Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 4 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at Home 2  in Charlotte, North Carolina.  It is starting to feel like summer in the south, but so far it has not been too humid.   (See About Wisdom-Trek.)

We are continuing to consider what tools or equipment that we need in order to ensure success and enjoy our Wisdom-Trek. Yesterday, on Day 3, we looked at the tool of joy, which is one of the 8 tools that is encased within our backpack of love. On day 2, I challenged you to visualize your life as a wheel or bicycle tire, with love being the hub of that wheel and the remaining tools or attributes making up the spokes stemming from a perfectly round hub.

The remaining spokes in our wheel (tools in our backpack) are peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These attributes are referred to in the Bible as the "Fruit of the Spirit" and should be manifested in our lives in the same manner that an apple tree produce apples.

Growing up on an apple orchard, I have first-hand experience on just how much work is involved in cultivating, pruning, fertilizing, and spraying in order to have any hope of producing a decent crop. Even after doing all we could physically, we realized that God would ultimately have to provide the increase.  We had many good crops, but also, many that were not. In the same way, in order to allow these 8 attributes to flourish we must cultivate them within our lives, and make sure they are rooted in the rich soil of love.

Today we will look at the tool/spoke of peace.  If you have not taken the time to review the previous episodes, I would encourage you to do so. During the first two or three weeks, the nuggets of wisdom that we digest will build on each other as we lay the foundation of living an abundant life while creating a living legacy.

As we consider peace today, it is very important that we grasp the concept that true peace is not the absence of strife or turmoil in our lives, but the ability to deal or cope with these situations with a minimal amount of stress and anxiety.

Along our trek of life we realize that we will run into obstacles and difficulties.  That is the stuff of what life is made of. These difficulties may be caused by our own unwise choices, or they are beyond our control. We experience situations like a broken or troubled relationship we can’t mend or a tragedy we can’t reverse. We experience problems at home, at school, and at work.

We all desire to live peaceful lives, both individually and as nations, but few seem to obtain it.  Wars rage on within us, peace seems to elude us and we are constantly anxious. As with both love and joy, peace is an attribute that we have to constantly and deliberately infuse into the fabric of our lives.

To be wise and create a living legacy, we need to have peace in our lives, allow peace to permeate us, and then be a peacemaker in the lives of others. Whenever possible, I like to break down any situation as simply as possible. So let’s look at the stress and anxiousness that we allow into our lives, which are the enemies of peace.  Peace, or the lack of it, starts in our minds.  Based on our thoughts, we are either making choices that are robbing us of peace or allowing other situations or other people to cause a lack of peace.  The first case, we have complete control over our choices, the second one we cannot control the situations or people, but we can control how we respond.  If we are lacking peace then, we need to start making wiser choices or we need to choose how we are going to respond to situations that we cannot control.

 

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 3 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio in The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  It has been a beautiful, but slightly warm week for mid-spring in Ohio and it sure makes me want to be outside on a trek myself. Growing up on an apple orchard and small farm, even after working indoors most of my adult life, I still yearn to be outside, working in the dirt, and enjoying nature.  (See About Wisdom-Trek.)

We are continuing today  to consider what tools or equipment that we need to have in order to ensure and enjoy our Wisdom-Trek. Yesterday, on Day 2 we looked at the core, or fundamental tool of love, which encapsulates all of the remaining eight tools that we will consider.

While the podcast that you listen to each day will be very similar in nature to the journal entries, you may want to review the journal entries also as they include pictures, "tweet-able" sayings and free downloadable PDF documents (tools) that will be helpful along our journey.  You can access those tools from the Free Resources page on Wisdom-Trek.com

On day 2, I challenged you to visualize your life as a wheel, with love being the hub of that wheel and the remaining tools or attributes as the spokes stemming from a perfectly round hub.   If you have not listened to the previous episodes, day 0 through day 2, I would encourage you to listen to those podcasts or read my journal entries for those days.

Another analogy that I used was that we need to consider that the attribute of love in our lives is like our backpack on our trek that contains all the other tools or equipment needed for a successful Wisdom-Trek.  The backpack is an essential component, for without a backpack the trek of life would be much more difficult.

The remaining spokes in our wheel (tools in our backpack) are joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Joy is a deep, abiding, internal sense of satisfaction, even when all conditions are not perfect, and life at times is out of our control.   Unlike happiness, which is based on happenstances(or what happens around us),  joy should remain during the tough times of life.

We can be sad about a situation/circumstance, but still maintain that deep sense of joy.  To grow in wisdom is to realize that while circumstances can impact our happiness, our true internal joy is not impacted.  To be a wise person we need to understand that sometimes life is rough and not everything turns out how we envisioned it.

Paula, my wonderful bride of nearly 36 years, and I have been through some deep valleys in both business and family issues, but we have also been able to experience some glorious summits in life. We will disappoint ourselves at times, and family or friends may disappoint us – this is a given…a fact of life.  If we have the unconditional love for ourselves and others, we can maintain a joyful spirit.

Love is the hub that securely holds the spoke of joy in place. In our  second analogy, love is the backpack that securely holds and protects our joy so that we will always have it with us.

Whenever possible, I like to understand the root, meanings, or definitions behind words.  One that is related to joy would be to "enjoy," or "enjoyment."  Those words indicate that we are infused with joy, that joy is part of who we are. Joy should be grafted into us so that external issues cannot tear that joy from the fabric of our lives.

It reminds me of growing up in our orchard when we would graft apple trees. The grafted limb would become part of the tree and start bearing fruit - fruit that was better than the original tree stock.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 2 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio in The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Since I will be recording  either from "The Big House" in Marietta, or from our "Home 2," which is located south of Charlotte, North Carolina, you may hear external sounds of the outdoors, such as birds singing or other noises which. Instead of being distracting, it will add to our authenticity of life.  I may not always present a perfect podcast/journal, but I will provide valuable content in an excellent manner.

So let's begin. Today I want to focus on what tools are needed to have a successful trek to gain wisdom.  On Day 0 we set up base camp, and I was able to introduce myself so that you could get to know me better. On Day 1 we discussed the Guidelines for a Successful Trek.

If you have not taken the opportunity to listen to these podcasts or read the corresponding journals, I would encourage you to do so.  I would also encourage you to subscribe on iTunes or your favorite media site, so that these daily episodes will download automatically for you.

I will use the analogies of hiking throughout my episodes, because it ties into our lives as we trek through each day.  With any camping experience, hiking or trek that we experience, as with life each day, we need the proper tools and equipment to help us have a successful trek.

After we set up base camp on Day 0, on Day 1 we looked at the need to have a destination in mind, and establishing good habits or guidelines to reach that destination through the use of a compass, GPS, or map.  We realized that we may get off the path, but with the proper guidelines, the destination set, and the proper habits ingrained into the fabric of our lives, we can stay the course.

Today we want to look at the tools needed to have a successful trek, that will enable us to live abundantly (fully) and serve a purpose that is greater than ourselves.  In other words, what tools are needed to create a living legacy that positively impacts everyone that is in our world?

What are the tools that we need to have in our backpack for a successful Wisdom-Trek?  As a person of faith, many of my lessons and examples of wisdom will come from the Bible, because it has been the foundation for wisdom in my life.  Today the tools or the attributes that we want to study are taken from the book of Galatians 5:22-23.  Just as I am your guide to wisdom, these tools should be part of everyone's Trek for Wisdom.  These attributes are provided by God's Spirit which guides my life.

These tools/attributes are referred to in Galatians as the "Fruit of the Spirit."

If we see fruit on a tree, such as an apple, then we know what kind of tree it is because of its fruit.  In the same way, others will be able to tell what type of person we are, by the fruit or attributes that are manifested in our lives.  This is an important concept to grasp as we look at the various tools/attributes that we will need in our lives in order to be wise and create a living legacy.

As we explore these tools, I would like you to visualize your life as a wheel,  and particularly a bike tire with a hub and spokes extending from the hub.  Without the hub as the core or foundation, the remaining tools/spokes would not have anything to attach to, and the wheel would be broken and useless.  Click on the images below to access a full size PDF of these two tools so that you can plot how "well-rounded"  you are in each of the tools that we will discuss over the next 9 days.

 

The first tool/attribute, which will be the hub of the wheel, is love.  Without love,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.  

Day 1 of our Trek

As I mentioned in our first episode on Day 0, I will strive to be transparent and authentic in all of our daily podcast/journals.  This means that I am inviting you into our camp and our trek to join with us.  I will not extensively edit these episodes, just for the sake of trying to have them sound perfect, any more than when we are sitting around base camp or on our trek, I would not be able to edit everything that I said.  This is life, and I want to live it before you as if we were literally on this trek together, which through the magic of technology we are virtually sitting next to each other.

Since I will be recording  either from "The Big House" in Marietta, or from our "Home 2" located south of Charlotte, North Carolina, you may hear external sounds of the outdoors, such as birds singing or other noises which, instead of being distracting, will add to our authenticity of life.  I may not always present a perfect podcast/journal, but I will provide valuable content in an excellent manner  If you have not taken the opportunity to listen to Day 0 or read the corresponding journal, I would encourage you to do so.  Also read through the About Wisdom-Trek to learn more about the podcast and me personally.

As with any journey in life, it is best if we have a destination in mind before we begin. It is difficult or impossible to measure progress and success if we don’t know our destination. Once we determine our destination, we should know the best path to take to reach it.  It is best if we remain on trails that have been forged before us by others.

Life will take us through many hardships and dangers. At times it will seem like no one has ever traversed the path that we are taking, but there are few, if any, circumstances in life that others have not already traveled. In fact King Solomon, the wisest person who ever lived, in the later years of his life wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, and in chapter 1:9 he declares, "History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new." So we can take "comfort" in the fact that others have been on the same path before us.

What is our destination? As we trek together our purpose is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will setup the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to "Live Long and Prosper."  

I believe that most of us would desire to live a long life and to prosper. Prospering, though, will take many different forms. It could be financial, but that does not need to be our primary way of prospering. Becoming wise and creating a living legacy by making a positive impact on our world will allow us to truly prosper. The primary purpose for us pursuing and obtaining financial prosperity is to allow that impact to be even greater.

We need to be a river and not a reservoir with our financial gain. Allowing financial prosperity to flow through us to others, instead of hording it for ourselves, will help us to gain wisdom.

In addition to setting a destination, our best hope of arriving safely is to have suitable navigation tools.  We need to follow a GPS, map, compass or other tools that will allow us to be reasonably sure that we are on the right path. These tools are important, but are only useful, if we follow them. As I am sure each of us has experienced, even with the best GPS or map we sometimes end up on a wrong road, and so it is with the trails in life. We may find ourselves at places or in situations that we never expected, either through our own choices or the choices of others.

We may get off the planned trail, but with the right tools,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

This first podcast/journal post is to set up  "base camp" 

as we begin our Wisdom-Trek.

Since this is the first episode, and I am laying the foundation for the Wisdom-Trek podcast, I am referring to this as Day 0 - The Journey has Begun.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Below I will share a little more about me personally, but also check out the About Wisdom-Trek page on the website to get to know me better.  My hope is that I will also have an opportunity to get to know each member of our Wisdom-Trek team throughout our journey together.

It will be an interesting, exciting and worthwhile trek, and it is my hope and desire that you will join me on this daily journey.  We will learn from each other and share mutual joy as we travel together. While I do not believe that I "have arrived" in my personal quest, I have spent my adult life studying the Scriptures and learning from wise individuals that have hiked this trail of life before.

Each day we will explore and consume a small "nugget" of wisdom as we cover a different subject or terrain.  This 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom will help us to live life abundantly, authentically, and with integrity. Along the way we will be seeking wisdom and discipline and striving to understand the insights of the wise.  By doing so we will learn to live disciplined and successful lives and to do what is right, just, and fair. I will count it a privilege if you allow me to be your guide as we trek together.

I do want to note that the associated podcast to this journal will be "my authentic self" with limited editing.  That is how life is - there are no dress rehearsals in life.  We make mistakes, we make unwise choices, we stumble, and we fall sometimes.  While we occasionally have opportunities for "do-overs," the foibles of life remain with us, and that is okay.

While I will strive to produce error free, high quality podcast and journal entries, I also realize that I am human. I make mistakes. So you will hear me occasionally mispronounce words,  have awkward pauses, and get my words twisted around .  My goal with Wisdom-Trek, as with life, is to provide you with honest, authentic and excellent content, even though my presentation may not always be perfect.  Thank you in advance for understanding, and let us enjoy this journey together.  I would encourage you to share your stories with us so that we may also learn from you in our trek.

So why have I titled our journey "Wisdom-Trek"?

Being a Science Fiction enthusiast from childhood, I have always been enamored with the thought of exploring. As one of 10 children, I was blessed to grow up with loving parents on an apple orchard with acres of woods. Along with my siblings, I spent untold hours exploring the "lower 40 acres" with all of its ravines, trees, creeks and a nice size pond.  Those experiences carried over into my fantasy of exploring the universe as I faithfully watched the Star-Trek original series on TV. As an adult, I continued to watch all Star-Trek series and other space related programs.

While I still love space programs and movies, my exploration has lead me to the pursuit of wisdom which has also intrigued me.  As we trek together, it is my hope that we will create a legacy of wisdom, that we will seek out discernment and insights, and that we will boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will establish the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to "Live Long and Prosper."

My journal and podcast will not necessarily be focused toward others who share my life of faith as a Christ follower. However, my foundation for seeking wisdom has certainly been strongly influenced by the wisdom that is contained within God's Word and especially the book of Proverbs. Within the Wisdom-Trek portal,