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Reader, I noticed recently that I’ve become more unsettled agitated. All the violence we’re seeing here in the US is getting to me. People stabbed on light rail trains. Speakers shot dead on college campuses. Children gunned down at school. So much evil. Is this getting to you, too? I realized I need to spend less attention to the news these days. So I’ve withdrawn from it a bit, and am looking to fill my mind with something more positive. In doing so, I’m drawn to Philippians 4:8 in the Bible, where the apostle Paul says: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
So I tried to think of things that are honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable, along with things that are excellent and worthy of praise. I wanted to come up with a list to focus on. But all I could come up with were generalities. The same things you would probably put on your list. Generalities weren’t going to cut it for me, I needed something specific and concrete to focus on so all the evil going on in the world wouldn’t weigh me down. After sometime thinking about this, two things emerged that settled me down. and they both had to do with gratitude. The first happened last Saturday morning when Janet and I took our 23-year-old twin grandsons out for breakfast. They live busy lives and the fact they even want to spend time with us is remarkable. For me, it certainly is a concrete example of what Philippians 4:8 is all about. I tend to forget what a blessing our time with these guys has become. I need to remind myself of this when I’m agitated about other things. The second example of Philippians 4:8 in action is something grandson Grant told us at our breakfast. He works at a regional medical facility in our area as a pediatric psychometrist. He told us of a new initiative at the hospital for developmentally disabled young adults that he is excited about. They’ve a developed a program to teach these special-needs men and women basic life skills, and then provide them jobs they can handle at the medical facility. All to give them as normal a life as possible. What a great idea. Not only individuals, but institutions can do what what is honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. They can do things that are excellent and worthy of praise. It warms my heart to think about this. What about you? What examples of Philippians 4:8 can you think of that go beyond generalities. I’d love to her about them. Until next time, I wish you all the joy that you can wish.* John Certalic *The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene 2 P.S. Season 10 of the podcast starts October 1st. Here are the latest two episodes from season nine in case you missed them. |
Articles
“At the end of the day, nothing matters MORE than relationships.” — John Certalic
Joy is a Two-Way Street With God
[FIRST NAME GOES HERE], Last week’s podcast episode, #218 (click here if you missed it), discussed how it’s better to listen than to talk. This principle is illustrated in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 17, verses 1-8. It revolves around what God says to three of Jesus’ disciples. “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The passage seems to suggest we bring joy to God when we listen to his son, Jesus. We sing songs in church about the joy we have in Jesus, and...
Better to Listen Than to Talk
Reader, Season 8 of our You Were Made For This podcast comes to a close today with episode #218. In it, I discuss a story in the Bible in which a man missed out because he chose to talk rather than remain quiet and let things unfold. We can learn from his mistake. It ties in with what made a friend of mine practically gasp out loud at what she saw while eating dinner at a restaurant in San Fransisco’s Chinatown. Click here to listen in. You’re going to like this one. Until next time, I wish...
The Next Time You’re Anxious Try This
Hi Reader, A few weeks ago during a Sunday morning church service we sang "The Goodness of God." Several days later I listened to the YouTube video at home. This time reading through many of the comments about the song. They were quite moving. Listening to the song soothes you like a warm blanket on a cold night during a January blizzard. Click here (or on the image above) to listen in yourself. Then read the sampling below of how the song touched people in such a deeply personal way. It most...
An Unusual Surprise From God
Hi Reader, Today’s episode of You Were Made For This, #217, finishes the story of tracking down my birth father. In it you’ll hear (or read): The odd thing he said to me when I told him I was his son What happened when my birth father showed up at a family reunion The surprising way God prompted two friends to help me get through this chapter in my life The larger relational principle from this story that applies to all of us To listen in, click here. Until next week, I wish you all the joy...
A Timely Quote From Albert Einstein
Reader, Last week’s podcast episode was the story of how I located my birth father by searching through public records and making lots of phone calls. It was using one bit of information to lead to another to another to another. Click here if you missed episode #216. I also mentioned in the episode how God orchestrated four important events in my life to all occur on April 4th, decades apart. It’s one of the most comforting things I’ve ever experienced. Albert Einstein describes it like this,...
Our Past Helps Us Understand Our Present
Reader, Today’s podcast is what its title describes, Our Past Helps Us Understand Our Present. You can listen to it on two levels.The first is the investigative work I did to locate my birth father. It was an energizing exercise to start with very limited information about him. Then overcoming various obstacles in tracking him down. More importantly, there is the role God played in guiding my search and the unusual way he used one particular day of the year, April 4th, to reveal his loving...
Searching For My Birth Father
Hi Reader, If you missed last week’s podcast episode #215 you can listen to it when you click here. I read from a section of my book, THEM about a conversation I had with my mother that began was I was ten years old, and that took 30 years to complete. It had to do with getting information from her to help me track down my birth father. Some people will think, “Why bother? It’s in the past and it’s not going to change anything.” I wish it was that simple. Historian David McCullough describes...
Finishing a 30-Year-Old Conversation
Reader, A number of years ago my friend Bill got me started down a path that eventually brought closure to a troubling part of my life. It wasn’t something he intended to do; it just happened. And It’s the subject of today’s episode, no. 215 of You Were Made For This. It’s about adult children trying to resolve an issue from their childhood with their parents. Click here to listen in. Until next week, I wish you all the joy that you can wish.* John Certalic You Were Made for This is the...
My Favorite Quote This Week
Hi Reader, I may have mentioned this before, but I think it would be fun to do a weekly podcast about interesting quotes. Quote the quote, then talk about it. For example, I recently read a book by Mary Pipher, Letters to a Young Therapist. Each chapter is a letter to the author’s niece who is a newly minted psychotherapist. As one with decades of experience in their shared profession, Pipher offers up nuggets of wisdom she’s learned along the way. I didn’t get the sense she's a person of...
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