Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 4

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today is Day 946 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 also need to 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.

Should we be concerned when there are differences in the ancient text from which our modern Bibles are translated? Today’s essay will explore one such instance and how we should consider the outcome.

If we look beyond the details of Jeremiah’s anguish and apparently fruitless ministry, we can spot a dual emphasis in the book that bears his name: judgment and repentance. Emphasis is not the only double issue. Two full versions of the book have survived from antiquity—and they diverge in many ways.

The book of Jeremiah has come to us in two versions—a Hebrew version, the Masoretic Text, and a Greek version, the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament). Our modern English Bibles follow the arrangement and content of the Masoretic Text. The Septuagint version (or lxx) was translated from a Hebrew text of the book that differed in many ways from the Masoretic Text. Because of this, the Greek version is roughly one-eighth shorter than the Masoretic Text, and after Jeremiah [25:13], the order of the chapters differs dramatically.

Despite attempts to solve the “Jeremiah problem,” the textual history of both versions remains unresolved. We still don’t know which Hebrew text is older—the one we have today from the Masoretic Text or the one used by the scribes who created the Septuagint.

The fragmentary scrolls of the book found among the Dead Sea Scrolls usually follow the order and content of the Masoretic Text, but some of the material matches the Hebrew manuscript that was translated into the Septuagint. Consequently, the Dead Sea Scrolls cannot offer a definitive answer regarding which version of the book more closely aligns with the time of the prophet.

We also find mixed results when examining the history of these versions. The Jewish community favored the Masoretic Text version, but this is only apparent from around 100 AD onward, after the time of Jesus and the apostles. New Testament writers favored the Septuagint when quoting the Old Testament.

Studies reveal that when the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament, the wording found in the Greek New Testament, the Masoretic Text, and the Septuagint differs in some way 80 percent of the time. Word-for-word quotations of the Masoretic Text are not common, amounting to less than five percent. Even when factoring in nearly identical quotations of Masoretic Text, it is clear that the New Testament writers only appear to have used Masoretic Text 20 percent of the time. The New Testament writers most often quoted from the Septuagint, but this doesn’t mean they endorsed or preferred it, since they used both versions. They were writing in Greek, and so using a Greek translation would have been natural.

So what can we conclude about the book of Jeremiah? Well, we cannot conclude that the Septuagint is to be preferred over Masoretic Text, as though it were more sacred or “original.” If that were the case, it would be shocking to see the New Testament writers quote the Masoretic Text. The reverse is true as well. Neither version deserves a higher status.

Perhaps the real lesson is that the New Testament writers, working through divine inspiration, weren’t concerned about the issue. There isn’t a single instance that indicates concern over which manuscript was being used or quoted.

This lack of concern is reflected in the ministry of Paul, who preached in synagogues all over the Mediterranean. Each synagogue had its own biblical text and its own scrolls, sometimes Septuagint and sometimes Masoretic Text and Paul used whatever was at his disposal. The same is true in his own letters. He trusted God s provision that he was reading and preaching the very word of God. So should we.

We can rest in the truth that God’s Word in its original writings was given by divine inspiration as we are told in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

That will conclude our essay for this week. Next Wisdom Wednesday, we will continue with the Old Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled “Where Is the Ark of the Covenant?” I believe you will find this another 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 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 945 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Podcast 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!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 945 of our trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. 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 Abraham Lincoln, and it is, “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.”

Success in any area of life is a combination of timing, talent, and resolution or persistence. Of these three elements, the resolution to succeed will supersede the other two. Without the persistence to succeed, all the talent in the world and even the best timing, will not bring about the success desired.

Hard work and the resolution to keep going when the path to success becomes difficult will ensure that the talent  and the wisdom you have to ascertain the proper timing are utilized fully. I have known many a successful person to overcome a lack of innate talent when their resolution to achieve and succeed was strong.

Resolution is not a short-term attribute but must be incorporated into the very fabric of your life. As I have mentioned several times in the past, much of success is rooted in the habits of being consistently persistent over a long period of time. Yes, talent and timing will expedite success, but without the resolution to succeed, talent and timing are useless.

Proverbs 21:5 – Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. 

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 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 944 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Podcast 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 this 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!

Thank you for joining us today for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This is Day 944 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. 

Have you ever worked or exercised so hard that you were bone tired and could barely hold up your arms? A time where your arms felt as if they were made of rock or iron. In times like these, we need others to come along beside us to help us. In our Meditation Monday today I want us to reflect on…

A fairly well-known story in the Old Testament also gives us another example of someone with aching arms, and it is found in Exodus 17:11-12, “As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage.  Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.”

I don’t know why God required Moses to keep his hands raised when the ancient Israelites were in battle against the Amalekites—unless it was to acknowledge Israel’s total dependence on God. Whatever the reason, it was a smart move to get a helping hand from Aaron and Hur, as Moses never could have made it by himself. It is also a good lesson for all of us because none of us can get through life without a helping hand from others.

I believe it was Paul Harvey who made the following comment: “We have always tended to revere the airplane pilot who did it alone and the country doctor who never left the bedside…Such a spirit of independence served us well and caused us all to grow tall. But we’d never have made it to the moon without a spirit of interdependence. And we’d never have eradicated typhoid and smallpox and polio without a cooperative effort. We’ve found that no person alone can fetch oil from beneath the ocean. We’ve found that we are becoming increasingly interdependent—not only in our country but also all around the world…On the steep slope ahead, holding hands is necessary.”

I might also add that in the quiet of our home with our spouse, children, and grandchildren, and even among friends holding hands is also necessary. We need to help when others become weak, just as we will need help at times when we are weak. This will allow us to encourage and strengthen each other as we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

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 943 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast and Google Play 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.

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!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 943 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 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.

Today is the sixth episode in a new series delving into what makes each of us respond as we do to life situations. Understanding ourselves and how others may interpret life through their paradigm will allow us to interact with each other with more love and compassion. This is utilizing a profound tool called “The Enneagram.”

If you have missed any of our past four Friday series, I would recommend going back and listening to them or read the Wisdom Journals. As a review, the tool that we refer to as the Enneagram (Any-a-Gram) is a circle with 9 interconnected points (Ennea refers to 9 and Gram refers to a drawing). Look below for a representation of it.

I have also included Wisdom Journal a copy of “The Enneagram At-A-Glance” that was compiled by Suzanne H Eller in today’s. If you would like a PDF copy of it, click on the link in today’s Wisdom Journal on our website Wisdom-Trek.com.

I would also recommend a recently released book The Road Back to You written by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile.  It is an excellent book about an enneagram journey to self-discovery.

When I discovered the depth of the Enneagram, it opened up a new horizon of understanding of myself and also helped me to understand others better. The Enneagram is the most useful tool of this type I’ve encountered for personal growth. We are exploring this tool in detail, and I would recommend also reading the Wisdom Journal for each Friday to see the diagrams presented each week.

If you have any questions or would like additional resources, please send me a message from the Wisdom Journal page, and I will reply. As helpful as the Enneagram is, keep in mind it is still only a tool and cannot replace or usurp the precepts that are found in God’s Word. All decisions and actions that we make in life must be in harmony with God’s precepts.

So the questions for the next several week or months will be…

“Hey, Gramps, why do people act and react to situations and circumstances in life differently?  How can I gain wisdom to better understand myself and others so that I can love, serve, and minister to them on a deeper level?”

As we discussed in last Friday’s podcast and journal the Levels of Development, the nine personality types of the Enneagram are not static categories: they reflect our change over time. Further, the sequence of the types and the arrangement of the inner lines of the symbol are not arbitrary. The inner lines of the Enneagram connect the types in a sequence that denotes what each type will do under different conditions.

There are two lines connected to each type, and they connect with two other types. One line connects with a type that represents how a person of the first type behaves when they are moving toward health and growth. This is called the Direction of Integration or Growth.

The other line goes to another type that represents how the person is likely to act out if they are under increased stress and pressure—when they feel they are not in control of the situation. This second line is called the Direction of Stress or Disintegration. In other words, different situations will evoke different kinds of responses from your personality. You will respond or adapt in different directions, as indicated by the lines of the Enneagram from your basic type. Again, we see the flexibility and dynamism of the Enneagram.

The Direction of Disintegration or Stress for each type is indicated by the sequence of numbers 1-4-2-8-5-7-1. This means that an average to unhealthy One under stress will eventually behave like an average to unhealthy Four, an average to unhealthy Four will act out their stress like an average to unhealthy Two, an average to unhealthy Two will act out under stress like an Eight, an Eight will act out under stress like a Five, a Five will act out like a Seven, and a Seven will act out like a One.

Likewise, on the equilateral triangle, the sequence is 9-6-3-9, a stressed out Nine will act out like a Six, a stressed out Six will act out like a Three, and a stressed-out Three will act out like a Nine. You can see how this works by following the direction of the arrows on the Enneagram found in today’s Wisdom Journal located at Wisdom-Trek.com/day-943.

The Direction of Disintegration (Stress)

 1->4->2->8->5->7->1

9->6->3->9

The Direction of Integration or Growth is indicated for each type by the reverse of the sequences for disintegration. Each type moves toward integration in a direction that is the opposite of its unhealthy direction. Thus, the sequence for the Direction of Integration is 1-7-5-8-2-4-1: an integrating One goes to Seven, an integrating Seven goes to Five, an integrating Five goes to Eight, an integrating Eight goes to Two, an integrating Two goes to Four, and an integrating Four goes to One.

On the equilateral triangle, the sequence is 9-3-6-9: an integrating Nine will go to Three, an integrating Three will go to Six, and an integrating Six will go to Nine. You can see how this works by following the direction of the arrows on the Enneagram found in today’s Wisdom Journal located at Wisdom-Trek.com/day-943.

The Direction of Integration (Growth)

1->7->5->8->2->4->1

9->3->6->9

No matter which personality type you are, the types in both your Direction of Integration or Growth and your Direction of Disintegration or Stress are important influences. To obtain a complete picture of yourself (or of someone else), you must take into consideration the basic type and wing as well as the two types in the Directions of Integration and Disintegration.

The factors represented by those four types blend into your total personality and provide the framework for understanding the influences operating in you. For example, no one is simply a personality type Two. A Two has either a One-wing or a Three-wing, and the Two’s Direction of Disintegration (Eight) and its Direction of Integration (Four) also play important parts in his or her overall personality.

Ultimately, the goal is for each of us to “move around” the Enneagram, integrating what each type symbolizes and acquiring the healthy potentials of all the types. The ideal is to become a balanced, fully functioning godly person who can draw on the power (or from the Latin, “virtue”) of each other type as needed.

Each of the types of the Enneagram symbolizes different important aspects of what we need to achieve this end. The personality type we begin life with is, therefore, less important ultimately than how well (or badly) we use our type as the beginning point for our self-development and self-realization. This will allow us to become more compassionate, kind, and loving to others and to ourselves. This is how we become bearers of God’s image.

Luke 6:36 – You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Join us again next Friday as we further explore the Enneagram on our Ask Gramps episode. We will specifically explore The Three Instincts of our core personality. The information that we explore will allow you to unlock who you are as we travel on our trek of life and discover more about yourself and others as you impact God’s kingdom. I know you will find these insights interesting, practical, and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

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 942 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Download the Enneagram-At-A-Glance in PDF Format

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!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 942 of our trek, and it is time for our 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…

One Sunday a pastor found several letters awaiting him when he arrived at the church. He opened and read each one. Most of the letters expressed their appreciation for him and encouraged him. He came to the last one and opened it. This letter contained only the word, “Fool!”

Quietly and with becoming seriousness he shared this letter with the congregation and announced, “I have known many an instance of a person writing a letter and forgetting to sign their name, but this is the only instance I have ever known of someone signing his name and forgetting to write the letter.”

Well, I hope that brought a smile to your face for today.

For Thursday’s Thought, remember, we are known for the words that we use.

Proverbs 10:21 – The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.

That’s a wrap for today’s Humor Unplugged. If you enjoy these short stories, let me know so I can continue to bring a bit of cheer to your week.

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 941 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play 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!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today is Day 941 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 also have to 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 each 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.

What does it take to be a Prophet of God? Today’s essay will lay out the qualifications as we explore…

Most people think a prophet is someone empowered by God to foretell the future. No doubt, prophets announced God’s intentions, but forecasting future events wasn’t their primary job description. A prophet’s chief task was to serve as God’s mouthpiece to His covenant people Israel and to her enemies. So how did someone become a prophet? Was there some sort of heavenly qualification? In fact, there was.

You might think the standard for a prophet was whether their words came to pass exactly as uttered as described in Deuteronomy 18:15-22. That is actually a by-product of the real litmus test, which we read about in Jeremiah [23:18] & 22.

“Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence (or the council (sod))

If they had stood before me (the council (sod)) and listened to me,

What does it mean to “stand in the council”? The one essential test of a prophet—that preceded their ability to deliver a divine message was that the prophet had to see and hear God in His council or presence.

In the Bible, God and His heavenly host were thought to live and conduct business in the divine throne room. This assembly, with God as its Judge or CEO, is called “a divine council or heaven’s court” (Psalms 82:1: 89:5-7). God chose prophets and commissioned them directly for ministry. When a prophet “stood in the council,” he had a direct encounter with God in His throne room. This motif of “standing in the council” is a repeated pattern in the Bible.

In the case of Isaiah, the prophet was transported to the throne room of Yahweh (Isaiah 6:1-6) to receive his call to service (Isaiah 6:8-9). For Ezekiel, the circumstances were reversed, with the throne of the Lord coming to him (Ezekiel 1:1-14. 26-28). Jeremiah was also commissioned via a direct encounter with God. At the beginning of his ministry, the “word of the Lord” came to him (Jeremiah 1:4) and appointed him a prophet. The “word” is identified as Yahweh (Jeremiah 1:6-7) who has come in human form. He reaches out His hand to touch Jeremiah’s mouth (Jeremiah 1:9). It was this encounter that distinguished Jeremiah from false prophets.

The pattern began with the first man Adam, as Job 15:7-8 indicates.

“Were you the first person ever born?

Eden was the abode of God and His heavenly host. If Job could say he had such access, then he could speak with authority about his innocence.

Proceeding from Adam, Enoch and Noah “walked with God” (Gen [5:22], 24; [6:19]). Enoch “prophesied” (Jude 14-15) while Noah is called a “herald of righteousness” (2 Pet 2:5).  God appeared visibly to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-6; compare Acts 7:2-4), to Isaac (Gen 26:1-5), and to Jacob (Gen [28:10]-22; [31:11]-13; [32:22]-32; compare Hosea 12:3-4). Moses was commissioned at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-15). The elders of Israel under Moses were commissioned directly by Yahweh (Numbers [11:24]-28), as was Joshua (Deut [21:14]-22: Josh [5:13]-15).

The book of Judges records dramatic appearances to Gideon (Judges 6) and the “word of the Lord appearing” to Samuel, the last of Israel’s judges, when he was a boy. This vision stood before Samuel to inform him of Eli’s fate (1 Samuel [3:10]).

Many New Testament figures also began their ministries with direct divine commissioning. For example, the Father and the Spirit were present at Jesus’s baptism (Matthew [3:16]-17), an event that told astute observers that Jesus was in the prophetic line. Paul’s famous encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus was crucial to proving his status as an apostle in the prophetic tradition (Acts 9:1-9: 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8). It is no accident that the commissioning of the disciples at Pentecost was accompanied by divine fire (Acts 2:1-4), since fire is a frequent element of divine throne room commissioning scenes in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:1-3; [24:17]; Isaiah 6:6-7; [66:15]; Ezekiel 1:4,13, 27; Daniel 7:9-11).

Amazingly, the New Testament applies this commissioning to every believer. Every Christian is united to Christ and is commissioned to not only spread the gospel (Matthew [28:18]-20) but also to be Jesus to the world (2 Corinthians [2:18]; [4:11]: 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter [2:21]: 2 Peter 1:4). Every believer is Christ’s ambassador (2 Corinthians [5:20]), having met Christ through the gospel. Like the prophets before us, we are now God’s mouthpieces and masterpieces.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

That will conclude our essay for this week. Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue with the Old Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled “Jeremiah: Double Vision?” I believe you will find this another 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 940 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play 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!

Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. 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 C. Maxwell, and it is, “Allow time for acceptance. Head into action. Expect problems. Always point to your success. Daily review your progress.”

There are certain steps that must be taken to ensure success in any area of life. When you initially come up with an idea you will need to accept the fact that this idea could be successful. Once that kernel of truth is firmly planted in your mind, then you must take action on your plan.

When the action is taken, you must expect and realize that you will run into problems on your journey to success. Don’t allow those problems to distract you from your plans and goals. When obstacles do fall across your path, find a solution over them, around them, under them, or through them.  When you successfully navigate through the problems, large or small, celebrate those victories.

To sustain and maintain your path towards your ultimate success in this area you must  review your progress daily to make sure you are still on the correct path and that your destination remains the same. If these steps are followed consistently with persistence, then you will achieve success in any area that you choose in life.

You must faithfully prepare the ground for success, plant your seeds of success, and till the garden for success before you can ever reap the harvest of success.

Hebrews 12:11 – No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 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 939 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play 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!

Thank you for joining us today for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This is Day 939 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 in 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. 

Work…most people either hate it or barely tolerate it. As a Christ follower, our work is to be holy, regardless of our occupation or calling. In our Meditation Monday, today I want us to reflect on…

Heaven’s calendar has seven Sabbaths a week. God sanctifies each day. He conducts holy business at all hours and in all places. He makes the uncommon into the common by turning kitchen sinks into shrines, cafés into convents, and nine-to-five workdays into spiritual adventures.

Are you speaking of workdays, the daily 9-5 grind? Yes, workdays. God ordained your work as something good. Before he gave Adam a wife or a child, even before he gave Adam britches, God gave Adam a job. “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it,” Genesis [2:15]. Innocence, not indolence, characterized the first family.

God views work worthy of its own engraved commandment, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest,” Exodus 34:21. We like the second half of that verse. The emphasis on the day of rest might cause us to miss the command to work, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work.” Whether you work at home or in the marketplace, your work matters to God.

And your work matters to society. We need you! Cities need plumbers. Nations need soldiers. Stoplights break. Bones break. We need people to repair the first and set the second. Someone has to raise kids, raise cane, and manage the kids who raise Cain.

Whether you log on or lace up for the day, you imitate God. Jehovah himself worked for the first six days of creation.“But Jesus replied, ‘My Father is always working, and so am I,'” John [5:17]. Your career consumes half of your lifetime. Shouldn’t it broadcast God? Don’t those forty to sixty hours a week belong to him as well?

The Bible never promotes workaholics or addiction to employment as pain medication.  God unilaterally calls all the physically able to till the gardens he gives. God honors work. So honor God in your work. “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God,” Ecclesiastes  [2:24].

Here is a big idea:

Use your uniqueness (what you do)

At the convergence of all three, you’ll find your sweet spot.

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 938 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast and Google Play 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.

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!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 938 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 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.

Today is the fifth episode in a new series delving into what makes each of us respond as we do to life situations. Understanding ourselves and how others may interpret life through their paradigm will allow us to interact with each other with more love and compassion. We can do this utilizing a profound tool call “The Enneagram.” If you have missed any of our past four Friday series, I would recommend going back and listening to them or reading the Wisdom Journals.

As a review, the tool that we refer to as the Enneagram (Any-a-Gram) is a circle with 9 interconnected points (Ennea refers to 9, and Gram refers to a drawing). Check out today’s Wisdom Journal for a representation of it. I have also included a copy of “The Enneagram At-A-Glance” below that was compiled by Suzanne H Eller. If you would like a PDF copy of it, click on the link.

I would also recommend a recently released book The Road Back to You written by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile. It is an excellent book about an enneagram journey to self-discovery.

When I discovered the depth of the Enneagram, it opened up a new horizon of understanding of myself first and also helped me to understand others better. The Enneagram is the most useful tool of this type I’ve encountered for personal growth. We are exploring this tool in detail, and I would recommend also reviewing the diagrams presented in the journals each week.

If you have any questions or would like additional resources, please send me a message from the Wisdom Journal page, and I will reply. As helpful as the Enneagram is, keep in mind though, it is still only a tool, and cannot replace or usurp the precepts that are found in God’s Word. All decisions and actions that we make in life must be in harmony with God’s precepts.

So the questions for the next several weeks or months will be…

“Hey, Gramps, why do people act and react to situations and circumstances in life differently? How can I gain wisdom to better understand myself and others so that I can love, serve, and minister to them on a deeper level?”

The continuum is comprised of nine internal Levels of Development—briefly, there are three Levels in the healthy section, three Levels in the average section, and three Levels in the unhealthy section. It may help you to think of the continuum of Levels as a photographer’s grayscale which has gradations from pure white to pure black with many shades of gray in between.

On the continuum, the healthiest traits appear first, at the top, so to speak. As we move down the continuum in a spiral pattern, we progressively pass through each Level of Development marking a distinct shift in the personality’s deterioration to the pure black of psychological breakdown at the bottom. The continuum for each of the personality types can be seen in the following diagram.

At each Level, significant spiritual and psychological shifts occur as is indicated by the title mentioned here. For example, at Level 5, the Level of Interpersonal Control, the person is trying to manipulate himself and others to get his or her spiritual and psychological needs met. This invariably creates interpersonal conflicts. By this Level, the person has also fully identified with the ego and does not see himself as anything more than that: the ego must, therefore, be increasingly defended and inflated for the person to feel safe and to keep their identity intact.

If this activity does not satisfy the person, and anxiety increases, he or she may deteriorate to the next state, Level 6, the Level of Overcompensation, where their behavior will become more intrusive and aggressive as they continue to pursue their ego-agenda. Anxiety is increasing, and the person is increasingly disruptive, and focused on getting his needs met, regardless of the impact on people around them.

One of the most profound ways of understanding the Levels is as a measure of our capacity to be present. The more we move down the Levels, the more identified we are with our ego and its increasingly negative and restrictive patterns. Our personality becomes more defensive, reactive, and automatic— and we consequently have less and less real freedom and less real consciousness. As we move down the Levels, we become caught in more compulsive, destructive actions, which are ultimately self-defeating.

By contrast, the movement toward health, up the Levels, is simultaneous with being more present and awake in our soul, minds, hearts, and bodies. As we become more present, we become less fixated in the defensive structures of our personality and are more attuned and open to ourselves and our environment and what God’s design is for our lives. We see ourselves and personality objectively in action rather than “falling asleep” to our automatic mindset and personality patterns. There is, therefore, the possibility of “not doing” falling into a damaging mindset and personality and of gaining some real distance from the negative consequences of getting caught in it.

As we become more present, we see ourselves and personality traits more objectively, and the Levels become a continuous guide to self-observation, a map that we can use to chart where we are in our psycho-spiritual development at any given time. As we move “up” the Levels, we discover that we are freer and less driven by compulsive, unconscious drives and, therefore, are able to act more effectively and spirit-lead in all areas of our lives, including in our relationships. When we are less identified with our old mindset and personality, we find that we respond as needed to whatever life presents, actualizing the positive potentials in all nine types, bringing real peace, creativity, strength, joy, compassion, and other positive qualities to whatever we are doing.

Download the Enneagram-At-A-Glance in PDF Format

Next Friday we will begin an overview of the “Direction of Growth and Stress” and how they are crucial in understanding ourselves and others more fully.

While the Enneagram is a powerful tool to help us grow spiritually, understand ourselves better, and also understand the perspective of others better, ultimately it should drive us to have more love and compassion both for ourselves and others. As we are encouraged in Ephesians 4:14-16, “Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

Join us again next Friday as we further explore the Enneagram on our Ask Gramps episode. The information that we explore will allow you to unlock who you are as we travel on our trek of life and discover more about yourself and others as you impact God’s kingdom. I know you will find these insights interesting, practical, and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

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 937 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Podcast 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 on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 937 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…

At the end of their first date, Sam takes Sally back to her home. On the front porch, leaning against the wall with a bit of swagger, Sam decides to try for that important first kiss.

“Hey sweet thing, how ’bout a good night kiss?”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that. My parents will see us!”

“Oh come on! Who’s gonna see us at this hour?”

“No, please. I would just die of embarrassment if someone saw us.”

“Sally, there’s nobody around. They’re all sleeping!”

“No way. It’s just too risky!”

“Oh please, please, I like you so much, and it was such a nice date!!”

“No. I like you too, but I just can’t risk it!”

“Oh yes you can. Please, Sally.”

“No, no. I just can’t.”

Just then the porch light goes on, and the girl’s sister shows up in her pajamas, sleepy, hair disheveled. “Dad says to go ahead and give him a kiss. Or I can do it. Or if need be, he’ll come down himself and do it. But for crying out loud tell him to take his hand off the intercom button!”

For Thursday’s Thought, Sam should have understood that even though he did not realize that he was pressing the intercom button, there is one who sees and knows all that we do, say and think…

Job [34:21] – “For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Humor Unplugged. If you enjoy these short stories, let me know so I can continue to bring a bit of cheer to your week.

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 Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 936 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.  I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play 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!