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5 Articles on the State of the World This Week (1/1-1/7)

The battle over the Speaker of the House may cause us consternation, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. Democracy is tumultuous, and that is often its strength. Through hashing out ideas comes clarity. As Dominic Pino argues, “In the House, those arguments are supposed to be raucous.”

Where do you find the biggest pyramids in the world? In Central America, actually, including the largest, “La Danta”. Now, archeologists are using new technology to uncover our “American Egypt” that has lain buried under the jungle for centuries. Read about it here.

61% of Americans don’t get enough calcium. Part of that is it takes a lot of food rich in calcium to get what they need. Read here about some surprising ways to get and not get calcium, including coffee and alcohol!

Want to be encouraged? Read this list of 10 beautiful acts of kindness from 2022, including when famed chef Gordan Ramsey was substitute chef for a day at an English middle school.

Looking for some good movies that may be a bit different than what you are used to? Try this list of the top 5 movies from the writers of Mexico News Daily. Plus, in the same article, you can see five more places to visit in Mexico, one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world, with seemingly endless opportunities for culture, natural beauty, and food.

Photo by ElevenPhotographs on Unsplash

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5 News Articles on the State of the World (Dec. 25–31)

Beginning this week, I want to share five news articles that I found interesting. These are articles from all over the world that are generally not the main things covered in the U.S. news. Here’s the articles with a few comments.

1. 8 Reasons for Optimism in Ukraine – There are some reasons for pessimism and a lot of challenges ahead, but there’s also a lot of reasons for optimism. Brian Mefford from the Atlantic Council explains. He says that Ukraine should not be underestimated: “A country that came through the horrors of the 1930s Holodomor terror famine and the brunt of the fighting on the apocalyptic Eastern Front during World War II should never be underestimated. And yet that is exactly what Russia did.”

2. The amount of uninsured in America has dropped from 16% in 2010 to 8% today. – Obamacare is an ongoing experiment, but it seems to be succeeding in reducing the number of uninsured. Continue reading “5 News Articles on the State of the World (Dec. 25–31)”

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No More Wasted Years: In Defense of New Year’s Resolutions

Thanksgiving gives us an opportunity to see the good of the past year. Christmas enables us to see a source of joy that transcends our circumstances. New Year’s offers a fresh start. We’ve got a whole year ahead of us!

Two years ago, I made it my goal to sleep outside in a tent two nights out of the entire year. I didn’t do it. Two nights! That’s all I needed to fulfill that goal. Last year, I reviewed that goal, and I thought about how to make it happen. I decided to practice “camping” in my backyard. I would see what things I would need, how I could cook outside, and how to set up and take down the tent. Then, I’d be ready to do it out there. So, I made my goal of sleeping in a tent for two nights again.

This year, I slept in a tent nine nights. I practiced twice at home. I camped at a campground in the mountains by myself for two nights. I stayed at a KOA while travelling. I led a men’s camping trip for our church. I camped with my wife for the fist time on our 20th anniversary trip in Florida. That’s what resolutions can do. They challenge us to move forward and do things that we haven’t done before.

Have you ever experienced something like that in your life? How could you experience more of it? I’ve talked to a lot of people about New Year’s resolutions, and here’s some of the questions I’ve had and the answers I’ve given. These are my ideas on how to approach New Year’s goals or resolutions. I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below. Continue reading “No More Wasted Years: In Defense of New Year’s Resolutions”

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5 Ways to Become a Better Counselor

Being a counselor is part of life. Whomever we meet and wherever we go, we will find people with problems. We will talk about those problems. We will often try to help them find solutions. There are some people who do this as a full-time job, but almost everyone will be engaged with counseling on some level.

Because of this fact, it is a good idea for us to think a little bit more about how we give counsel. What are the methods that are the most helpful? When should we speak and when should we just listen? How do we listen well? How do we get people to open up? These are things we need to learn and which we can study and practice over a lifetime.

In my profession as a pastor, I do a lot of informal counseling. I listen to people’s problems, pray with them, and help them find solutions that will improve their lives. Because of that, I’ve tried how to counsel people from those who have done a lot of it. Here’s 5 ways I try to be a better counselor.

1. Build connection with people. When people feel accepted, loved, and safe, they are more ready to talk about their own story and listen to yours. There are specific things that we can do to help us connect with people.

Counselor Alan Loy McGinness explained what he learned from years of counseling about how to connect with people in his book The Friendship Factor. I recommend this book and his simple but important insights. Here’s a few from his list:

  • He recommends that if we see something good in someone that we say it.
  • Share things about yourself as well as encouraging others to share about themselves.
  • Find out what people enjoy and find ways to connect with that passion.

Doing these things can help us build a connection that is a context for helping others (and ourselves!).

2. Help people tell their story. When people have been through difficult things, they often have a story to tell but have not told it to many people. They may not have reflected deeply upon it. It just sits there as a sort of open wound. Continue reading “5 Ways to Become a Better Counselor”

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Understanding the Counselor: Knowing What We Bring to the Table

When my kids spilled a drink at the table, I used to get so mad! It was super frustrating to me. A few years back, I started to ask, why do I get so mad at that? After all, I have seven kids. It’s kind of part of the deal. In fact, at one point, we had six kids aged seven and under. The odds of drinks being spilled were extremely high. Moreover, if the drink spilled, we could simply clean it up with a towel. It really wouldn’t hurt anything. Why did it bother me so much?

For a long time, I had a hard time figuring that out. I really didn’t know what story I was telling myself. I couldn’t figure it out, but I knew that it was dumb. So, I made the effort to try and not get so mad at spilled drinks. I decided that I would not get angry any longer when drinks were spilled at the table. I would just get a towel and clean up the mess. It was hard. I had to check myself regularly, but I made progress, even though I really didn’t know why I reacted so strongly to these things.

It’s amazing how hard it can be to understand ourselves. It takes a lot of work. Yet, when we try to help others, we are bringing ourselves to the table. Our emotional life will have a strong effect on the way we counsel others.

How does this work out? Let me give a couple of examples. Imagine a strong extrovert, someone who loves to get out there and talk to people. Now, let’s say that someone who is also an extrovert comes and complains about someone who doesn’t want to go out and prefers a lot of quiet and time at home. Without self-consciousness, it’s easy for the extrovert to just join the side of the other extrovert. “I can’t believe people are like that,” he might say. Continue reading “Understanding the Counselor: Knowing What We Bring to the Table”

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