Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Paul wrote: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints - “ Ephesians 6:18, NKJV

Screeeeech!!! You have likely experienced the ear-rending howl of feedback on a P A system when the microphone gets too close to the loudspeaker. Uncontrolled reinforcement of a vibration, whether electronic or mechanical, can result in damage to more than ears.
It has long been the custom to have marching soldiers fall out of step when crossing a bridge, lest the rhythm of a common cadence destroy the bridge. It is not an imagined threat.
The Millennium Bridge in England was closed after dangerous swaying resulted when people walking on it fell into a common rhythm, each reacting to the movement of the other.
Perhaps you have encountered the ‘waltzing washing machine’ during the spin cycle with an unbalanced load. All from one thing reinforcing another, making it bigger and bigger.
Not all reinforcement is bad, however. All of your electronic gadgets depend upon oscillators that require feedback or reinforcement to operate - radios, TV’s, cell phones, even the microwave that cooks your food. Like fire, the concept of reinforcement is something that we need to understand and use for beneficial purposes.
People known as behavorialists use reinforcement techniques extensively. “Who ‘dat? All of us. If we reward desired behavior, and punish undesired behavior, we are utilizing feedback, making use of the technique of reinforcement. Parenting, teaching, coaching - try to make the good better and reduce the undesirable choices by positive feedback and reinforcement.
The optimist has an outlook that adds good things to any situation. The pessimist can twist everything into a downward spiral. The severely depressed person adds bad to bad, even to personal destruction.
Remember the commercial line, “Bet you can’t eat just one?” One leads to another, which leads to another, which . . . !
Habits are formed by feedback. Want to change something in your life? Reinforce the things that add to positive results. Change the rhythm! Think back to the statement about soldiers dropping their cadence. We develop a ‘cadence’ in our mental attitudes and in our habitual behavior. We can not achieve change in our lives unless we identify the ‘cadence, ‘ and make changes accordingly.
The mind is a powerful thing. We become what we think. Meditation is a thought process, advocated by some, that includes developing a ‘mantra,’ a formula of invocation or incantation to reinforce concentration on a desired outcome.
Consider the beneficial aspects of prayer. Believe it or not, prayer works! Prayer has the added result that God becomes a factor, bringing benefits to both the person praying and to the person prayed for.
April 22, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: "Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning." Proverbs 9:9, NKJV

I place the two slightly curved pieces of wood between my fingers, positioning them carefully with my thumb and little finger lightly cradling them, and give my wrist a sharp snap. If I have done it correctly, they will respond with a bright 'click.'
They are called 'bones' -a type of percussion musical instrument, used to accompany a peppy tune with a clack-clickety-clack . . . If you know how to do it!
I am not a very good "bone player," but I have tried to learn the technique to carry on the tradition of the grandfather and uncle who bequeathed the 'bones' to me.
Simple, huh? Take two pieces of wood, place them between your fingers, and give them a shake. Hah! I enjoy handing them to people, especially students at the schools where our band sometimes provides demonstrations of old time instruments, and watching them try to imitate even my simple example.
I find that there are three typical responses to my offer to help them become a bone player: Some refuse to even touch them. Others make a half-hearted attempt, and hand them back.. And a few, a very few, make a serious attempt at mastering the technique.
Isn't that just like life?
You've done it; I do it all of the time in my "Seeds" writings. The Bible is full of proverbs and pithy sayings, of sympathetic Psalms, of parables and prayers. We offer advice on things to do, ways to solve a problem, how to overcome life's dilemmas, and fully expect them to get it 'right off the bat'. "Here, just do this, and you will be "playing along" in no time! R-I-G-H-T ! ! !
Desire plays a large role in learning something new, of course. Many people have a burning desire, but never move beyond the "wannabe" stage. Their dreams are never fulfilled. It is like sitting in a car, but never starting the engine. Keep in mind the axiom that, "If all you ever do is what you have always done, all you will ever get is what you have always got."
First, people must be willing to accept instruction without feeling that it is a rebuke or an unkindly act, an intrusion into their private lives. They must be an open vessel, ready (and wanting) to be filled.
Second, they must feel a need to learn, to make a change in their lives, before anything will make a difference, whether coming from you, or I, or the Bible. We might call this "conviction," the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth. A truly life-changing conviction often comes only when harsh reality strips away all other choices.
Finally, empowerment makes learning possible. It's like turning on the switch, or shifting into drive. The goal or destination beckons, the pathway to achievement is illuminated, and the process of learning begins.
January 14, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* The Autoharp
* Scripture: Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV

In my heart there rings a melody,
There rings a melody
With heaven’s harmony; (Elton M. Roth, 1924)

The children sat in rapt anticipation as the young teacher carefully opened the case and took out the autoharp, laying it tenderly across her lap. Taking up the felt pick, she swiftly strummed across the strings; the chords rang out strong and vibrant. Quickly, all were engaged in the joy of singing their favorite songs, led by the rhythm of the singing strings.
The teacher married, and soon took time out from the classroom to raise a family. The autoharp was set aside, as other duties crowded in. It was finally put away in the attic, away from the classroom, away from the children.
Times change; the teacher returned to the school, but in a different capacity. She no longer led the children in singing. The autoharp sat silent, neglected.
One day, as she sat listening to a man playing his autoharp in church, she remembered the instrument that had shared her early teaching moments. Retrieving it from its repose in the attic, she presented it to the musician, in hopes that it would once again stir voices in song.
But, Alas! Time and humidity had taken their toll, and the soundboard had warped so badly that many strings could no longer vibrate.
It sat mute for for several more years, but at least in the company of another autoharp. Not out of mind, but not capable of singing out, either. Finally, the day came when the musician had need of another instrument. Quietly studying the warped and twisted condition, he decided the only remedy was to strip the auto harp down to the basic frame, and rebuild it.
The frame was strengthened with dowel pins, and reglued. A new soundboard was installed. The time finally came when the strings were reinstalled over the newly stained and varnished instrument. Slowly, one by one, the strings were brought up to proper pitch. Slowly, lest the stress be too much too soon.
The musician recalled some words to fit the occasion;

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,
Discord filled my heart with pain,
Jesus swept across the broken strings,
Stirred the slumbering chords again.
(He Keeps Me Singing, Luther Burgess Bridgers, 1910)

One might say that the autoharp has been reborn. It will in fact return to the classroom, ringing out its chords and leading children in the joy of song.
I think there might be a message here for all who seek it out.
April 3, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

Scripture: Paul wrote, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:7,8 NIV

The deer were obviously not fully grown, although they no longer had the spots of fauns. My wife and I came upon them as we started back our lane to bring the lambs to the barn for their morning feed. One was in the paddock with the ram; the other was in the lane. When they saw us, about the time we saw them, both made a dash for the fence. Not over, as experienced adult deer would do, but straight at it, as if it didn’t exist! The results were predictable. They hit it hard enough that they rebounded back, falling in a tangle of legs on the ground.
The one in with the ram made a couple of tries at the 48 inch high fence, turned, went over the 32 inch fence, and disappeared into the woods.
The deer in the lane, a path between two 48 inch high fences, tried even harder. I was concerned that the poor thing would break its neck! It really smacked that fence! Over and over, working its way down the fence toward us; we were standing stock still, not wanting to spook it further. It came within about ten feet of me.
Finally, I suggested that if we moved slowly toward it, the deer might move on back through the lane. And it did, struggling, sticking its head through the fence, and smacking it as it went along. Reaching the area at the top of the hill, at a spot where the fence sagged a bit, it finally leaped over it, and went off through the trees.
You know, there was not a thing I could do to “talk” those deer over the fences. It would probably have been best if we turned and walked slowly away. I thought, “How like those deer many people are.”
We see people all the time caught up between the ‘fences’ of life, struggling, smacking the boundaries, and suffering because they don’t know how to escape the lifestyle they are in. It is often just as frustrating trying to help someone caught in life's “fast lane.” They want to be happier, to be less stressed out, to get new results from old customs; they don’t want advice or preaching from “holier-than-thou’s.”
If there had been an adult deer present, it would have been no problem. They have smacked the fences before. Now, they know how to get over that barrier. The young ones would only have had to follow, and freedom would quickly have been theirs as well.
It is important to be an example in life so that others can see that there is a way to escape the ‘fences’ of the world. Actions often speak much louder than words.
October 3, 2002