|
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 So I’ve withdrawn from it a bit, and am looking to fill my mind with something more positive.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
An Unusual Thanksgiving Weekend
Reader, One of the things I love about doing a podcast and weekly blog posts is the response I get from listeners and readers. Today I’m sharing an email I received from June, a podcast listener from Columbia, South Carolina. In recent blog posts I’ve asked what listeners/readers are thankful for. So with the Thanksgiving holiday just completed, June writes about being thankful for something her father did over Thanksgiving weekend many years ago. She writes: Dear John, I am thankful for my...
A New Dimension to Thanksgiving Day 2023
Happy Thanksgiving Reader, A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about a solution to loneliness. I mentioned a book I’m reading that quotes a study which says writing things down you are thankful for "can significantly improve subjective well-being, and reduce feelings of loneliness.” Click here to read that post if you missed it. I asked readers what they are thankful for lately. Here is what Marilyn, a podcast listener from Minnesota, is thankful for: A man who had just been allowed to...
An Accidental Breakfast with an Old Man
Reader, The older I get the more grateful I’ve become for the stories people share about the experiences that shaped their lives. It’s not so much what we learn about others from these stories, as it is what we learn about ourselves in listening to them. Today’s podcast episode illustrates this relational principle you may want to consider for yourself. I tell the story in today’s show of an accidental breakfast I had with an older man from another country, and how it lifted me out of myself...
One Solution to Loneliness
Hello Reader, If you missed last week’s podcast episode, #205 How to Have Meaningful Conversations, you can listen to it when you click here. While I work on next week’s show I’ll leave you today with something interesting I came across in a book I’m reading. The book is Wired for Love - A Neuroscientist’s Journey Through Romance, Loss, and the Essence of Human Connection by Stephanie Cacioppo. The author applies what she’s learned about the neuroscience of love to her own relationships,...
How to Have Meaningful Conversations
Reader, One thing that deepens our relationships is to have meaningful conversations with people from time to time. Today’s episode of You Were Made For This gives a few example of how to do it. In today’s program I share a meaningful exchange I had with my barber a while back, along with a surprising conversation over a recent dinner with 5 friends. Click here to listen in, especially to what I learned from a friend while sharing a meal together. It was something that’s helping me be a...
What Are People Looking For?
Reader, Last week's episode of You Were Made for This, #204, was about a woman taking an unusual marketing approach to get new clients for her coaching business. She posted on the NextDoor social media app a request for 40 “deep conversations” by the time she turned 40 in a few months. As it turned out, the “deep conversations” request was nothing more than a disguised sales call. The most interesting aspect of the episode last week was how 99 people responded to this request for a “deep...
Deep Conversations With Strangers
Hi Reader, I was struck recently by a social media post of someone looking for “deep conversations with 40 people before I soon turn 40.” The initial post was interesting enough, as it took an unexpected turn. But more intriguing were the responses to this person’s request. They reveal something significant about the human condition. Click here to listen in to this thought provoking episode. It will likely stimulate your thinking for ways you can enhance your relationships. Until next week,...
Relationship Wisdom Needed Here
Reader, In recent episodes of You Were Made For This I’ve been talking about the power of listening. It’s been in the context of interpersonal relationships. But I came across something interesting a few weeks ago that speaks to the importance of listening from an organizational perspective. The Washington Post reviewed a book by two pastors from Orlando titled, The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?. I’ll have links to all of this...
The Virtue of Stinginess
Dear Reader, In podcast episode 202 “The Best Stories,” I interviewed Linda, a retired missionary who talked about taking her extended family back to Nigeria where she and her husband served for nearly 40 years. It’s a great story. Within this story is another story of a friend who listened well...
Search Our PodcastsArticles
Search to find what you’re looking for
