.
- The woman knew how to dance, and the music awakened that memory.
You should view the video before you proceed in reading this post. You may do so at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsLLXY_wZYI.
. . .
My wife, after reading my post of November 12, 2020 (“The Magic is in the Story), wrote, “I like your post. I was thinking of the prima ballerina video that I showed you the other day. There was beauty and ugliness in the story but also magic. The magic was revealed in the midst of the ugliness of Alzheimer’s in the beauty of the dance. A story such as this, that can bring you to tears, is true magic.”
There is a kind of memory that is known as “muscle memory.” It is memory that comes from practicing the same movements of parts of our body (or the whole body) over a long period of time. It is crucial in everyday activities, in sports, in playing or singing music, and in dancing. After certain motions are done consistently over a long period of time, it becomes second nature to us. Perhaps it even becomes part of our first nature.
The woman in the video was in a wheelchair. She did not seem very alert mentally. Yet the music awakened her muscle memory and she danced.
Faith, love, joy, gratitude, obedience—all these virtues and more—can become part of our spiritual “muscle memory.” We spend entirely too much time waiting to be zapped from above with these things. And then, we become depressed when the zapping never comes.
We have sayings in twelve-step work that reflect the importance of practicing and developing good recovery muscle memory. Here are three of these sayings:
- Move a muscle; change a thought.
- It works if you work it and give a lot of love.
- One day at a time.
My prayer for both you and me today, indeed for every day, is that we will practice developing our emotional, spiritual, and relational muscles today. You don’t even need to go to the gym to do that! You can learn to dance wherever and however you are.
“The Magic is in the Story”
I was at a church, and they had a number of magicians who were going to put on a brief show. I was thinking about doing something myself, but I couldn’t think of anything to do. I don’t generally do magic. And I hardly, if ever, do brief.
But then, I said to myself, “Well, I’ll just watch and listen and enjoy what the others do. Really listening to someone else in an open and reverential manner is also a form of magic.”
“Or,” someone next to me said, “you could tell them a story. The magic is in the story.”
And then I woke up. And yes, the magic is indeed in the story.
Someone has said that the difference between asking the same question of a Protestant minister and a rabbi, is this: If you ask the Protestant the question, you’ll get doctrine. If you ask the rabbi the same question, he’ll respond, “Let me tell you a story.”
I believe in magic. Not in black magic which seeks to manipulate reality. Not in sleight-of-hand tricks that simply misdirect the eyes and the mind. No, I believe in the true and deep magic that embraces both the truest beauties and the ugliest realities of life. And by this embrace of beauty and ugliness, true and deep Magic encloses them in a story, a story of unspeakable evil that is conquered by unfathomable love.
For me, as a deeply flawed beginner at following Christ, this magical story comes to its end and its beginning with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The cross and the empty tomb are the end of Jesus’ earthly story, and—at the same time—they are the beginning of new life for me and for us all.
But for all of us, even those who are not Christ-followers, the magic is in our stories. We may not be able to see it, but it’s there. And we need to see and hear and feel the magic of our own stories and the magic of everyone else’s story.
Because the magic is in the story.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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- “Strange and Wonderful Creatures” March 28, 2025I did not sleep enough last night. Five hours of sleep may be enough for some, but not for me. However, when I tried for a while to go back to sleep after waking up at 1:00 a.m., I realized that it was not going to happen. I might as well get up and work […]
- “Even Computers Need a Rest Sometimes!” February 11, 2025Jumpy cursor! I was trying to grade student assignments, and my cursor was jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean. I would start typing something, and then I would be on a different line. Here is the sort of non-sentences I was ending up with: be Please see my respolownse video. Of course, what I […]
- “Lives as Well as Lips” February 5, 2025“Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise? Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” (Psalm 106:1-3, English Standard Version) […]
- DTEB, “The Wanna-Wanna Method” January 29, 2025“. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, Phil. 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12b-13, English Standard Version) In a text exchange with a friend, he confessed that he really, really wants to make some bad […]
- “Fun, Cat Videos, and Transformation” December 9, 2024“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, English Standard Version) One of my twelve-step sponsors suggested that I need more fun in my life. He knows me well, but on this one, I was determined to prove him wrong. […]
- “The Enemy is Perfectionism” December 6, 2024“The good is the enemy of the best.” (A common saying.) “The best is the enemy of doing anything at all that is good.” (My take on the saying and my reality.) Some of you have been wondering why I haven’t been posting any of my musings in the past way-too-long. I am tempted to […]
- DTEB, “Getting Christ and Ourselves Back in Focus” November 11, 2024“Col. 3:1 ¶ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden […]
- “Search Me!” October 27, 2024“Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, English Standard Version) I am participating in a Bible study, and this is a prayer […]
- “Christian Speech” October 26, 2024“Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Foulkes, in his excellent commentary on the Book of Ephesians, writes the following, which I quote at some length: “29. Now the […]
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