Winner of the free cup of coffee

We did have a winner of the free cup of coffee.  Many knew that it was the Lord's Prayer but failed to translate word for word in the post-modern English.  My secretary who knows the deviousness of me was able to do make the translation.
She collected her free  cup of coffee.

Distorted Thinking - Pt 5

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that..." (Romans 12.2 NASB bold mine)

This issue concludes the 5-week series of issues regarding 15 types of distorted thinking*. As indicated in each issue of this series, I encourage you to pray first, then read the description of each type, asking God to search your being.

Review Part 1

Review Part 2

Review Part 3

Review Part 4

Now, see if any of the following 3 types of distorted thinking are getting in the way of your serving strong...

Global Labeling. The global labeler generalizes one or two qualities into a negative global judgement. They ignore contrary evidence, ending with a one-dimensional world view. They do this with themselves and others. Therefore, their self esteem is hindered and their relationships suffer.  Are you a Global Labeler?

Being Right.  This type of person perpetually feels guilty until proven innocent. Therefore they always feel on trial to prove that their opinions and actions are correct. Being wrong is unthinkable to this person and they will go to any length to demonstrate their rightness. Worse, being right becomes more important than cultivating honest, caring relationships.  Do you always need to be right?

Heaven's Reward Fallacy. The person with this fallacy is always operating as if someone is constantly keeping score. They work for a reward and when the reward doesn't come as expected, they become bitter. The problem with this approach is that while they are always doing the "right thing", their heart isn't always in it - and that causes a depletion of physical and emotional energy.  Are you operating with a Heaven's Reward Fallacy?

Can you identify with any of these types of distorted thoughts? If so, lay your mind before the throne of an Almighty God who wants so desperately to work with you and restore you to health. If you need professional help, seek it. There is no shame in journeying to wholeness with the help of others. 

I trust over this past 5-week series you gained a great deal of insight into the kinds of thoughts that can keep us from serving strong. Let me know if you have any insights or questions. I'd love to hear from you. Stay strong this week!

Monday musing

I have a challenge for all you Monday morning readers.  Decipher the following for a free cup of coffee.  The translation has to be accurate to the word.

Dad@hvn, ur spshl. we want wot u want &urth2b like hvn. giv us food & 4giv r sins lyk we 4giv uvaz. don test us! sAv us! bcos we kno ur boss, ur tuf & ur cool 4 eva! k?’

Good Friday 2011

I am sitting here at home preparing for a memorial service tomorrow, Easter this Sunday, and will be in the Living Last Supper tonight.  Last night we did a Maundy Thursday service with about 50 people present.  We started with a lite supper and had communion with unleavened bread.  We proceeded into the sanctuary where we did a modified stations of the cross with scripture and extinguishing of the light.  We nailed our sins to the cross as part of the service.

I am not sure about others but I find that I need to remember that one does not go directly from Palm Sunday to Easter morning.  I need to remember the passion of Christ and what he choose to do for me.  The scriptures that speak about this are the suffering servant scriptures found in Isaiah.  Christ endured torture, humiliation, pain, and even death for me.  One of the reflections I had was when Jesus told his disciples that no greater love can one have than to lay down their life for another.  He did this for me and for you.

Let us not forget what Jesus did.  Passion week is a reminder for all of us.  This is more than Easter egg hunts, Easter lilies, the Easter bunny.  It is about our Lord nailed to a cross, who dies and is buried.  We also know that is not the end of the story.  Thanks be to God.

The latest from Serving Strong.

Distorted Thinking - Pt 4

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that..." (Romans 12.2 NASB bold mine)

We are currently in a 5-week series of issues regarding 15 types of distorted thinking*. We are taking 3 types per issue. As indicated in each issue of this series, I encourage you to pray first, then read the description of each type, asking God to search your being.

Review Part 1

Review Part 2

Review Part 3

Now, see if any of the following 3 types of distorted thinking are getting in the way of your serving strong...

Shoulds. The "should" person has a list of ironclad rules about how they and other people should act. They are angered when others break the rules. They are shamed if they themselves break the rules. The rules rule. Therefore this person is always in a position of judge. Key words include "should" "ought" or "must".  Are you a Should person?

Emotional Reasoning.  What you feel = truth, automatically. If you feel stupid, you are stupid. The problem with this kind of thinking is that our emotions interact and correlate with our thinking process. Therefore, if you have distorted thoughts, your emotions will reflect these distortions.  Do you engage in Emotional Reasoning?

Fallacy of Change. The person with this fallacy thinks that with enough pressure on others, those people will change to suit them. Change is a must or this person will not be happy. Their underlying assumption is that their happiness depends on the actions of others. They don't see that their happiness actually depends on the thousands of choices, large and small, they make in their life.  Are you operating with a Fallacy of Change?

Can you identify with any of these types of distorted thoughts? If so, lay your mind before the throne of an Almighty God who wants so desperately to work with you and restore you to health. If you need professional help, seek it. There is no shame in journeying to wholeness with the help of others. 

Stay tuned. Next week we'll complete the list of 15 thinking distortions with "Global Labeling", "Being Right", and "Heaven's Reward Fallacy". Stay strong this week!

Distorted Thinking - Pt 3

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that..." (Romans 12.2 NASB bold mine)

We are currently in a 5-week series of issues regarding 15 types of distorted thinking*. We will take 3 types per issue. As indicated last week, I encourage you to pray first, then read the description of each type, asking God to search your being.

Review Part 1

Review Part 2

Now, see if any of the following 3 types of distorted thinking are getting in the way of your serving strong...

Control Fallacies. A person who has control fallacies will distort their sense of control and power in one of two ways: a) if they feel externally controlled, they will see themselves as a victim of fate, helpless; b) if they feel internal control, the fallacy is they feel responsible for the pain and happiness of everyone around them. The former keeps them stuck. The latter leaves them exhausted.  Do you have a control fallacy?

Fallacy of Fairness.  Fairness is so conveniently defined, so easily self-serving, that each person gets locked into their own point of view. The person with the fallacy of fairness feels resentful because they think they know what's fair but others won't agree with them. They make assumptions about how things would change if people were only fair or really valued them.  Do you have a fallacy of fairness?

Blaming. The blamer holds other people responsible for their (the blamer's) pain. This involves making someone else responsible for choices and decisions that are actually the blamer's responsibility. In the blame game, the blamer denies their right and responsibility to assert their needs, say no, or go elsewhere for what they want.  Are you a blamer?

Can you identify with any of these types of distorted thoughts? If so, lay your mind before the throne of an Almighty God who wants so desperately to work with you and restore you to health. If you need professional help, seek it. There is no shame in journeying to wholeness with the help of others. 

Stay tuned. Next week we'll continue with "Shoulds", "Emotional Reasoning", and "Fallacy of Change". Stay strong this week!

Distorted Thinking part 2

I am including the second part of the distorted thinking.

Distorted Thinking - Pt 2

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that..." (Romans 12.2 NASB bold mine)

We are currently in a series of issues regarding 15 types of distorted thinking*. We will take 3 or 4 types per issue. As indicated last week, I encourage you to pray first, then read the description of each type, asking God to search your being. To review last week's issue, Click Here.

Now, see if any of these types of distorted thinking are getting in the way of serving strong.

Mind Reading. Without saying a word, a mind reader knows that people are feeling and why they act the way they do. Particularly, they are able to divine how people are feeling toward them. Mind reading depends on a process called projection. A mind reader imagines that people feel the same way they do and react to things the same way they do. As a result, they don't watch or listen carefully enough to notice the differences. Mind readers jump to conclusions that are true for them, without checking whether they are true for the other person.  Are you a mind reader?

Catastrophizing.  This is where you expect disaster. The catastrophizer notices or hears about a problem and starts the "what ifs" ("What if that happens to me? What if tragedy strikes?") There are no limits to a really fertile catastrophic imagination. The underlying foundation for this style of thinking is that the catastrophizer doesn't trust in themself and their capacity to adapt to change.  Are you a catastrophizer?

Personalization. Personalizers possess the tendency to relate everything around them to themself. Like, thinking that everything people do or say is some kind of reaction to them. They compare themselves to others, trying to determine who's smarter, better looking, and so on. The underlying foundation: their worth is always in question. Therefore, they are always forced to test their value as a person by measuring themselves against others. If they come out better, a sigh of relief. If they come up short, feeling diminished.  Are you an personalizer?

Can you identify with any of these types of distorted thoughts? If so, lay your mind before the throne of an Almighty God who wants so desperately to work with you and restore you to health. If you need professional help, seek it. There is no shame in journeying to wholeness with the help of others. 

Stay tuned. Next week we'll continue with "Control Fallacies", "Fallacy of Fairness", and "Blaming". Stay strong this week!

I will also begin starting next Sunday including  what a group of pastors and myself are studying on Wednesday mornings on the stations of the cross with some insights.  This will be a daily event leading to Easter Sunday.

April 1st

This is no April Fool's joke.  The Pittsburgh Pirates won their opener in Chicago.  I am in Pittsburgh spending time with my new grand child Chayse. Pictures will be on facebook.  I have had a great time though a short time.  I am reminded how important family is.  Unfortunately I am leaving tomorrow to come back to Ainsworth so the trip was short.  I greatly enjoy my time with Ainsworth and Johnstown United Methodist Church and they have been so supportive and willing to look at the ministries that we are doing and even those that we can do.
This Sunday I will be preaching from John 9:1-41 about the blind man healed by Jesus.  I often think about what it means to be blind not just physically but blind to how God is responding in  our lives.  Lent is the time for everyone to open their eyes and remember what God has done for you.  May God be with you this day.