Wisdom-Trek ©

Welcome to Day 1512 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomPayback is Rough – Humor UnpluggedWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your Captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1512 of our Trek, and 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 give a bit a levity in your life. We are told in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+15:30andversion=NLT (Proverbs 15:30) A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health. We are also encouraged in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+17:22andversion=NLT (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:

Payback is Rough

Early one evening, Joe scuttled out to his garage and pulled the lawn furniture out onto the driveway. Shortly after followed the lawnmower, a few gardening tools, and a bicycle.

Jim, his curious neighbor, wandered over and asked as he approached the garage entrance, Hey Joe, what are you dragging all of this stuff into your driveway? Are you going to have a garage sale tomorrow? Joe stopped and stretched his back and replied, "No, Jim, you know my son John just bought his first car, and right now he is inside right now getting ready for a big date. You know how he is always running late, and He'll be taking the car out soon to pick up the girl."

Jim cocked his head slightly, scratched his head, and stared at all the stuff in the driveway, then asked, So what's with all the stuff?"

"Well, Jim, after years of moving tricycles, toys, lawn chairs, and sports equipment out of the way every time I came home from work, I wanted to make sure the driveway was ready for John."

I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did pass your smile onto some else, we all could use a kind smile each day. Our Thursday thought is, “When someone does you wrong, and you do wrong to them as a revenge. It does not make you right, but it makes both of you wrong. Doing wrong is wrong, no matter how you can justify it.”

Here is our verse for today:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012%3A19andversion=NLT (Romans 12:19)

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord

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 1511 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Futuristic Friday!

Welcome to Day 1511 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomA Family of Imagers Part 3 – Worldview WednesdayWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. Today is Day 1511 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is essential to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week, we will finish our study based on a course I completed taught by Dr. Michael Heiser on our Worldview Wednesday episode. Our study is titled “Sons and Daughters of God: The Believer’s Identity, Calling, and Destiny” Throughout this multi-week course, we have demonstrated that, in the Old Testament, “sons of God” and “holy ones” refers to supernatural beings whose Father is God and who work with God to carry out His will and that this divine family was present before humanity. By fully engaging with biblical texts such as Psalm 82; Psalm 89, and Deuteronomy 32:8–9, our study showed that this divine family functions as a template for God’s human family. God desires of humans, as His imagers, to participate in His council. This study addressed issues such as polytheism, the nature of the (little ‘g’) “gods,” and Yahweh’s uniqueness. This study applies insights to the New Testament texts and shows how the metaphor of being in God’s family informs our sense of identity and mission as believers.

A Family of Imagers· Segment 30: Believers as Family, Participants - 3

Introduction

Hebrews 2 is a bit more of an obtuse example of the kinds of things we’re talking about because Hebrews’ language tends to be kind of complicated, but it’s a pretty powerful one. So I wanted to include it because this section of Hebrews is, I think, especially telling when it comes to these family relationships and bringing things full circle, being presented to God as the fulfillment of the original plan.

Family Members in the Divine CouncilWe read in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+2%3A10-12andversion=NLT (Hebrews 2:10-12), God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. So now, Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.

I will praise you among your assembled people.”

Family Members Sharing the Same StatusNow, look at the language here. We have a scene where the writer is talking about Jesus. God is in the picture, and we have this “son” language; we have sibling language here (“brothers and sisters”). The scene is amazing because here we have Jesus introducing God, as it were: “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.” What’re the assembled people? Among your assembled people?; It is in the throne room of God; it is in the presence of all who have gone before. The whole cloud of witnesses’ idea is something that Dr. Heiser mentioned in the Unseen Realm. The notion of a “cloud of witnesses” goes back to divine council language by ratifying treaties and agreements and covenants and guarantees.

So we have believers who have gone before members of the council now; they have become grafted in. As normal human beings, fallen but redeemed, and being brought back into the family. The inclusion language here is

Welcome to Day 1510 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomLife Becomes Rich – Wisdom UnpluggedWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1510 of our Trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and it is: In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe others.

Life Becomes Rich

Personal satisfaction with your life is primarily based on your perspective of life. When we realize that we receive so much more than we ever give to others during the regular course of our ordinary life, we start to realize the blessing we have in life. Based on those blessings, we should have gratitude, and we will recognize that we do have a rich and satisfying life. Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so are the bountiful riches we have in life. It is so easy to have the mindset that what we do and how we live is so important, and with this, we overestimate our importance compared to others. The blessings and riches we have each day may seem miniscule and unimportant. Still, when they are viewed over the course of our lives, we can genuinely understand that life is wonderful, and we should have hearts filled with gratitude to God and other people that God has allowed to enrich our lives. We can live a rich and satisfying life each day if we choose to view life from the lens of gratitude.https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+1%3A3-7andversion=NLT (2 Peter 1:3-7)

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, 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 1509 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly...

Welcome to Day 1509 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomBible Study – Translation and Study Bibles – Meditation MondayWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1509 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 prayer. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making 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 continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on what the Bible is. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – Translations and Study Bibles· Insight Thirty-Three: Learn Something About Philosophies of Bible Translation

Bible translation is both an art and a science. It’s not just a matter of knowing English equivalents to words in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. If you are bilingual or have a friend who speaks another language, you know there’s more to understanding what is communicated in any language than using a dictionary.

The difficulty is easy to illustrate in English. Understanding what is meant by phrases liked ‘She copped a plea” or ‘He’s piling up yards” requires cultural knowledge—in these cases, the slang of crime dramas and the nuances of football. We could translate those phrases word-for-word into another language, but without the appropriate cultural intuition, they’d be meaningless.

Bible translators struggle with these sorts of problems frequently. There are also issues unique to the Bible that present difficulties. The doctrine of inspiration is one such complication. Since inspiration can be defined as “verbal,” where each word of the original compositions is ultimately the result of a process guided by Providence, should translation of those compositions take the form of a “word-for-word” rendering? If not, are words of God being lost?

This “word-for-word” approach to translation is called formal equivalence by translators. This translation philosophy aims to account for each word in the original language with an English word wherever that is possible. The result is typically a rigidly literal rendering that may sound awkward. Each word must be accounted for. Some Bible translations lean in this direction. Another approach is called “dynamic equivalence” or “functional equivalence.” This approach looks at the material to be translated and assesses what the original material meant to its original audience. Once that is discerned, the “meaning” is put into English using whatever words are best suited toward that end. There is no emphasis on accounting for each word of the original since meaning is the focus. Again, specific translations favor this approach.

Some translations fall in between. Still, others are paraphrased. Paraphrases start with an English translation and then reword the English. No actual translation work occurs.

I like to say the best Bible translation is the one you’ll read. It’s good to know the philosophy behind your translation. Using several translations that take...

Welcome to Day 1508 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomA Futuristic Abundance Mindset – Ask GrampsWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. Today is https://wisdom-trek.com/captivate-podcast/day-1508/ (Day 1508) of our trek. Our focus on Fridays is future technological and societal advances, so we call it Futuristic Fridays.

My personality is one that has always been very future-oriented. Since my childhood, I have yearned for the exploration and discovery of new technologies and advancements for the future. I grew up with the original Star Trek series, and even today, as I am now on my 65th revolution around the sun, I still dream of traveling in space. Each week we will explore rapidly converging technologies and advancements, which will radically change our lives. At times, the topics may sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but each area that we explore is already well on its way to becoming a reality over the next couple of decades.

To keep with our theme of “Ask Gramps,” I will put our weekly topics in the form of a question to get us on track. This week’s question is, “Hey Gramps, you explained how to craft a futuristic mindset last week. One of the mindsets that you mentioned was abundance. Can you go into more detail on how to craft a futuristic abundance mindset?”

A Futuristic Abundance Mindset

Last week we learned https://wisdom-trek.com/captivate-podcast/day-1503/ (how to craft a futuristic mindset). This week we will drill down on one aspect, which is a futuristic abundance mindset. I am using some of the information mentioned in Peter Diamandis’s blogs and book The Future Is Faster Than You Think.

Do you have an abundance mindset? What is an abundance mindset? What’s the advantage of having an abundance mindset? That’s our conversation today.

In the middle of a pandemic, it’s hard to think about abundance. You can understand this, especially when people are losing their jobs or wondering if and when they will get access to a vaccine.

Nonetheless, the world is heading rapidly towards abundance, and understanding this could transform your life and your business. Exponential technology like computation, Artificial Intelligence, 3-D printing, robotics, and Virtual Reality are rapidly dematerializing, demonetizing, and democratizing products and services. What used only to be available to the wealthiest and most elite, is now available to almost anyone on the planet. A child in the middle of Zimbabwe can Google any information or video conference for free with someone on the other side of the world. Many things we paid millions of dollars for just two decades ago are now available for free on your smartphone.

The challenge is that our minds were probably shaped with a mindset of scarcity, and most people are trapped in an unhealthy “scarcity mindset.” In a world of scarcity, there is a limited pie. If your neighbor gets a slice, that means you get a smaller slice. It’s a world of limited resources and fierce competition.

With an abundance mindset, rather than slicing the pie into thinner and thinner pieces, we bake more pies…millions more pies. Abundance is the future that exponential technology enables. Abundance is growing across almost every sector of society and economy, whether people see it or recognize it yet.

Think about this statement and allow it to permeate your mind. Creating a world of abundance isn’t about creating a world of luxury; it’s about creating a world of possibility.

Next week, I’ll focus on what I call “Proof of...

Welcome to Day 1507 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomTemperance – Humor UnpluggedWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your Captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1507 of our Trek, and 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 give a bit a levity in your life. We are told in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+15:30andversion=NLT (Proverbs 15:30) A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health. We are also encouraged in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+17:22andversion=NLT (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:

Temperance

Pastor Jeremiah, an old-time country preacher, was disturbed by the increasing amount of drinking in his county and even within the church. Pastor Jeremiah thought it was well past time to address it in a sermon. One bright and sunny Sunday morning, he was all prepared. He had all of his points lined up and backed up with Scripture. Pastor Jeremiah went through all of his points, and after about 30 minutes, he was really getting wound up about his temperance sermon with great enthusiasm. As he was getting close to the end, he wanted to drive his point home. He pointed to the congregation and shouted:

“If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”

The congregation cried, “Amen!”

“And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it in the river.”

The congregation cried, “Amen!”

“And if I had all the whiskey and the rum in the world, I’d take it all and throw it in the river.”

And the congregation cried, “Amen!”

After the sermon, pastor Jeremiah sat down, exhausted, sweating, and panting.

Next, Deacon Jones stood up and said: “For our closing hymn,” let us turn to page 126 and sing together, ‘Shall We Gather at the River.’”I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did pass your smile onto some else, we all could use a kind smile each day. Our Thursday thought is from Ernest Hemmingway, “Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”

Here is our verse for today:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%205%3A18andversion=NLT (Ephesians 5:18)

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.

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 1506 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie...

Welcome to Day 1506 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomA Family of Imagers – Worldview WednesdayWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. Today is Day 1506 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is essential to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week, on our Worldview Wednesday episode, we will continue our study based on a course I recently completed taught by Dr. Michael Heiser. Our study is titled “Sons and Daughters of God: The Believer’s Identity, Calling, and Destiny” Throughout this multi-week course, we will demonstrate that, in the Old Testament, “sons of God” and “holy ones” refers to supernatural beings whose Father is God and who work with God to carry out His will and that this divine family was present before humanity. By fully engaging with biblical texts such as Psalm 82; Psalm 89, and Deuteronomy 32:8–9, our study will show that this divine family functions as a template for God’s human family. God desires of humans, as His imagers, to participate in His council. This study addresses issues such as polytheism, the nature of the (little ‘g’) “gods,” and Yahweh’s uniqueness. This study will apply insights to the New Testament texts and show how the metaphor of being in God’s family informs our sense of identity and mission as believers.

A Family of Imagers· Segment 28: Believers as Family, Participants - 2

Introduction 1 John 3https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A1-2andversion=NLT (1 John 3:1-2) is perhaps the key passage to tying these ideas together, and I’ve alluded to it several times already. John writes, See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

Grafted Back into the FamilyNow, in one sense, every human being is a child of God. Paul alludes to that in his sermon in Acts 17. God is our common creator. We understand that, but John is talking about something different here, especially post-fall.

Family Means ParticipationWe have to be grafted back into the family, and the family, of course, includes this idea of participation, being in concert with God’s will, and helping God carry out His will. It’s a different kind of relationship, but I think the kind of things we’ve been talking about here helps us understand John’s language instead of what Paul says in Acts 17 a little bit. Because unless you’re a believer, you’re not going to be able to be working in concert with God—again carrying out His will, participating in His program. That was the original intent. It wasn’t just to have humans there on earth back in Genesis 1. As soon as God created us, the idea was to be with Him. We were to be united with Him and His blended family. His divine family that already existed, and together with His earthly family to be in this place where heaven had come to earth. Heaven intersects with the earth in Eden to overspread even across the planet to be working as one, one unit, one business—whatever metaphor helps here—to be working together toward a common goal.

Jesus Restores RelationshipsThat’s not possible when people are estranged from God, so Jesus...

Welcome to Day 1505 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomBe Polished – Wisdom UnpluggedWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1505 of our Trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Rumi, and it is: If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?

Be PolishedHardship, issues, and friction are a part of life. You can’t breathe, move, or function without some conflict. I am sure many of you can relate to one of my childhood experiences. When I was young, my siblings and I were given a rock tumbler. It was so exciting to put in a rough rock, and within a few days, you have a beautiful smooth, shiny gem. It was like magic! The truth of the matter is that in order to obtain the jewels, the rough stones had to go through 4 stages of friction. The rocks also had to be entirely submerged in water. With each of the four steps, the sand and grit that slowly chips off the rough edges started with a course mix and became more refined. So it is with life. If we desire to become precious gemstones, we have to go through the process of life slowly chipping off our rough parts until we become smoother and more mature. With each stage of conflict, we will be shaped and molded more and more until we become who God destined us to be. While it may not be enjoyable going through the rock tumbler of life, if we do not, then we will never be a polished mirror reflect God as His imager. James, the half brother of Christ, summed it up well in his letter to the early Christ-followers.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A2-4andversion=NLT (James 1:2-4)

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, 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 1505 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,' and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Worldview Wednesday!

Welcome to Day 1504 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomBible Study – Book Order and Hebrew Text – Meditation MondayWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1504 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 prayer. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making 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 continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on what the Bible is. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – Book Order and Hebrew Text· Insight Thirty-One: The Books in Your Bible Are Not in Chronological OrderHave you ever wondered how historians know when things in the ancient world happened? How can we say with great confidence that some event occurred 1,000 years before Christ (BC)? How- do we know with precision when the events of the life of Jesus and the early Church transpired?

Ancient chronology is a fascinating subject. It’s also amazingly complex since it deals with ancient lists of the reigns of kings that have survived from antiquity and with ancient astronomical observations and their recording. You don’t need to devote yourself to understanding how all these things are known to study the Bible. But it’s pretty important you know the when.

The books in your Bible were not chronologically arranged. Ezekiel was not written after Jeremiah. Paul’s epistles were not written in the order they’re listed in the New Testament. Even books like 1-2 Samuel can be chronologically misleading. Samuel was the last of Israel’s judges, right before the first king, Saul, came along.Consequently, 1-2 Samuel’s content overlaps Samuel’s life and a time that followed the Torah, Joshua, and Judges’ events. But the content of a book doesn’t tell us when a book was written. The fact that 1-2 Samuel never claims to have been written by Samuel adds to the chronological uncertainty.

Scholars have done their best to determine when the books of the Bible were written, but there’s a lot of disagreement. Yet the effort is worth it because knowing when a book was written is essential for developing theological ideas.

For example, what Paul says about faith and works in Galatians (perhaps his earliest epistle) sounds a bit different than it does in Romans. Paul’s comments are specific to events in Galatians, whereas Romans reflects a fuller treatment of the issue, one that benefits from years of preaching and addressing the issue in churches.

Another reason to know when a book was written is that it provides a glimpse of the writer’s world. Knowing that the Egyptians wrote about the invasion of the Sea Peoples (from whom the Philistines derive) along the Canaan coast helps us put certain references to the Philistines in the Old Testament in context.

Fortunately, this sort of information is available in reference works and good commentaries. Taking time to get your chronological bearings helps interpretation.

· Insight Thirty-Two:...

Welcome to Day 1503 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomCrafting A Futuristic Mindset – Ask GrampsWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. Today is Day 1503 of our Trek, and our focus on Fridays is the future technological and societal advances, so we call it Futuristic Fridays. My personality is one that has always been very future-oriented. Since my childhood, I have yearned for the exploration and discovery of new technologies and advancements for the future. I grew up with the original Star Trek series, and even today, as I am now on my 65th revolution around the sun, I still dream of traveling in space. Each week we will explore rapidly converging technologies and advancements, which will radically change our lives. At times, the topics may sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but each area that we explore is already well on its way of becoming a reality over the next couple of decades.

To keep with our theme of “Ask Gramps,” I will put our weekly topics in the form of a question to get us on track. This week’s question is, Hey Gramps, how can I create and maintain a mindset that is future-oriented while staying focused on what is essential for today?

Crafting a Futuristic Mindset

Last week we focused on turning Sick Care into Well Care. This week let us look at what it takes to be future-oriented while maintaining a focus on what is essential today. I am using some of the information mentioned in Peter Diamandis’s blogs and book “The Future is Faster Than You Think.”

While business and material success is not the most important determining factor of overall success, it is an indicator of a focused life. So let me ask you a question. What made Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk succeed? Was it their technology or their mindset?

Personally, I think mindset is an entrepreneur’s most critical asset. Yet few of us ever take the time to craft it -- to purposefully select and sharpen the mindset(s) we desire.

Your mindset is the filter through which you see the world. It determines how you spend your time, what decisions you make, and where you invest your resources.

I’ve been asked whether I’ve always had an Abundance mindset and an Exponential mindset over the years. The answer is yes, and no. They are both mindsets that are part of my personality, but I’ve crafted and honed my mindset progressively over the past 40+ years.

So how do you craft and reinforce a mindset? Which mindsets are the most exciting for me? These are the questions we will explore today.

Let’s dive in…

HOW MINDSETS WORK...

Before choosing which mindset(s) to focus on, it helps to understand how mindsets work.

Here’s an analogy: if you’ve been following Artificial Intelligence developments, you know that we can train neural nets to do image recognition. The challenge with these neural nets is that they’re only as good as the data you feed them.

For example, if you show the neural nets thousands of pictures of cats and show them a picture of a dog, the algorithm will tell you that the dog is actually a cat. It doesn’t know any better.

The same is true for our brains, which are also a type of neural net. If you continuously feed your mind with negative perspectives, your outlook will be negative. You won’t know any better. So my question to you is, how are you training your neural net?

Most of us don’t realize that we’re doing this training. It operates in the background. For example, you train your mind constantly through social media echo chambers or our daily news intake of CNN...