Format, Grace, Envy

I actually start by reading The Daily Bible, the other good book, and then either the prayer or write about yesterday. I figure many people are interested in how my days have gone and have their own devotionals, Bible readings, and books to read; so this is the reason for the format I have chosen.

Yesterday
Worship was feeling really early. We were up late ... but I don't remember why. Sal spoke about Foolishness and Faith. God asks us to do seemingly foolish things, but in the end they are very wise. Like: Building a boat with no water nearby, sacrificing your son, and changing the priorities in your life. The opposite of fear is faith. The more faith, the less fear, they don't coexist very well. Sal used the example of air in a glass, fill the glass with water and there will be less air. Fill your life with faith and there is less fear. Fear removes desire and ability to take action. Faith removes fear, and therefore removes inactivity, replacing it with holy living.

We went ice skating... I say "we" but really it was "they." The largest size skate was 43, I wear a 49. I went to a coffee shop and relaxed, checked out some www.AnswersInGenesis.org news and notes, then watched a couple of TED Talks. An intersting section from Answers' News to Note on the evolution of Religion:

5. ScienceDaily: “Religion May Have Evolved Because of its Ability to Help People Exercise Self-Control”

How is one psychologist answering the loaded question “why did religion evolve?”

University of Miami (Florida) psychologist Michael McCullough thinks he has a clue to just why religion evolved: as a mechanism for improving self-control in participants.

McCullough reviewed almost a century worth of research on world religions, including research from neuroscience, economics, psychology, and sociology. His conclusion? That religious people have more self-control, and thus are better at achieving long-term goals. For example, McCullough noted that religious people have an advantage over the irreligious when it comes to substance abuse, academic achievement, crime, and physical and mental health.

Additionally, McCullough pointed out studies that show that the part of the brain responsible for prayer is also “most important” for self-control, and that goals viewed as “sacred” receive more attention and effort. Also—unsurprisingly—religions provide moral standards and religious persons believe God is watching their behavior, contributing further to self-control.

And . . . that’s it. The press release offers nothing to buttress the titular claim that the connection between religion and self-control (or good behavior in general) shows that it “evolved.” These days, research of all kinds is hammered to fit into the grand story of evolution—and as long as the story can be imagined to be true, it counts as science.

Then we went to Beijing Train Station to get a train ticket for Finn. The only train available is a special 3:35 AM that takes 25 hours and 20+ minutes! The train wasn't listed on any normal English schedules, however after a few searches and many page views in Chinese... I found a very helpful website: http://train.8684.cn/

Finn arrived at Midnight, came to my place by taxi around 12:30AM, then on to the train station. We exchanged a few things like money for a train ticket and printer ink for packaged meals for the train. It wasn't really an exchange in that regard. We were going to pay for our ink, but he insisted we were so helpful that he gave it to us. We packed him breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the train... and a snack or two.

I finally got to bed around 1:45AM after studying a little more Chinese... crazy.

The Daily Bible - Genesis 27-28
Jacob steals the blessing, then flees to Haran. Jacob dreams of a stairway to Heaven and promises to give God a tenth of everything he is given by God. Why does God bless less than honest people? Because all people are less than honest? Yet God is working out his master plan to bless the entire world through Abraham's descendants, so some of them aren't so wonderful and others might just be awful. Don't we all have people in our family that are in need of God's grace? Aren't we all in need of God's grace?

Boundaries in Marriage - Applying the Ten Laws of Boundaries to Marriage
Law #8: The Law of Envy
"We will never get what we want if we focus outside our boundaries on what others have." This law is all about taking ownership of my problems, recognizing that I must not blame another person for my faults. The example used: the wife is envious of her husbands ability to make quick decisions through which he seems to "control" others, including his wife. More accurately said from a third party, his wife is weak in the area of assertiveness. Therefore she sees her husband's ability as negative, while she actually envies his ability.

One needs to thank the Lord for every ability used properly by spouse, sibling, parents, friend, or neighbor... envy should have no place in one's heart.

Prayer
Lord thank you for your constant presence in my life. You take me out of the depths of despair, lifting me to the mountain tops of victory. You give me unending joy and happiness, while encouraging me through struggling moments. Help me to be a blessing today.