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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1332 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomDiner Slang – 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 1332 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 provide 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:

Diner SlangJoe walks into a diner, plops down at the counter, and places his order: “I want 3 flat tires, a pair of headlights and tub of motor oil.”

Sally, the waitress, not wanting to appear stupid, goes to the kitchen and asks Sam the cook, “This guy out there just ordered 3 flat tires, a pair of headlights and a tub of oil. What does he think, this is an auto parts store?!”

“No,” Sam says, “3 flat tires means 3 pancakes , a pair of headlights is 2 eggs sunny side up and a tub of oil is a thermos of strong coffee.”

“Oh,” Sally exclaimed, as the light bulb turned on in her head. She ponders it a bit more, and then she spoons up a bowl of navy beans and serves it to Joe.Joe looks at Sally with a strange look and says, “What are the beans for?”

Sally replies as she fills up his thermos with strong coffee, “I thought that, while you're waiting for the flat tires and headlights, you might want to gas up.”

I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did pass your smile onto some else, we all could use a good smile. Our Thursday thought is: “If you fuel your journey on the opinions of others, you are going to run out of gas.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+73:26andversion=NLT (Psalm 73:26)

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

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 1331 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in 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 Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1331 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomMastering the Bible – Ruth and Crucial Story-lines – 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, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is https://wisdom-trek.com/captivate-podcast/day-1331/ (Day 1331) of our trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events.

To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must also have a proper understanding of God and His Word. Our focus for the next several months on Worldview Wednesday is Mastering the Bible, through a series of brief insights. These insights are extracted from a book of the same title from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars, Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. This book is a collection of insights designed to help you understand the Bible better. When we let the Bible be what it is, we can understand it as the original readers did and as its writers intended. Each week we will explore two insights.

Mastering the Bible – Ruth and Crucial Story-linesInsight Forty-One: The Book of Ruth Takes Place During the Days of the Judges

The period of the book of Judges was awful. The book runs through cycle after cycle of Israel’s spiritual failure, God’s punishment for their faithlessness by means of foreign oppressors, Israel’s desperate cries for deliverance, and God’s response in sending a judge. Sin, suffer, despair, deliverance, repeat.

One of the key things to observe in the book is that the oppressors of God's people were foreigners—people to whom the land did not belong. At times God’s instrument of punishment for sin was a people group whom Israel was supposed to have driven from the land but didn’t. At other times, it was a people group from the outside. The point is this: the presence of foreigners meant bad things. They were unpopular.

This is the backdrop for the story of Ruth. The book opens with these statements from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ruth+1%3A1-4andversion=NLT (Ruth 1:1-4).

In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there. Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth.

Ruth was a Moabitess—a foreigner. The Moabites were Israel’s oppressors during the judgeship of Ehud (Judges 3). Israel suffered under the thumb of Eglon, the king of the Moabites, for eighteen years (Judges 3:12—14). To many in Israel, Ruth was a symbol of an enemy.

In view of this backdrop, the story of Ruth is truly remarkable. It stands to reason that no Israelite would have the slightest reason to help her. Instead, when the book’s ancient readers encountered the beginning of the book, they would have expected the people of God to make things harder for her. But Boaz was different. He was a living illustration of how Israel was to bless the foreign nations (Genesis 12:3).

Even more astonishing, Ruth was destined to become the great-grandmother of David (Ruth 4:17-20). Out of the harshest of circumstances—poverty and prejudice and deep-seated wounds of the past—God would raise up the ideal king, whose dynasty would...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1330 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomThe Bliss of Suffering – 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 1330 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 Leo Tolstoy, and it is: A person who lives a spiritual life cannot help but see that suffering brings him closer to God. Seen in this light, suffering loses its bitter side and becomes bliss.

The Bliss of SufferingFirst, at least as believers, we must realize that all life is spiritual life. There is no sacred and secular life, as if they were diametrically opposed. There is one life that we live which is a spiritual life. We, as humans, are created to be imagers of God in all that we do. We do have free will to choose. We can choose to be thankful for every circumstance of life, even when it entails suffering. One of the purposes of suffering and hardship in life is to purify us and bring us closer to God who created us. Because of this, our perspective of hardships and suffering will change from one of discouragement, to one of bliss and thankfulness. If suffering and hardships refine us to be a better imager of God, to build His kingdom, and to bring honor and glory to His name, then we should be blissful for being chosen for such a privileged task.One who would understand and be able to empathize with us, was also a leader in the 1st-century church. He happened to be Jesus’s brother and knew Jesus from childhood. James did not believe in Jesus until after His death, burial, and resurrection, but he wrote a letter to the early church about this subject. 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.

So I also encourage you…consider it an opportunity for great joy, which is bliss.

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 1329 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 in 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!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1329 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomWhat is Biblical Meditation? – 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 1329 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.

Although we have invested many months bringing lessons that help us to reflect or meditate on what is important in order to create a living legacy, today, let us consider:

What is Biblical Meditation?In our western cultures, and probably throughout the world, we tend to associate happiness with money, sex, or power — preferably all three! While each of these is not inherently bad, in fact, they are gifts from God, portions of Scripture, the life of Jesus, and a strange lot of so-called mystics point to another source of happiness — meditation!

As with the other classical spiritual disciplines, meditation cuts against the grain of living in the material world and may seem like a waste of time. But those who are trained in meditation will reap a harvest of happiness — of peace, joy, and love — that will be a blessing to many.

What is meditation? Quite simply, meditation is an intentional act of simplicity. It's not hard to understand why this is seldom practiced. Most of us live scattered lives, pulled in numerous directions by forces of work, family, church, recreation, friends, and so on. In addition, most people — Christians included — are always thinking ... thinking ... thinking.

While thinking is a good, God-given trait, too much of it, or over-thinking, which takes the form of replaying tapes from past conversations, planning tomorrow's activities, or daydreaming about the future — often leads to a complicated and unhappy life. Thus the need for the simple act of meditation!

Meditation is not a panacea to our cultural or personal search for meaning. Meditation is certainly more than a theoretical admonition to simplicity. However, meditation is practical, easy, and, best of all, a means to happiness, a life lived with and for God.

There are numerous things to say about meditation, and https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms+1%3A1-3andversion=NLT (Psalm 1:1-3) provides some practical and pertinent counsel for joy, happiness, delight, and prosperity:

Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

Based on this passage, we would do well if we meditate on the Teachings of God. When it comes to meditation, it is important to remember, "less is more." In other words, you might consider easing into meditation by reading a short narrative from the gospel. When meditating, it is best to read slowly, perhaps pausing after each sentence. Don't be afraid to...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1328 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomAccomplish Great Things – 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. This is https://wisdom-trek.com/captivate-podcast/day-1328/ (Day 1328) 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 where we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, you are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas.

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

So the question for this week is…

“Hey Gramps, I don’t desire to be mediocre in life, but to accomplish great things that will impact the lives of those around me. What nuggets of wisdom do you have that will help me to accomplish great things?”

Accomplish Great Things

We are an instant-results, quick-fix society. Quality gets sacrificed along the way. People are seen only as clients and consumers. Relationships that are going to require effort to create or repair are just abandoned. Corners are cut, rules are broken, and disastrous consequences follow. In the aftermath, we either wonder why we feel so empty or blame God for letting us down — or both. This is not how we accomplish great things and make a great impact.

First, our mindset and priorities must be correct. You must ask yourself, why do you desire to accomplish great things? You mention to make an impact on the lives of others, but why…For your own honor, or to really help others? When our mindset is correct, we won’t care if we personally receive honor, but instead we will desire to make an impact to build God’s kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven, and to bring honor and glory to God.

Second, instead of bringing attention to ourselves, we must be reflective so our lives exude tidbits of practical wisdom as we interact with others on a daily basis. To gain that wisdom, we must read and study God’s Word daily. It is then our lives will reflect those tidbits of wisdom that come from the master teacher.

Third, don’t be foolish enough to think you can set everything right in a single day. Be wise enough to know you can do a little bit each day to reach your stated desire. Here are some examples of what I am sharing…You can't build a championship-caliber team in a day. No single play in the game plan turns losers into champions. No one sales meeting transforms a company's bottom line. No weekend marriage or parenting seminar can set right the impaired relationships of a struggling family. No one sermon or inspirational worship time defines a church to set right its troubles or lift it from the doldrums.

Today is the only day that matters. Yesterday will never change. Learn from it, but remember you'll never change it. Tomorrow is yet to be. What can only be affected is today. Your desire is to make a small impact towards greatness each day.

So, deepen your faith, strengthen your family, focus your career path, encourage a friend, repair a damaged relationship — today. Just a tiny bit. Without...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1327 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomA Cowboy Tale – 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 1327 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 provide 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:

A Cowboy TaleYears ago, Tim McCoy, a cowboy from Texas, rode proudly into Albuquerque, New Mexico for the first time riding high on his sleek and beautiful black stallion. He was noticed by everyone that saw him. After a long and dusty ride, Tim was tired and thirsty, and he stopped by the saloon for a beer. Unfortunately, the locals always had the habit of picking on strangers, which he was. When he finished his drink, He strutted back outside and found his horse had been stolen.

Tim went back into the bar, handily flipped his gun into the air, caught it above his head without even looking and fired a shot into the ceiling.

“Which one of you sidewinders stole my horse?!?!?!” he yelled with surprising forcefulness.

Tim gazed around the bar, trying to catch someone's eyes that may look guilty, but everyone looked down, and no one answered.

After a lengthy pause, Tim turned his back to them, faced the bartender, and shouted once again, “Alright, I'm gonna have another beer, and if my horse ain't back outside by the time I finish, I'm gonna do what I dun in Texas! And I don't like to have to do what I dun in Texas!”

Some of the locals shifted restlessly, and he could hear the scuffling of feet behind him. Tim McCoy, true to his word, had another beer, walked outside, and his horse had been returned to the post.

He climbed into his saddled and started to ride out of town. The bartender wandered out of the bar ran after Tim and asked, “Say pardner, before you go...what happened in Texas?”

Tim McCoy turned back and said with a straight face, “Well, I had to walk home.”I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did pass your smile onto some else, we all could use a good smile. Our Thursday thought is: “If lawyers are disbarred, and clergymen are defrocked, shouldn't it follow that cowboys would be deranged?”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+15:2andversion=NLT (Psalm 15:2)

Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere 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 1326 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1326 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomMastering the Bible – Judges and Kings – 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. This is Day 1326 of our Trek, and it is Worldview 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 and His Word. Our focus for the next several months on Worldview Wednesday is Mastering the Bible, through a series of brief insights. These insights are extracted from a book of the same title from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars, Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. This book is a collection of insights designed to help you understand the Bible better. When we let the Bible be what it is, we can understand it as the original readers did, and as its writers intended. Each week we will explore two insights.

Mastering The Bible – Judges and KingsInsight Thirty-Nine: Judges Were Not KingsThe book of Judges is largely an intentional contrast between the faithlessness of God's people and his own faithfulness. Repeatedly in Judges, we read that Israel turned against God's laws and commands, suffered under foreign oppressors as a result, and then had to be bailed out of their misery by God. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+2%3A11-12andversion=NLT (Judges 2:11-12) sums it up: “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord. Then in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+2%3A15-16andversion=NLT (Judges 2:15-16) was the resulting consequence. Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress. Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.

When we see the word “judges,” we think of people who decide legal cases and pass out sentences to criminals. That isn’t who’s in view here. Reading through the book of Judges makes it clear that, with the exception of Deborah (who actually did listen to complaints and make decisions for people; see Judges 4:4-5, judges were military leaders that God raised up to defeat Israel’s enemies.

The period of the judges was one of lawlessness. It was chaotic and unpredictable. Twice the book tells readers in Judges 17:6; 21:25 that “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” On nearly ten occasions, the author offers the blunt assessment that “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight.”

Several analogies to the judges suggest themselves. The time of the judges could be looked upon like the Wild West, when gangs of outlaws controlled towns and territories by fear, ignoring the law. That would make judges the equivalent of sheriffs or hired guns. Perhaps more familiar, we could think of Canaan at this time like the fictional Gotham. None of the judges had a cape and lived in the Batcave, but you get the idea. Judges were deliverers, the superheroes of their day.

Judges were not kings. They did not rule over all the tribes, or even any single tribe. They did not have dynasties, although Gideon and his son Abimelech tried to pull that off (Judges 6-9). Judges were a temporary solution to the...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1325 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom1000 Reasons To Smile – 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 1325 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 Patricia Brown, and it is: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.

1000 Reasons to SmileAs mentioned in previous episodes, you must be thankful for what you already have, or you will never be thankful for what you receive in the future. Thankfulness is always a choice. To be thankful, you must foster and internal heart of gratitude. This may require creativity and innovation. This requires changing the way you think. You must think differently and of course with a positive mindset and positive outlook. Life will always have its share of hardship and heartache. That is part of life. How we frame those times will determine our outlook about life. My personality type is such that I reframe nearly every situation and circumstance into something positive. I realize that may be more difficult for you than it is for me, but regardless of your basic outlook on life, you still have a choice. So even when life is difficult, change your focus and seek out all of the good that still remains in your life. Cry when you must, but then turn that frown upside down, and focus on those 1000 reasons to smile. God’s love for you is never changing. It is unconditional. It is forever.https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A16-18andversion=NLT (James 1:16-18)

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

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 1324 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 in 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!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1324 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom10 Ways LEGOs Teach Us About Life – 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 1324 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.

I recently came across a short article about those infamous little building blocks called LEGOs, and I made some adaptations for us to meditate on. So today, let us consider:

10 Ways LEGOs Teach Us About LifeLife might be less complicated for all of us if we each received our own LEGO kit at birth. Yes, I realize there is a choking hazard for children under three. But when you are old enough, you can learn a lot about life from LEGOs. I have learned that:

Size doesn't matter. When stepped on in the dark, a 2X2 LEGO brick causes the same amount of pain as a 2X8 brick.

All LEGO persons are created equal (1.5625 inches tall). What they become is limited only by imagination.

There is strength in numbers. When the bricks stick together, great things can be accomplished.

Playtime is important. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you are building, as long as you're having fun.

Disaster happens. But the pieces can be put back together again.

Every brick has a purpose. Some are made for a specific spot - most can adapt almost anywhere - but everyone will fit somewhere.

Color doesn't matter. A blue brick will fit in the same space as a red brick.

No one is indispensable. If one brick is unavailable, another can take its place.

It doesn't always turn out as planned. Sometimes it turns out better. If it doesn't, you can always try again.

Out of a very common looking blocks, great masterpieces can be created when we stick together for a common outcome.

In the same manner as us with LEGOs, God is the designer of the universe, our lives can have become a masterpiece when we allow the designer to shape us. We are indeed a building shaped by God's own hand.

Think about each of these statements as it relates to your family, your church family, or any organization with a common purpose. Some of the statements apply more than others. For example, unity is a biblical concept for Christians, in all situations. When we as Christians stick together, great things can be accomplished.

It is an important biblical truth that every Christian has a purpose, this is true for a family and the local church family. As Paul describes in detail in 1 Corinthians 12 using the analogy of a human body, some of us are eyes, some are hands; still, others are feet, but we all have a purpose and a role. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12%3A12-13andversion=NLT (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. While it is...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a LegacyWelcome to Day 1323 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomTrue Love – 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. This is Day 1323 of our Trek and 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 where we can ‘Ask Gramps.’ Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, this is not possible. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas.

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

So the question for this week is:

“Hey Gramps, with it being around Valentine's Day, you hear a lot about giving flowers and chocolates to show love, but that isn’t what love is about. As I suppose with all ages, we hear so much about erotic love today. I know that is an aspect of showing love, but can you give me a description of all-encompassing love for someone?

True LoveThat is a great question, and one that is so appropriate as this podcast will be released on Valentine's Day. For Paula and me, this will be our 41st Valentine's Day together, and we look forward to at least another 41 years. I have to say, that Paula has been truly a blessing to me, and I am certain that Paula would echo my sentiment. To have a spouse that is so dedicated to a pure and loving marriage is a blessing beyond measure. Love for us has been fairly easy because, from the very beginning, we knew that love for each other is a choice that we make each day, and that it is will be that way until God takes us home to be with Him. That being said, our love is also based on the Biblical teachings of what true love is, and what love is not. There are two passages that come to mind when I think about Biblical love. The first one is https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A9-14andversion=NLT (John 15:9-14,) “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.The second passage is considered the great love chapter and that is 1 Corinthians 13. I will share with you today https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13%3A4-7andversion=NLT (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

If you follow these two passages, and allow them to be integrated into the very fabric of your life, then you will love others properly, and they, in turn, will love and appreciate you.

That is a wrap for today’s question. Join us...