A Message for My Mind

God gave you freedom of thought,
Freedom to absorb and entertain
But every thought isn't for you to keep—
Be selective,
Choose wisely what you will allow
To take root and to grow
Tend the rows between neurons
And pluck out the weeds...
A healthy mind comes before
     Happiness
     Health
     Wholeness
     and Hope
So use your freedom wisely

Fishing For Ideas

Ideas flow like water in a stream,
     Constant and steady,
Never circling their way back—
I dive for them
     As though they were fish
Jumping out of the water sporadically.
Sometimes they slip through my fingers
Slick and hard to grasp,
But sometimes I find myself with a prize,
A living body, squirming in my hands—
In my control, ready to shape, ready to mold.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Drew Farwell

Speak Life feat. Sam

This episode is about the importance of how we talk about people (and ourselves. When I was in graduate school, I was appalled to see caregivers constantly tell small children how "bad" they were—especially when the kids were not doing anything outside of normal child behavior. In the Bible, patriarchs of families took the time to speak prophecies of greatness (or disaster) over their children and each of these prophecies came true. These parents understood the power of the tongue and wielded it to lift up the children they saw potential in and tear down those they saw on a path of destruction. I see a lot of the latter in our society today, but not as much as the first. Sam and I discussed the general apathy people have for what they're saying and have come to the conclusion that we should be much more precise in how we speak about others.

No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 CSB

Examples of Patriarchs speaking blessings and curses over their children:

• Noah curses Canaan, blesses Shem (Genesis 9:24-27)
• Isaac blesses Jacob, lowkey curses Esau (Genesis 27)
• Jacob blesses/curses his sons (Genesis 49)

People often express their disdain for a person's decisions by condemning the child and set low expectations/standards from the onset due to their experience with the parent.

²⁰From the fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;
he is filled with the product of his lips.

²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:20-21 CSB

Have you ever seen parents speak blessings on their children the way the patriarchs did?

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Ephesians 4:29 NKJV

The Power of the Tongue

• Ephesians 4:29
• James 1:19-26-8
• James 3:5-12
• Matthew 12:24
• Matthew 15:11
• 1 Peter 3:10
• Proverbs 10:19
• Proverbs 15:4
• Proverbs 15:8
• Proverbs 17:9
• Proverbs 17:27-28
• Proverbs 12:6-7
• Proverbs 12:13-14
• Proverbs 12:18-19
• Proverbs 15:1-2
• Proverbs 18:6
• Proverbs 18:20-21
• Proverbs 21:23
• Psalm 34:13
• Psalm 52:2-9
• Titus 3:1-2

I used to say I felt bad and then I actually felt bad. There is actually evidence that you can make yourself sick that![1]

The verses Sam mentions about "speaking life" and "dry bones" are in Ezekiel 37

Nehemiah & Clearing Debt

In the episode we veered off topic a bit to talk about unity and the tendency for opposition to come from the inside. I mentioned the podcast I did on Nehemiah and how he dealt with a situation where the rich Israelites were taking advantage of and abusing the poor Israelites. That episode is linked below;[3] the verse I mentioned in reference to debt being cleared after 7 years is found in Deuteronomy 15:1.

The Law of Attraction is Not Christian

It's really hard to wrap our around this concept with veering to "the Law of Attraction" and saying things like "speak it into existence" and "name it and claim it." The danger of most New Age teachings is that they get somethings, maybe even most things right—but a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9)! The missing piece is God. There is power in The Word, not my word. I can only speak something into existence if I have surrendered my voice to God and it is actually the Holy Spirit speaking. We must keep this in perspective.[2]

¹³By rebellious speech an evil person is trapped,
but a righteous person escapes from trouble.

¹⁴A person will be satisfied with good
by the fruit of his mouth,
and the work of a person’s hands will reward him.
Proverbs 12:13-14 CSB

Pineapple Fried Rice -- Not Burned!

Update on the Rice Situation

I started cooking rice right before I started recording the podcast with Sam and totally forgot! For those who are curious, once I went back and cooked rice while I wasn't distracted, this is how it turned out.

References

1. Melissa Malamut. "Can You Think Yourself Sick?". Boston Magazine. April 4, 2013
2. Philia Ministries -T he King is Coming. Christians & The Law of Attraction Deception". YouTube. February 20, 2017
3. Ree Hughes. Most Likely To Be a Revolutionary". PSALMS to God. February 18, 2019
4. Malala. Malala Fund; visited March 3, 2020

The Science of the Mind

Season 1 Episode 41

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he Proverbs 23:7 KJV

When we talk about guarding our minds, we should talk about the science too! In this episode we're going to touch on the effect of music on our emotion[1][2], neuroplasticity[3], and mirror neurons[4][5].

References and Footnotes

1. Robert J. Zatorre. "Music and the Brain". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. January 24, 2006
2. Leanne C. Alworth and Shawna C. Buerkle. "The effects of music on animal physiology, behavior and welfare". Lab Animal. 22 January 2013
3. Sentis. "Neuroplasticity". YouTube. November 6, 2012
4. Dr. Shelly Richardson, "Mirror Neurons: Causing Change Within Others ". TEDx | Gull Lake. August 25, 2017
5. Lea Winerman. "The mind's mirror". American Psychological Association. October 2005

Guard the Avenues to Your Mind

Season 1 Episode 41

Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8 CSB

There's so much more to this concept than I could fit in to this episode. From studies showing that our brains react the same when we see an action as it would if we were to perform the action, to how difficult it is to create new "pathways" (re: behaviors) in our brain. I kept it simple in this episode, but you can expect a follow up with all the science-y stuff next week.