Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 804 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Prison of WANT – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 804 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 some, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. Some 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 Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Are you in prison? I don’t mean a physical prison, but self-created shackles and bars. Anything that stifles us from reaching our God-given potential is bars that will imprison us. Today’s meditation is taken from a book written by Max Lucado, and it is…

The Prison of WANT

Come with me to the most populated prison in the world. The facility has more inmates than bunks. More prisoners than plates. More residents than resources.

Come with me to the world's most oppressive prison. Just ask the inmates. They will tell you. They are overworked and underfed. Their walls are bare, and their bunks are hard.

No prison is so populated. No prison is so oppressive. And, what's more, no prison is so permanent. Most inmates never leave. They never escape. They never get released. They serve a life sentence in this overcrowded, under-provisioned facility.The name of the prison? You’ll see it over the entrance. Rainbowed over the gate are four cast-iron letters that spell out its name:

W-A-N-T

The prison of want. You've seen her prisoners. They are "in want." They want something. They want something bigger. Nicer. Faster. Thinner. They want.

They don't want much, mind you. They want just one thing. One new job. One new car. One new house. One new spouse. They don't want much. They want just one.

And when they have "one," they will be happy. And they are right – they will be happy. When they have "one," they will leave the prison. But then it happens. The new-car smell passes. The new job gets old. The neighbors buy a larger television set. The new spouse has bad habits. The sizzle fizzles, and before you know it, another ex-con breaks parole and returns to jail.

Are you in prison? You are if you feel better when you have more and worse when you have less. You are if joy is one delivery away, one transfer away, one award away, or one makeover away. If your happiness comes from something you deposit, drive, drink, or digest, then face it – you are in prison, the prison of want.

The Apostle Paul in his 1st letter to his protégé Timothy explains it this way in 1 Timothy 6:6-10, "Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.  So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.  But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows."

When we surrender to God the cumbersome sack of discontent, we don't just give up something; we gain something.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 803 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Time Management Is a Myth - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 803 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, you are not able to. No matter how old you are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas. We will address areas such as finances, relationships, health/fitness, business/work, home repairs/renovations, seasons of life, spiritual/Biblical questions, and any others areas that come our way.

As your fellow sojourner and mentor on this trek that we call life, it is my goal to provide you with practical wisdom and advice about any area of life. It is crucial that I receive a constant flow of questions, so please submit your questions to [email protected]. I will answer your questions on our Friday podcast.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. For most of us, life is hectic, and we all seem to have much more to do than the time to do it in. Since we all have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, why it is that some people seem to get so much more accomplished in a day or week than other people do? So the question for today is…

Hey Gramps, “Why does it appear that you are able to manage your time more effectively and efficiently than most people? How can I improve the management of my time ?”

Time Management Is a Myth

You probably have heard about time management since you were young. You had to learn how to integrate school, homework, playtime, and extracurricular activities. Then as you grew older, you had to start learning how to integrate work with studies and relationships. As you continued on as an adult, it was about integrating all of the tasks at work with all of the tasks at home.

Time management is directly linked to your work-life balance, or as I like to refer to it as work-life integration, and thus it’s directly linked to your stress, health, happiness, and productivity. How you manage your time proportionally influences how you manage your life.

This means time management is more than just managing the hours on the clock. None of us can slow down, speed up, or change the amount of time that we have in our day. There are 24 hours in a day. You can’t change that. So how do you manage time if you have no control over it?

You don’t. Time management is a myth. It’s all about decision or choice management. Or as Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven."

Do you ever wonder why it feels like some people have more time than others? Why do some people achieve so much more than their peers?

Every person only has 24 hours, but there are some who have learned how to make better decisions or choices on how to use that time. These individuals don’t manage their hours—they manage themselves.

To use an illustration that may be useful, I would like you to think of yourself as a tree. This tree is made up of four quadrants. We will relate this to what President Eisenhower is credited with creating and used when he was both a general and the President. It is referred to as:

1. The Eisenhower Decision Matrix

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 802 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Reading Is Fundamental – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 802 of our trek, and it is time for a 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 Daniel J. Boorstin, and it is, “Books are the main source of our knowledge, our reservoir of first faith, memory, wisdom, morality, poetry, philosophy, history and science.”

Reading Is Fundamental

Reading and the study of books is the fundamental source and foundation of knowledge. It has been verified over and over that those who are avid readers advance faster and farther in all areas of life. With today’s technological breakthroughs and access to thousands of resources on the internet for little or no cost, there is little reason not to consume books on a regular basis.

Books can be consumed on a variety of devices from smartphones, to tablets, to computers, and in audio format, which allows you to perform another task while listening to great content. Here are some practical ways that I have found successful in maintaining a steady habit of reading or listening to a variety of information.

I listen to my Bible reading, devotional materials, emails, and podcast while I exercise first thing in the morning. Since I work at my computers throughout the day, many days for up to 12 hours, I am able to consume vast amounts of information about a variety of subjects. I also listen to many audio books while driving, working outdoors, cooking dinner each night, and renovating the various rooms inside our home.If you enjoy reading from a physical book, set aside planned time each day to further your knowledge and learning. Books are also a great source of relaxing while enjoying a great mystery, sci-fi thriller, history, or any other genre of books. Create a habit of reading physical books or listening to audiobooks on a daily basis. It is an investment into your future self that pays huge dividends.

This type of study was what God commanded Joshua before he led the Israelites into the promised land as we read in Joshua 1:8, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like free access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, 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 801 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

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

As we take this trek 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,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 801 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The God Kind of Love-Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 801 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore our trek of interpreting life through a Biblical Worldview.

As a Christ follower, it is important to view all situations and events in life through the lens of the Bible. That is a view of the world that is aligned with what the Bible teaches us. We are exploring current issues that impact our world and society and comparing them through the lens of the Bible, instead of the lens of our society, culture, modern media, or social media.

I do not desire to tell you what to think, but teach you how to think so that you may be able to filter current issues and events through your Biblical Worldview. I may explore opposing views and challenge you to think. You may not always agree with my view, and that is okay. I am open to any comments that you may have on the subjects that we explore.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am going to diverge this week from the topic of loving yourself that we started last week, and we will finish that topic next Wisdom Wednesday. Since this episode is being released on Valentine’s Day, I decided to explore a Biblical Worldview of what true love really is according to God’s Word.

So our topic today is…

The God Kind of Love

The first part of today’s trek is a paraphrase of what is considered the love chapter, which is 1 Corinthians 13. This was written by David Sanford, Copyright 2003 and is used by permission.

If I talk a lot about God and the Bible and the Church, but I fail to ask about your needs and then help you, I'm simply making a lot of empty religious noise.

If I graduate from theological seminary and know all the answers to questions you'll never even think of asking, and if I have all the degrees to prove it and if I say I believe in God with all my heart, and soul and strength, and claim to have incredible answers to my prayers to show it, but I fail to take the time to find out where you are and what makes you laugh and why you cry, I'm nothing.

If I sell an extra car and some of my books to raise money for some poor starving kids somewhere, and if I give my life for God's service and burn out after pouring everything I have into the work, but do it all without ever once thinking about the people, the real hurting people – the moms and dads and sons and daughters and orphans and widows and the lonely and hurting – if I pour my life into the Kingdom but forget to make it relevant to those here on earth, my energy is wasted, and so is my life.

Here is what love is like – genuine love. God's kind of love. It's patient. It can wait. It helps others, even if they never find out who did it. Love doesn't look for greener pastures or dream of how things could be better if I just got rid of all my current commitments. Love doesn't boast. It doesn't try to build itself up to be something it isn't. Love doesn't act in a loose, immoral way. It doesn't seek to take, but it willingly gives. Love doesn't lose its cool. It doesn't turn on and off. Love doesn't think about how bad the other person is, and certainly doesn't think of how it could get back at someone. Love is grieved deeply (as God is) over the evil in this world, but it rejoices over truth.

Love comes and sits with you when you're feeling down and finds out what is wrong. It empathizes with you and believes in you. Love knows you'll come through just as God planned, and love sticks right beside you all the way.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 800 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 800 – The Riches of Gratitude – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 800 of our trek, and it is time for a 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."

The Riches of Gratitude

As we reach our 800th day on our Wisdom-Trek, I want to thank you for coming along with me on this trek. Whether you have just trekked with me 1 day or all 800 days, thank you for the privilege of sharing with you as your guide, mentor, and friend on this trek that we call life. Because of the time I have invested into Wisdom-Trek, my life is filled with the riches of gratitude for this opportunity to share with you.

As with all aspects of life, some days we are on a high plateau, the sun is shining brightly, and our trail is smooth. Other days it feels like we are pushing uphill in a violent storm, and we have to navigate around or over obstacles every few feet.

In much the same way, creating, recording, editing, and publishing a daily podcast has its share of joys and hardships. It is my prayer that over the long haul I am able to provide you with the tools needed to provide you with the strength and encouragement to continue on your trek each day.

I pray that my life through Wisdom-Trek will always radiate the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" If you have any feedback on how I can better serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast, please let me know at [email protected].  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. 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 our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 799 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe to iTunes 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:

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 Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 799 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Small Things Can Have a Big Impact – Meditation Monday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 799 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 some, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. Some 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 Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Throughout the Scriptures, God uses the example of small things that have a great impact. Some of these are ants, the tongue, and a rudder on a ship. In language, changing just a single letter in a word in some instances can change the entire meaning. In today’s meditation, we will explore how our faith, even though it may be small can produce huge results.

Small Things Can Have a Big Impact

During Jesus’s ministry on earth, He talked about how important a person's heart is. Mark 7:1-23 is just one example that we will review in a moment. The Jewish religious leaders had made all sorts of rules to be sure the people of God kept themselves ritually clean. Matthew and Mark placed Jesus’s words about the importance of the heart right before the events we will read about today. This sequence can help you see a key point Jesus made in His life. While Jesus’s earthly ministry was focused primarily on Jews, "the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15:24), He reached out to all kinds of people who were normally considered "unclean" by many fellow Jews.

Tyre and Sidon were places where old enemies of the Jewish people lived. Jesus’s very presence there, especially with His ministry to these non-Jews, was very shocking. Then Jesus traveled back to Decapolis or "the area of the Ten Cities," another largely non-Jewish area on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus blessed, taught, and healed in this region just as He did in Tyre and Sidon.

The focus of Jesus’s work was once again on people's hearts. Were they open and receptive? Were they seeking after God? Did they long for grace? Jesus’s focus was not on culture, nationality, or ethnicity. He was willing to help, bless, and be with people who His fellow Jews considered "unclean"!

This background of our scripture today is very important for you to know when we read the following story of the woman from Syrophoenicia. Jesus’s words are a little distorted by our modern translations because you can't hear the subtle nuance of one letter. The little "i" in Greek makes a big difference and turns the word for a dog (kunaron) into the word for a puppy (kunarion) and changes Jesus’s words from an ugly ethnic slur into an invitation for faith.

Even today, so often people of different ethnic groups use slurs to dismiss the value of another person. Jesus used a play on words similar to an ethnic slur to invite the woman from Syrophoenicia to display both her wit and her faith. She was desperate and wanted help. She came expecting to be called a strange and mangy dog — the way many Jews would have referred to her and she would have referred to them.

However, Jesus took the term and softened it to mean puppy or lap dog — something that was often considered a part of the family.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 798 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Perfect Marriage - Ask Gramps

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 798 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 where we can “Ask Gramps.”  Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are not able 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 will address areas such as finances, relationships, health/fitness, business/work, home repairs/renovations, seasons of life, spiritual/Biblical questions, and any others areas that come our way.

As your fellow sojourner and mentor on this trek that we call life, it is my goal to provide you with practical wisdom and advice about any area of life. It is crucial that I receive a constant flow of questions, so please submit your questions to [email protected]. And I will answer your questions on our Friday podcast.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Marriage is the first institution designed by God himself. It is designed to be both wonderful and beautiful, a picture of Christ and the church. It does have its challenges, though, as two independent lives are merged into one.

Over the years there have been both correct and incorrect teachings about what God’s design is so that marriage can flourish and grow. More specifically, what roles should the husband and wife fulfill to allow the marriage to be as harmonious as possible? Paula and I will be celebrating our 39th anniversary this August, and for the most part, we have an extremely wonderful and fulfilling relationship. So the question for today is…

Hey Gramps, “How can we structure our relationship so that our marriage is pleasant, fulfilling, and honoring to God?”

The Perfect Marriage

In today’s politically correct society, the God-designed picture of marriage has been tainted. This unfortunate scenario is not isolated to the secular world. Over the centuries, there have been many cases of abuse either condoned or at least tolerated within the church as well. This is not what God has designed for marriage.

When God, through Jesus Christ, dwelled among us, He broke many societal norms on what had become commonplace for a woman’s status both in society and in marriage. Over the centuries since, though, a husband and wife’s role and responsibility has not always been taught properly, even within the church.

As a foundation to the question today we will look at Ephesians 5:21-33.

And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.  He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 797 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Friend of God – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 797 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit 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 Rick Warren, and it is, "Every time you trust God's wisdom and do whatever he says, even when you don't understand it, you deepen your friendship with God."

A Friend of God

As a Christ follower, I believe all of us would like to be considered a friend of God.  When we accept Christ by faith as our atoning sacrifice for our sins, then we automatically become a friend of God, and that will never change. What does it take, though, to grow that friendship so that we are in close communion with God on a daily basis? That growth will happen over time as we put our faith into action. It is one thing to say we believe; it is quite another thing to show that belief through what we do for God.

We are not always privy to why God permits situations to impact our lives, especially if we consider them adverse. Sometimes we suffer because of choices we make, and we are living the consequences of those choices. Other times, God permits adversity into our lives to grow and mature us, or to allow others to grow and mature based on how we handle that adversity. We do have a prime example of this in the letter that James, the half-brother of Jesus wrote to 1st century Jewish Christ-followers in James 2:18-24.

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.  Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like free access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, 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 796 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.

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:

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,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 796 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Sanctity of Life - Loving Yourself (1) - Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 796 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore our trek of interpreting life through a Biblical Worldview.

As a Christ follower, it is important to view all situations and events in life through the lens of the Bible. That is a view of the world that is aligned with what the Bible teaches us. We are exploring current issues that impact our world and society and comparing them through the lens of the Bible, instead of the lens of our society, culture, modern media, or social media.

I do not desire to tell you what to think, but to teach you how to think so that you may be able to filter current issues and events through your Biblical Worldview. I may explore opposing views and challenge you to think. You may not always agree with my view, and that is okay. I am open to any comments that you may have on the subjects that we explore.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The past few weeks we discussed that a Biblical Worldview should incorporate within it the sanctity of all human life. My personal Biblical Worldview includes the strong conviction and belief that all life is precious regardless of whether it is an unborn child; someone who through advanced age, illness, or accident may be nearing the end of life; or are severely restricted in life.

One reason that modern society devalues life for certain segments of society is that we have a warped view of God’s love for us, our love for God, our love for others, and love for ourselves. A proper love for ourselves will include the realization that we were created to be bearers of God’s image. As a Christ follower, we must understand that our bodies are the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit. A proper love for self will include love and respect for others.

The entire #metoo movement stems from the fact that certain men and women don’t respect or love other persons, their bodies, or the sanctity of life. Because of this, they abuse others physically, emotionally, and mentally.

I recently came across a web interview in The Christian Post with Nancy Pearcey, a former agnostic who teaches at Houston Baptist University. Nancy recently published a book titled Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality. For this week and next, I will share some of the insights from this interview as it closely aligns with my Biblical Worldview on the core concept about the sanctity of life. If you would like an in-depth analysis of this topic, I recommend that you purchase Nancy Pearcey’s book I mentioned earlier.

So our topic today is…

The Sanctity of Life – Loving Yourself (1)

Arguably no subject divides Americans and most of the western world more passionately than what it means to be a human being, especially when it comes to sexuality, identity, and the body. What lies beneath the bitter cultural squabbles over physician-assisted suicide, abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgenderism is a secularist ideology that wages war against the human body.

Pearcey, who The Economist describes as “America's pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual,” stresses in the book's introduction, “We live in a moral wasteland where human beings are desperately seeking answers to hard questions about life and sexuality.”

But there is hope. In the wasteland, we can cultivate a garden. We can discover a Biblical Worldview of a reality-based morality that expresses a positive,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 795 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Effective Father & Mother – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 795 of our trek, and it is time for a 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 Gordon McDonald, and it is, "All effective fathers learn the importance of a wise and flexible response to their children's calls for attention. No busy signals here. No 'hold' button."

The Effective Father and Mother

If a father or mother desires to effectively make a positive impact on their children, they will need to learn how to be both wise and flexible. Children are often very demanding, and it is not in their best interest to give in to their every whim and desire.

On the flip side of that, we should not withhold from our children the love and attention that they not only desire but need. There is a huge difference between giving our children what they desire and providing our children with what they need.

Although there is nothing wrong with providing material goods to our children, what they need most is to see us living our lives in both word and deed according to God’s precepts found in His Word. What our children need is our time and attention coupled with an abundance of unconditional love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and deep abiding joy. To be an effective father or mother, give to your children the gifts that are most precious and will impact them for all eternity.

Just as our children will ask us for things, Jesus taught us that we are to ask of God when we have needs and that He will provide us with what is best for our lives.

Matthew 7:7-11   "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

"You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."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. 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 our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past 794 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe to iTunes 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:

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 Wisdom Wednesday!