Category: The Healing Journey

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A Good Cry/Someone Needs This

The last episode of Duncan Trussell’s The Midnight Gospel is a doozy.

It’s a surreally animated conversation between Trussel and his mother, Deneen Fendig, who passed away shortly after the conversation.

Although I knew the story behind it, that didn’t prepare me for the power of the exchange.

Fendig had been given six months to live, four years previous. She had been told over and over that her end was near.

The grace and peace that emanate from the calm tone of her voice were healing. She was in a place of true acceptance.

The wisdom of the conversation runs deep. With a runtime under 30 minutes, it’s the kind of exposure to death that everyone should take a moment to experience.

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Isaiah 42: Servant Song

Isaiah 42:13-14 KJV — The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.

Different translations have the LORD referring to Himself as a soldier, champion, warrior, or man of war. Then, in the next verse, He holds his peace before crying out like a woman in labor.

The entire chapter contains repetitions and apparent contradictions.

Some sources refer to this poem as the first of Isaiah’s Song of the Servant, calling God’s people to quietly bring justice to the world.

Maybe this chapter is guiding us to recognize that our role here is small. God determines the rhythms of the universe and we’re blind to the true machinations.

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Isaiah 41: Cyrus

Isaiah 41:10 KJV — Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

In this chapter, Isaiah foretells the rise of king Cyrus and God’s continued guidance of Jacob’s people.

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Isaiah 40: Comfort

Isaiah 40:17 KJV — All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

I take comfort when I come across these reminders that God’s authority is everything and man’s authority is nothing.

There is dispute over whether Isaiah wrote this and later chapters. John Oswalt and Henry Halley believe Isaiah is the sole author. Many others seem to think there are three or more authors. I’m inclined to side with Halley.

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Date Day

Kristen and I try hard to have regular dates. With a small business and three active teens in our care, it ain’t always easy.

Our favorite dates are in the woods, stopping frequently to bathe in the smells, sights, and sounds around us.

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Isaiah 36-39: Hezekiah

Isaiah 39:8 KJV — Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

These chapters cover the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, as the Assyrian army lays siege to Jerusalem. God kills 185,000 Assyrian troops, ending the siege.

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Hunter, the Laptop, and Burisma

The Hunter laptop and Burisma stories were buried under pressure from the federal government. The motivation was to damage a sitting president, their chief executive, their boss.

They lied to sway an election. We are not living in a democracy. You can’t vote your way out of this.

Of the 50+ intelligence officials who made false statements about Russian disinformation, how many have seen consequences? Who in the Biden administration was fired for spreading propaganda?

Does any journalist care enough about freedom of the press to ask Harris about her level of knowledge and involvement?

Are you so afraid of Trump that you will back a regime that actively influences the press?

Taxpayer dollars are killing Ukrainians and Russians. Taxpayer dollars are flirting with nuclear war. What connection does the president’s family have to the Ukranian government? How do these relationships compromise American security?

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What the Bible Taught me About Parenting

As the Father, God created humans and, because He loved them, He gave them free will.

We’ve made a mess of things with that free will, but we’ve also created beautiful representations of the original Creation.

He continues to love us. I try to love my children like God loves us. I try to find the bravery that God had when He gave us free will.

My boys make a mess of things, but they also do amazing things and love deeply.

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Accessing Presence

I’m seeing a new therapist and I think I’ve found the right professional for my particular breed of crazy. Her eyes don’t glaze over when I talk about Carl Jung or Joseph Campbell or Jesus. She’s there for all my wild digressions and exhibits a compassionate curiosity for the unusual way I approach the healing journey.

At the end of our second meeting I got a bit of homework.

I described the feeling I get when I experience God’s presence in nature and she challenged me to recount that description when I’m distracted from the present moment.

I got goosebumps in her cozy, somewhat retro, office. I realized that I can access presence with God through memory. I haven’t felt the need to reset since our meeting earlier today, but I feel confident that this will be helpful the next time I feel pulled in multiple directions