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Neurons Ring! Are You Listening?
I remember a lecture on neurons and the paths they take at adult Sunday school one winter. The lecturer was a respected psychologist and had been influential in my husband’s life. So I was primed to take what he said seriously. He pontificated at length on the manipulation of our neuro-nets by the world of advertising. From his point of view, Christmas provided the perfect opportunity for people to be set up for greed and disappointment. I don’t necessarily disagree, except that God made our nervous systems for a reason. He mentioned how the smells of pine and cinnamon, the ubiquitous strands of lights, and the shiny wrapped presents send…
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Escape the Monologues: The Stories that Trap Us
On my way to work one day, I saw a stray dog. A greyhound mix, he was trotting along the road, his ribs showing through his thin coat. A large black tumorous growth protruded from his side. I stopped my car and got out. I called to him to come, but he just stood there, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. When he started to run again, I followed him. He stopped. I called. He ran. This happened a few times before I realized that I could not interrupt his mindset. Never once did he make eye contact with me or respond with any doggy signal. I couldn’t make…
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How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
Years ago, the Lord gave me a vision of a woman. Inside of her was a barren world with dead trees and storm clouds in a desert landscape. Outside of her was a mirror image of the same landscape with the same clouds, dusty terrain, and blackened trees. I struggled with the metaphor for a bit and then the words of Ed Smith, the founder of Theophostic prayer ministry came to me. The basic principle is this: What you feel is what you believe, and what you believe might as well be true, because the results will be the same. For me, after enduring years of narcissistic abuse, the vision…