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 926 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, it is required that you 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.

You may have a good grasp of the creation account found in Genesis, but there are aspects to it that our modern translations miss. Today’s essay explores an aspect of creation you may have overlooked…

When we think of creation, we think of everything beginning with God’s spoken word, as Genesis l tells us. But some Old Testament writers concentrate on another aspect of creation—and a weird one at that. In the middle of God’s ordering of the sea and dry land and His establishing of the sun, moon, stars, and the seasons in Psalm 74, we find another event: God destroying sea monsters.

Psalm [74:12]-17

You, O God, are my king from ages past,

The reference to God smashing “the heads of the sea monster” and crushing “the heads of Leviathan” has led many on a desperate study of Old Testament zoology. But this, along with many other confusing Old Testament images, has a cultural context.

In the ancient world, the original (“primordial”) chaotic conditions of creation were often portrayed as a monstrous dragon. This is reflected in stories from ancient Babylon and Israel’s closest neighbor, Ugarit (ancient Syria, just north of Israel).

In the literature of ancient Ugarit, the god Baal battles the sea, who is portrayed as a chaotic, churning sea and a terrifying sea dragon named Tannum and Litanu. These terms are equivalent to the Hebrew words in Psalm 74:13-14, “You divided the sea by your might; you smashed the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan.”

Other parallels are found elsewhere in the Old Testament. In Ugaritic stories, Litanu is described as a “twisting serpent” and a “fleeing serpent.” Those precise phrases are used to describe the sea beast Leviathan in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 27:1 – In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent. He will kill the dragon of the sea.

Job 26:13 – His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent.

God didn’t really fight a literal dragon at the beginning of creation. This imagery reflects the mindset of the ancient world, which viewed the sea as unpredictably violent and unable to be tamed. It frightened the ancients. Only the power of a mighty God could produce a habitable world from the chaotic sea—a deed portrayed as a battle with the untamed deep. God was victorious in this conflict, as told in Psalm 74.

This imagery was intentionally repurposed throughout the Old Testament.

Isaiah 51:9-10

Wake up, wake up, O Lord! Clothe yourself with strength!

This imagery—the same imagery used in creation stories—effectively describes the birth of a new nation after God’s defeat of Egypt.

Isaiah also describes the end of days with the same language: “In that day the Lord…will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea,” Isaiah 27:1. The book of Revelation, taking its cue from Isaiah 27:1 describes a time when there will be “no more sea.” This is found Revelation 21:1, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.”

The elimination of all that opposes God will only come with His final reign on earth. Only when the new heaven and new earth are brought into being will the violent sea monster truly be slain.

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 925 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 us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 925 of our trek, and it is time for a 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 Dr. David M. Burns, and it is, “Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.”

Admit it, none of us will ever reach perfection. While you should strive to be the best you possibly can be based on your current knowledge, skills, and innate abilities, aim to be as successful as possible with the realization that you will never be perfect.

Allow for setbacks and failures along the way because they are sure to happen. Use those setbacks and failures to be a time for learning so that when you move forward again, you can reach new heights of success. Don’t ever allow setbacks to stop you.

Yes, you may have to take a different path the next time, but there is no turning back.  With each day that passes, you will have gained new knowledge and experiences that will propel you forward as you begin again. Look forward to every opportunity with the realization that you are more knowledgeable and better prepared than at any point in the past. Each time you move forward is another opportunity to aim for success.

God desires our success because it brings glory to Him as Psalm [90:17] illustrates.

And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!

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 924 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 924 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. 

I find that so many people are fearful today. Fear of the political situation. Fear of financial crises. Fear of health issues. Fear of abandonment. Fear of the future. There is a healthy fear that we should have of imminent danger, but most fear is not healthy. In our Meditation Monday today I want us to reflect on…

We are told in 1 John 4:18,“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

Most of us struggle with fear of one sort or another at various seasons of life. Some mild, some serious, some healthy, and some unhealthy and self-defeating.

Healthy fear is a self-protective mechanism. We rightly fear (or should) driving through a red light or doing anything that could hurt us or others. Unhealthy fear is that which is caused by someone who hurt us deeply, especially when we bury and deny it. This fear can become floating anxiety and cause us to be fearful of everyday living, separate us from close relationships and cause loneliness, give us ulcers or other physical ills, or cause us to hide it and “protect” ourselves with anger.

Fears that are relatively harmless can often be overcome by doing the thing we fear and thereby reconditioning our response to the particular thing we fear.

As today’s Scripture points out, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.” Thus, to be made perfect in love means we need to resolve any unhealthy fears. To do this, these fears need to be recognized and if repressed, they need to be brought into the conscious mind so they can be confronted and resolved.

Look at the symptoms in your life. Do you avoid close relationships? Is your life filled with anxiety? Are you an angry person? Do you have any impaired close relationships? Is your marriage a wreck? If any of these apply to you, chances are you may have unresolved fear. So when you pray, admit these and any other issues to God and ask him to give you the courage to see the root cause of these—and to lead you to the help you need to overcome these.

Ultimately all unhealthy fear is rooted in our mindset and requires changing the way we think. The underlying cause is a lack of faith that God loves you and is ready and willing to help you. As a Christ-follower we should not be plagued by the fear and anxiety of the world. We are instructed in 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.”

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

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 923 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.

Starting last week, we began a new series delving into what makes each of us respond as we do to life situations. Understanding this and how others may interpret life through their paradigm will allow us to interact with each other with love and compassion. We started last Friday with an overview of the Enneagram specifically from a Biblically based perspective.

Each week we will explore a little deeper the aspects of why the enneagram is such a powerful tool in understanding yourself and learn how it can help you to understand others that you interact with and impact. 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” referring to a drawing). See a representation of it below.

As I mentioned last week, throughout our personal life and business careers over the past 40 years, Paula and I have both used and marketed personality profile tools such and DISC, Myers Briggs, and Profiles International hiring and management tools. While we think these tools are very useful, especially in a business or ministry situation, we also found that they were somewhat limited and focused primarily on outward personality traits and not core behavior traits.

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. Keep in mind, though, it is still only a tool and cannot replace or usurp the precepts that are found in God’s word.

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?”

This explanation covers the basics that you will need to understand how the Enneagram works and will be especially helpful for beginners. As you will see, only a few simple concepts are needed to begin your journey of self-discovery. The Enneagram, however, is ultimately subtle and complex, as you will appreciate the more you use it in your life.

The Enneagram’s structure may look complicated, although it is actually simple. It will help you understand the Enneagram if you also sketch it yourself.

Draw a circle and mark nine equidistant points on its circumference. Designate each point by a number from one to nine, with nine at the top, for symmetry and by convention. Each point represents one of the nine basic personality types.

The nine points on the circumference are also connected with each other by the inner lines of the Enneagram. Note that points Three, Six, and Nine form an equilateral triangle. The remaining six points are connected in the following order: One connects with Four, Four with Two, Two with Eight, Eight with Five, Five with Seven, and Seven with One. These six points form an irregular hexagram. The meaning of these inner lines will be discussed in subsequent podcasts.

From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.

Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other prenatal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where almost all of the major Enneagram authors agree—we are born with a dominant type. Subsequently, this inborn orientation largely determines the ways in which we learn to adapt to our early childhood environment. It also seems to lead to certain unconscious orientations toward our parental figures, but why this is so, we still do not know.

In any case, by the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own at this age.

Thus, the overall orientation of our personality reflects the totality of all childhood factors (including genetics) that influenced its development.

Several more points can be made about the basic type itself.

As you learn more about all the types, you will see that just as each has unique capacities, each has different limitations. If some types are more esteemed in Western society than others, it is because of the qualities that society rewards, not because of any superior value of those types. The ideal is to become your best self, not to imitate the assets of another type.

As you think about your personality, which of the following nine roles fits you best most of the time? Or, to put it differently, if you were to describe yourself in a few words, which of the following word clusters would come closest?

These one-word descriptors can be expanded into four-word sets of traits. Keep in mind that these are merely highlights and do not represent the full spectrum of each type.

Type One – The Reformer is principled, purposeful, self-controlled, and perfectionistic.

Type Two – The Helper is generous, demonstrative, people-pleasing, and possessive.

Type Three – The Achiever is adaptable, excelling, driven, and image-conscious.

Type Four – The Individualist is expressive, dramatic, self-absorbed, and temperamental.

Type Five – The Investigator is perceptive, innovative, secretive, and isolated.

Type Six – The Loyalist is engaging, responsible, anxious, and suspicious.

Type Seven – The Enthusiast is spontaneous, versatile, acquisitive, and scattered.

Type Eight – The Challenger is self-confident, decisive, willful, and confrontational.

Type Nine – The Peacemaker is receptive, reassuring, complacent, and resigned.

We will wrap up for today at this point. Next Friday we will explore what is referred to as The Centers or Triads where the nine points are grouped into three centers containing three points or types.

While the Enneagram is a powerful tool to help us 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. We must realize that our source of truth is from God and can be found in His Word. As we are told in Psalm 25:5, “Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.”

Join us again next Friday as we drill down on The Centers of 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 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 Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 922 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.

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 922 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…

“What’s your father’s occupation?” asked Mary, the school secretary on the first day of the new academic year.

“He’s a magician, ma’am,” said Little Johnny.

“How interesting. What’s his favorite trick, Johnny?”

“He saws people in half.”

Mary replied, “Wow that is interesting!

Wanting to find out more Mary asked, “Now, next question. Johnny, do you have any brothers or sisters?”

Why, yes, said Johnny, “One half-brother and two half-sisters.”

Sourced at: www.mikeysFunnies.com

I hope that has brought a smile to you for today.

For Thursday’s Thought, when God adopted us into His family we became full heirs as we read in Ephesians 1:5.

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

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 921 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. Today is Day 921 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.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I believe that all of us have heard or read about revisionist history. This is where history is rewritten based upon a certain slant or paradigm. It may not necessarily contain false information, but selectively uses only certain facts that will lead the reader to think about this segment of history from a skewed perspective. Today’s essay explores a similar situation about the Kings of Israel and Judah…

Corporations cook their books. Politicians get caught taking bribes. Scientists fudge data. Should the writer of Chronicles be judged the same way?

It’s widely known that the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles are a reiteration of the history of Israel found in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings. What isn’t as well known is that the writer of Chronicles carefully and deliberately omits any negative material about David and Solomon from his historical record. Try to find the account of David’s adultery and murder of Uriah in 1 Chronicles—you won’t be able to.

Why would the Chronicler omit it?

History written this way isn’t necessarily unreliable or deceptive. If I picked up a book entitled The Native American History of the Pioneer West, I know what I’m getting. I have no reason to believe the contents will be misleading; I have every reason to believe the work is selective and incomplete. I know the book was written with a specific slant, so I won’t take it as the last word on the American West.

1 & 2 Chronicles deserve the same consideration. Those books went into the Hebrew Bible (and later bibles) along with the books of Samuel and Kings. Anyone who read their Bible would learn about the unsavory acts of David and Solomon. No one would be fooled. Deception could not possibly be the point.

There was another agenda.

1 & 2 Chronicles were written during (or shortly) after the exile of the Jews in Babylon. Israel would once again have its own nation and leadership. The writer of Chronicles wanted the new generation returning to the land to remember and keep the covenant God made with David, and remember that his dynasty had been chosen to rule. Disloyalty to David’s dynasty had fractured the kingdom, producing a deviant religion and, ultimately, the destruction of Israel. The Chronicler wanted to revive loyalty to David’s line, so David and Solomon are cast as ideal monarchs. The Chronicler didn’t want to deceive, but inspire. In 2 Chronicles [6:14]-17, we listen in on Solomon’s prayer to God.

He prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today.”

“And now, O Lord, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, ‘If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow my Law as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ Now, O Lord, God of Israel, fulfill this promise to your servant David.”

Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue with the Old Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled “Slaying the Sea Monster.” 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 which will 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 920 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 920 of our trek, and it is time for a 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 Norman Vincent Peale, and it is, “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.”

It has been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. In order to make progress in any area of life, you must take action. Success never happens if you choose inaction. Inaction is rooted in fear and can be paralyzing. Yes, there will be times when action ends up with failure, but failure is only permanent when you stop.

I have failed thousands of times in my life, sometimes significantly. The only way to overcome those failures is to get back up, hold your head high, and take action once again. With each action, you choose you will be one step closer to success. With every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

You will face obstacles, trails, setbacks, and even failure at times, but don’t allow it to paralyze you into inaction. Take the next step towards success in any area of life. It is then you realize that when you persevere taking one step at a time you will eventually complete your 1,000-mile journey.

Romans 5:3-5 gives us this principle, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

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 919 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 of life 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. This is Day 919 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. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at the The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. What is your vocation or work? Do you love it? Even if you are a stay at home parent, what is your attitude toward the tasks you are called to do each day? In our Meditation Monday today, we need to learn how to…

Unfortunately, many people dread their work. Are you one of them? If you are, try changing your perspective and attitude toward your work! God has given you your work for this season of life. He watches how we perform the tasks that He has granted for us to do – the work of our hands.  Think about Joseph in prison as a slave to Pharaoh in Egypt, or Daniel a servant of Nebuchadnezzar, or Nehemiah the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Each of these men was in less than an ideal employment situation for sure.

Maybe you are a stay at home parent with three kids under five, and all you can accomplish is wiping noses, changing diapers, and washing dishes. Regardless of your situation, wherever God has placed you for this season of life that is your place of worship. You are performing divine tasks each day. Indeed all work should be a form of worship.

Don’t fall into the thinking of others as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” So, let every detail in your life – your words, actions, whatever – be done in the name of the Master, Jesus. Be like Joseph, Daniel, and Nehemiah who performed their tasks as an act of worship to God.

We are told in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” You don’t drive to an office, you drive to a sanctuary. You don’t attend school, you attend a temple. You may not wear a clerical collar, but you could, because your work is God’s pulpit!

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 918 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 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 918 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.

Starting this week, we are beginning a new series delving into what makes each of us respond as we do to life situations. Understanding this and how others may interpret life through their paradigm will allow us to interact with each other with love and compassion. We are going to take a deep dive into an ancient tool of wisdom that many scholars feel is based on a Christian perspective dating back to the early centuries after when Christ was on earth.

This tool is referred to as the Enneagram (Any-a-Gram) which refers to its 9 points (Ennea refers to 9, and Gram referring to a drawing). You can see a representation of the drawing below. We will start with a brief overview today, and with each subsequent “Ask Gramps” episode, we will do a deep dive into its strengths and potential weaknesses. This tool has experienced a very strong interest growth during the past 20 years and is now being taught in many Christian based ministries.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Throughout the years Paula and I have both used and marketed personality profile tools such and DISC, Myers Briggs, and Profiles International as hiring and management tools. While we think these tools are very useful, especially in a business or ministry situation, we also found that they were somewhat limited and focused primarily on outward personality traits and not core behavior traits.

When I started to discover the depth of the Enneagram, it opened up a new horizon of understanding of myself first, and is helping me to understand others better. The Enneagram is the most useful tool of this type I’ve encountered for personal growth.  Keep in mind though, it is still only a tool, and cannot replace or usurp the precepts that are found in God’s Word.   The questions for the next several week or months will be…

“Hey, Gramps, what makes certain people act and react to situations and circumstances in life? 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?”

At first glance, the Enneagram might look like another “personality test,” and personality factors significantly into it. But it goes much deeper than that. It helps us see core fears, motivations, desires, strengths, blind spots, stressors, and sins that most often trip us up. When used in Christian contexts, it shows us aspects of God’s character and connects us more closely to the truth that we are made to be image bearers of Him and are to reflect him in the world.

As you can see from the symbol that is found in the Wisdom Journal for today, the Enneagram contains nine spaces or types, with each number representing a dominant personality, mindset, and core worldview. Each space also has a primary strength or gift that reflects an attribute of God and a primary struggle that emerges in insecurity or unhealthy behaviors.

These one-word descriptors can be expanded into four-word sets of traits. Keep in mind that these are merely highlights and do not represent the full spectrum of each type.

Sometimes the language of “true self” and “false self” is used for the gifts and blind spots of each type, with the true self representing who we are when we are self-aware, healthy, rooted in our identity in Christ, and living from a place of freedom in being fully who He created us to be. The false self comes out when we try to prove our worth by exploiting our gifts—using them in ways other than they are meant to be used—or taking control of people and situations instead of finding our security in the truth of God’s unconditional love for us. The Enneagram thus gives us a picture of the really valuable gifts we have to offer each other when we are living as our true self, healthy and whole, as well as makes us aware of the unhealthy places and habits we are prone to depending on when we’re stressed or afraid.

All of us fit into one of the nine spaces, though it often takes time to discern which one is our dominant number, and we may have characteristics of several numbers. And of course, every person is also unique and thus will experience their number and the world a bit differently. In addition to the individual types, numbers have connections to each other. One of those connections is the triads of the Enneagram. The nine spaces create three triads that also have distinct characteristics, with Eight, Nine, and One forming what’s often called “The Gut Triad,” Two, Three, and Four forming “The Heart Triad,” and Five, Six, and Seven forming “The Head Triad.” 

Some of you may already know your number or may immediately be able to identify yourself when you read a bit more about each space. But part of the distinctiveness of the Enneagram is that it is meant to be discerned over time through prayer, conversation with others who know us, reading, and attention.

Tests do exist that might help you figure out what number you are, but if you don’t already know your blind spots, you may not be able to provide very accurate answers to the questions, and thus the results can be misleading. Again, it’s much better to pay attention to what parts of what types seem to resonate most in the way you see the world and live out your days. Good friends and family members can be invaluable helps in this process, reflecting back to you what they see when they think about what motivates you, what you react to, what you struggle with, and what gifts you bring to relationships and situations.

Even just looking at the triads as a starting point, to narrow down the possibilities. One overall triad often resonates more than the other two.

First, it’s true—a cursory glance at the Enneagram could make it seem like one more narcissistic tool that gives us permission to look down on others. On the other end of the spectrum, it could lead us to a place of despair or paralysis as we see our blind spots—and the ways those blind spots hurt others and keep us from God’s love—exposed and called out. Especially if you are a One and prone toward perfectionism. It is not uncommon for people to wish they were a different type as they begin to discover the many ways the false self comes out in their daily life.

But the Enneagram is meant to be a tool that frees us from the false self and opens us up more deeply to the transforming work of God’s Spirit. From there, it becomes a tool that allows us to love others more effectively with more compassion, understanding, and intention. We have to understand that our blind spots are powerful deterrents to our spiritual growth—to the extent that if we remain unaware of what is motivating us, we are not free…If I am hiding behind a blind spot, I am unconsciously trying to keep God, others, and myself from the love that God offers. Knowledge of the Enneagram has led me into self-awareness that has drawn me closer to the heart of God.

Like any tool used for change, action is required; knowledge about ourselves is not enough. The Enneagram leads to deep soul work. But, in highlighting our false-self tendencies and blind spots, it gives us direction for our action and provides invitations that lead to growth and freedom.  This should assist us as we gain wisdom on our trek of life.

Second, the point of the Enneagram is never to stereotype others or judge them. Each person is unique and thus will live out of their space in different ways than others of the same number. We are all in process, struggling to move toward health. Knowing someone’s number as they are willing to share it with us tells us some things about them, but we still always have to get to know them without making assumptions and see them as an individual who, like us, is constantly moving back and forth between their false self and true self throughout any given day, and thus needs grace.

The Enneagram, when used as intended, helps us have compassion for others and love them better as we learn to own the (sometimes ugly) truth it reveals about our own hearts and receive Christ’s compassion for our struggle as well as his transformation. No one has mastered their number (nor can we), and we are all, always, in need of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and healing.

Third, the Enneagram is not a one-stop-shop or a quick-fix tool. It’s not magical or mystical. It is, as I’ve said, simply a tool for growth, developed by ancient and contemporary wisdom, that, like other discipleship resources, can lead to deep insights about ourselves, our relationships, and God by opening our hearts in new ways to the Spirit’s work of moving us from the “old self” to the “new self” as Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians. The framework helps us see ourselves as we are and as we could be if we allow God to continually renew us and form us into people who are healthy and whole, and who reflect their Maker in glorious ways.

As with all that, we do on this trek of life let us follow 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Next week we will begin to drill down on the points of 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 917 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.

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!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 917 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 of 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…

Kathy, an experienced Sunday School teacher, asked her class to draw pictures of their favorite Bible stories. All the students eagerly set about their tasks. As Kathy went from student to student reviewing their pictures, she was puzzled by little Sammy’s drawing – it showed four people on an airplane!

Kathy asked him, “What Bible story is that?”

Sammy excitedly replied, “It’s the flight to Egypt.”

Kathy paused a moment and finally said. “I see…and that must be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus…But who’s the fourth person?”

Sammy emphatically announced, “Oh, that’s Pontius, the Pilot.”

Sourced at: www.mikeysFunnies.com

I hope that has brought a smile to you for today.

For Thursday’s Thought, while Joseph may have been very apprehensive about heading to Egypt, he knew God would direct him as we are told in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

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 our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 916 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!