Psst!
Hey, I figured out how to attract a bazillion spam comments.
Wanna know my secret?
Write a post with the word “election” in the title.
Bahaha.
The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!
‘Tis the month for election fraud. (Wait, did I say that out loud?) I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.
‘Tis also the month for daily thankfulness posts. Kudos to those who can keep up with them (or close enough). I am grateful for some of the funnier and informative ones I’ve seen.
On the thankfulness theme … Nationwide Children’s Hospital has provided some cool resources for talking about gratitude with kids. The gratitude guide and worksheets are part of their “On Our Sleeves” campaign to address children’s mental health. According to their page “Research shows that people who practice gratitude – who think about the good things in their life – are healthier and happier!” So maybe even grownups without kids should take a look.
On the mental health theme, I recently finished the audiobook version of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk:. It is a sixteen hour tome – not for the faint of heart. But if you struggle with the effects of trauma or encounter those who do in your profession (education, law enforcement, ministry, healthcare etc.), it’s very insightful and worth the time.
In a more theological lane for addressing what’s wrong with society, I’m about halfway through John Mark Comer’s God Has a Name. A much quicker read/listen. He’s already quoted Keyser Söze (“the greatest trick the devil ever pulled is convincing the world he doesn’t exist”) … and addressed penal substitutionary atonement theory. Lately I’ve seen a few folks shrieking about PSAT (interesting acronym), implying it isn’t true and is some conspiracy or at least gross misinterpretation by the modern western evangelical church. I’ve been scratching my head over those allegations thinking, “But it is true according to scripture. It’s just not the whole story.” I feel vindicated by JMC who states, “It is true, and I believe it.” He goes on to state PSAT is one of several metaphors the New Testament uses to describe what Jesus did on the cross. And, indeed, for about a millennium and half it was not the dominant metaphor emphasized by the church.
It’s both and! And it’s all good news.
I’m grateful for good news. I’m grateful for good books. I’m grateful for laughter.
Case in point, I’m not sure if Spiderman was raptured or what, but I saw this on yesterday’s walk.
And this arrived in the mail, addressed to me. Seriously? Really? I am not that old. I laughed as I tossed it in with the recycling.
I’m grateful for friends who laugh with me over this story with highly important information you need to know about moose and then counter with this fact-checked true story about one of the creatures dangling fifty feet in the air.
For now, I’m gonna go keep my mind on things above, as Colossians 3 says. I wonder if this counts.
We’re doing a Thanksgiving paper chain this year. It’s pretty fun and a nice decoration. Good-enough-isists don’t measure with a ruler, though, so it’s not as regular as the ones in the picture. If you do it all red, white, and green, you can put it on your tree instead of lights! https://www.livewellplaytogether.com/create-a-thanksgiving-paper-chain/
PS I really liked The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. I will have to look at the one you recommend too. Thanks for the tip!