Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 664 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

You and I Can Change Our World – Mindshift Monday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 664 of our trek, and it is time for our Mindshift Monday series. Wisdom-Trek’s primary focus is to assist you in creating your living legacy.

Creating your living legacy can only be accomplished by gaining wisdom in many areas of life. You can only gain wisdom by changing what you allow to go into your mind which is a result of changing the way you think.

Our world is changing rapidly, and we must keep up with those changes if we are to remain relevant. In other words, to create your living legacy, you must choose to be in a continual mode of mindshift. It is easy to get stuck in a mindset that your current circumstances cannot be changed. This is not true, but you must understand this fundamental principle…In order to change your life, you must change how you think and what you think about. Our Mindshift Monday podcast and journal will be to provide you practical ways to make a mindshift to a rich and satisfying life. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our granddaughter Hazel is continuing her chemo treatments through August before they switch to a different regimen in September. The oncology staff has prepared Elizabeth and Nat by telling them to enjoy the remainder of August by including some fun activities for the family because the next phase is going to be more difficult for Hazel. Just like the recent major events in our lives are changing how we view our world and consider life, you never know what may be part of your next season of life. When you are in continual mindshift mode, you are preparing yourself to adapt to and accept these changes, whether they are pleasant or not.

It is also our choosing to have the mindset that life is about encouraging one another to live to our God-given potential. God desires you to make a difference in your world, but it may require that we help each other. So on our trek today have a mindshift that will help you realize that…

You and I Can Change Our World

I remember a story from days gone by about a 10-year-old boy who was selling pencils door to door in his neighborhood. When an interested adult at one of the houses asked him the reason for selling pencils, he replied, “I want to raise six million dollars to build a new hospital for the city.”

Amazed at his answer, the inquiring adult exclaimed, “That’s a mighty big job for just one little boy, isn’t it?”

“No,” responded the 10-year-old with big dreams. “I have a friend who is helping me.”

The world God created is a big and beautiful place in which to live. Unfortunately, humanity has somewhat ruined the world, and that needs to be changed. The task is large and would be difficult for any one of us to make a huge impact. I don’t think I can change it myself. I need your help! You might ask, just me? That’s right, just you.

We must change with the times through a continual mindshift, but the real question is…Are we big enough to actually change the times? George Bernard Shaw said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man attempts to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” The Apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 12:2, "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

If you and I are willing to be unreasonable by transforming our thinking,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 663 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Ultimate Fear

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 663 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. We are focusing on how to live with less fear. We are exploring the trails on our trek of life that will help us to be fearless. This does not imply that we will reach the point where we are completely without any fear, for that is not only impossible, but also not wise. There is a time and a place for an appropriate level of fear, but most fear that we experience on a daily basis has no grounding and can be eliminated as we grow in wisdom, insight, and understanding.

So our objective for these next several Fridays is to experience a FearLess Friday on our trek of life. Today is our forth trail on our trek covering, “Imagine a Life without Fear.”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We received some unexpected, but positive news this week. My primary client that I provide technical support for their SaaS based software product was acquired by a very large, publically traded company. This should provide stability for the company, but as with all changes such as this, we are never guaranteed of the outcome.

During changes like this, we could become fearful of the many unknown scenarios, or we can choose to look positively at the situation as a potential for growth and advancement. Most of the time, fear comes down to a mindset. Too many times we allow the seed of fear to germinate in our lives until it grows into a massive well rooted tree that is hard to cut down.

Last Friday we asked the haunting question, “Does God really care?” We determined that regardless of our situation, that indeed He does. Today we want to go one step further and explore…

The Ultimate Fear

What is the ultimate fear for nearly everyone? Is it the loss of a job, loss of a loved one, or loss of perceived control of others? Nearly always, the ultimate fear that we have is death. Aristotle called death the thing to be feared most because “It appears to be the end of everything.” Jean-Paul Sartre asserted that death “removes all meaning from life.” Robert Green Ingersoll, one of America’s most outspoken agnostics, could offer no words of hope even at his brother’s funeral. He said, “Life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two entities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights.”

Such sad and depressing language. If death is nothing more than “the end of everything, between two peaks, which brings no meaning to life,” what is the purpose of even trying to die bravely? What if these purported wise philosophers missed the mark? Suppose death is different than they thought, less of a curse or end of all that we know, and more of a passageway between two realms? Not a crises to be avoided, but simply a corner to be turned?

This is what Jesus Christ taught us in John 14:1-3, "Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." 

Do you believe the promise? If not, maybe it sounds a little too good to be true. The disciples certainly had difficulty grasping the concept. It almost sounds like the emails we receive from a Nigerian prince offering a portion of his fortune if we will only be a mediator.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 662 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Precious Things of Life – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 662 of our trek and time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged.  This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little 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...

The Precious Things of Life

Today’s quote is from E.S. Bouton who said, "True wisdom lies in gathering the precious things out of each day as it goes by."As I emphasize and mention quite often, life is like a trek up a mountain. We take one step at a time as we go through days that are difficult and days that are easy. The key is to make sure we keep moving forward.

As we go through each day, we must learn to enjoy the journey and not be fixated on the destination. What makes the journey enjoyable is the gathering of those precious little moments that we encounter each day and treasure them in our hearts and minds.

For many of us, we are in such a rush to reach our next milestone or destination that we miss the wild flowers, the babbling brooks, the pretty song birds...that will enrich our lives. It is wise to take the time to smell the roses, to savor a rich cup of coffee, to slow down enough to notice the treasures and miracles that are before us each moment.

As King Solomon shared with us as he was reaching the end of his life in Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, "Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past."

These are wise words from the wisest man who ever lived. We all would do well to follow them.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.

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 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 through the 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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for FearLess Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 661 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Wise Watch Their Words - Proverbs 20

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 661 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore Proverbs 20 from The Voice Translation, which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are making some progress on our backlog of workload, which is refreshing although as my femur fracture continues to heal, I find that I do become fatigued quicker than I would otherwise. I am just using a cane now, as my leg has strengthened enough to where I no longer need the walker or crutches.

On the home front, we received our lawn mower back from the service shop where it has been for a little over three weeks. The grass definitely needs cut with all the rain that we had during July. Since I won’t be able to operate the mower for a few more weeks, Paula plans on getting out this week to take care of it. We both enjoy mowing, so this will give her an opportunity to get outside a bit.

Turning to our passage today, we are once again reminded that we need to show restraint when speaking. Words can build others up or destroy them. Our passage today reminds us of this. Proverbs 20 could be referred to as…

The Wise Watch Their Words

In this chapter, we again find a large number of proverbs using God’s personal covenant name, Yahweh. There are also many proverbs that refer to Israel’s king (verses 2, 8, 26, 28). Therefore, we find strong themes of divine authority and justice along with the wisdom found in this chapter. Wisdom becomes even more desirable when you realize you are under the watchful eye of God and the king.

This chapter emphasizes showing wisdom with our words. We see that hasty words, empty words, and harmful speech have serious repercussions. Therefore, choose your words carefully. As you listen through this chapter, pay close attention to verses 6, 9, 11, 14, 19, 20, 22, and 25. Ask yourself how your words might be viewed in the eyes of God and those in authority over you.

Lastly, have you noticed that the further we get into the sayings of Solomon, the more sophisticated the wisdom? Many of these sayings read like riddles — their meaning doesn’t lie on the surface. You have to pause and ponder the words and the mysteries of life to which they point. You may want to take more time to and go through today’s Wisdom-Journal with Chapter 20 as you discover its wisdom.

Listen intently as I read Proverbs 20:

1 Too much wine begins to mock you,

too much strong drink leads to noisy fights,

and whoever is misled by either is not wise.

2 A king’s wrath strikes fear like a lion’s roar;

those who provoke him to anger sentence themselves to death.

3 Honor is due those who refuse to fight at the drop of a hat,

but every fool jumps at an opportunity to quarrel.

4 A slacker procrastinates when it is time to plow;

so when it’s time for harvest, there are no crops in the field.

5 The real motives come from deep within a person—as from deep waters—

but a discerning person is able to draw them up and expose them.

6 Most people claim to be loyal,

but can anyone find a trustworthy person?

7 The right-living act with integrity;

the children who follow their example are happy.

8 When a king sits on his throne as judge,

he ferrets out all evil and scatters it with his royal stare.

9 Who can say,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 660 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Wise and the Foolish – Wisdom Unplugged

 

 

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 660 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 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...

The Wise and the Foolish

Today's quote is from Akhenaton and it is, "True wisdom is less presuming than folly. The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance."The biggest difference between a foolish person and a wise person is that the wise person realizes that he still has much to learn and is lacking wisdom in many areas of life. The foolish person is so full of themselves that he doesn't realize how ignorant and foolish he truly is.

The wise person is humble and gentle. The foolish person is arrogant and obstinate.  The wise person thinks of others and is kind to those less fortunate. The foolish person thinks of himself and is cruel to those who don’t serve his purpose. The wise person tries to help others reach his maximum potential. The foolish person tries to lift himself up by pushing others down.

Proverbs affirm these thoughts in these verses:

Proverbs 9:9 - Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.

Proverbs 19:25 - If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

Proverbs 12:23 - The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.

Proverbs 13:16 - Wise people think before they act; fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe on 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 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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 659 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

An Eagle and a Sparrow – Mindshift Monday

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 659 of our trek, and it is time for our Mindshift Monday series. Wisdom-Trek’s primary focus is to assist you in creating your living legacy. Creating your living legacy can only be accomplished by gaining wisdom in many areas of life.

You can only gain wisdom by changing what you allow to go into your mind, which is a result of changing the way you think. In other words, to create your living legacy you must choose to be in a continual mode of mindshift.

It is easy to get stuck in a mindset that your current circumstances cannot be changed. This is not true, but you must understand this fundamental principle…In order to change your life, you must change how you think and what you think about. Our Mindshift Monday podcast and journal will provide you practical ways to make a mind-shift to a rich and satisfying life. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The healing of my fractured femur continues to progress rapidly. I have a new cane on order which should arrive this week. I am to the point where I can walk unassisted for short distances, so the cane should provide me with the needed steadiness where I will not have to use the crutches or a walker anymore.

While I am still experiencing a good amount of pain, it is certainly tolerable. I realize that my good physical condition and strong leg muscles before the accident have helped a lot, but the rapid healing is nothing short of a miracle from God provided by the prayers of many believers around the world. I thank you for and covet your continued prayers for complete healing and restoration.

Sunday we celebrated our granddaughter Aurora’s sixth birthday. It is so great to have a close knit family and share these blessed times together. We are of a kindred spirit as we celebrate life.

It is also our choosing to have the mindset that life is about encouraging one another to live to our God-given potential. God desires us to soar to our greatest heights possible. So on our trek today, I desire to compare and contrast two different mindsets so that you can have a mindshift by comparing…

An Eagle and a Sparrow

A famous English preacher Joseph Parker is quoted as saying, “An eagle does not roost in a sparrow’s nest.” The Bible also has something to say about the sparrow and the eagle. Jesus illustrated the care of our Heavenly Father in Matthew 10:28-31, "What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."

The sparrow represents something rather insignificant and of lesser value. The eagle, in contrast to the sparrow, is pictured as strong and great as it soars into the high heavens.

My life verses are found in Isaiah 40:28-31.

Have you never heard?

Have you never understood?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

He gives power to the weak

and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired,

and young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.

What a thrill to know that there’s power from God ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 658 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Does God Really Care?

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 658 of our trek 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.

For the next several weeks we will focus how to live with less fear. We will explore the trails on our trek of life that will help us to be fearless. This does not imply that we will reach the point where were are completely without any fear, for that is not only impossible, but also not wise. There is a time and a place for an appropriate level of fear, but most fear that we experience on a daily basis has no grounding and can be eliminated as we grow in wisdom, insight, and understanding. So our objective for these next several Fridays is to experience a FearLess Friday on our trek of life. Today is our third trail on our trek covering, “Imagine a Life without Fear.”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. My leg continues to heal well, and the swelling is much less. With the pain from the swelling reduced, the pain from the actual incision sites and implants is a little more acute, although certainly not unbearable.

With a modified schedule the past three weeks, I do hope to get caught up on some of my client work this weekend. On Sunday we will be celebrating our granddaughter Aurora’s sixth birthday. The years sure do fly past quickly.

It is an important part of our legacy to be involved with our children and grandchildren’s lives. It shows that we love and care for them. In the same way, God desires to be involved in our lives, but fear can restrict that involvement.

Last Friday we looked at why we are afraid and that sometimes we do feel abandoned when the storms of life hit us. The focus of our trek today is…

Does God Really Care?

Last week we saw where the Disciples of Christ were in a boat in the middle of a horrible storm. Once the storm hit, his disciples were very troubled by Jesus’s choice to sleep. Not only that, but He did not wake up when the storm hit. The disciples had to wake him with shouts of fear. Their urgent plea is recorded in Matthew 8:25, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”  Mark even questions whether He cares in 4:38, "'Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?'"

Many times we react in the same manner when the storms of life hit us. Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness. We begin to wonder if love lives in heaven. If God can sleep in our storms, if his eyes stay shut when our eyes grow wide, if he permits storms after we get on His boat, does he really care? Fear unleashes a swarm of doubts, anger-stirring doubts.

These type of thoughts that we allow to creep into and infect our minds turn us into control freaks. Subconsciously we lash out to God and demand, “Do something about the storm!” We may not verbalize it, but in the dark recesses of our mind we demand, “Fix it or…or…or else!” Fear, at its very center, is a perceived loss of control. When life spins wildly, we grab for a component of life we can manage: our diet, the tidiness of our house, the armrest of a plane, or, in many cases, other people.

The more insecure we feel, the meaner we become. We growl and bare our fangs. Why? Is it because we are bad? Well, maybe in part, but mostly because we feel cornered and don’t know how to get free.

Martin Niemoller documents an extreme example of this. He was a German pastor who took a heroic stand against Adolf Hitler. When he first met the dictator in 1933,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 657 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Doctor's Prognosis, Life Lessons Learned The Hard Way – Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 657 of our trek, and it is time for the 6th and final installment of a special series of stories that have chronicled my recent accident and recovery as we trek “Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way.”

This accident is a major life event that will change life for me for several months to come. In fact, I would say that it will certainly impact me for the remainder of my life. It is my hope and prayer that as I share that it will also positively impact your life.

I have often said, we must accept and live life as it truly is, not as we wish it to be. We don’t always know or understand what will become of the uphill climbs and treacherous downhill slopes that we encounter on life’s trek. The key is to learn from these events and allow them to effectively become a part of our living legacy, which will positively impact our lives and the lives of all those whom we impact. For our final special series of Wisdom Nuggets episodes, we will look at...

The Doctor's Prognosis  - Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way

If you would like to catch the first four episodes of this series go to Day 645,  Day 647, Day 650, Day 652, or Day 655.

 

I ended Day-655 with my story of recovery at home with my hemoglobin still low, but on the rise and feeling a little better each day. After the positive results from my blood test, our next major event was the follow-up appointment with our surgeon on Wednesday. The incisions appeared to be healing well but were covered up since the surgery, so we really did not know what they looked like. Also, my leg between my hip and my knee was still swollen, and the bruises were working their way to the surface.  The bruises were large, dark, and covered fairly big splotches of my leg.

Since I had primarily been using the walker at home, we decided to take it to the appointment although I was not heavily relying on it for walking. Since the surgery, we were instructed to put no more than 50% of my body weight on the leg that had been broken. We did not have a lot of details on exactly what the surgery entailed, so we were very interested in getting more information.

We first had to get four X-Rays of my leg, and then we met with the surgeon. He said I looked remarkably well and indicated that the leg appeared to be healing rapidly. He showed us the x-rays, and we discovered that he had inserted a rod the entire length of my femur from the hip ball joint down to my knee. On the upper end was a large screw going through my femur and the rod and attaching it to the hip ball joint. The primary fracture of the femur bone was right below the ball.

On the bottom end of the femur right above my knee was another, slightly smaller screw securing the rod in place. There were a couple of smaller fragments on the upper end, but the surgeon indicated that God would fuse those back where they belonged. I have inserted a couple of x-rays picture in today’s wisdom journal below.

Dr. Krivchenia told us that we could have the rod and screws removed after two years, if we chose to, but they could stay in place the remainder of my life without complications. Next came the removal of the bandages from the three incisions on my legs. Since they had become quite uncomfortable, this was a relief.

The roughness I had previously felt under the bandages turned out to be metal staples holding the incisions closed. The top incision above my hip socket where he inserted the rod was about two inches in length and...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 656 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Gallery of Fools - Proverbs 19

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 656 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails, we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore Proverbs 19 from The Voice Translation, which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am wrapping up my special series covering my July 8th accident and recovery on tomorrow’s Wisdom-Nugget episode. This 6 part series started with Day 645 and was released on Tuesday & Thursday for the past three weeks. If you missed any parts of the story, you will want to go back and listen to them.

We have had quite a bit of deer activity in the past three weeks as they seem to like to bed down in the small wooded area along the edge of our property line. From what we can tell, there is a one-year-old doe, a two-point and a six-point buck, and two additional older does with 3 baby fawns. It is a pleasure to watch them each day as the graze on our lawn and especially like my roses.

Turning to our passage today, as we have the opportunity to consider the current state of affairs in our world recently, especially among political leaders of all persuasions, it is as if we are watching a sideshow at the circus. Most political leaders are oblivious to how foolish they really are to those outside their bubble of influence. Our passage today reminds me of this. Proverbs 19 could be referred to as…

The Gallery of Fools

Reading through this chapter is like visiting a gallery of fools. Step right up! In the showcase, you’ll see “a false witness,” “a foolish son,” “an idle person,” “a man of great wrath,” “the sluggard,” “the violent,” and “a worthless witness.” Hanging about each fool’s neck is a placard summarizing his fate, and, you guessed it, the ending isn’t happy. Don’t speed through this exhibit. Take your time and look closely. Listener and Reader beware: don’t be like these people!Most of these sayings are warning you about vice. However, scattered throughout this chapter are sayings about people who have shown integrity, good sense, generosity, instruction, faithfulness, and the fear of the Lord. Compare their fates with the bad guys. Which future do you want?

Also pay attention to God’s posture towards the poor and needy in verses 1, 4, 7, 17, and 22. The poor are often abandoned and abused by the world, but they are not overlooked by God. In fact, God stands in solidarity with the righteous poor and exalts them above the gallery of fools.Listen intently as I read Proverbs 19.

1 Better to be poor and live with integrity

than a fool with a foul mouth.

2 Surely there’s no advantage for a person without knowledge,

and whoever moves too quickly misses the turn.

3 Foolishness diverts the course of life,

yet the heart rebels against the Eternal.

4 Wealth attracts many friends,

but the poor are soon separated from theirs.

5 A false witness will not escape punishment,

and one who breathes lies will not go free.

6 Many try to win the favor of a generous person,

and everyone is a friend to someone who gives gifts.

7 If a poor man is hated by his relatives,

it is even more likely his friends will avoid him too!

Anyone who is calling after them

[is not to be found].[a]

8 Whoever gains a wise heart loves his own soul,

and whoever preserves understanding experiences true goodness.

9 A false witness will not escape punishment,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 655 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Home Recovery, Life Lessons Learned The Hard Way – Wisdom Unplugged

 

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 655 of our trek, and it is time for the 5th installment of a special series of stories that will chronicle my recent accident and recovery as we trek “Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way.” This accident is a major life event that will change life for me for several months to come.

In fact, I would say that it will certainly impact me for the remainder of my life. It is my hope and prayer that as I share that it will also positively impact your life as well.  I have often said, we must accept and live life as it truly is, not as we wished it to be.

We don’t always know or understand what will become of the uphill climbs and treacherous downhill slopes that we encounter on Life’s Trek. The key is to learn from these events and allow them to effectively become part of our living legacy, which will positively impact our lives and the lives of all of those whom we impact. So for the next couple of Wisdom Nuggets episodes, we will look at...

Home Recovery  - Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way

If you would like to catch the first four episode of this series go to Day 645,  Day 647, Day 650, or Day 652.

I ended Day-652, which was my story of recovery in the hospital, at the time of my discharge Tuesday afternoon. The life lesson learned through my recovery at the hospital was that if I desire a speedy and complete recovery, I need to follow the instructions and guidelines - something that I have not always done well in the past. I realized that this time it had to be different and committed myself to this lesson learned.

I have to admit, although I am not a fearful person, this was new territory for me.  With my hemoglobin levels lower than expected, and the two episodes where my pulse dropped basically to zero, there was a little bit of trepidation. Overriding that concern was knowing that God is in control of every breath that we take, and I knew that if he brought me through the fall, surgery, and recovery that He would see me through the recovery process at home.On the trip home, the pain of the injury was evident with every bump in the road and slow down in traffic. Paula went through Wendy’s drive through, and we each got a ½ pound hamburger for our dinner. The additional iron in the red meat is just what I needed, in addition to the grease that tasted so good.

Since we were released earlier than expected, my brother Jack was not home from work yet to assist me getting inside. Paula and I were able to navigate the steps into the house and had decided not to attempt going upstairs until Jack did arrive.

I settled in my Lazy Boy chair, and Paula and I consumed our dinner while we rested and waited. Once Jack and Ann arrived about an hour later, we decided that it would be best for Paula to pick up the prescriptions and a few other items. As we talked I realized that Jack was the only person who truly witnessed the fall from a third-person perspective, and he admitted the night of the accident was a fitful one for him as he kept revisiting the images of the fall. I assured him, that it was completely my responsibility and was glad that he was there to assist.

Once Paula returned, we decided it was time to head to my 2nd story sanctuary where I would invest the majority of my time during recovery. The first time up I used both crutches and Jack stood immediately behind me to assure that I did not fall backward. We scaled the 18 steps without too much difficulty, and then I used the walker to proceed to the front Birdseye maple bedroom that we des...