The Good Stranger (Neighbor)

I like most of Jesus' teachings and stories ("parables" for you sticklers).
I like the story of the lost sheep and prodigal son. Story of people with logs in their eyes trying to get saw dust out of someone else's. I like the lessons learned in hugging lepers and rubbing mud spit in someone's eye to heal it. Jesus was a great visual and experiential teacher.
BUT
There are a few I have trouble with, such as the parable of the Good Neighbor (Luke 10).
The story goes like this. . . kinda.

An American soldier was walking through the rough part of town, on the wrong side of the tracks, which ever side that is. He got beat up, mugged, and left for dead between two dumpsters.
A public elected official walking by, saw the man laying there and quickly moved on, leaving him because he had an important meeting to attend. He said he would call someone when he got back to the office.
A short time later a Pastor and Elder, on their way from lunch, passed by the man, and quickly hurried on thinking the miscreants might still be around and didn't want to end up in the same shape. They decided the best thing to do is pray for him at tomorrow nights prayer meeting.
Finally, a young Muslim man came by, saw the man between the dumpsters and stopped. He slid the soldier out, took off his t-shirt and quickly made a bandage on his head and other places that needed attention. He then picked the soldier up onto his shoulder and carried him 4 blocks to the Emergency room.
At the hospital, the hurt man didn't have a wallet or ID, so the Muslim man put his credit card on file to cover the medical needs of the hurt soldiers. He then came back the next day to check on his recovery, and each day after that until the man went home.  

Then Jesus asks, "Which of those people showed love to the hurt man?" 

You know the answer, right? The third one.one that stopped to help. The one who got his hands dirty, interrupted his day.

So I have to ask myself. Do I walk by hurting people? I know first aid, CPR, emergency preparedness. But, I don't encounter many mugged people.

Or could those be spiritually hurting people?
Could they be spiritually beat up and left for dead?
Could they be eternally dead and I just walk by choosing to only pray for them or get on to something else?

I think the same thing about another teaching of Jesus. (Matthew 25:31-46)
He told them:

• I was hungry and you didn't feed me. 
• I was thirsty and you didn't give me water. 
• I was a stranger and you didn't welcome me.
• I was naked and you didn't cloth me.
• I was in prison and you didn't visit me. 

Is this a list of physical activities the church is suppose to do? In other words, if you do these things, then Jesus will invite you into his kingdom and there will be celebration. Or if we don't do them we will we be thrown into darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth. I don't think it is that, because we are saved by grace through the resurrection of Jesus, not works.

Could this be a  list of spiritual concern?

• I was spiritual malnourished and you didn't give the Words of Life.
• I was thirsty for righteousness and you didn't give the Living Water.
• I was a stranger to them and you didn't introduce us.
• I was naked and in shame, you didn't tell about the robes of righteousness.
• I was imprisoned by sin and waiting death, and you didn't release me with the free gift of salvation.

A regular neighbor would do the first list pretty easily; water, food, cloths, etc.

A spiritual neighbor would do the second. To see the spiritual beating people take, the darkness they live in. To understand the shame and fear, the nakedness of the soul. 

These beaten and spiritually mugged neighbors all around us need a Good Neighbor to show the love of Jesus. The Life of Jesus. The Grace of Jesus. The take-the-time-and-don't-give-up-on-me-of Jesus. 

This is my on-going struggle with the church being in the world but not of the world. How do we live these teachings out if we isolate ourselves from the hurting world? We have to have time away from it, of course. We have to have time and opportunity to dig into the world, get spiritually trained and built up. To get our skills sharpened apart from the distractions of everyday life. (read into that be together as the church, for edification, education, correcting, rebuking, worshiping Jesus.)

This is my struggle with Boy Scouts. Do I stay because kids and leaders are spiritually beat up and left for dead? Do we stay and try to feed little bites of the Words of Life? Give a taste of the Living water in their canteen? Help them see there is a uniform of righteousness and armor of faith? That wilderness surviving isn't near as important as spiritual thriving?

By leaving BSA, am I just walking by and onto something else easier? Am I just praying for them, but still leaving them to their own devices?

How do I be a Good Neighbor?

6-Plus Tips for Praying with an Active Brain

Most people, according to people who study people, pray everyday. Now I don't know who they pray to, or what they are praying. Most people people think prayer helps and God answers prayer sometimes. Prayer in some form or another is done all over the world in most cultures. Christians pray because we believe and know God, Jesus,and the Holy Spirit will work in our lives to change things, give comfort, guide, counsel, listen, and fix. 

Prayer is a difficult thing and a simple thing. It is simple because we can be honest and open and just talk to God. It is difficult because we have these high ideals that we think we have to live up to. Almost a ritualistic structure that has to happen. We kneel down and solemnly pray quietly with serene look on our faces, pouring out worship and intercession to the loving heavenly Father, at 4am. That is a lot of pressure.

Richard Foster writes in his book Prayer that “none of us will keep up a life of prayer unless we are prepared to change. We will either give it up or turn it into a little system that maintains the form of godliness but denies the power of it—which is the same thing as giving it up.”

I don't want us to give up prayer, just because we have a hard time focusing. Here are a few "methods" I have found that help me to pray with an active brain. 

1. Pray Out loud

I knew someone who wouldn't pray out loud, because she didn't want Satan to know what she was praying. She thought he might interfere with the person or activity. I also knew a guy who always prayed out loud because he thought Satan would know a head of time he lost those particular battles and wouldn't bother them.
I pray out loud because it helps me stayed focused on my prayers. If Satan hears he can do what ever he wants, because God is bigger and stronger anyhow. But our brains take on several ways of staying on track. By praying out loud I am using my brain, my mouth, and my ears. The more senses stimulated for the same purpose adds control and retention. The same is true for learning. Other people pray out loud for the same reasons. It keeps us from thinking about other stuff and wandering down fox trails.
So find you a quiet spot where you can talk, scream, laugh, or cry out loud to God and people will not have to wonder as much about your sanity.

2. Write as Much as I can.

I like to write my prayers at times. Usually these are worshipful are thankful prayers. When I'm mad or scared out of my shorts, I'm not able to write those types of prayer. Sometimes I will get an idea to thank God for a specific thing or specific way and that should be written down. If we are true and the prayer is true, it can be read or prayed several times. I think God is OK with this sort of things, after all there are 150 prayers recorded in what is called the book of Psalms in the Bible.

If you are poetic or words are a gift to you, this can be a very rewarding practice. I love reading prayers of other people, but more about that in a minute.

Writing prayers is also way to be able to come back to our prayers. We are not likely to start writing about the stupid person who cut us off or what we might wear if it rains later.

Lots of people have written about journaling and this is a benefit of that. But most of us can't even keep up with a journal much less know what to write in it. Regardless where, prayers are a great thing to write. It also helps us see our growth, and if you can find your prayer book months later you can write in how God has answered your prayers.

3. Climb a tree.

I had a professor in college who taught me more about prayer than anyone else I've learned from. I was a young broken college student with a young family and thought I had to have all my ducks in a  row and the only thing reason I can think to have ducks in a row would be for a ring toss game. So I had a lot to learn. I really thought being at Bible college was a very short step from the monastic lifestyle. I thought everyone just knew how to pray for hours and study the Bible and prayed for a few more hours. I tried everything. I tried praying at night. I'm not a night person so I usually just fell asleep. I tried to pray first thing in the morning, but I couldn't keep up with all the things I had to do for the day. I tried in the middle of the day literally going into the closet. That caused me a lot of issues I'm not going into here.
Anyhow, this professor everyone called "Doc" because he was one of those cool profs who you could do that with. He would walk to class with one arm stuck out to the side at times. He would walk to class singing and talking to himself. He would ride his bike at extremely fast speeds with lots of focus. So I scheduled a time to talk to him. I told him my problem, and he asked me a lot of questions. He asked me what I liked and disliked. Likes- being outside. Dislikes - my face in the carpet for an hour.

He came up with some suggestions I have modified and added to them:

• Go for a walk with your "arm around Jesus shoulder" and just talked to him. (Oh, that's what he was doing with his arm stuck straight out to the side, I thought he was airing his pits.)
• Climb a good strong tree, and at every branch stop and pray about something or someone. By the time you get to the top of the tree, you will be closer to God. (Get it, closer to God the higher you go? The president of the college caught me climbing the Holy Prayer Oak on campus. That was hard to explain and I immediately through the blame on Doc.)
• Go for a hike when needing to talk about direction or which path in life to take.
• Get on you bike, pedaling hard, and praise God for an awesome attribute of his at each power pole, and by the end of your ride you will better understand His power.
• Chop wood, whether you need it or not, repenting of sin and asking God to cut that out of your life. (Or pray like King David that God would chop your enemies.)
• Pray while mowing the grass. No one else can hear you and you can prayerfully Cut your problems away.
• cooking (lord make me better, God's provisions)
• sewing (keep our marriage bond strong)
• sanding (reconciliation with others)
• building something (the church to grow)
• taking a shower (clean from sin, usefulness of each body part to bring glory to God.)

Hopefully you have the idea by now.

4. Read prayers.

I have a book of Jewish prayers. I have books of prayer and meditation by monks. I have prayers that are from the New Testament. The book of Psalms. The book of Lamentations. Prayers are a great thing to read devotionally because it helps us see we are not the only ones feeling or needing a certain way. I usually read the prayer and if it fits today, that's my prayer and my starting point.

5. Start Small.

Don't expect to sit down and have an hour long conversation with God right off the bat. Some people can, but I can't even do this well with someone in front of me. I have do things in simple forms.
Max Lucado is releasing another book titled "Before Amen" and this is the simple "form" he suggests most all prayers take in the scriptures.

"Father,

You are good.

I need help.

They need help.

Thank you.

In Jesus’ name, amen." 

- Max Lucado

It is a good simple pattern for prayer. It's a simplified version of the Lord's prayer and easy to remember. I pray through the Lords prayer, well, most of the way through, at different times. I say my Father in Heaven, Hallowed is your name", and then I praise him for things. "Give me this day my daily bread"here is what I think my needs are. ""deliver me from evil" I repent of this and this and that and those, and you know the list, I've given it to you before. 

I would think as we are getting started or trying to get "better" God is good with dozens of 5 minutes honest prayers as he is to one hour long prayer. (Please take note, this is an opinion I've devised to make myself feel better about short prayers)

6. Remove Distractions

Have I ever mentioned the idea of removing distractions. Turn off electronic devices. Turn off lights. Get a drink of water. Have a notepad/ journal and pencil on hand. Have your devotional/ prayer book on hand. Turn lights back on so you can read it. Make sure no one else is around if you can.

7. Just talk ... and listen

Just talk to God. The point of going to God in prayer is to build our relationship and make us closer with the Father. The Point of prayers is to be in contact with our Dad who has the strength, power, and ability to change things. So letting God know what's on our heart and our mind is good for us. It opens us up to the seeing where God is working and making changes. If you want a churchie word for that, it's miracles. Our honestness and openness allow God to work in us. So just talk to him. And then listen. He talks to us in different ways. Sometimes it's in our "intuition", church members, always the Bible.
It might could feel like you are talking to yourself. So find a picture or form one in your mind of what God might look like as you are talking to him. Is he sitting across the table with a cup of coffee with you? Is on a bench outside beside of you? Is your arm around him? Is he pulling you up a tree?


Prayer is all about change. Whether it is us who need to change or circumstances, we have to believe God can change things. That is the purpose of prayer. These 7 things are not a formula, program or system. These are just ways I have learned to pray and find meaning and purpose in my prayers based on my personality and active brain. So spend some time with God in prayer. He understands how our brains work, even if we don't.



Some research and further reading on prayer can be found here, if you enjoy those types of number games.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/01/5-facts-about-prayer/
http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/150915-us-statistics-on-prayer.html

8 MORE THINGS TO HELP THE A.D.D. BRAIN, kinda

All of these tips and tricks for staying or getting focused don't work all the time. They do work most of the time, and sometimes have to be done in different combinations. But they are always worth trying. These also work for those of you who have Attention Focused Order.

Beginning a new job kinda gives me a clean start. I get to set things up how I want them in my office. I can control what is there and off and out. (Don't tell that to Ms. Priss in the desk behind me. She'll prove me wrong.) So I am trying to collect and compile the little things that help.

Trying to figure out what works and what doesn't is not as easy as you think. Things that work, you really don't realize it, because they are not distracting you. Things that don't work, you don't remember because your chasing other little thought and ideas like a hound dog after a rabbit.

With some help of a few other buddies who think like I do, here are some more things that seem to work.

1. Hard Deadlines

I like hard deadlines. I like them way in advance. It doesn't mean I'm going to get it done way in advance, but I know what is expected of me and when it is due. I will start it when I first learn about it, but I might be up at 3am to have it finished on time. Those "whenever-you-get-it-done" projects don't get done. (ask my wife, I have a list a mile long of not completeds) Most husbands do have this problem with their wife's list, but this is with everything.

2. Instrumental Music

This helps me. I like epic movie music. Wandering tunes through the Shire. The sound of battlefields in Scotland. The rhythm of the plantation in the south. The feel of battles across the galaxies. I like the idea that my little mundane life has some sort of far reaching impact and will change the world as i know it. Ok, it won't. But, if attacking paper work with a sense of  defeating the foul nemesis to send it back to the metal filing drawer of the abyss helps, then so be it. You have to listen to what works for you. Sometimes it's helpful, sometimes not, but experiment and you'll figure it out. My opinion is if that music gave Samwise the strength to carry Frodo up Mount Doom, maybe it will do the same for me.

3. No Notifications

I turn off all the notification on my computer. No email flash in the lower right hand corner. No FB pings. No text message tones. It all gets turned off when I have to work or concentrate on something. Actually it's usually turned off anyhow. If you don't know how to do it write yourself a note so you don't forget what your task is and hit the F1 key while in the program to search for it. Turn notifications off.

4. Preparing to Work

Preparing to accomplish something is like a dog preparing to lay down. Sniff the area, walk around it sniffing. Come back. Sniff the area again. Dig a little. Lay down. Dig a little more, sniff, lay down, lather, rinse, repeat. Lay down. Getting me ready to work is as much work as doing the work. Clearing the area, removing distractions. Get a drink. Sit down. Scan the area. Remove other distractions. Get the tools and books. Get a drink. Wait I already did that. Oh well, I have two now. Which one do I drink first. Sit down. Get up and change into comfy cloths. Sit back down. Maybe work. Make sure you have what you need and ONLY what you need. Pop a few Altoids. Drink a Monster energy drink. Oh wait, already had two drinks. Get to work.

5. Specify End Results

When asking a person with ADD to do a task for you, teach a lesson, preach a sermon, plan a meal, build or make something, BE SPECIFIC. Whatever-you-want-to-do's only give us a sense of anxiety and eminent failure. You see we know how things go in our brain. We know we try and try and still come up short of expectations. We have thoughts and good ideas and loose them. LOTS of them. So be specific. Give us a very narrow window of the end result, then leave us alone. Don't micromanage, or tell us how to do. Our opinion is if you want it that specific, do it yourself and I'll go over hear and play with something.

6. Drink heavily

Our brains need water. It activates it and hydrates it. It helps those little neurotransmitters stay fueled and firing. Drink lots of water. It helps everyone with focus and attention so it has to help us as well.

I'm pretty careful about this one. Energy drinks are a poor substitute for vitamins and nutrients, but they can help at times. Energy drinks with B vitamins and Ginkgo Biloba can give a shot of NOS to your brain if you need it. The extra sugars and corn syrup can have negative effects. The high dose of caffeine, a stimulant, can make the brain too relaxed. So drink them carefully, if at all. A coffee has enough caffeine to relax my brain and get it focused, or help me get to sleep.

7. Turn the lights off

I turn the lights out a lot. This causes my eyes to focus on whatever I light up and shuts everything else out. I get up and work in the morning a lot while it is still dark, for this very reason, but I'm not a night owl. Light, like TV and hand held devices stimulate the brain in different ways, so turn those lights off as well. Remember the point is to remove distractions and calm the brain so you can focus on something specific. I have the lights out a lot and that really helps. 

8. Leave us alone

One of the worst things to do is stop a focused person. If we are in the grove and being productive and really absorbed in our work, leave us there. Unless of course the building is burning down around us or the zombie apocalypse is beginning. We may not get that kind of focus for a couple of days, so let us and you take advantage of it.When we are focused we can be very productive and creative and turn out some good stuff.

These are just things I've found to help with focus. Your list might be different or similar. Maybe let me know if you do somethings that I've not listed. If I come up with more, I'll share them. If not, then I probably forgot I made this list and will keep doing things the same old way.

Keep watching out for squirrels.

9 Things that help the brain work, kinda.

I was at a park recently and watched a squirrel hide it's nuts. Squirrels are one of my favorite animals. They are cute, they work hard, they twitch their tail all spastic if they are nervous or showing off. They are fast, skillful and walk around on trees upside down, sideways and up ways and any other way with no regard at all for the laws of gravity and physics. Who can't appreciate something that ignores those types of rules. They squeak at each other and are the source of a plethora of hilarious memes. Not to mention all of the Oak trees they plant each fall by hiding their collection of nuts.

My first love for squirrels came in high school, on a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, where I fed a squirrel. I shared my waffle cone with the little guy, and he just sat on a barrel eating out of my open hand. Later my wife and I fed squirrels black cherries at the lake by hand. Of course any half-way decent fan of Bob Ross knows there are happy little squirrels living in all kinds of trees and woods near the water.

Squirrels have had a bad rap about remembering where they plant all those acorns for the winter. My thought has always been, if that was the case, why are there not more Oak trees and more starved to death squirrels. I came across this little study about squirrels and found out they have excellent memories about where they hide their acorns and will often leave other squirrel's caches alone.

So what's the point of all of this? I don't know I like squirrels and even spastic little rodents have ways of keeping track of things and systems in place to help them get the job done. Well, it goes that way for folks who have a hard time paying attention. There are things we can do, that probably distract and annoy the crap out of everyone else, that helps us. So here are some activities that help.

1. Brain Gym 

I love Brain Gym. I learned about it in college when I took a training course on Appreciative Inquiry and Youth. It was like hooking booster cable up to my head and turning the key. It's simple movements and pressure points and small activities to stimulate the brain. Little things that most people won't notice or think too much about. Of course some activities are standing and involve the full body, but when stealth is needed, these can carry you another 10-15 minutes in a lecture.  Here is link to a quick chart and the official braingym website.
http://sspw.dpi.wi.gov/files/sspw/pdf/sascevanshandouts.pdf
www.braingym.org

2. Doodle

If you sit next to me in church or a training seminar, you will see me draw almost the entire time. My notes on sermons and teachings are almost as much drawings of what they are talking about as their are words on a page. They aren't good drawing, but quick and simple so as not to get distracted. I use ink because I can't erase and get detailed, so what is there is there. Notes don't have to be in a formal collegiate MLA style.That's ridiculous and to high an expectation.  My notes often run sideways or in a box to stand out. 

In a lecture or training I like the ZENtangles. They don't matter, it is repetitive and simple enough to just do and still gather information or details without slowly sketching into another world. There is also no erasing so again, it is as it is. http://tanglepatterns.com/

3. Knot tying

I like tying notes because I can keep string in my pocket and gives my fingers something to fiddle with and forces me to focus small. Rope is cheap and easy to come by. I can stand and pace or sit and cross my legs. It goes back to the brain gym activities of giving my hands and both sides of my brain something to do. The simplest and best for this are repetitive bars and signets, like the paracord bracelets. It is also a relaxing things to do a conversation starter. Most of us with ADD have a hard time carrying on conversations, and believe or don't, this helps. 

4. Clocks set to the right time

Setting the clock 10 minutes fast does not help us. We know it's 10 minutes fast therefore we think we have more time and that means more distraction. For me, the clock has to be right and all the clocks have to be the same. Otherwise there is confusion and chaos and that means more time to be late. Maybe that isn't logical to you, but its how it goes.

5. Encouragement

This is not a feed my ego kind of thing. But if you berate a person with ADD/ ADHD over punctuality, not paying attention, always forgetting, or being sub-standard, then it only makes things worse. Most people with ADD are very hard on themselves and feel very down on themselves already. We realize we don't meet expectations. We genuinely try, but always come up short. Your continual confirmation of these types of feelings only gives us less hope and more punches of the feelings we are already beating ourselves up with. 

6. Curiously Strong Mints - Altoids

I know it may sound stupid but those Originally Celebrated Curiously Strong Mint candies do a lot to open the brain. It is proven strong smells activate the brain and stimulate memory. I keep a tin of them in the truck, in my desk drawer and in my messenger bag (no that is not a murse or UR-a-peeing man-bag). Not to mention, this is the one thing that everyone else appreciates because who doesn't like a minty fresh mouth. Gum has the same effect and excellent way to keep the brain going.

7. Simplicity

I try to keep very little on my desk now. If I can keep it in a drawer or out of sight I try to keep it there. I try to have the simplest objects and tools I need for the job. I try to throw things away and shred every little piece of paper possible. (ok, I just like cutting things up, I know that) My desk top wall paper is gray tones or solid gray with no unnecessary icons. My work computer has 7icons on the desktop. This is not OCD by any means, this takes effort and purpose.

8. Routine

Same thing with where I put stuff. I have to make myself  put things in the same place every time, so I can find it later My keys hang right beside the door. My wallet and pocket stuff goes on my dresser in my knife case drawer. If not, more distractions and searching for something only uncovers even more distractions, if I can keep up with what I'm searching for. In this regard I am not like a squirrel. I find a book, did I finish this, open to the book mark, read a few paragraphs, realize I was looking for something. Try to remember what I'm looking for. It's a horrible cycle.

9. A Patient Woman

Maybe i could put supportive family, but this is my list, so, get your own Katie. I realize nobody else is blessed to be married to Katie, for she is very patient with me. She repeats things to me, sends reminder emails, gently redirects if I get distracted, without ever putting me down. God has giving me the "helper suitable" I need. I can't thank him enough for her. Now, don't get me wrong. There are times when she would like to take a frying pan to my head or bury me in the back yard with the rest of the nuts, but she loves me and helps me. Family who can help and a wife that doesn't nag is a BIG deal.  

So if you have folks in your family that may need a little redirection or ideas to stay on task, hopefully this will help. Until later, KEEP CALM and WATCH SQUIRRELS.

The Squirrels are after me, they think I'm nuts!!

Standing in the shower this morning, and most mornings is a confusing time for me. I know showers are an every day occurrence. Simple, right, turn the water on, throw the towel over the curtain rod. Toss the pjs in the hamper and climb in. Wash the hair, wash the face, wash the body, right. Nothing to it.
This morning however, I asked the question I ask myself a lot in there, "did I wash my hair". I know I picked the bottle up, but what was I thinking about? Oh yeah, I have to remember to take my allergy medicine and take Elijah's scout popcorn order form to work with me. I hope I can find something to do at work today. I think I was going to go somewhere, I'll have to look on my calender. The hot water running down my face feels really great. How's the best way to breath in while the water runs over my face so i don't drown. . . . Did I wash my hair?" I feel my hair and try to think back to what I'm doing and then go, "I need to try to remember to take those Vitamin B and Ginko supplements to help with memory and focus. I probably should do that before I kiss Katie bye, because she'll ask me a question or tell me something and I will forget to do that. . . . "Did I wash my hair." There's no deep thinking about the meaning of life or the direction I'm going. Last week I forgot to even rinse my body.

I either washed my hair three times, one time, or not at all. As I'm sitting here I still don't know. When i turned the shower off, "Where the Heck did I put my towel? Oh I hung my dry towel on the door to dry.? I know I washed my body because I put shampoo on the scrubber thing first and then added the body wash, the whole time my mind is racing through ideas, all connected by a word, idea, or something I saw in the bathroom.

I wish it was just in the bathroom I do this. Driving to work is exhausting. Having to see everything, not wreck, read bumper stickers, (because if someone is willing to stick little informational decals on a $40K vehicle it might be important, nope just an Obama ad) and make it to the place I originally set out to get to is sometimes iffy.

I know what your thinking. Mitch, you need to just pay attention and get yourself organized. I would agree, but I have calenders, and schedules, and notes, and helps, and alarms, and lists, and so much organizing I don't know which one to look at. I try to keep as little clutter and stuff on my desk as humanly possible, because who knows what I would end up doing with a block of post-it notes sitting in front of me begging for some action to their little stuck-up life. I probably should just have one ink pen ever, because choosing the best one to use is sometimes just as big a hassle as deciding if I washed my hair. It's like living life with constant squirrel attacks.

A number of years ago while working in the mental health field the psychiatrist, on several occasions, "encouraged" me to let him write a prescription for Adult ADD. I said, "Doc, your crazy i don't need meds. I just need to get organized." Before that in college, one of my professors, the one who worked in a psychiatric hospital for 20 years, mentioned based on what he has seen from me, I might would benefit from some medication for ADD. I'm not an active person. If my body moved as much as my brain, I would end up killing people from shear motion and turmoil. I was a B and C student through college and high school. I love to study and learn and read. I can become so enthralled with these activities that I can block almost anything in the world out. BUT I have to reread and rewrite and reread, because I can read something several times and then back and read something I thought I missed, and did. A movie, however, I can fall asleep to before the opening credits are over.

Prayer, well, that is almost impossible. Making myself close my eyes and think in a logical and sequential order and carry on a "one sided" conversation lasts about a minute and a half. I can't even focus on a two sided conversation for long, and it has effected my ability to connect with people.

I'm not even going into the anxiety, fear, and feelings of failure and self-mental abuse I put myself through.

Anyhow, I have been trying to control my mind with non medicinal means. I use brain-gym activities and body movements to stay focused in group settings and teaching times. I take detailed notes to try and keep up with the pastor or teacher. I drink lots of water. I keep Altoids Peppermint with me. I have started taking Ginkgo Biloba and Vitamin B supplements. I have cut back my coffee because too much makes me drowsy. I have cut back on Coke and soft drinks, because sometimes my pants are too tight.  

Out of frustration and constantly letting my wife and family down, I have finally made the decision that it is time to go see a doctor about this. I don't know how to go about it though. It seems too weird to make an appointment to talk about this at 36, when I probably should have done something about it a long time ago. Especially when there are so many people abusing prescription drugs in our area. It could possibly have made me a better employee, minister, father and husband. It may be something else in my life. I may just be a simpleton. I may just be lazy or empathetic, but I don't think so.

If you would pray for me in this, however you see fit or Jesus leads. This has been a long difficult decision, and the doctor may still say I don't need it and just need to man up.  

Letting Him shape me. Mitch

IN something

Being IN something is always important to us. When we are little kids we want to be "IN a club", so we make them up. We say things like, "I'm IN a band". "I'm IN scouts." "I'm IN A.A." or maybe "I'm IN a relationship." We may say, "I'm IN trouble." "I'm IN debt." Being IN something is kinda important to us as people. We are social beings in search of our identity and someway in which to relay that identity. Lots of the groups we are in even have uniforms or at least T-shirts, so people can see what we are in.  Usually these things take a lot of work to remain IN. If we don't put effort into our girlfriend or husband we may no longer be IN a relationship. If we don't put hours of practice into an instrument, then we will no longer be IN a band and they will get a new kazoo player. If we don't put effort, accountability, and determination into A.A. then we will continue abusing alcohol.

Here lately I have tried to put a lot of effort IN being a Christian. I have tried to make myself feel sorry for sin. I have tried to make myself get up and pray. I have beat myself up over not being good enough, a "fake", and a lazy good-for-nothing jerk when it came to loving Christ. That all gets pretty exhausting and makes for a grumpy Christian.

I read about a nun from the 1500's named Teresa of Avila. She seemed to have the same problems I have at time. She finally got to the point that she stopped praying because she felt too wretched and evil to do something as intimate as prayer.

In Bible college I was taught this amazing Bible reading fact. If something is repeated over and over and over, it might be important, so pay attention to it. (I know, pretty profound, huh.) This happened recently in the Letter to the Ephesians in the Bible by the Apostle Paul. I started noticing a repetition. The words "IN CHRIST" or "IN HIM" just jumped off the page and kinda smacked me upside the head. Here are just a few things that Paul says happens when we are "IN Christ".

Chapter 1
v1 we are saints
v1 we are faithful because of it
v3 we have every spiritual blessing because of it
v4 we are chosen
v5 we are adopted
v6 we are freely given his glorious grace
v7 we have redemption
v9 we will know the mystery of his will
v11 we are chosen and it is God's plan
v12 we have hope
v13 we are included, saved, and marked with the Holy Spirit
v23 we are filled with his fullness

Chapter 2
v7 he will show the incomparable riches of his grace and kindness
v10 we are God's workmanship, created to do good works
v13 we have been brought near to God
v22 "you too are being built together (all believers) to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

There is much more in the Ephesians and the New Testament about being "IN Christ". In fact I did a quick search and found "in Christ" 145 times in the New Testament. This doesn't even count when Jesus said phrases that include "IN me" or Paul said, "IN him" or other variations. So here is something that hit me. The fact that we are "IN CHRIST", might be more important, and powerful, than being "IN myself". That's what it really boils down to, my attitude and thoughts about myself. It's "IN me". What I am doing, what I am reading, and how I am acting. This whole being a Christian may not really be based on how we feel, how we see ourselves, how good we are at the disciplines, or even how wretched or evil we might really be. I think when we do this, we make ourselves out to be God; we think God doesn't really know what he's talking about, or that God can't really do all those things in us.

So from what I gather the Christian life might be easier and much better if I turn this over and live it "IN CHRIST" instead of "IN Mitch". I allow God to do the work in me that he apparently already has planned and predestined me to do. I let God do the saving and the giving of grace and incomparable riches. I allow his Spirit to bring me near to God and adopt me as his kid.

So I guess we need to get into the mindset of "I'm IN Christ" more than in anything else.

Take a pencil, ink pen, crayon, and as you are reading through your Bible mark the "IN Christ" passages along with the blessing or benefit of being there. This is going to become a practice I'm really going to get IN to, and I haven't seen the t-shirt yet.