Proverbially Speaking - Finding the Wisdom

With 1,100 or so Verses in Proverbs, How do You Find Your Wisdom?

Ned Barnett

To me, The Book of Proverbs is like God's Instruction Book for Life. In just 31 brief Chapters, each with 30 to 40 verses - and with almost every verse containing two precious gold-nuggets of wisdom, the Book of Proverbs really does provide readers with an exceptional guidebook for living their life to the fullest by following God's Wisdom.

But with all that wonderful information at my fingertips, how do I find the wisdom God has put there for me?

That's the question I asked myself a week or so ago.

I know some people find value in flipping open the book, picking a page at random, running their finger down the page, then reading whatever the finger lands on.  They believe (and who am I to doubt this) that by using Proverbs (or the Bible itself) as some kind of cosmic Ouiji Board, they'll find guidance.   I've tried that, but I don't think that's what God has in mind for me.  Perhaps I'm too logical, or perhaps I'm torn between Moses ("Cut not the corners of thy head, nor round the corners of thy beard, for I am the Lord" - Leviticus 19, as best I remember it) and Paul ("Long hair is a woman's glory and a man's shame" - one of Paul's epistles, again, as I remember it).

Others choose to commit things to memory - but for me, the old joke applies ... "memory is the second thing to go ... and I can't remember what went first."

For me, I'd rather have a workable and methodical way of finding the Wisdom that I know God has waiting for me in Proverbs.

Back in 2010, I thought about putting together some kind of digital database - a great idea, but I'm really not a "digital database" kind of guy.  Still, the idea of pulling together all of the Wisdom of Proverbs in some kind of topical form really did appeal to me - in principle.

As I said, I'd asked myself that same question in 2010, the last time I went through Proverbs chapter by chapter over a month's time.  Like many people, I have found that Proverbs is a perfect book to read more or less in one big gulp.  It has 31 Chapters, so it's ideal for a one-a-day-for-a-month kind of reading self-assignment.  That's what I did in 2010 - I read one chapter a month for 31 days - and that's what I found myself doing in November of 2013.

And as I did, I came across the same thought I had in 2010:

"Wouldn't it be really helpful, if only to me personally, if all of the Wisdom in Proverbs was organized topically?  Wouldn't it be great if I could turn to that book and - in just a moment, and with certainty - find exactly what I needed to guide me, inspire me, "convict" me of something I'm doing wrong, or motivate me to follow God's instructions.

However, this time, I was reading Proverbs in the New Living Translation (a great "study" translation) that had been pulled together by Jud Wilhite, Senior Pastor at Central Christian Church in Henderson (suburban Las Vegas).  He had taken that great translation, gone through and highlighted the verses that meant the most to him ("If God is for us, who can be against us?"), then also inserted a dozen or so 15-page essays (super-blogs, if you will) on issues that anyone studying the bible would welcome.  The result, his book:  "The Uncensored Truth Bible for New Beginnings," is a very insightful guide, as well as a wonderful biblical translation.

  I sat down and read each one of those super-blogs of Jud's - then, after reading a few of the shorter old and new testament books as a kind of warm-up exercise, I turned to Proverbs.

Perhaps it was because this version of the bible included someone's personal interpretation (I'm not sure, but that answer "feels right"), but I began thinking once again about how I could get more out of Proverbs. After rejecting (again) the idea of creating a digital database, I thought, "why not take each chapter, one at a time, then divide each set of verses into a broad topical arrangement?"

For instance, there is a lot in Proverbs about fools, and about people who are wise.  So, hypothetically, you might find a verse that reads, "The fool runs his mouth, but the wise man chooses his words carefully."  That could easily be sorted into a broad section (Fools and the Wise), and then more specifically into sub-sections "Fools Talk Too Much" and "Wise Persons Think Before Speaking."

After a few days of contemplating this, I began taking the Book of Proverbs, one chapter at a time, and dividing the verses into broad subject areas. At first, I had a dozen, then 24, now probably 36 different broad topical areas.  The deeper I did into Proverbs, the more vital and distinctive topic areas I find.

Best of all, I found it was relatively easy to assign each verse to at least one or two topical sections, and some verses fit under three or four topics.  I was on my way.

However, once I had the first 13 chapters divided up, I realized that I was too focused on sorting verses by Chapter - for instance, all of the verses about fools from Chapter 12 were batched together - rather than honing this down to just a topical focus.  Having the comments from many chapters on the same broad topic now together, I was able to see that very similar pieces of wisdom were presented in different chapters, and that those topically-similar verses had more in common, one with the other, than they did with other same-topic verses from a single chapter.

Suddenly, with a flash (not Paul's, but an eye-opener nonetheless), I realized to get the most value out of this exercise, I was going to need to put the topically most-closely-related verses together - not by chapter but by message - if this effort was to help me (or help the proverbial "other" reader) get the most out of this labor of love.

Rather than heaving baby and bathwater out with the same heave-ho, I've decided to continue the broad sorting I'd begun, taking it through to the end of the Book of Proverbs. Then, once it's all together, I'll be better able to analyze each broad topic area, then come up with reasonable topical sub-divisions (and maybe sub-sub-sub-divisions).  In this way, I can refine the sorting process until what I have is the best reference tool I can craft, starting with the Book of Proverbs.

This new, revised process will clearly take longer - probably a lot longer - but the end result will be more helpful.  To me, and - I hope - to others.

Along the way, a publisher who's a friend of mine has already offered to publish this when it's done.  I was telling him about this project, not to seek a publisher, but to share with a friend who's also deeply spiritual what I've been doing - and his enthusiasm was immediate.

So now I'll be thinking about sources (I'm not a bible translator, so I'll need to use someone else's translation), and that means obtaining the rights.  Either that (my first choice) or I'll have to settle on an older translation, one that's long-since been in the public domain.  However, those older translations bring in their own level of potential confusion - King James, for instance, is beautiful and inspired poetry, but unless you're a Shakespearean scholar, some turns of phrase in the KJV might be less than elucidating.

However, one way or the other, I intend to complete this personal labor of love, and if others agree that it has value, I'll try to find some way of publishing the book, sharing this resource tool with others.

Finally:  To the reader of this blog.  I'd be very interested in your insights.  You can reach me directly at ned.barnett (at) gmail (dot) com, and when you do, please share with me any thoughts you might have.  Literally, the more the merrier.

Christ's Coming Foretold in the Book of Proverbs

Did You Know That Solomon Also Foretold Christ's Coming?  

Neither Did I ... 

I guess all the other times I read Proverbs, I was looking for glimmers of guidance on how to live a Godly life in a secular age.  Because of the structure of Proverbs, which tends to jump form subject to subject with each passing verse, the prophecy of the coming of Jesus just never sank in.

At least for me.

It didn't sink in until last week, when I was revisiting Proverbs for the first time in three years.  When I came across Proverbs 8, suddenly the scales fell from my eyes, and I saw clearly (I believe) what Solomon was trying to tell in what may have been his only venture into prophecy (if Solomon was prophetic elsewhere, I haven't found it yet, and would welcome anyone else's insights here).

Here's what I found (in the New Living Translation version):

Proverbs 8

¹⁷ “I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me.
¹⁸ I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice.
¹⁹ My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver!
²⁰ I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice.
²¹ Those who love me inherit wealth. I will fill their treasuries.

²² “The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.
²³ I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began.
²⁴ I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
²⁵ Before the mountains were formed, before the hills, I was born—
²⁶ before he had made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.
²⁷ I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
²⁸ I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established springs deep in the earth.
²⁹ I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,
³⁰     I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence.
³¹ And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!

It couldn't be any planer than that, now could it?  Verses 17-21 describe some of the attributes of Christ, and of the glorious gift He offers to anyone who cares to follow him.

But the clincher is obviously Verses 22-29, which clearly evokes the beginning of the Gospel of John.  Here, in that same NLT translation, is how the Gospel of John begins:

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God,  and the Word was God.
² He existed in the beginning with God.
³ God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
⁴ The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this isn't "news" to any real biblical scholar.  However, I'm not a biblical scholar - I'm a believer who is trying to understand the full nuance of the bible, and especially (in this case) how the writings of the Old Testament so accurately predicted the coming and the ministry of Christ, chronicled in the New Testament.  There are, of course, many prophetic references - from the prophets, of course - but until now, I hadn't really encountered anything quite so clear in what those scholars call the Wisdom section of the Old Testament.

The more I study, the clearer it becomes that the Trinity was foretold throughout the Old Testament (another recent and - to me - surprising discovery), and the clearer it becomes that so many of the books of the Old Testament - beyond those books of clear prophecy -  directly or indirectly refer to Christ.  Some are fairly obvious - Jonah's three-day sojourn in the belly of a Great Fish before he was returned to life, and to dry land, born anew and ready (finally) to do as God had commanded.  Others require real biblical scholarship to dig out - but for those willing to understand the life and times of the prophets, their meaning becomes clear.  

But I don't think I've seen anything that was quite so clear a direct reference as Proverbs 8, Verses 17-29, and how they relate so clearly to the Gospel of John, Verses 1-5.

This may be old news to you, but it grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go until I put it down in writing.

Panhandler

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not much of an evangelist, but I'm also glad to admit that I’m working toward the day when I can comfortably affirm my faith before others. While I'm still a bit chary bringing up my faith with family and friends, neighbors and co-workers, there is one group of people with whom I'm a bit more comfortable in sharing my faith. When I give some panhandler a couple of bucks, I try to remember (and I do remember, about 85% of the time), to also give him God’s blessing.

But there's more to it than just giving a panhandler God's blessing, and that's what I'd like to address right here.

 

Which brings to mind something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Panhandlers. Beggers. I’m sure there are other names, but you know who I mean. People who are down on their luck and can't help it, or small-time con men who make it their business to look down on their luck. They often have hand-made signs. They seem prone, if the opportunity presents itself, lets show their physical deformities.  Who try to present, physically, the “case” for making a donation.

Some are frauds, good actors, but one man I saw recently had a sign saying he'd been burned - and he wore his shirt open so you could see the burns and blisters - he should have been in a hospital instead of on the street corner, but his plight broke my heart and opened myself to act in a way I hope God sees as generous.

I used to swing between handing out something to those among these panhandlers whom I “thought” were in real need (and who therefore “deserved” my help) and swinging toward avoiding all of them like they were plague carriers.

However, sometime in the past year, I latched onto a scriptural passage (Matthew 25) in which Jesus says he’ll judge harshly those who denied him – using as an example, “when you do this for the least of these, you do it for me” – then blending that scripture with another scriptural old favorite, “judge not, lest ye be judged” … (Matthew 7)

Having thought this through, having prayed on it and now feeling guided by God's influence, what I try to do is NOT judge panhandlers based on whether I think they’re worthy of my charity or not. I’ll let God judge their heart. Instead, if they ask for help – or if they just look like they need help – I give them a couple of bucks – and with that, I give them God’s blessing … Over time, I've also seen that my giving has grown - from a literal "couple of bucks" to a five or a ten. Not because I'm in a better position to afford this spontaneous charity, but because I find my heart demands increased generosity.

And when I have this opportunity, I to remember to give thanks that they have provided me with an opportunity to help one of those who just might be one of Christ’s “least of these.” That they have given me an opportunity to live my faith. I even try to keep several packets of gift bucks - two or three five dollar bills folded into my shirt pocket, ready to be plucked out and donated at the drop of a hat.

I don't know if I'm supposed to judge and evaluate panhandlers - I don't know if I should risk being an enabler (I know the stats say lots of these people are addicts or alcoholics, looking for their next score), but I do know that if I try to make judgements, sorting the worthy from the unworthy, then I'm indeed making judgments. Jesus was pretty specific on that point. And I know that everyone I take a pass on might be one of those who - in their need - are Christ visiting my life - and in my love of God, I dare not miss the opportunity to help those in need.

I know giving panhandlers a few bucks doesn't fulfill my obligation to help others of God's children, but I also believe that it's a start. And looking for people in need as I drive through "Sin City" keeps me focused, thinking about how God expects us to help those in need, as if they were Himself. I think I'm on the right track, and I ask God through prayer to help me make sure I stay (or get on) that right track.

I pray that God will help me figure things out in my life, so I can fulfill the mission He's given to me in this life. This is a small step, but it's one I take in hope that it will lead to a better understanding of what God really wants from me.

Surprise - an email exchange

This is an email exchange between me and a professional colleague of mine from Washington DC. He and I have "known" each other online for a number of years, and have talked on the phone, but we've not met - and as far as I can recall, I don't believe we've ever talked of matters of faith.

However, in a recent email exchange, I mentioned doing some volunteer fund-raising and PR work for my church, which prompted this email back-and-forth with Michael. You might find it interesting ... I hope so.

Ned Barnett - February 28, 2011

Michael wrote:

Has something changed? I thought you had been raised in a church as a boy but had either become an atheist or agnostic. If you’ve come back, then welcome home. We missed you.

To which I replied:

Michael

I don’t know if I was an agnostic; I know I wasn’t an atheist, but I also wasn’t much of a believer. My faith was shaken by the death of my son ten or so years ago, and it was rattled by my wife’s suicide going on four years ago. At the time of her death, I had been going to church for the first time in two decades, but when God’s answer to my prayers for her was “no, not this time,” I took a holiday from faith. I literally told God I’d see him later … which didn’t mean I didn’t believe, but it did mean that he could go his way and I’d go mine.

But something was missing. My new wife (who’d basically “escaped” from a cult-like ministry she and her ex- and been officials in) and I both knew that God was in our future, but we couldn’t find an expression for it. Then last summer, the star of The Passion of the Christ, Jim Caviezel, was featured at a local mega-church, Central Christian, and we decided to go hear him. I’d seen this place for years, always felt “something” but had never thought about going – and I had no idea what they believed. This place looked like a modern high school, and when I went in, the auditorium (not sanctuary), the rock ban, and the pastor in blue jeans all took me aback. But there was something about it that attracted me.

So I went back the next weekend (BTW – they have Saturday late-afternoon services, allowing me to sleep in on Sunday, a big plus) and got to see the regular service (with the rock band and the pastor in jeans), and was impressed. So Lynn and I started going to their “First Steps” program, a seven-week course to prepare people who might want to become members (I liked the fact that you couldn’t just “join” without going to school to learn what they believed). And I read the pastor’s book, “Uncensored Truth,” which gave an articulate review of the beliefs of the church (beliefs that I found resonated with me – especially those centered around “Grace” – which seems to be the driving force behind this church which proclaims itself as being for broken people … like me, apparently). So we completed the First Steps program in October, I was baptized and joined – but even before then, I’d reached out to the pastor, got an introduction to the communications director (then the woman’s minister, who I’d met in the First Steps program), and the finance director) and began offering my services.

I learned that the church was going through a strategic branding session following the precepts of Seth Godin in his book Meatball Sundae. So I got a copy, read it – and did so at a time when I was professionally just trying to come to grips with Social Networking and Social Media and all that “stuff” which (except for blogging) I’d largely ignored. Over the holiday, I helped the church with press releases and a tempest-in-a-teapot media “crisis” and I put together for the pastor a book-launch/book-promotion program for his new book, published by Zondervan, Throw it Down (which is about beating addiction AND about the book of Exodus – a fascinating blend of the two concepts). He really liked the plan but chose not to embrace it because he didn’t want to leave the church to tour the book – and I respected that (he’d pass up “gain” in favor of his primary mission).

Now I’m working (again) with a former client – we met today and agreed to do so – and I’ll be helping him with social media. But what’s really interesting is this friend-since-’92 had found Christ in the last year, too – so we began comparing notes, and we’ll probably wind up collaborating on a social networking project around Revelations and Prophecy (his focus, and something that’s long fascinated me). He’s really going to town – reading everything he can get his hands on, really analyzing it, even trying to learn Greek so he can better understand the real meaning of the Gospels and the other books of the bible. He and I spend far more time talking about our understanding of faith and the bible than we do talking shop … it’s like I’ve discovered a new friend all over again.

So, anyway, Michael, this is my story (in brief).

BTW – I’ve started a blog on my faith journey – would you have any objection to me publishing my comments here (in answer to your question) in my blog?

Either way, thanks for asking. I appreciate you noticing and asking.

Your friend (and now your friend in Christ)

Ned



Ned Barnett, APR
Marketing & PR Fellow, American Hospital Association
Barnett Marketing Communications
420 N. Nellis Blvd., A3-276 - Las Vegas NV 89110
702-561-1167 - cell/text
www.barnettmarcom.com - twitter @nedbarnett
http://pr-marketing2point0.blogspot.com/

Faith in the Workplace

I've begun to bring my faith into the workplace. It's had a rocky start, but I'll get there.

First, I was encouraged by a colleague to basically steal images online for use in a PowerPoint - "It's OK because it won't be online and only a dozen or so people will see it - no harm, no foul." Didn't feel right and I said so. Then I took it to the senior partner and said I wasn't going to be part of that. I think I annoyed her - I think she felt I came across sanctimonious (since her standards were the same). Live and learn - not to modify my standards, but to better express them.

Next, in one of the online list-servs I participate in, a question came up about the value of a conscious strategy of alienating opponents (and, conversely, pumping up friends). After reviewing ways that this can apply in PR and marketing, as well as in life (sports, Wall Street, etc.), I wrote this:

"The historically and spiritually most-significant example is Jesus, who made it clear that if you weren’t for him, you were against him – that you had to be “all in” with him or, as noted in scripture (John 3:16) that He was the only way to heaven. His “Great Commission” was intended to fire up followers to go out and save the world in His name. He certainly alienated the Pharisees and Sadducees and did so intentionally – he took on wealth and privilege and alienated many powerful people. He dined with sinners and Republicans (oops, I mean publicans) and mocked those who were self-righteous (let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone)."

This is my first more-or-less public testimony, and the first time I've put my faith out to an audience in the context of work. Not sure where it will go, yet, but it's a start.

Should I get any blow-back or feed-back, I'll blog it here.

Ned in Vegas

Faith's Journey

I am early in my journey of faith, and it's my hope that by writing it down and sharing it, others may be able to relate my experiences to their own faith's journey.

Background:

I've gone to conventional protestant churches off and on throughout my life, but only in snippets, followed by long periods of ... well, nothing much to do with the church. Or faith. If you pushed me, I'd say I believed,, sort-of, but I also had a lot of skepticism that - coupled with a lack of a real understanding of or familiarity with Scripture - was skepticism based on ignorance.

And I can't say that I had any faith to speak of. It just didn't matter all that much. I wanted to believe that there was a purpose for my son John David's accidental death at age 17 ten years ago, and for his mother's (my wife's) suicide seven years later when she couldn't face one more anniversary of John's death. And I wanted to believe that they lived on in heaven, embraced by a loving God - but that didn't keep me awake nights. I guess I just wasn't engaged in life-after-life - I had enough problems living in the here and now.

The story begins:

For a long time before last August (2010), I had felt a growing emptiness inside, one that wasn't physical but one I could nonetheless feel. And for years, I'd been driving by this modernistic-looking mega-church in suburban Las Vegas - it fronted on the Interstate, and looked more like a high school than any church I'd ever attended or seen. But for years, it had intrigued me, for reasons I couldn't fathom.

In August, I noticed a billboard in front of the church, Central Christian (www.centralonline.com), announcing that actor Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, was going to be at an upcoming service. Even better, it was on a Saturday evening, and wouldn't interfere with our sleep-in-Sunday. I mentioned this to my wife of nearly three years, Lynn - because I knew she valued that film highly. It turned out she had received a postcard about the appearance, and was interested, so we agreed to go.

This experience was all new to me. There was a loud rock band playing music I didn't recognize - and people stood for the songs, a seemingly-interminable time. After a few brief messages and the obligatory offering (I gave a dollar, I believe) Jim was interviewed by the pastor; both in blue jeans, very informal, in an auditorium, not a sanctuary. Totally unlike anything I'd experienced (but not, as it turned out, particularly unfamiliar to Lynn). Part of Caviezel's appearance was spontaneous and moving - part of his presentation was obvious rehearsed, but no less moving.

Afterwards, we agreed that this wasn't a "typical" service, but we also agreed to give it another chance. Turns out the senior pastor, Jud Wilhite, had written a book about the articles of faith followed by the church. This was important to me - if I was going to get involved with a church that was so different from what I'd known, I wanted to know what they believed. The book, Uncensored Truth, was compelling, funny and confirmed to me that I could accept the church's teachings - in spades.

Something had happened. I wanted to go to church the next Sunday. And I wanted to start in their "First Steps" class designed to help interested individuals learn more, and decide, to join the church. You had to complete the course and be baptized to join - I liked that; most churches make it so easy to join that there's little skin in the game. This one expected you to make a real, informed, commitment.

I'm not sure how it happened, but I knew that I wanted to take the plunge (literally and figuratively), and to become a member. Not just of a church, but a member of the group of people who are Christ followers, who see this as important and life-altering and altogether necessary for them in their lives. I guess I was finding something to fill that hole inside me.

But this wasn't a pentacostal moment for me - no rushing winds, no tongues of flame, no divine certainty. I've had to work on my faith, rather than having it handed to me on a silver platter. I felt some light touches that I am sure are divine in nature - I'll explain them as I go along - and I've felt both compelled and eager to change my ways in some important cases and issues. I've seen a few important prayers answered ... not always as I expected ... but I've also had some earnest prayers go (so far) unanswered.

Join me on my journey if you will. And follow me on Twitter: @nedfaithjourney

That's what this new blog is about.