Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 214 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 214 of our Trek, and yesterday and today, we are exploring the trails that will help us learn how to live a legacy life each day. Listening to Wisdom-Trek daily is one thing that will help you to gain the wisdom needed to live your legacy today, which will also allow you to leave a legacy tomorrow. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is airing originally on the last day of 2015. How has the year turned out for you? Are you healthier and more joyful than you were a year ago? Did you achieve your dreams and goals that you had hoped to?  If you answered yes to either of these questions, well done!  If not, don’t be discouraged. Tomorrow starts a brand new year with all of its potentials.

For Paula and me, we have had many blessings, but we have also had some setbacks. On the positive side, our younger daughter Janet was married to Rowan Webster and our son Barney and his wife Leesha blessed us with another beautiful granddaughter. Our construction project in Arizona finally started this year, which was a real benefit, as we were just finishing up our work with another client. We also were able to start this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal this year, and it has opened up our eyes to additional business opportunities for 2016.  But, one of our primary clients is in the oil and gas industry where prices have crashed by over 65% so that has impacted us financially. While I enjoy the low gas prices at the pump, it is not without significant ramifications. Through both the good and the difficult situations, we move forward living that rich and satisfying life that Christ has for us.

It brings to my mind what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Church in Philippi 3:12-14, "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

Join me in being resolute for 2016 to live with purpose, on purpose. Let us choose each day to live a legacy of positive impact on our world. Let us not miss this opportunity.

On our Trek for today, let’s continue on our trail as we explore…

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #3

We finished yesterday with the understanding of what that Apostle Paul meant when he said, "I have fought the Good Fight." Today we want to explore his last two proclamations which are…

“I have finished the race.”

"I have remained faithful."

2. “I have finished the race.”

Finishing the race means ensuring in the process that you are neither disqualified nor disheartened in the race of life and becoming a living legacy. The Apostle Paul fully understood what he meant when he made the statement, “I have finished the race.”  He was near the end of his life and knew what the prize was as I mentioned in the verses earlier. "I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

I’ve been around long enough to know some men and women whose ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 213 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 213 of our Trek, and yesterday and for the next few days, we will explore the trails that will help us learn how to live a legacy life each day. Listening to Wisdom-Trek daily is one thing that will help you gain the wisdom needed to live your legacy today, which will also allow you to leave a legacy tomorrow. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As we look towards 2016, there are many dreams and goals which we need to sort out. We have to be prudent to set realistic steps based on the time and resources that are available. This is one reason our year-end planning sessions are so important. It allows us to set our budget based on the time, talent, and treasures that we have available. Of these three key elements, only time has a finite amount. That is why it is so imperative that we utilize our time wisely and maximize its value. Only then will we be able to improve our talents and increase our treasures. I sure wish it was easy to do that, but we all fall victim to wasting time, which in turn limits our talents and treasures. This is something that we all need to consider.

The three elements that I just spoke of are very important on our Trek this week, so let’s head back out on our trail today as we consider and explore for more nuggets of wisdom that will enable us to effectively live our legacy each day. These are important concepts to grasp. Our positive impact on others should begin as early as possible on our life’s trek and grow each day.  This will enable them to last throughout eternity in the lives of others. So let’s explore.

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #2

We finished yesterday considering the three short but impactful proclamations that the Apostle Paul pondered near the end of his life. He made three very simple statements about his legacy. He says by God’s grace:

"I have fought the Good Fight."

"I have finished the race."

"I have remained faithful."

These are three simple but great statements concerning “a living legacy.”  Let’s explore the impact of each of these statements.  Today we will explore the first one and finish up with the other two tomorrow.

1. “I have fought the good fight.”

As my friend on this trek of life, you need to understand that if you want to live and leave a legacy that is greater than yourself, you must recognize each day that you are in a battle to either bring good into the world or to allow evil to flourish. Daily we must choose to do what is right, just, and fair.  We learn in Proverbs 2:9 that one of the many benefits of wisdom is, "Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go."

To live and leave a legacy, we must prepare in advance. We need to choose to stand firm, clothed in your armor, as a spiritual warrior. All of these are a choice that we make in advance on how we will live.

Here is what I think we sometimes miss. When you and I are casual about spiritual things, careless with the disciplines of the faith (like prayer, meditating, the study of the Bible and other good materials, and the fellowship with other like-minded individuals) we become callous about things that are right, just, and fair. When we fail to prepare ourselves for life’s daily battles, we live a legacy that is not strong enough for our family in their time of need and hardship. We have to understand that when Satan,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 212 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 212 of our Trek, and for the past three days, we explored how to live life fully by living with a purpose and on purpose. Today we will explore another trail that will help us learn how to live a legacy life each day. Listening daily to Wisdom-Trek is one thing that will help you gain the wisdom needed to live your legacy today that will also allow you to leave a legacy tomorrow. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

 We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This final week of 2015 is a busy one for us wrapping up some work with a couple of clients and continuing with our 2016 life planning. It has been cool and very rainy all week in Ohio, but we have had no snow. Paula and I have dreams of being snowed in, but unless the Internet and electricity are off, most of our work can continue as usual.

Our renovation contractors are making good progress in the library, parlor, and downstairs foyer/hallway. The drywall is completed on the ceilings, and the walls are getting smoothed out in preparation for painting.  Unavoidably there is drywall and plaster dust everywhere, but we will wait for any major clean up until they are finished.  It is amazing how it seeps into rooms that are closed off, but it will be well worth it when it is completed.

Today and for the next couple of days, our trek does take us on a slightly different trail, as we consider what it means to live a legacy each day and not just wait to leave a legacy when we die.  This is an important concept to grasp.  Our positive impact on others should begin as early as possible on our life’s trek and grow each day and then last throughout eternity in the lives of others.

So let’s explore.

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #1

As we start today’s Trek, I want to ask, “What kind of impact or legacy do you have on others? If someone were to describe your attributes in one or two sentences, what would they say? What do others think about you and the life that you live?”

Living a legacy each day is part of living with purpose and on purpose, which we explored over the past three days. It is part of living a rich and satisfying life. I am not referring to money but a rich life that money can’t buy.

In reality your life leaves a legacy each day - that is not an option. The question is “What type of legacy are you living?” However you frame that question, the truth is that every day you are leaving a legacy that will impact the lives of your family, friends, and others, which will last well beyond your time on earth.

What are you passing onto them daily? They are impacted by your life or legacy whether that is good or bad. The legacy you live impacts the legacy they live, and that will impact circles of influence and generations well beyond yourself. As a grandfather of 6 grandchildren so far, I am reminded of the verse in Proverbs 13:22, "Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly."

This inheritance is not just referring to money but the wealth of a life well lived - a life of positive influence.

I read a comment not too long ago that we should all reflect on, "The central paradox of our time is that most of us are earning more money and living better in material terms than our parents did at the same age…Yet by most measures we’re working longer and more frantically than ever before, and the time and energy left for our non-working lives are evap...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 211 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 211 of our Trek. Today we will continue on our Trek to live life fully by living with a purpose, on purpose. Listening to Wisdom-Trek daily is one thing that will help you live with purpose even through the difficult trails of life’s Trek. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are continuing this week with fine tuning our 2016 life plan. Our calendar is being set, and we are making slow but good progress.  We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we solidify our plan and goals. As we do plan, another verse that keeps us humble is Psalms 57:2, "I cry out to God Most High, to God, who will fulfill his purpose for me." That is why we seek God’s guidance as we plan. 

We continue with our theme of life being a trek with its steep mountains to climb and deep valleys to navigate. We realize that as we stay focused on our purpose, even if we don’t always understand the trails of life that we end up on, we will live a life that is rich and satisfying. Let’s continue our Trek as we discover more wisdom nuggets on what is required for us to live life with purpose, on purpose. We started two days ago and will continue today. Let’s set our course and learn how to accomplish this. Let’s continue today with…

Living a Life with Purpose, On Purpose #3

So far on our Trek for purpose, we have explored the following aspects of living a life of purpose, on purpose:

Everyone has a God-given purpose in life.

Your purpose makes you unique.

Your purpose is the key to your fulfillment.

God will accomplish His purpose.

So where do we go from here? Our final point that we will explore today is to…

5. Choose to live with purpose, on purpose.

Throughout my years of experience in business and serving others, God has broken it down really simply for me. This may be because I am a rather simplistic person in the way I view life. Here is the conclusion and insight that I have been given…You don’t find your purpose. You learn it as you go. Now do not confuse purpose with destiny. Your destiny is what happens at the end of the journey. Your purpose is all about the journey. Your destiny is that you will rule and reign as perfected saints in glory in the presence of the Father.

Your purpose is that you do what you do as a child of the King of Kings. Here are four simplistic steps on our trail today that will help you to choose to live with purpose, on purpose.

The first step is…

A. Affirm Your Identity

The journey of purpose begins with the question, "What was in the mind of the Maker when God created you?"

God knew your purpose when your name came to mind. Great care was taken to choose the individual components of your design. He carefully mixed the right heart motivation and temperament with a unique set of talents and gifts. He allowed life experience to shape your passions, exercise your strengths, and channel your steps. I realize that I have brought this verse to mind several times this past month but really think about the words to it.

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Affirm who you are in the eyes of the One who created you on purpose and with purpose. Once you make this shift,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 210 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 210 of our Trek. I hope that you are still able to relax and enjoy this Christmas holiday. If you have to work throughout this holiday, choose to enjoy it and spread cheer to those that you meet. Today we continue on our Trek that we started yesterday on our hike towards 2016.  I mentioned yesterday that one commitment that I am making for 2016 is to live my life with purpose, on purpose. I encourage you to join me in living a life that is both rich and satisfying, to live life to the full. As we Trek through life, living fully does not imply that we won’t have setbacks but that we will be able to navigate through them while learning the lessons that they teach us. Wisdom-Trek is one way that will help you through the difficult days of our Trek. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our planning days have begun as Paula and I lay out our calendar for all of 2016. This year includes a Chamberlain Family Reunion July 4th weekend, as well as the Podcast Movement conference the week following that. We will also be making 3 or 4 trips to Arizona to work with our partners there on the construction projects. One of the big aspects of our planning for 2016 is to create and build the “Christian Podcasting Network.”  This is a new direction for us and stems from an opportunity we see from creating Wisdom-Trek and working with other podcasters who are also Christ followers. There are many other areas that will also be involved in our planning, so it should be a very intense week. If you are a person who prays, we would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and insight during this planning process and throughout 2016. As we do plan, we realize that it is God that will give us direction in all areas as we humbly follow him as was mentioned in Proverbs 16:9, "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."

Keeping with our theme of life being a trek with its steep mountains to climb and deep valleys to navigate, let us focus on how we can live that rich and satisfying life each day. What is required for us to live life with purpose, on purpose? We started yesterday and will continue for the next few days to set our course and learn how to accomplish this. Our Trek for the next couple of days is…

Living a Life with Purpose, On Purpose #2

Yesterday we stopped on our hike and explored the fact that everything has purpose, and most importantly you and I are God’s masterpiece and He has a plan for us as written in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” 

Now that we know we are God’s Masterpiece let’s explore the concept that…

2. Your purpose makes you unique.

Your purpose is different from the purpose of anybody else listening or reading this today, anybody else on the face of this globe, anybody since creation.

You are not a divine experiment. Let me tell you what I mean. God did not make you to see what He could possibly do with you when you were born. Isaiah 46:10 tells us this.

Only I can tell you the future

before it even happens.

Everything I plan will come to pass,

for I do whatever I wish.

That is saying, before you were created, God had the end in mind. God knew your purpose. God did not start with your creation. He started with your purpose, and He designed you uniquely and specifically ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 209 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 209 of our Trek. I trust that you had a very blessed and merry Christmas. Yesterday, on Christmas Day, we finished up our hike along the Christmas Trail. We explored the lives of those individuals that had a significant impact on the story. It is my hope that you were able to learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year.  If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Today we look forward as we start on our Trek into 2016. One commitment that I am making for 2016 is to live my life with purpose, on purpose.  I encourage you to join me in living a life that is both rich and satisfying, to live life to the full. This does not imply that we won’t have setbacks but rather that we will be able to traverse through them while learning the lessons that they teach us.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We drove up to Marietta on Christmas Eve and had a relaxing Christmas Day. Since Paula and I will be celebrating Christmas with our kids and grandkids on January 9th, it was great to sleep in and then share a wonderful Christmas dinner with my brother Jack, his wife Ann, and our dad.

For the past few years, Paula and I take the last week of the year to assess what we were able to accomplish during the year, but more importantly, what our plans are for the New Year.  We cannot predict with certainty what the future may hold during this next year, but we can confidently know who ultimately holds the future. With that then we can confidently make plans and map out the trails that we would like to hike. If we trip and fall or are detoured on our way, that is okay. We still have our destination set. That destination is to live life fully and to impact others positively each day which becomes our living legacy.

Keeping with our theme of life being a trek with its steep mountains to climb and deep valleys to navigate, let us focus on how we can live that rich and satisfying life each day. What is required for us to live life with purpose, on purpose?  For the next few days, let’s set our course to learn how to accomplish this. Our trek for today and the next couple of days is…

Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #1

There seems to be an abundance of gurus of every kind that flood the TV and internet selling their secret formulas and magic juices for a more successful and more fulfilling existence. And there is, of course, no shortage of needy and sometimes very successful people in the market willing to part with their hard earned money to gain the insights that are being peddled.

This is because seeking fulfillment in life is almost a universal phenomenon. And the primary problem stems from the fact that while most everybody knows when they were born, very few know why they were born - and so they are searching for meaning. Your alarm clock can tell you what time to wake up in the morning, but it cannot tell you “why” to wake up in the morning.

Even as a listener to this podcast or reader of our journal, if I were to ask you if you believe that God has a purpose for your lives, you would most likely reply that you do believe that. Yet if I had to ask you what your God-given life purpose is, would you be able to tell me? Many people live their life without knowing what their true purpose is. Nevertheless, we all yearn to live meaningful lives.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 208 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Love: The Story of God's Gift to Us #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 208 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Today, we will explore the second part of the story titled Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us. This is the last story in this week’s Christmas series. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This episode is airing on Christmas Day. If you are listening to the podcast or reading the journal on Christmas Day, I want to say Merry Christmas!!! May your day be a blessed time as we focus on the reason that we celebrate this day.

Christmas was always such a special time for our family growing up. Mom and Dad’s love for each other and for each of the 10 children was reflective of God’s love for us. They especially sacrificed what they had to bring the best possible time of celebration for us as a family.  Let’s make sure that we do all that we can to show God’s love to others every day of the year.

During this Christmas week, we have invested our time on our Trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. It is by design that our hike on the Christmas Trail today we are exploring the ultimate gift, which is God’s gift to us – salvation through Jesus Christ whose birth we are celebrating. Today we are exploring the final part of our story.

Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift To Us #2

2. God’s gift to you is measured by its cost.

As we serve such a loving and Holy God, we are to give Him our best. He doesn’t want our leftovers. He doesn’t want cheap stuff. He wants the best you and I can give Him. Remember the story of the wise men when I referenced how King David insisted on paying the price for his offerings in 2 Samuel 24:24.

But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.  

David said if he was going to give a sacrifice to the Lord he was going to give his best – something of value, something of worth. Why would David say that? Because that is what God has done for us. He has given us the most precious gift He could possibly give – something of worth, something of value, something that is one of a kind. He gave us His son.

Look at 1 John 4:10 again.

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

God knew what had to be done. He knew what price had to be paid. He knew what it was going to cost Him, and He sent the best for you and me. He sent Jesus Christ – born as a child for the salvation of the world. If He gave that much to me, what should I give Him?

FACT: God’s gift to me is valuable.

3. God’s present to you is measured by its effectiveness.

If you get a toaster for Christmas, you expect it to be able to make toast. If you get a coffee machine, you expect it to make coffee. If you get a hair curler, you expect it to be able to curl hair. So the question that needs to be asked is “Is it effective?

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 207 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Love: The Story of God's Gift to Us #1

 Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 207 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the first part of the story titled Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  This episode is airing on the day before Christmas, as we are be heading north and arriving at The Big House late this evening.  Since we are celebrating our family Christmas on January 9th in Charlotte, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day should be a nice relaxing time for Paula and me. We do plan on sharing Christmas dinner with my brother Jack, his wife Ann, and our dad. Jack and Ann are hosting the dinner, so all I have to prepare are my favorite creamy and buttery mashed potatoes. So, it will be a break from the usual cooking that I would be doing.

During this Christmas week, we continue to invest our time in our Trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. It is by design that on our hike on the Christmas Trail today and tomorrow we will be exploring the ultimate gift, which is God’s gift to us – salvation through Jesus Christ whose birth we are celebrating. Today we are exploring the first part of our story.

Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift To Us #1

I want to start with a story that I read recently, and it goes like this…Christmas was an exciting time and Joie was excited too. He was only 10 years old, and he was as excited as any ten-year-old boy could be. For him, Christmas was still a time of wonder. He did the things most 10-year-olds do. He played ball, rode his bike, climbed trees, and went fishing with his dad. He was a happy kid. He just enjoyed life – every part of life. To him, life was full of wonder and amazement. And Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year.

It was Christmas Eve and the ground was white with snow. It was cold, and it was clear. The stars were bright that night and seemed so close that you would have thought you could reach out and touch them with your hands. The family was on their way to the grandparents’ house – that was the family tradition. Joie could hardly wait. He was excited, and his mind just raced with ideas about what he might receive this year. What present would be under the tree for him tonight?

Every year the family would gather at grandpa and grandma’s house. There was always a huge tree and there was always a present under the tree for each person there. The kids would sneak peeks at the presents and find out where theirs was located. Joie was usually one of the first to find out where his present was placed, but this year it was different. He didn’t find his right away, even though he searched all over.

He began to worry because he couldn’t find it. Then his eyes caught a big box in the corner. It was a huge box – the biggest present he had ever seen. He slowly walked over to it and sure enough written on the tag were the letters J – O – I – E. He was grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were wide with excitement.

Grandpa always handed out the presents. Grandpa was not very fast,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 206 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 206 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the second part of the story titled Christmas Wisdom:  The Story of the Wise Men. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Final preparations and packing will be completed today so that we will be ready to head to The Big House for Christmas. We will remain there until New Year’s Day when we will return back to Home2.

During this Christmas week, we continue to invest our time on our trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #2

As we hike the Christmas Trail together today, let me start by reading the story of the Wise Men in Matthew 2:1-12.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling citie] of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” 

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 

After this interview, the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The second point I want to make on our trek is…

2. A wise man’s journey is one of worship.

When the wise men came on their journey, it was for the purpose of worship. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts have a lot of symbolism associated with them. Gold represents wealth. It is a gift fit for a king. (Jesus was the King of Kings.) Frankincense is the sap of a tree that was dried and hardened and used as incense to worship God. Thus, we see a gift for his deity. (Jesus was the Son of God.) Myrrh is a fragrant perfume that was used to anoint the dead – to embalm and preserve them.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 205 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 205 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the first part of the story titled Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. There are many activities for this week as we wrap up before heading north on Christmas Eve. We should be leaving early in the day and dropping Paula’s mom off at her sister Ruth’s house in Spotsylvania, Virginia for Christmas. Then Paula and I will head on to Marietta and should get in late on Christmas Eve.

Fred and his friend Doug came over for dinner on Monday evening, and we watched the Grinch movie. We also were able to watch our grandson Kip on Monday, so Kip and Chelimo joined us for the evening. It is great to be able to spend time with family.

During this Christmas week, we continue to invest our time on our Trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #1

As we hike the Christmas Trail together today, let me start by reading the story of the Wise Men in Matthew 2:1-12.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling citie] of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” 

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 

After this interview, the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The story of the wise men is a story that is shrouded in mystery. From tradition, we seem to know all the facts and details. But, as we study the scripture, we find that there are a lot of questions we cannot answer about the wise men from the Biblical text.