What do we say about the Ten Words?  The Commandments,  both iconic and epic have survived holocausts and vanquishing of regimes. The ten pillars have endured 3500 years of scrutiny and criticism, and have outlived every commentator and opponent.

So which of the Ten Words is the most violated? The most decadent command prevents broken homes and sexually transmitted infections. Is Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery the most violated? Negative Ghost Rider.  How about Thou Shalt Not Steal? Covet? Lie?  Dishonor Parents? Images? Nope.

Here it is…wait for it…it’s almost here….

The most violated commandment is….Rest.

The World Health Organization has declared that stress with its anxiety poses the greatest threat to civilization.  Why?  What is it about current culture that fuels the fires of anxiety and fear like at no other time in history?

9/11 2001 terrorists unleashed hell on America.  Recession and suicide.  The most prolific opioid epidemic in history.  Sex addiction.  The list escalates with blood pressure, yes?

So, what is the treatment plan for an exhausted stressed out planet?

• Matthew 11:28-30
  28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

• Genesis 2:2-3
  2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

• Exodus 20:8-10
  8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

• Isaiah 14:3-4

  3 On the day the LORD gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!

• Psalm 55:6

  6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.

• Mark 6:31
  31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

• Psalm 127:2

  2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.

• Mark 2:27
  27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

• Mark 6:32
  32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

• Psalm 4:8
  8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

• Exodus 23:12
  12 “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.

• Exodus 33:14
  14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

• Isaiah 26:3
  3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

• Isaiah 57:1-2
  1 The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. 2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.

• Psalm 23
  1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

• Psalm 37:7

  7 Be still before the LORD  and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

• Hebrews 4:9-11

  9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

• John 16:33
  33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

• Philippians 4:6-7

  6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Rest. Look at Exodus 23:12. God wants our employees to rest, our business equipment, and our ass to rest.  Rest. God is not kidding.

In the Syriac language the Matthew 11:28 passage reads, ” Come to me all you who are weary…I will rest you.”

God desires to rest you. The Perfect Parent is pleased when you are rested.

I hung out with religious folk for 30 years. They are the most hopped up people on anxiety and stress I have ever known.  Evangelical addictions, domestic violence, sexual assault rates and divorce are no different than non church goers. Religious folk on average view porn longer than non churched porn watchers.

Why? We are exhausted and out of control.  We have forgotten how to rest.

When anxiety reacts, the limbic system fills with dopamine.  Adrenaline transfers to accommodate a heightened state of arousal, blood flow from the carotid arteries focuses on the limbic system and at the same time blood flow diminishes to the Pre Frontal Cortex. The PFC is now no longer able to regulate the fear and sex response of the limbic system.

I act like a jackass when I don’t rest my ox or ass because the offline PFC cannot regulate my jackassery.

Time to rest.  Take pleasure in the little things, family, God, prayer, food, and…enjoy rest.  God is smart. He wove rest through the thread of the entire Bible. You friend, have permission to rest your employees, your business equipment, and your dunkey so you don’t act like a jackass.

En Espanol

¿Qué decimos acerca de las Diez Palabras? Los Mandamientos, tanto icónicos como épicos, han sobrevivido holocaustos y derrotas de regímenes. Los diez pilares han soportado 3500 años de escrutinio y crítica, y han sobrevivido a todos los comentaristas y oponentes.

Entonces, ¿cuál de las Diez Palabras es la más violada? El mando más decadente previene los hogares rotos y las infecciones de transmisión sexual. ¿Es No cometerás adulterio el más violado? El motorista fantasma negativo. ¿Qué tal No robarás? ¿Codiciar? ¿Mentir? ¿Deshonrar a los padres? ¿Imágenes? No.
Aquí está… espéralo… ya casi está aquí….
El mandamiento más violado es… Descansar.
La Organización Mundial de la Salud ha declarado que el estrés con su ansiedad representa la mayor amenaza para la civilización. ¿Por qué? ¿Qué tiene la cultura actual que alimenta los fuegos de la ansiedad y el miedo como en ningún otro momento de la historia?
El 11 de septiembre de 2001, los terroristas desataron el infierno en Estados Unidos. Recesión y suicidio. La epidemia de opioides más prolífica de la historia. Adicción al sexo. La lista aumenta con la presión arterial, ¿sí?
Entonces, ¿cuál es el plan de tratamiento para un planeta agotado y estresado?
* Mateo 11:28-3028 “Venid a mí todos los que estáis trabajados y cargados, y yo os haré descansar. 29 Llevad mi yugo sobre vosotros y aprended de mí, que soy manso y humilde de corazón, y hallaréis descanso para vuestras almas. 30 Porque mi yugo es suave y mi carga ligera.
* Génesis 2:2-32 Al séptimo día Dios había terminado la obra que había estado haciendo; así que en el séptimo día descansó de todo su trabajo. 3 Y bendijo Dios el séptimo día y lo santificó, porque en él reposó de toda la obra de creación que había hecho.
* Éxodo 20:8-108 “Acuérdate del día de reposo para santificarlo. 9 Seis días trabajarás y harás toda tu obra, 10 pero el séptimo día es sábado para el SEÑOR tu Dios. No harás en él obra alguna, ni tú, ni tu hijo, ni tu hija, ni tu siervo, ni tu sierva, ni tus animales, ni ningún extranjero que resida en tus ciudades.
* Isaías 14:3-43 El día que el SEÑOR te libere de tu aflicción y aflicción, y del duro trabajo que te fue impuesto, 4 pronunciarás esta burla contra el rey de Babilonia: ¡Cómo ha llegado el opresor a un ¡final! ¡Cómo ha terminado su furor!
* Salmo 55:66 Dije: “¡Ojalá tuviera alas de paloma! Me iría volando y descansaría.
* Marcos 6:31-31 Entonces, como tanta gente iba y venía que ni siquiera tenían oportunidad de comer, les dijo: “Vengan conmigo solos a un lugar tranquilo y descansen un poco”.
* Salmo 127:22 En vano te levantas temprano y te desvelas, afanándote por comida para comer, porque él da sueño a los que ama.
* Marcos 2:27-27 Entonces él les dijo: “El sábado fue hecho por causa del hombre, no el hombre por causa del sábado.
* Marcos 6:3232 Y se fueron ellos solos en una barca a un lugar solitario.
* Salmo 4:88 En paz me acostaré y dormiré, porque solo tú, SEÑOR, me haces habitar seguro.
* Éxodo 23:1212 “Seis días haz tu trabajo, y el séptimo día no trabajes, para que descanse tu buey y tu asno, y para que tome refrigerio el esclavo nacido en tu casa y el extranjero que habita entre vosotros .
* Éxodo 33:1414 El SEÑOR respondió: “Mi Presencia irá contigo, y te daré descanso”.
* Isaías 26:33 Guardarás en perfecta paz a aquellos cuya mente es firme, porque en ti confían.
* Isaías 57:1-21 El justo perece, y nadie lo toma a pecho; los piadosos son arrebatados, y nadie entiende que los justos son arrebatados para ser librados del mal. 2 Los que andan en integridad entran en paz; encuentran descanso mientras yacen en la muerte.
* Salmo 231 El SEÑOR es mi pastor, nada me falta. 2 En verdes pastos me hace descansar, junto a aguas de reposo me conduce, 3 refresca mi alma. Me guía por los caminos rectos por amor de su nombre. 4 Aunque ande por valles tenebrosos,no temeré mal alguno, porque tú estarás conmigo; tu vara y tu cayado me consuelan. 5 Tú preparas una mesa delante de mí en presencia de mis enemigos. Unges mi cabeza con aceite; mi copa se desborda. 6Ciertamente tu bondad y tu amor me seguirán todos los días de mi vida, y en la casa del SEÑOR moraré por largos días.
* Salmo 37:77 Estad quietos delante del SEÑOR y espéralo con paciencia; no te inquietes cuando la gente tenga éxito en sus caminos, cuando lleven a cabo sus perversos planes.
* Hebreos 4:9-119 Queda, pues, un descanso sabático para el pueblo de Dios; 10 porque cualquiera que entra en el reposo de Dios, también descansa de sus obras, así como Dios de las suyas. 11 Por tanto, esforcémonos por entrar en ese reposo, para que nadie perezca siguiendo su ejemplo de desobediencia.
* Juan 16:33
* 33 “Estas cosas os he hablado para que en mí tengáis paz. En este mundo tendrás problemas. ¡Pero anímate! He vencido al mundo.”

Filipenses 4:6-7

6 No se inquieten por nada, sino que en toda situación, con oración y ruego, presenten sus peticiones a Dios con acción de gracias. 7 Y la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús.
Descanso. Mire Éxodo 23:12. Dios quiere que nuestros empleados descansen, nuestro equipo comercial y nuestro trasero descanse. Descanso. Dios no está bromeando.

En el idioma siríaco, el pasaje de Mateo 11:28 dice: “Venid a mí todos los que estáis trabajados… yo os haré descansar”.

Dios desea darle descanso. El Padre Perfecto se complace cuando descansas.

Salí con gente religiosa durante 30 años. Son las personas más entusiasmadas con la ansiedad y el estrés que he conocido. Las adicciones evangélicas, la violencia doméstica, las tasas de agresión sexual y el divorcio no son diferentes de los que no asisten a la iglesia. La gente religiosa en promedio ve pornografía por más tiempo que los observadores de pornografía no religiosos.

¿Por qué? Estamos exhaustos y fuera de control. Hemos olvidado cómo descansar.

Cuando la ansiedad reacciona, el sistema límbico se llena de dopamina. La adrenalina se transfiere para adaptarse a un estado elevado de excitación, el flujo sanguíneo de las arterias carótidas se concentra en el sistema límbico y, al mismo tiempo, el flujo sanguíneo disminuye hacia la corteza prefrontal. El PFC ahora ya no puede regular el miedo y la respuesta sexual del sistema límbico.

Actúo como un idiota cuando no descanso mi buey o mi trasero porque el PFC fuera de línea no puede regular mi idiotez.

Tiempo de descansar. Disfruta de las pequeñas cosas, la familia, Dios, la oración, la comida y… disfruta del descanso. Dios es inteligente. Tejió el descanso a través del hilo de toda la Biblia. Amigo, ten permiso para que descansen tus empleados, tu equipo de negocios y tu burro para que no actúes como un idiota.

A beautiful client asked me to write a blog on shame. Underneath addictive behavior is an underlying driver, that is the energy, the power moving the addiction.  The primary driver I address in my practice is…shame.

There are two entry points for the conversation on shame, neurological and spiritual.

Let’s talk about the spiritual first.  In the book of Genesis God creates man in his own image. He creates them male and female. They are naked and without shame. Man and woman enjoy the beauty of intimacy with God and each other. Man and woman react to the anxiety of temptation and desire to be like God experiencing good and evil.  They violate boundaries with God. Immediately they feel shame and hide. God seeks them out, gives them gifts of pain and labor…then one of the truly beautiful pieces in all the Bible.  God sacrifices an animal and makes clothing to cover the shame of the first family.  The Hebrew word used in this passage has the nuance, “to clothe a person as one does royalty.” God covers shame.

Silvan Tompkins was a 20th century neuroscientist. He placed sensors on the body to research what happens when we feel shame. First, shame moves up through the enteric nervous system, the torso, to the neck and face where blushing occurs. Then shame travels to the back of the neck where the muscles relax and eyes avert.  Shame then travels through the neuro pathways on the top of the neo cortex to be processed in the prefrontal cortex with compassion and self awareness. The purpose of shame is to reset our system from strong emotion to a state of balance, homeostasis.  If shame does not process with compassion and self awareness, shame becomes part of the fear circuitry of addiction neuro pathways.

I call this toxic shame. All shame is not evil. I wish to be a father of dignity and honor. The shame of losing whom I love moves me. This is healthy. Unhealthy shame drives me to work without relenting, drink to intoxication, and rage without warning.

I am a person of faith, a follower of Christ. My higher power processed my shame with compassion on the cross. Jesus was crucified nude. Jewish men are extremely modest. Christ took my shame upon Himself.  In an act of love and compassion He does with my shame that which I could never do…bring an end to toxic shame.

Our response to shame can be many fold. I can shame others. I can self shame. Or, I can attend to my shame by  loving what God loves and show compassion to whom God is compassionate.  I can be free to love myself as I love my neighbor…without shame. May you be free. Today.

Scariest movie ever?  Aliens. Which one of the sequels was worse? All of them.

I was a young man when the first Alien larvae burst through a space travelers belly.

Incredible. Nothing like it…ever! Do you remember the prequel when the heroine surgically removed the parasite from her torso? I revisited the larvae busting out scene on youtube just now. Primal scream!!!!

Soooo, what’s the most horrifying Bible passage ever?  What are the words that bring terror to the most faithful of followers?  Are you ready for weak knees and  a bit of throw up in the back of your throat?  Here it comes…wait for it…hold on…

Love yourself.

Frightening. For 30 years I have had the privilege of counseling people of faith. There is no population I know on the planet more frightened of…loving themselves. When I say those words in a counseling session it’s as though I morph into the image of the monster queen in Alien.  My inner jaw with razor incisors drips acid lilting the words …”love yourself.” Eyes open wide with dread and respiration ceases momentarily. Anxiety escalates. Adrenalin pumps, arteries bulge.

What in the world?!!!

Look at the passages below.  Loving oneself is a rich developed Biblical theology. And…you can’t do it, that is love you, if you are a person of faith.

You.  Can’t. Without. Help.

You have most likely never heard the healthy teaching of loving yourself and caring for the image of God in you.  You may have been taught incorrectly that the summum bonum of faith is to hate yourself. Any other allegiance than self mortification is pride and hubris, the stuff of humanity wrecking.

A strange phenomenon takes place neurologically when we hate ourselves, that is choose not to love and care for whom and what God loves. Resentment neural pathways grow becoming stronger with each loathing thought and deed.  This new pathway now dominates  neural architecture finding no other course than to condemn others. We cannot help but project our own self loathing onto friend and enemy alike.

Since I retired from the professional clergy, a new freedom has found me. Circled by alien aggression and hatred for decades, I now see more clearly. God loves you. He made you in His image. God loves the image. He adores His image in…you.

I have been sharing this good news with clients in need of recovery from serial shame and self hatred.  I keep looking for monsters showing up at my office for follow up appointments drooling drips of carbolic acid and narcissism with accounts of alien aggressors shredding families and co workers. Just the opposite. Kind compassionate grateful folk awaken to the love of God and the capacity to care for others and…themselves.

I see people freed from addictive shame. They breathe easier. They love more richly. They are free.

Can you read the passages below without judgement?  Will you be open to the joy of caring for whom and what God loves?  Can you begin by showing compassion to….you?

What I believe will burst forth from your belly will not be a larval parasite of pride and selfishness but gratitude and delight for the image within.

If you love whom and what God loves, you may need to become accustomed to life without hatred and terror.  Are you ready?

I am ending this blog piece with a video of a dog.  I had to add some kind of soothing after watching the alien larvae busting out of the space guy’s stomach.

Leviticus 19:18

‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.

Matthew 19:19

HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

Matthew 22:39

“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’

Mark 12:31

“The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Luke 10:27

And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

Romans 13:9

For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

Galatians 5:14

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

James 2:8

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.

Romans 13:8

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Matthew 5:43

“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’

Matthew 5:44

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Luke 6:27“

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

Luke 6:35

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

Matthew 5:46

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Luke 6:32

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

Deuteronomy 10:19

“So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 19:34

‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.

Mark 12:33

AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

En Espanol

¿La película más terrorífica de la historia? Extraterrestres ¿Cuál de las secuelas fue peor? Todos ellos.

Yo era un joven cuando las primeras larvas alienígenas irrumpieron en el vientre de un viajero espacial.

Increíble. ¡Nada como eso… nunca! ¿Recuerdas la precuela cuando la heroína extirpó quirúrgicamente el parásito de su torso? Volví a visitar la escena de las larvas en youtube hace un momento. ¡¡¡¡Grito primario!!!!

Así que, ¿cuál es el pasaje bíblico más horrible de la historia? ¿Cuáles son las palabras que aterrorizan al más fiel de los seguidores? ¿Estás listo para las rodillas débiles y un poco de vómito en la parte posterior de la garganta? Aquí viene… espéralo… espera…

Amate a ti mismo.

Atemorizante. Durante 30 años he tenido el privilegio de aconsejar a personas de fe. No hay población que conozca en el planeta más asustada de… amarse a sí misma. Cuando digo esas palabras en una sesión de asesoramiento es como si me transformara en la imagen de la reina de los monstruos en Alien. Mi mandíbula interior con incisivos afilados gotea ácido melodioso con las palabras… “ámate a ti mismo”. Los ojos se abren de par en par con temor y la respiración cesa momentáneamente. La ansiedad aumenta. La adrenalina bombea, las arterias se hinchan.

¡¿Qué demonios?!

Mira los pasajes a continuación. Amarse a uno mismo es una teología bíblica ricamente desarrollada. Y… no puedes hacerlo, eso es amarte, si eres una persona de fe.

Ustedes. No poder. Sin. Ayudar.

Lo más probable es que nunca hayas escuchado la enseñanza saludable de amarte a ti mismo y cuidar la imagen de Dios en ti. Es posible que te hayan enseñado incorrectamente que el summum bonum de la fe es odiarte a ti mismo. Cualquier otra lealtad que no sea la auto mortificación es orgullo y arrogancia, la materia de la destrucción de la humanidad.

Un fenómeno extraño ocurre neurológicamente cuando nos odiamos a nosotros mismos, es decir, elegimos no amar ni cuidar a quién y qué ama Dios. Las vías neuronales del resentimiento se fortalecen con cada pensamiento y acto de odio. Este nuevo camino ahora domina la arquitectura neuronal y no encuentra otro camino que condenar a los demás. No podemos evitar proyectar nuestro propio desprecio por nosotros mismos en amigos y enemigos por igual.

Desde que me retiré del clero profesional, me ha encontrado una nueva libertad. Rodeado por la agresión y el odio alienígenas durante décadas, ahora veo con más claridad. Dios te ama. Él te hizo a Su imagen. Dios ama la imagen. Él adora Su imagen en… ti.

He estado compartiendo esta buena noticia con clientes que necesitan recuperarse de la vergüenza en serie y el odio a sí mismos. Sigo buscando monstruos que aparecen en mi oficina para citas de seguimiento babeando gotas de ácido carbólico y narcisismo con relatos de agresores alienígenas destrozando familias y compañeros de trabajo. Todo lo contrario. La gente amable, compasiva y agradecida despierta el amor de Dios y la capacidad de cuidar a los demás y… a sí mismos.

Veo personas liberadas de la vergüenza adictiva. Respiran mejor. Aman más intensamente. Son gratis.

¿Puedes leer los siguientes pasajes sin juzgar? ¿Estarás abierto al gozo de cuidar a quién y qué ama Dios? ¿Puedes comenzar mostrándote compasión… a ti?

Lo que creo que brotará de tu vientre no será un parásito larvario de orgullo y egoísmo sino gratitud y deleite por la imagen que llevas dentro.

Si amas a quién y lo que Dios ama, es posible que debas acostumbrarte a una vida sin odio ni terror. ¿Estás listo?

Estoy terminando esta pieza de blog con un video de un perro. Tuve que añadir algún tipo de calmante después de ver las larvas alienígenas saliendo del estómago del hombre del espacio.

Levítico 19:18

“No te vengarás, ni guardarás rencor a los hijos de tu pueblo, sino que amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo; Yo soy el SEÑOR.

Mateo 19:19

HONRA A TU PADRE Y A TU MADRE; y AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO”.

Mateo 22:39

El segundo es semejante: AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO.

Marcos 12:31

“El segundo es este: ‘AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO.’ No hay otro mandamiento mayor que estos”.

Lucas 10:27

Y él respondió: AMARÁS AL SEÑOR TU DIOS CON TODO TU CORAZÓN, Y CON TODA TU ALMA, Y CON TODAS TUS FUERZAS, Y CON TODA TU MENTE, YA TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO.

Romanos 13:9

Por esto, “NO COMETERÁS ADULTERIO, NO MATARÁS, NO ROBARÁS, NO CODICIARÁS”, y si hay algún otro mandamiento, se resume en este dicho: “AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO”. .”

Gálatas 5:14

Porque toda la Ley se cumple en una sola palabra, en la declaración: AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO.

Santiago 2:8

Sin embargo, si estás cumpliendo la ley real según la Escritura, “AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO”, estás haciendo bien.

Romanos 13:8

No debáis nada a nadie excepto amaros los unos a los otros; porque el que ama a su prójimo ha cumplido la ley.

Mateo 5:43

“Oísteis que fue dicho: AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO y aborrecerás a tu enemigo.

Mateo 5:44

“Pero yo os digo, amad a vuestros enemigos y orad por los que os persiguen,

Lucas 6:27″

Pero yo os digo a vosotros que escucháis, amad a vuestros enemigos, haced bien a los que os aborrecen,

Lucas 6:35

“Sino amad a vuestros enemigos, y haced el bien, y prestad sin esperar nada a cambio; y vuestra recompensa será grande, y seréis hijos del Altísimo; porque Él mismo es bondadoso con los hombres ingratos y malos.

Mateo 5:46

“Porque si amáis a los que os aman, ¿qué recompensa tendréis? ¿No hacen lo mismo los recaudadores de impuestos?

Lucas 6:32

Si amáis a los que os aman, ¿qué mérito tenéis? Porque aun los pecadores aman a los que los aman.

Deuteronomio 10:19

“Así que mostrad vuestro amor por el extranjero, porque forasteros fuisteis en la tierra de Egipto.

Levítico 19:34

“El extranjero que mora con vosotros será para vosotros como el natural entre vosotros, y lo amaréis como a vosotros mismos, porque forasteros fuisteis vosotros en la tierra de Egipto; Yo soy el SEÑOR tu Dios.

Marcos 12:33

Y AMARLO CON TODO EL CORAZÓN Y CON TODA LA COMPRENSIÓN Y CON TODAS LAS FUERZAS, Y AMAR AL PRÓJIMO COMO A SÍ MISMO, es mucho más que todos los holocaustos y sacrificios”.

Psalm 56:8 New Living Translation (NLT)

You keep track of all my sorrows.[a]
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.

God is the one who made you from His desire to love and show compassion.  His image dwells in the mothers hand soothing the furor of a child’s feverish brow. God measures  sorrow keeping tears as tribute to His love for you.  Can you hear His humor in the toothless grin of a baby’s belly laugh?  He knit your dna with tenderness . He saw your flaws, blurry eyesight, and the back of your head bald spot. He likes you. You were His first love. He will be your final hope.  Nothing in space can separate you from His compassionate presence; not time, distance, not death. Nothing. You bear His image within you. He loves the image. You are not animal. Like a grandparent enthralled by the grandchild he will not let you go. Leaving you is impossible for God.  Whether the soccer game or the stalag, He is aware and brings compassion to your pain. St. Augustine once said, “Love means, I want you to be.” This is the tenderness of God for you.

The image of God is the sense you experience with a yellow sunset behind orange clouds, the mesmerizing hypnosis of a warm crackling beach bonfire.  All is well when connected to the image of God. The imago both spiritual and physical can be sensed in loving without condition, brokered peace between nations, and in the delightful faces of children and their image in our grandchildren.

The American biologist O.E. Wilson wrote of biophilia, love of the living world. He believed we are genetically connected to nature and require its connection for our health.  God loves the Creation, Nature bears His loving image and “our existence depends on this propensity, our spirit is woven from it, and hope rises on its currents.”  (Ling, p. 14)

Jonathon Edwards considered to be America’s theologian crafted a beautiful anthology of the 18th Century New England Great Awakening. He rode his horse in nature daily after studying for 13 hours connecting nature and theology. Edwards believed that the world was a theater mirroring back to God beauty and intimacy. The world is God’s Theater of His Glory. (Zakai, p. 18)

Nature is not God. Man is not God. Nature bears the image of God and can assist to connect us to His beauty and balance. Nature is not random, it is a complex of ecosystems of healthy inter dependency.

The image is balance. Nature is balance. The universe exists in balance. We must balance.

Our mission on this planet is to live in wholeness; showing compassion to whom and what God loves.

Romans 1:19

For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

Genesis 1:6

Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

Genesis 1:7

God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.

Genesis 1:14

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;

Psalm 8:1

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

Psalm 50:6

And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is judge. Selah.

Psalm 89:5

The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

Psalm 97:6

The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.

Psalm 145:10

All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You.

58 Earth revolutions around the Sun previous my wonderful mother pushed me into the world. These 232 awesome equinoxes have been a blast. This life God has blessed me with is amazing. Thank you!

I have decided to retire the term “years old” referring to my age. “Years old” has the  expiration date charm of refrigerated cheese.

I am officially and from now on 58 levels.  Next December I have the privilege of attaining level 59! Then 60! 

You cannot progress to the next level of a video game until you have mastered the lower levels. Leveling up requires expertise, patience, and confidence.

Honest?  I would not want to be level 20 again. Why? At level 20 I was a self proclaimed genius with expert insight into every subject I had never studied. My rocket science degree was earned on a bar stool. Learning at level 20 requires inordinate amounts of failure.  Level 58 is amazing. Socrates once said. “One thing I know is that I do not know.“  What I know at level 58 is that I am not God, I don’t know…but I am exhilarated to find out.

Can’t wait until level 59 and beyond. Think of the truth we will experience together!  Consider the love and depth we can know.

On Mars each day is called a Sol. Can we be mindful and grateful for the truth of today…the reality of this Sol? Can I be grateful for my family, for provision, for sunlight, for love, for the presence of God?

Doesn’t the gratitude for today’s revolution around the sun mean we earn the privilege of leveling up?

God’s character forms in the shape of compassion.

Psalm 103 New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 103

Of David.

I call Psalm 103, the compassion Psalm. God’s primary descriptor in the Bible is the God of Compassion. Check out this study on the word, compassion, in the Bible, https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?qs_version=NIV&quicksearch=compassion&startnumber=76.

Compassion forms in the prefrontal cortex (PFC)  in a gray matter structure called the anterior cingulate.

When anxiety reacts and escalates whether by fear or by drug of choice, blood flow diminishes to the PFC and the anterior cingulate begins to disable.

Compassion for others and self goes offline. We cannot feel or show compassion because that part of the brain does not function.

I love this piece in the Psalms. David finds joy in his spirituality, the removal of guilt, shame, and the renewal of the image of God within. These truths reduce anxiety and restore blood flow to the anterior cingulate bringing compassion back online.

Did you see it? God is the perfect father.  He cannot abuse nor harm the child He loves. The Father shows compassion to the child who connects with him, the Scripture calls this connection reverence.  Again, anxiety mitigates, decreases, and blood flow restores. The spirituality region of the brain lights up with reason, self awareness, gratitude, and compassion. The fatherhood of God puts compassion back on the radar of my thinking and doing.

God’s character forms in the shape of compassion. You have permission to show others and yourself compassion. Is this not the deeper way?

The Spirituality of Money

School shootings. No national policy to protect our children, no cultural change. Why?  Could it be the spirituality of money.? Terrorists stealth onto passenger airliners. One Jihadist wires a bomb to his underpants. Another terrorist removes the insoles of his shoe and inserts an explosive device to blast innocent passengers into oblivion at 35,000 feet traumatizing a world addicted to travel.  Both bombs malfunction, perps imprisoned. Immediately culture shifts.  Government with airlines act. An organization immediately forms to safeguard travel. Now, underpants and private parts reveal every time you walk through TSA security. How about those shoes?  Nope. Take them off. Put your Nikes in the bin for X-ray.  Burly guards frisk grandmas, the disabled are dishonored with inappropriate touch by trained personnel they know not.  Why the haste?  The spirituality of money. Frighten a culture into not flying…industries fail. Taxes plummet. Lobbyists don’t get paid. Politicians don’t re elect.

Point and fire an assault rifle at children corralled in a school building. Kill a dozen or more at a time. Repeat over a dozen times in 2 months. Permit this for years.  No national policy. No cultural change. Why? The spirituality of money.

Money is not a means of trade and exchange. Money is our spirituality and means everything to our culture. Until we embrace the spirituality of money we will continue to enable the slaughter of children in public schools. Changing the system of open campuses exposed to homegrown terrorists with weapons of war will cost big bucks. School systems struggle to maintain budgets.  The answer to this cultural melt down taxes John and Jane Q Citizen. You pay more in taxes. The pressure now touches our spirit and we deny and avoid. Nothing changes. Why? Our money is our spirituality. Our money has become who we are and shapes our brain. The shape of our brain matter then guides our thinking and actions.

Our young men gun down children in their own community because our spirituality orbits money.

So, what steps do we take?  Acknowledge what we love.  We are in love with money. Take it away we lose our identity as a culture. During the Great Recession 10,000 known suicides succeeded because people lost the love of their lives…their money. The top reason for divorce in America?  Money. The most spiritual truth in our culture is the connection to money.

What if we admit our obsession?  What if the change we need begins in me…in you?  If my money connects to my spirituality, what will happen if I add self awareness and compassion to my money?  What if the love and identity I have for my checkbook takes on a different tone? This new narrative now becomes one full of compassion and awareness for our children.  I pay a small portion of my income for security for our children because they, the children, are at the core of my spirituality with my money.

I am not afraid to fly in a long tube hurling through the stratosphere at 400 miles per hour. I pay for the security that takes pictures of my underpants and private parts forcing me to remove my shoes exposing my holy socks. Moses removed his shoes and it worked for him.   Holy ground found the Israelite felon. Spirituality came down and touched him when the great leader humbled himself and connected spirituality to leather. He became empowered when spirituality integrated with his story. The world changed.

Connect spirituality to your money. You will see change. My money reflects who I am as a father, husband, and grandfather. My money must touch whom and what I love in meaningful helpful ways.

I understand armed marshals sit on the plane with me as I am flung through space.  Why? They guard what we love, our money and a world wide industry at risk. What shall we do for our children and grandchildren?

Will we invest in mental health services?  Will we form a culture of security that closes campuses and protects the child?  Will my money touch the children I love, or will I continue to deny that my money is my spirituality and remove myself from responsibility so I pay less?

I have three grandchildren and a daughter who spend the majority of their week on a school campus. I will be willing to pay my share for their security. Why? I love them. They are the focus of my compassion and self awareness with my money. Now my money and spirituality connect.

Many of you will feel immediate anxiety at paying for the security for those whom we love with our spirituality. You will resist. Let’s go further. The politician is driven by re election and the money it brings. When children are massacred, we cleanse government offices immediately. Choose to exclude our children from what we love…politician, you must go. Now. Who did not protect the child? You. Must. Go.

When the status quo faces the loss of money, they will act because their spirit is threatened. In the same way the government and airlines acted at the loss of what they love, money, you will see politicians act in fast motion.  Why? Spirituality and money are one in our culture. Threaten what they love and you will see…closed campuses, marshals or appropriate agents in schools unnoticed by everyone but the homeland homegrown terrorist.  The constant  fear of a marshal thwarting the cowardice of the video gamer turned gunman will prevent further acts of violence against the innocence of our children. My grandchildren will grow up without terror when they walk through the doors of the school. Why?  Spirit has touched money and change results.

Our money is our spirituality. Take it away and we…die. Add compassion to our money and now we connect the beauty of spirituality with our finances. We begin to become human beings of spirit and compassion. Our children and grandchildren…survive.

The Spirituality of Money

School shooting.  Again. No national policy to protect our children, no cultural change. Why?  Could it be the spirituality of money.? Terrorists stealth onto passenger airliners. One Jihadist wires a bomb to his underpants. Another terrorist removes the insoles of his shoe and inserts an explosive device to blast innocent passengers into oblivion at 35,000 feet traumatizing a world addicted to travel.  Both bombs malfunction, perps imprisoned. Immediately culture shifts.  Government with airlines act. An organization immediately forms to safeguard travel. Now, underpants and private parts reveal every time you walk through TSA security. How about those shoes?  Nope. Take them off. Put your Nikes in the bin for X-ray.  Burly guards frisk grandmas, the disabled are dishonored with inappropriate touch by trained personnel they know not.  Why the haste?  The spirituality of money. Frighten a culture into not flying…industries fail. Taxes plummet. Lobbyists don’t get paid. Politicians don’t re elect.

Point and fire an assault rifle at children corralled in a school building. Kill a dozen or more at a time. Repeat over a dozen times in 2 months. Permit this for years.  No national policy. No cultural change. Why? The spirituality of money.

Money is not a means of trade and exchange. Money is our spirituality and means everything to our culture. Until we embrace the spirituality of money we will continue to enable the slaughter of children in public schools. Changing the system of open campuses exposed to homegrown terrorists with weapons of war will cost big bucks. School systems struggle to maintain budgets.  The answer to this cultural melt down taxes John and Jane Q Citizen. You pay more in taxes. The pressure now touches our spirit and we deny and avoid. Nothing changes. Why? Our money is our spirituality. Our money has become who we are and shapes our brain. The shape of our brain matter then guides our thinking and actions.

Our young men gun down children in their own community because our spirituality orbits money.

So, what steps do we take?  Acknowledge what we love.  We are in love with money. Take it away we lose our identity as a culture. During the Great Recession 10,000 known suicides succeeded because people lost the love of their lives…their money.

What if we admit our obsession?  What if the change we need begins in me…in you?  If my money connects to my spirituality, what will happen if I add self awareness and compassion to my money?  What if the love and identity I have for my checkbook takes on a different tone? This new narrative now becomes one full of compassion and awareness for our children.  I pay a small portion of my income for security for our children because they, the children, are at the core of my spirituality with my money.

I am not afraid to fly in a long tube hurling through the stratosphere at 400 miles per hour. I pay for the security that takes pictures of my underpants and private parts forcing me to remove my shoes exposing my holy socks. Moses removed his shoes and it worked for him.   Holy ground found the Israelite felon. Spirituality came down and touched him when the great leader humbled himself and connected spirituality to leather. He became empowered when spirituality integrated with his story. The world changed.

Connect spirituality to your money. You will see change. My money reflects who I am as a father, husband, and grandfather. My money must touch whom and what I love in meaningful helpful ways.

I understand armed marshals sit on the plane with me as I am flung through space.  Why? They guard what we love, our money and a world wide industry at risk. What shall we do for our children and grandchildren?

Will we invest in mental health services?  Will we form a culture of security that closes campuses and protects the child?  Will my money touch the children I love, or will I continue to deny that my money is my spirituality and remove myself from responsibility so I pay less?

I have three grandchildren and a daughter who spend the majority of their week on a school campus. I will be willing to pay my share for their security. Why? I love them. They are the focus of my compassion and self awareness with my money. Now my money and spirituality connect.

Many of you will feel immediate anxiety at paying for the security for those whom we love with our spirituality. You will resist. Let’s go further. The politician is driven by re election and the money it brings. When children are massacred, we cleanse government offices immediately. Choose to exclude our children from what we love…politician, you must go. Now. Who did not protect the child? You. Must. Go.

When the status quo faces the loss of money, they will act because their spirit is threatened. In the same way the government and airlines acted at the loss of what they love, money, you will see politicians act in fast motion.  Why? Spirituality and money are one in our culture. Threaten what they love and you will see…closed campuses, marshals or appropriate agents in schools unnoticed by everyone but the homeland homegrown terrorist.  The constant  fear of a marshal thwarting the cowardice of the video gamer turned gunman will prevent further acts of violence against the innocence of our children. My grandchildren will grow up without terror when they walk through the doors of the school. Why?  Spirit has touched money and change results.

Our money is our spirituality. Take it away and we…die. Add compassion to our money and now we connect the beauty of spirituality with our finances. We begin to become human beings of spirit and compassion. Our children and grandchildren…survive.

Here are more citations on the ability of the brain to rewire itself from addiction.

Research has shown that after a stroke, for motor deficits, notable recovery takes place within 30 days for mild, moderate, and moderate-severe severity with additional recovery up to 90 days for severe strokes (Duncan, P., Goldstein, L., Matchar, D., Divine, G. and Feussner, J., 1992). (Reyst)

Even if axons are destroyed, the brain may be able to recover lost function through alternate white matter pathways that can reconnect relevant gray matter regions.

(Terayama et al., 1993 ; Alexander, 1997 ; Johansen-Berg et al., 2010 ).

Filley, Christopher (2012-05-18). The Behavioral Neurology of White Matter (Page 376). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.

  • Increase or decrease in myelin sheath (white matter): Covers nerve fibers to increase the speed of nerve impulses.

•Increase or decrease in number of dendrites (gray matter): These branch-like fibers are where nerve cells communicate.

•Increase or decrease in the number of synapses: Helps to determine strength of pathways, information flow, learning and memories.

•Increase or decrease in the strength of a synapse: Same as above

The above mechanisms are at work during brain development, learning, memory formation, and the development of addiction. Neuroplasticity works in two directions: it can weaken or delete old connections as well as strengthen or create new connections. In a very simplified model, the major addiction-related brain changes include:

0.Desensitization: Weakening of circuits related to natural rewards (e.g. food, sex, etc.)

0.Sensitization: Formation of Pavlovian memory circuits related to the addiction

0.Hypofrontality: Weakening of the impulse control circuits

0.Altered stress systems: CRF, Amygdala, and HPA axis

http://www.yourbrainonporn.com/rewire-your-brain-using-ocd-neuroscience

In fact, synaptic plasticity occurs throughout the brain, including in excitatory and inhibitory neurons (Kullmann and Lamsa 2007). Moreover, dendritic spines can grow 4-fold within 2 min of forming a new memory (Lang et al., 2004) which in turn would effect neural transmission and increase the number of interconnections between neurons.

Excitatory synapses stimulate neurotransmitters while inhibitory synapses inhibit them.

Read more: http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-inhibitory-and-excitatory/#ixzz4Ek4H62V7

Joseph, R.  (2011-11-10). Memory, Amnesia, Amygdala, Hippocampus, Neural Networks, Long Term Potentiation, Dissociation, Confabulation, False Memories, Traumatic Stress (Kindle Locations 79-81). University Press. Kindle Edition.

Neurobiological Changes after Acquired Brain Injury

After injury to the brain, the processes of neuroplasticity are thought to be the underpinnings of recovery (Carmichael, 2010). To begin, research has found a variety of neuroplastic changes which occur after injury, including:

1.Increases or changes to synapses:
• This includes synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity (Chen, Epstein and Stern; 2010; Nudo, 2011)• Dendrite changes including increased arborization, dendritic growth and spine growth (Nudo, 2011)• Axonal changes including axonal sprouting (Nudo, 2011; Charmichael, 2010)

2.Increased neuron growth:
• Neurogenesis in specific brain areas like the hippocampus subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus and subventricular zone in some areas (Schoch, Madathil and Saatman, 2012), substantia nigra and perinfarcted areas (Font, Arboix & Krupinski, 2010).

3.Angiogenesis
• Angiogenesis is the process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels.

4.Excitability changes:
• Excitability refers to the ability of a neuron to generate action potentials, which is a short-term change in the electrical potential on the surface of a cell. It is an all or nothing proposition as it either fires or does not fire depending on the strength of the potential.

Neuroplasticity After Aquired Brain Injury

By Heidi Reyst, Ph.D., CBIST
Rainbow Rehabilitation Centers

As our experiences change, at a neurobiological level, we either increase or decrease the numbers of synapses, dendrites and axons. If we stop a function, we lose synapses, etc., and if we increase an activity we proliferate synapses, etc., resulting in experience-dependent learning.

Neuroplasticity After Aquired Brain Injury

By Heidi Reyst, Ph.D., CBIST
Rainbow Rehabilitation Centers

Hi you guys,

Trust you are enjoying the gifts of God in preaching, counseling, leadership.

I would like to offer you a free assessment for relationship, finances, and Post Traumatic Stress, i.e. fear.

The average pastor has a 4 year tenure. This means that by month 24 the pastor is calculating an exit strategy from the pain of his congregation and leadership. With regret however, this process tends to repeat if not for the worse.

I wish to give you a gift, a profile of your relationship wiring, money, and fear. Contact me and I will assess you for no fee. You will have after one hour a comprehensive report on how you relate to people, finances, and fear and therefore how to pray and attend to your family, your emotional and spiritual health, and the next board meeting where someone melts down about money.

Here’s what we will do:

The arousal template is a cutting edge tool for understanding the relationship neuro path ways which wired between the ages of 5-8 influencing your ministry and family relationships today. I will show you how to pray, and attend to this story.

The Money and Work Adaptive Style Index measures for 16 different problematic financial neuro pathways from workaholism, spending, to debting.

The Post Traumatic Stress Index measures 11 different ways the brain wires for fear. Do you have nightmares? Startle easily? Trust is difficult?  Do you avoid friendships?

The Neurological wiring assessment will graph for you 6 different neurological structures which can cause your ministry to fail.

May I be personal for a moment? How is intimacy with your spouse?  I can assist you with sexuality as well…confidentially of course.

Interested? Is there a catch? Nope. I love the work you do. My passion is to assist you so that the transitional energies to leave your ministry become transformational truths enriching your relationship with God, your family, and the people you love.

Reaching out is difficult…I know. What if you can make it through the drama of working with people to the depth of loving God, knowing yourself, and succeeding as a spouse, parent, and friend?

Contact today. No fee. Of. Course. Below are some stats you may identify with on some level.

Leader Support

The majority of Americans no longer rate pastors and religious leaders’ honesty and ethical standards highly. A Gallup poll released earlier this week reveals that for the first time since the question was introduced in 1977, trust in clergy has dropped below 50 percent.

Gallup attributed the decline of trust in religious leaders on scandals.

“If views of a certain profession have changed, it usually has been a function of scandal surrounding it. The Catholic priest abuse stories from the early 2000s helped lead to a sharp drop in Americans’ ratings of clergy, a decline from which the profession has yet to fully recover,” Art Swift, Gallup’s managing editor wrote.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/new-poll-reveals-most-americans-dont-find-pastors-religious-leaders-trustworthy-110987/

The burnout statistics listed below come from George Barna’s book, Today’s Pastors.

• 96% are married
• 80% have a bachelors degree and half have a master’s degree placing the pastorate among the most educated professions – but among the lowest paid as well
• The average length of a pastorate is about four years
• The median pastor salary is about $32,000 a year including housing allowance and other benefits, while the national average among married couples (1991) was nearly $40,000
• 24% of the American population is 50 or older but 51% of church attenders are at least 50 years old
• 40% of church attenders read the bible during the week
• 30% of congregants would seek help from their pastor during a difficult time in their lives
• 53% of pastors believe that the church is showing little positive impact on the world around them
• 60% of pastors believe that church ministry has negatively impacted their passion for church work
• 51% of pastors expect that the average attendance at their church will increase by at least 10% in the coming year (this perhaps relates to unrealistic expectations)
• Four percent of senior pastors have a clear vision for their church

Why Pastors Leave the Ministry

by Fuller Institute, George Barna and Pastoral Care Inc.

* 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
* 80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor’s children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.
* 33% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
* 75% report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
* 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
* 50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
* 70% say they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.
* 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
* 40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
* 33% confess having involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church .
* 50% have considered leaving the ministry in the last months.
* 50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.
* 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
* 94% of clergy families feel the pressures of the pastor’s ministry.
* 66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves.
* Moral values of a Christian is no different than those who consider themselves as non-Christians.
* The average American will tell 23 lies a day.
* The profession of “Pastor” is near the bottom of a survey of the most-respected professions, just above “car salesman”.
* Over 4,000 churches closed in America last year.
* Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.
* Over 1,300 pastors were terminated by the local church each month , many without cause.
* Over 3,500 people a day left the church last year.
* Many denominations report an “empty pulpit crisis”. They cannot find ministers willing to fill positions.

#1 reason pastors leave the ministry – Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastor’s believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.

Statistics provided by The Fuller Institute, George Barna, and Pastoral Care Inc.