Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 4

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1106 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.

Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must also have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week we will begin a new series that will cover another detailed book review from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. We will take a deep dive and share Dr. Heiser’s insights into the question which is also the title of his book “What Does God Want?”

What does God want? It sounds like a simple question, but if you give it a bit of thought, it’s really not.

Why? Well, for starters, you have to know who’s asking the question. People will ask it for a lot of different reasons. Is it a cry of anger from someone in pain? Perhaps it’s a barely audible whisper that surfaces from deep sadness. Is the motivation curiosity? Or is it just prompted by the desire to reflect and think deep thoughts? It’s not difficult to see that giving the right answer depends on why the question is being asked.

While we all may have motives for asking this question, the answer is the same for everyone, at least in terms of the answer God himself would give with respect to all of us. That is precisely how I’m asking it. I’m asking it to help you think about some important things. When I ask, “What does God want?” I’m really asking, “What does God want when it comes to every person in the human race?” What does God want when it comes to me and my life and to you and your life?

Before I get to the detailed answers from Dr. Heiser, it’s pretty obvious that the question is a religious one. All of our questions about God naturally get filed in the religious folder. I’ve raised the question, and we will explore the answer because I’m interested in God. Most people still are, though they may not be interested in church. It certainly is not a prerequisite to be involved in church to be seeking the answer to our question. As we go through this book, we will find that the answer is going to be a biblical one. That narrows the focus a bit more. The goal of Dr. Heiser’s book is that the Bible would answer the question “What does God want?”

Now for the answer. It’s simple. He wants you.

That might surprise you. You may doubt it. That’s okay. It’s the right answer. To be honest, though, it isn’t enough of an answer. You can’t get a sense of how amazing and profound the answer is by just that one sentence. You need some context to appreciate how much love is behind it. There’s actually a long, remarkable story behind the answer.

Since that’s the case, this book is not only about what God wants, but it’s about things God wants you to know. Yes, he wants you, but for you to appreciate that and (hopefully) feel the same way about God, you need a little context.

That is what we will discover in our detailed synopsis of this book. We’ll start with God’s story. There’s a lot of tragedy in it, but none of that ever changed God’s mind about you (or me, thankfully). Once we are done discovering the story that is contained in this book, Dr. Heiser drills down on some parts of the story that are especially important.

Before we jump in, Dr. Heiser does have one disclaimer. If you’ve spent a lot of your life in the church, you might think you already know the story. You certainly know parts of it, but I can guarantee there will be some surprises. Unfortunately, the thing that most often gets in the way of the wonder of the story is religion. Sometimes church and denominational preferences become more important than the story. That’s not the case within this book.

Even though I’m assuming some listeners or readers are familiar with the Bible, I’m confident you’re going to encounter new truths and new ways to think about old truths. And if you’ve never been in a church or heard much about the Bible, you’re the perfect listener. There’s nothing to unlearn or relearn. It’s all fresh. Either way, I think you’re going to experience the thrill of discovering what God wants—and why.

Growing up with Godly parents, I understood God to be the creator.  I assumed he knew about me and everyone else, but I did not have a good grasp of what he was thinking about me, or other people in the world. While I had a sense of God’s love for me, it was more of a distant God who was watching whether I was being good, or bad.   I did not realize that God was actually seeking me. I know now that God was and continues to seek me because it’s His nature to seek all of us. He is committed to us. How do we know these things about God? Those are the questions and answers that we will discover over the next several months as we explore “What does God want?”

While we have answered the question that God wants us, we will never know the why of that question unless we sincerely seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

That will conclude an introduction into Dr. Heiser’s book “What Does God Want?” Next Wisdom Wednesday we will begin to start to slowly peel the layers back to find out why. I believe you will find each Wisdom Wednesday an interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical worldview.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer and help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1105 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1105 of our trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged.  This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from Croft M. Pentz, and it is, “Failure doesn’t mean you’ll never succeed — it will just take longer.”

Failure, we all experience it, otherwise we would not have a basis for success. We can and should make plans and set goals, because that gives us a timeline and milestones to strive toward. We have to realize that at some point during our journey, and usually, for our betterment, we will have setbacks and failures that disrupt the plans and goals that we have set. Does that mean we should quit? Absolutely not! For every failure we experience, there is a lesson to be learned—that in itself is a success.  Failures allow us to take pause, reevaluate our circumstances, and ask ourselves these three questions.

If we can address these three questions affirmatively, then we need to pick ourselves back up, dust ourselves off, and continue on with our journey. We may need to adjust our timeline to compensate for the failure, but we are still moving forward.

As we make our plans and set our goals, always keep in mind that it is God who directs our steps.

Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1104 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1104 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

With the Celebration of Easter this week, today’s meditation has been adapted from Max Lucado’s book When Christ Comes…

When Pilate learned that Jesus was dead, he was surprised that death had come so quickly. Perhaps he should have been less harsh with him or listened to his wife’s message. Pilate asked the soldiers if they were certain. They were.

Had they seen the Nazarene twitch, had they heard even one moan, they would have broken his legs to speed his end. But there was no need. The thrust of a spear removed all doubt. The Romans knew their job. And their job was finished. They pried loose the nails that pierced his hands and feet, lowered his body, and gave it to Joseph and Nicodemus to do what they wished. It was one less task they had to deal with.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both Pharisees. They sat in seats of power and bore positions of influence. Men of means and men of clout. They had to witness the unjust trial and convicting of whom they had hoped was the Messiah.

They would’ve traded it all for one breath out of the body of Jesus. He had answered the prayer of their hearts, the prayer for the Messiah. As much as the soldiers wanted him dead, even more, these men wanted him alive.

As they sponged the blood from his beard, don’t you know they listened for his breath? As they wrapped the cloth around his hands, don’t you know they hoped for a pulse? As they finally wrapped the shroud tightly around their Savior’s beaten face, they hoped against all hope that he would revive somehow. Oh, how they searched for one glimpse of life. But they didn’t find it.

So they do with him what they were expected to do with a dead man. After wrapping his body in clean linen, they placed it in a tomb. Joseph’s tomb.

Roman guards are stationed to guard the corpse. And a Roman seal is set on the rock of the tomb. For three days, no one gets close to the grave.

But then, just as the sun begins to rise that Sunday morning, a light appears. Not from the sunrise, but light within the tomb. A bright light? A soft light? Flashing? Hovering? We don’t know. But there was a light. For he is the light. And with the light came life. Just as the darkness was banished, now the decay is reversed. Heaven blows and Jesus breathes. His chest expands. Waxy lips open. Wooden fingers lift. Heart valves swish and hinged joints bend. And, as we envision the moment, we stand in awe. He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

Romans 6:5-9

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ, we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.

And I might add…because of this, death no longer has power over us.

That is a wrap for today’s meditation. Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote.  This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1103 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1103 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, this is not possible. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask Dad or Gramps questions about life in many areas.

We may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes but will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable. If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to [email protected].

The question for this week is…

“Hey, Gramps, why is it so important to be honest in everything that we do?”

As I am creating this podcast, we are out of town watching our grandson, so time has been limited. So to answer this question today, I will read a short story that will provide a practical example of why it is so important to be honest at all times. The story is called A Pound of Butter.

Sam was a dairy farmer who made butter from the cream. Every week Sam would sell a pound of butter to John the Baker. On the flip side of this John, the baker, would sell Sam, the farmer, a one pound loaf of bread each week. One day John the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the right amount, which he wasn’t. John became very angry about this, so he took Sam to court.

The judge asked Sam the farmer if he was using any measure to weigh out the butter properly. Sam replied, “Your Honor, I am primitive. I don’t have a proper measure, but I do have a scale.”

The judge asked, “Then how do you weigh the butter?”

Sam replied, “Your Honor, long before the John the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every week when the baker brings the bread, I take it in the back room and put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. I always figured it was a pound, so I never thought any more about it. I guess if anyone is to be blamed, it is John, the baker.”

Moral of the story: In life, you get what you give. Don’t try and cheat others.

Luke [16:10]

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

Join us again next Friday for another question on our “Ask Gramps” episode. Our next trek is Mediation Monday where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1102 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1102 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life – something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life.

We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny which is titled…

As a person who has been a technology professional for all of my working life, I am certainly familiar with the original Murphy’s Law, but today we want to review 17 lesser known Murphy’s Laws of Technology that have recently been added.

Murphy’s Technology Law #1: You can never tell which way the train went by looking at the track.

Murphy’s Technology Law #2: Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.

Murphy’s Technology Law #3: Technology is dominated by those who manage what they do not understand.

Murphy’s Technology Law #4: If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.

Murphy’s Technology Law #5: An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he/she knows absolutely everything about nothing.

Murphy’s Technology Law #6: Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe, and he’ll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it, and he’ll have to touch to be sure.

Murphy’s Technology Law #7: All great discoveries are made by mistake.

Murphy’s Technology Law #8: Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.

Murphy’s Technology Law #9: All’s well that ends…period.

Murphy’s Technology Law #10: A meeting is an event at which minutes are kept and hours are lost.

Murphy’s Technology Law #11: The first myth of management is that it exists.

Murphy’s Technology Law #12: A failure will not appear until a unit has passed final inspection.

Murphy’s Technology Law #13: New systems generate new problems.

Murphy’s Technology Law #14: To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.

Murphy’s Technology Law #15: We don’t know one-millionth of one percent about anything.

Murphy’s Technology Law #16: Any given program, when running, is obsolete.

Murphy’s Technology Law #17: A computer makes as many mistakes in two seconds as 20 men working 20 years make.

Well, I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did, pass that smile on to someone who really needs it. Our Thursday Thought is “What is a technologist, anyway? In the broadest sense, a technologist is a Technology Specialist. That is, one who specializes in technology. Say what?”

Colossians 3:23 – “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

As you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1101 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1101 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events.

To establish a Biblical worldview, you must also have a proper understanding of God’s Word. Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors. In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s Word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled “I Dare You Not to Bore Me With the Bible.” Today is the last essay in Dr. Heiser’s book, and next week we will begin a new series.

As we explore this final essay today, we will explore information about…

Dan Brown’s best-selling conspiratorial thriller The Da Vinci Code seems like ancient history now. At its peak of popularity, the novel set records both for sales and for irritating scholars with its view that Jesus and the 12 apostles held to Gnostic heresies. The book’s bizarre plot focuses on Jesus’ bloodline extending through a child born by Mary Magdalene. Within that narrative, Brown asserts that the New Testament canon was determined by the Roman Emperor Constantine, who was not friendly to Gnostic Christianity, at a time much later (fourth-century AD) than any New Testament scholar would endorse. Unfortunately, this myth has since taken on a life of its own.

The notion that Constantine decided which books should constitute the New Testament springs from the ancient Life of Constantine by Eusebius of Caesarea (ad 263-339). Eusebius reports that in a letter written in AD 331, the emperor instructed him to

…order fifty’ copies of the sacred Scriptures, the provision and use of which you know to be most needful for the instruction of the Church, to be written on prepared parchment in a legible manner, and in a convenient, portable form, by professional transcribers thoroughly practiced in their art.

This same Constantine had earlier convened the Council of Nicea (AD 325), famous for its focus on the full deity of Christ against Arianism, which taught that Jesus was a created being. Brown carelessly conflated the two events in The Da Vinci Code to put forth the preposterous idea that Constantine had decided at Nicea which books belonged in the New Testament. But can we be sure this didn’t happen? If not, what exactly did Constantine demand in this letter?

We can be certain that the Council of Nicea did not determine the books of the New Testament at Constantine’s request. The date of Eusebius correspondence tells us that Nicea did not consider the issue of the canon. Today, anyone can read the 20 decisions rendered at Nicea (coincidentally called “canons”). None of them concerns the New Testament Scriptures. In addition, accounts of what happened at Nicea were described by several early church historians and theologians who lived at the time of the event or shortly thereafter. Their testimony is unanimous in opposition to the idea that Constantine determined the books of the New Testament.

So what did Constantine want? During the first several centuries of the early church, the issue of which books were to be considered sacred and authoritative was uncertain. Several early lists of sacred books have been recovered, as have records of rejected books. Constantine’s order brought the problem to the point of decision. Once the emperor commanded copies of the sacred books to be distributed, early church leaders were forced to produce the item that needed to be copied. The result was a minimalist consensus canon, books considered authoritative by the vast majority of Christian leaders throughout the empire. Books regularly disputed or already rejected were thus set aside in faith that the Holy Spirit had successfully enlightened His believing Church to reach consensus. We hold that consensus New Testament in our hands today.

That will conclude our essay for this week. Next Wisdom Wednesday will shift our focus a bit, but we may continue to review another book from Dr. Heiser. I am in prayer on the direction that we may take. No matter what direction we head, I believe you will find each Wisdom Wednesday an interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical worldview.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer and help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1100 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1100 of our trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from John Cummuta, and it is, “Everyone who has achieved financial independence will tell you that at least in the early days you have to work smarter and harder. The price of success must be paid in full, and it must be paid in advance. There are no shortcuts.”

Financial success can only be achieved by working hard and smart for many years.  What most people do not realize is that you must be willing to invest the time, talent, perseverance, and determination before any return can be achieved. There are no shortcuts to success in any area of life, and that is particularly true of financial independence.

Financial independence in itself is subject to the amount you are willing to sacrifice today, in order to reach that independence. I have found over my years of experience and observation that those who are not willing to sacrifice, will never achieve independence. In fact, most people who are able to achieve financial independence, continue to live frugally long after it is required. In that way, they continue to pay the price today for continued independence in the future.

The price of financial independence must always be paid in full and in advance to ensure continued independence. As with all areas of success in life, it goes back to the law of planting and harvesting. It is as true as the law of gravity. It cannot be changed, nor is there ever a short cut. If you desire to harvest in the future, you must plant today and nurture those plants for long periods of time before the harvest will be available.

Psalm 126:5-6

Those who plant in tears

Galatians 6:7

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.  As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1099 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1099 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

Change…it may be difficult, yet it is possible. In our Meditation Monday today I want us to reflect on whether this statement is true…

There is a saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I am not an expert on if that is true with dogs, but the statement is also often applied to people. Especially if we are the ones quoting that axiom, what we are actually saying is that we do not choose to change. So, is it really true for humans that we cannot change?

Here’s some good news. You are not stuck with today’s personality. You are not forever condemned to “grumpy town.” If you reside there, that is your choice. You are tweak-able! So what if you were born a bigot and have a lot of ingrained prejudices? You don’t have to continue to live that way and die one.

Where did we get the idea we can’t change? Where do statements such as “It’s just my nature to worry,” or “I’ll always be pessimistic. I’m just that way,” or “I have a bad temper. I can’t help the way I react,” come from? Who says?

Would we say, “It’s just my nature to have a broken leg? I can’t do anything about it.” Of course not! If our body malfunctions in any little manner, we seek help. Shouldn’t we do the same with our hearts? Can’t we seek aid for our sour attitudes? Of course we can! Jesus can change our hearts! He wants us to have a heart like his!

Here are a couple of Bible passages that we can claim that clearly show that we are responsible for our attitudes and our actions. If we choose to continue to live miserably, then know that it is our choice.

Ephesians [4:21]-23

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 

Romans 12:2 

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

That is a wrap for today’s meditation. Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1098 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1098 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series.

Each Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life, and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy. As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask Dad or Gramps questions about life in many areas.

We may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes, but will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable. If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to [email protected].

The theme of this podcast from the very beginning has been to “Create a Living Legacy.” From my very core, this is what drives me. I feel that we all have a Biblical mandate to live a life that is today, and will continue to be, a living legacy. Not to bring attention to ourselves, but to bring glory to God and to further His Kingdom on earth.

So the question for this week is…

“Hey, Gramps, why is creating a living legacy so important, and can you provide us with an illustration of what this means in practical terms?”

I will turn 63 in August of this year, and the older I get, the more important it is to me to live in such a way that my children, grandchildren, friends, and others who may observe my life will have a positive role model and example which they can follow.  A life lived in such a way that others will see and understand how important it is to live a good and godly life each day. As an illustration of this philosophy, today I will read a poem that our oldest son, who is now 38, received as a gift. Although our five children are all over 30 now and have families of their own, this poem still reflects how I desire to live for my children, and also now for our seven grandchildren.

Listen to this poem, and apply it to your life, regardless of your situation, and live in such a way that you will have an opportunity to positively impact all you come in contact with.

A careful man I want to be,

Join us again next Friday for another question on our “Ask Gramps” episode. Our next trek is Mediation Monday when we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1097 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1097 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life – something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life.

We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today.  So let’s jump right in with today’s funny which is titled:

While hiking in the country, Susan and her friend Eve spotted a huge bed of mushrooms that they knew were edible. They gathered a large basketful and sautéed them that night. Susan’s husband Phil refused to eat them, thinking they might be poisonous. Two weeks later, Eve and Susan gathered some more mushrooms. This time, Phil joined them.

“How is it that you’re eating these mushrooms tonight,” Susan asked, “when you wouldn’t touch the ones we brought home two weeks ago? What changed your mind?”

“I thought about it,” Phil explained seriously, “and I figured it would be better to be found dead with you two than to try to explain two dead women in my home.”

Well, I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did, pass that smile on to someone who really needs it. Our Thursday Thought is “Avoid eating mushrooms raw, even if they are on the salad bar that way. Since mushrooms have thick cell walls that break down with cooking, cooking unlocks more nutrients and safely degrades any trace amount of a potentially carcinogenic compound called agaritine.”

Since we are approaching Easter, our verse for today is Matthew 28:6,” “He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.”

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1096 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!