Names of God - 1

My son Ray with BElla Rose

We are known by name. My name is Ray Burwick. But that doesn't specifically identify me because I have a son by the same name. When my son was at home with us, if someone would call our house and ask for Ray, a more specific Ray must be requested - young Ray or old Ray. (Some say ancient Ray.) We once were called big Ray and little Ray. That is no longer applicable.

I have other names that describe me: husband, father, counselor, author, teacher, former coach, former heathen, Christian, etc. Players who I coached back in the 60's at Cascade College in Portland, Oregon knew me as "coach". Some of my former players still call me coach, though I’ve held other professional positions since being a coach.

And with God. If He were referred to as just God, we would not understand Him in totality. To know God better we can study the names of God in Scripture. This will give us an all inclusive panoramic view of God, our Abba PaPa.

Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy name.
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Rather than skimming through the list of God's names, it is suggested that time be taken with each name of God. Meditate on it. Apply the information to your situation - to where you are in your spiritual journey.

Adonai - Lord's total possession of me and my total submission to Him as Lord and Master; deserving of obedience, to be trusted, supreme ruler of the universe.
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
Romans 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Showing contempt for God's name comes in different forms, from the outward shaking of the fist at God to the more subtle allowing sin to block fellowship with Adonai. The following verses support this:
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Isaiah 64:7 No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.
Psalms 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. Harboring sin hinders our fellowship with Adonai.

For more study on Adonai: Genesis 15:1; 1:27; Psalms 24:1; 50:10-15; 123:2; 145:14-16; 1 Corinthians 11:7.

More of God's names on Monday

God, Where in the Heaven Are You, part 2

Do you see the "angel" in the background overlooking my granddaughter, Kendall?

We began looking yesterday at God removing His sense of presence from us. Why? Here are some thoughts.

1. First, God reveals Himself to those seeking Him. Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I was seeking Him as best I knew. He was still silent.

2. Another issue. God desires intimacy with us. Hosea 6:6 LB “I don’t want your sacrifices – I want your love; I don’t want your offerings – I want you to know Me. Verse 3: Oh, that we might know the Lord. Let us press on to know Him and He will respond to us as surely as the coming of dawn or the rain of early spring.” Intimacy involves spending time with the Person. Frequently, our busy lifestyles obscure that time-involved intimacy. I certainly had sufficient time to spend with God – and did, but still – silence.

3. Proverbs 3:32 indicates that God is not indiscrimately intimate, but is so with the upright – the person who is honest and seeking to rid any kind of godlessness in his life. That was my desire.

4. Jesus reveals more and more of Himself to those who are obedient. John 14: 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." As far as I knew I was being obedient.

5. Sometimes we play God, trying to control others. Trying to persuade God through prayer to comply with our agenda. Being extremely prideful of our accomplishments. Like King Nebuchadnezzar as seen in Daniel chapter 4 who exalted himself above God. Neb was removed from power and consigned to dwell with the beasts of the field until seven years later he recognized God as God. Daniel 4: 34 “I raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me.” Life is more productive when we are humble enough to realize God is God and not us. Pride can be so subtle and it is a life long challenge to allow God to “depride” us - to humble us. I believe that was one of the reasons for God’s silence with me.

6. Lastly, that which pleases God is faith. Faith not only comes from knowing and applying the Scriptures but it becomes exercised during God’s silent times. It has been said, “When we can’t see God’s hand, we can trust His heart.” God’s silence was a faith builder for me, not at the time but in retrospect. It was a transition period of my life – from one of pursuing achievement and approval to the desert in the dark night of the soul. God was preparing me for a 180 in my life. A path of brokenness that propelled me into relationships, not performance, out of which has developed a deep life of joy, contentment and fulfillment. I’ve never been more content than now at the age of 68.

Recall with me portions of the Psalm 13:1-6 passage we used yesterday. How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? …. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.
Notice the Psalmist’s words “But I trust.” Underneath his confusion and frustration about God’s withdrawal from him, David demonstrated an underlying, “but I trust You, God.”
When we can’t see God’s hand, we can trust His heart.

God, Where in the Heaven are You?

Florida grandkids visit Washington D.C. recently.

“Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
Have you ever felt that way? A man after God’s own heart (King David) is the source for the quote in Psalm 9:1.

David later laments in Psalm 13:1-6 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

I recall a six-month period after being fired from a job, God was silent. All of my prayer, my Bible reading, my desire to be a godly man didn’t give me a sense of God’s presence. It has been said that “if there is distance between you and God – guess who moved.” The implication being, you, not God, has become distant. Isaiah 59:2 corroborates this: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” I wasn’t aware of any sin in my life. Why else could God be withdrawing a sense of His pressence from me?

God tells us in Isaiah 54:7-8 "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer. I didn’t know of anything that God was made at me about.

Why was God distancing Himself from me causing me to feel abandoned? As John Trent so aptly states, “The process of discovery – of our struggling to deal with uncertainty and a lack of clarity – is actually a part of God’s nature and plan for us.”

Some answers in tomorrow’s post.

Identity - Knowing God 11

The latest picture of our newest granddaughter, Bella Rose Burwick

I'm grateful for Leah's comments written after yesterday's post. She wrote, "The only examples that you gave of earthly fathers were negative. I didn't like that. There are alot of good Daddy's out there. Mine wasn't perfect by any means, but the overall gist of him was positive. He was loving, spent lots of time with us, and loved the Lord."





Astute observation Leah. I stand corrected. Although I believe as hard as I tried to be a good dad (as I'm sure most dads do), we are flawed. And frequently those flaws vitiate our view of God. I certainly wish I could do that parenting thing all over again, though I suspect I'd make a whole new set of mistakes.

I guess, Leah, that our challenge is to be grateful for the strengths of our fathers and appreciate them as helping us view God more clearly. IN conjunction, realize their weaknesses may obstruct a clear view of the reality of Jehovah.

No matter the childhoods we had, as sojourners in the walk of Faith in Jesus, the privilege of seeking HIm, knowing Him and enjoying the journey with Him is ours.

Let me give you a little taste of tomorrow's post:


“Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Have you ever felt that way? A man after God’s own heart (King David) is the source for this quote in Psalm 9:1 and later in Psalm 13: How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

Identity - Knowing God 10

To become more aware of who God our Father really is, here are some suggestions:

First, write a short description of how you picture your earthly father from the eyes of a child. Was he gone much of the time? Your writing might describe him as absent or almost nonexistent. Was he cruel, hot-tempered, or did he verbally assassinate you?

No father is perfect. Don’t deny his weaknesses. Face them, not to blame him but to contrast his picture with what you may have of God. Write your view of your earthly father from the eyes of childhood.

Next, write your view of God. How do you picture Him? After you have completed this, compare the two fathers. Most people find there is a close relationship or correlation between how they see their earthy father and heavenly Father. Because no father is perfect, there is usually a flawed view of God. This view of God must be changed in our quest for building the security dimension of positive self estteem.

Changing our view of God involves two corrective measures. First we make sure we have completed the forgiveness process toward our earthy father, freeing us from any negative bonds with him.

Second we must reprogam our mental computer. We do this by studying Scripture with the goal in mind of knowing God. The book of Isaiah, especially chapters 40 to 60 and Joshua 1-11 are excellent places to start, along with 2 Chronicles 20.

I personally question if we can know God more deeply without spending at least 30 minutes with Him most days, reading the Word, praying, listening to His gentle whisper. I find that as I quote out loud from memory Psalm 91, 139 and 23 during my formal time with God, I have a greater sense of His presence.

Recall Paul writing to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:21 LB wrote, “They missed the most important thing – they didn’t know God.”

Identity - Knowing God 10

Men's small groups "rock."

WE left our last post with knowing God through his creation; knowing Him more deeply through the Word. Then allowing God to scrutinize us for cleansing, resulting in “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my firm, impenetrable rock and my redeemer.”

But He is more. He is a personal Father. ”To as many as received Christ, to those he gives the right to become children of God,” John.1:12.

Knowing God personally is great but even more profound, we’re known by God. 1 Corinthains.8:3 (Amplified) says, “But if one loves God truly, with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience and grateful recognition of His blessing, he is known by God, that is, recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by him.”

As a member of God’s family, I’m known by God. I’m a person of worth. I am so valuable to God that HE wants an intimate, loving relationship with me. Can anything beat that? Abba Papa is saying to me: “Ray, I love you so much. You are my treasure. I want to build a close bond with you. I want to be on the racketball court with you. Sit beside you at your computer. Relating with other people right beside you, loving them encouraging them with you. Stuttering with you. Hurting with you. Ray, I want to hang out with you all the time.”

We’re transitioning from a universal view of God as father of all creation, to the most intimate daddyhood of God. Christ set the stage at Gethsemane as seen in Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Sometimes God says “no” to our petitions because He knows a “yes” would not be the best for us. Sometimes He says “wait.” To Jesus, God said "no," for my sake and for yours.

"Abba PaPa, in Matthew:7-11 you tell me that as much as my earthly father wanted to give to me and do for me, how much more you as a perfect father will do for and give to me. Thank you Abba PaPa. I love you. I trust you even though at times it looks like you’re not listening to my pleas.”
Are we beginning to catch a glimpse of a personal loving and accepting PaPa God? He is more than that, but a God of Love is foundational to the Christian walk.

Identity - Knowing God 9

Continuing our study of a healthy self esteem based in the security of knowing God, we observe God in nature.

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 what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Even the illiterate have no excuse. God can be known. Psalms 19;1-2 reiterates: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

A caution here. What is the result of knowing God only through nature? Pantheism, the belief that God is the sum of all beings, forces, etc. in the universe. “I’m god, you’re god, a tree is god. I have a friend who wears a t-shirt stating, “as soon as you realize I’m god, we’ll get along just fine.” This view negates the personal God that is vitally interested in each mortal within his creation and expects accountability.

The Psalms 19 passage presents in the first six verses an observation of God in nature. Verses seven through eleven jump abruptly to the significance of God’s law. “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the whole person…and in keeping of it there is great reward.”

Thus, in Psalms 19:1-6 we view in nature our Father/God, Creator. We balance this perception in verses 7 to 11 with knowing him in his law, the Bible. As we obey his word there is great reward.

We’re not finished with Psalms 19. The chapter concludes with a challenge to internalize God. To allow Him to penetrate through our protective devises that hides our inner ugliness even from ourselves.
The Amplified version reads:12-13 “Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden and unconscious faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.”

Do you catch the progression here: know God through his creation; know Him more deeply through the Word and let God scrutinize you for cleansing, resulting in verse 14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my firm, impenetrable rock and my redeemer.” (Amplified)

How are we doing, knowing God?

Identity - Knowing God 8

This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 9: 23-24

How are you doing in your pursuit of knowing God? To know Him we must spend time with Him. I’m not speaking of a legalistic trip – “gotta spend time with God to be a better Christian” – no – consistent daily time just to know Him more deeply and understand Him as the resource for all of our life… for now and for eternity.

One of the most important means to know Him is to be in the Word, the Bible.
A suggestion: Read and meditate on Isaiah chapters 40-60. Select verses that speak deeply to you about God. Jot them down. Consider memorizing them. Share some of it with an accountability partner who is sharing your quest for knowing God.

As important as it is to read God’s word to learn about our relationship with God and His plan for successful living, it is even more important to read the Word to be in His presence. A transformed life comes not from learning the Word but from being absorbed in His presence through the Word.

They missed the most important thing – they didn’t know God. 1 Timothy 6:21 LB

Identity - Knowing God 7

We’ve been examining our “tug on God’s pant legs" prayer. How there are times it seems He has abandoned us and prayer isn’t answered the way we desire. At other times it seems He comes through in dynamic ways.

I think of Karen. She had come out of a home with rejecting parents – mother emotionally rejecting and controlling. Her dad absent emotionally from her. Karen met a fine young man in college. For the first time in her life she felt loved. Wedding bells chimed. She had never been so happy. Both had great jobs. Savings account blossomed. In her mid-twenties she felt she had the world by the tail.

Then it happened. Mike, her husband, began staying out late on Friday nights…his typical night out with the guys. Her intuition conveyed uneasiness in the lengthening evening hours. She grew more suspicious as his sexual frequency altered. Upon confrontation, Mike would own up to nothing. He denied any extra-marital involvement.

Karen knew where the guys hung out Friday nights. She camouflaged her appearance and visited the night club. It wasn’t long until her PI work bore fruit. One of the cocktail waitresses was extremely friendly to Mike. Her behavior toward him and his reciprocal response was sufficient evidence to Karen that she was now in competition for Mike’s affections. Her world collapsed. I met her in the counseling office.

She poured out her heart. Oh, the tremendous anguish of the soul. Parent’s rejection. Mike’s rejection. For the first time in her life she turned to God. While working through all the rejection, facing the pain and the rage, she realized God’s desire for intimacy with her. Bible reading, prayer, church and working through the pain became a consistent part of her life.

The shattered, fragile young lady became a pillar of strength rather quickly. Remember, God tells us that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Though her husband continued in his extra-marital relationship, her focus was on her own character growth, and did she ever blossom.

After a couple months of this, Karen felt it was time to practice some tough love. A confrontation with Mike ensued. He told her to get off his back; he was going to do “what he damn well pleased.”

The previously passive, fragile wife who would have knuckled under to Mike proved her new-found strength with this rebuttal; “Mike, you are hurting yourself. Our friends are losing respect for you. Your job performance is suffering. You are damaging our marriage. I love you. I don’t want divorce. But it is time for you to make a decision, her or me.”

Mike asked for a week to consider. After this period, as with most people in that situation, he was still ambivalent. He wanted the marriage but he wanted his girl friend too. Karen’s attitude was inspiring to behold as she took the necessary legal steps, not out of rage or vengeance toward Mike, but out of a broken heart for him. Divorce papers were drawn. Both signed.

A week later, Karen came back into the office, strong and radiant. Her comment: “Dr. Burwick, I’ve never felt so free in my life. Oh, I’m sad about the breakup of my marriage and sorrowful for the destructive path Mike is taking, but for the first time in my life, I’m feeling very loved and accepted. I’m growing in my awareness that God is my husband.”
God became very real to Karen as she sought Him. How are you and I doing in the quest for seeking God? More tomorrow.

Identity - Knowing God 6

Can't wait til our Iris garden springs forth!

How would you describe your “tug at His pant leg” relationship with God that we referred to at the end of our last post? How’s your confidence level in saying, “Abba Papa, I have a need. Thank you that you are going to supply, your way, your timing.”

Sometimes God doesn’t come through in the way or the timing I had expected. That can produce some cynicism about prayer. How do you handle God’s seeming abandonment during times like that? I’ve had to learn that I can “tug at God’s pant legs” by petitioning Him, but trusting Him with the results. An example:

My daughter Gretchen and I were going through her proposed budget. She had just finished raising her support to become a staff member of Campus Crusade for Christ. Her living expense allotment was $750 per month and we were having a difficult time projecting how that amount would stretch – especially covering the categories of long distance phone and clothes.

The U-haul was packed and off we trekked from Birmingham, Alabama to Ann Arbor, Michigan for her ministry to the Wolverines. As Gretchen checked in with apartment management, she was told that a promotion was being staged. “Pick a duck,” she was told, it will have a slip of paper in it that will indicate a certain amount of free rent (at least one month) or have words written “pick another duck.’

A tub of water where about 75 plastic ducks floated, awaited Gretchen. Her first selection read “pick another duck.” And so did her next two and two more picked by her mother and a friend.
The sixth duck pronounced this message “one year free rent.” Incredible. Over $8300 for Gretchen and her two roommates.
God’s financial resources for Gretchen were not determined by her salary. He provided bountifully for her.

As we stated before: Scripture clearly personifies God as a loving Personality who dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene. Always a living Person is present, speaking, pleading, loving, working, and manifesting Himself whenever and wherever His people have the receptivity necessary to receive His manifestation. Always wanting the best for us. Saying that He will work everything that happens to us for our good, the good of others and for His glory.

What a Source of security! Praise His name. More tomorrow.

Identity - Knowing God 5

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' Acts 17:24-28

Augustine so aptly stated about God, “Thou hast made us for thyself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.”
We learned in our last post that God first seeks us, stimulating our appetite for Him. We then have a choice: resist Him or reap the rewards of diligently seeking him.

Scripture clearly personifies God as a loving Personality who dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene. Always a living Person is present, speaking, pleading, loving, working, and manifesting Himself whenever and wherever His people have the receptivity necessary to receive His manifestation.
Though God is spirit, he is a personal being, and as such, fondness and enjoyment can be cultivated with Him as with any person.

A new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book which was once written, but a book which is now speaking. God is not only speaking doctrine and theology but is communicating in the continuous present that He treasures intimacy with his children.

Do we cherish companionship with Him? A.W. Tozer said, “The man who has God for his treasure has all things in Him. Many earthly treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or, if he must see them go he will surely feel a sense of loss. But having the Source of all things in God, he has all satisfaction, all pleasure and all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in God and he has it purely, legitimately and forever.”

A front page photograph graced the American newspapers many years ago, picturing John-John Kennedy as a little boy playing under his father’s desk. Though his dad was the president of the United States and though the office was occupied that day by world-renown dignitaries, John-John had complete access to his father. A tug on his dad’s pant leg would have secured immediate attention.

How would you describe your “tug at His pant leg” relationship with God? How’s your confidence level in saying, “Abba Papa, I have a need. Thank you that you are going to supply, your way, your timing.”
More on Monday.

Identity - Knowing God 4

With snow still on the ground, I'm thinking Spring and our beautiful iris garden.

Continuing our series on knowing God as our source for security in out quest for building healthy and positive self esteem, A.W. Tozer says, “What COMES INTO OUR MINDS WHEN WE THINK ABOUT God is the most important thing about us. The most remarkable fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.” (Knowledge of the Holy)

How do we begin knowing God? Biblical theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace (before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man.) Jesus said, ‘No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him.”

Dan Dehaan writes: God longed to create man to appreciate Him. God created people to know Him. .. to enjoy Him. God put in men’s hearts the “god-shaped vacuum” that could only be filled with Himself. Why did God create us? To fellowship with us. Why did Christ come to earth? To restore broken fellowship.”

The impulse to pursue God originates with God, and we as Believers all experience that stimulus. The Bible tells us that God is not willing that any should perish. God desires for all men to pursue Him.
However, our response to His prevenient grace is not to resist Him but to aggressively pursue intimacy with Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

The first question: have you sought Him first of all as your savior and Lord? IF not, it will be impossible to journey in the quest of intimacy with God. John 1:12 tells us that whoever receives Christ into his life becomes a child of God.

How would you classify your quest for knowing God.
1. I’m not a follower of Christ but I’m seeking and considering
2. I’m a Christian, but my diligence in seeking God is lacksidasical
3. I’m hot and cold. I muster up discipline to read the Bible for a while, then I slack off. No consistency.
4. I have trouble seeking God in my troubling circumstances.
5. I’m usually disciplined in diligently seeking God but I yearn for a deeper intimacy with Him.

God is a rewarder of those who DILIGENTLY seek Him. Complacency is not part of the game plan in knowing God. As children of God we already have relationship with Him. Now our challenge is to develop fellowship with God. Developing intimacy with Abba Father. Augustine so aptly stated about God, “Thou hast made us for thyself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.”

Hosea 6:6,3LB I don’t want your sacrifices, I want your love; I don’t want your offerings, I want you to know me. Oh, that we might know the Lord. Let us press on to know him, and he will respond to us as surely as the coming of dawn or the rain of early spring.

Identity - Knowing God 3

Katie, one of my basketball players while at Bryan College.

The Bible challenges us to “KNOW GOD.” However we saw in yesterday’s post that He is unknowable and indescribable. Let’s see if we can wade through this seeming dilemma beginning with an examination of our “feltness" picture of God. (Not what you know but how you feel about God). Do any of the following apply to your perception of God?

* Santa God: “making a list and checking it twice…”
*Corporate CEO: , climb the ladder, but always one more rung
*Scrooge: “you owe me”
*Grandfather: “Do what you like, be happy, no consequences, ask for anything
*Uncaring stepdad: uninterested, uninvolved
*General Patton: “I don’t care how you feel, just do as I say”

It may be helpful to write your response and also write how you’d like to see your perception of God change. Be thinking and praying about it, asking Him to show you misperceptions and to begin to give you a clearer vision of who He really is.

An understanding of the word “know” might be helpful here. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for know is yada. It denotes an intimate acquaintance with someone. A personal relationship is implied between an individual and the object. This could be a spiritual relationship between worshipper and deity. It could be a social relationship between two people. Or it could be a sexual relationship between husband and wife.

In the New Testament the word for “know” is “Ginosko.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines it as a relation between the person knowing and the object known. The focus is often a progression of knowledge, rather than a complete knowledge. A knowing that is ever growing. A relationship ever deepening in intimacy, like a good marriage: 2 people growing in knowledge and love for each other.

Think about one of the most meaningful relationships you’ve ever experienced – may be a boy/girl friend, a spouse, a close friend. How was that relationship nurtured? Walk through the steps in building that relationship and see how that format could apply to you knowing God more intimately.

More in tomorrow's post on Knowing God as our Source for security.

Identity - knowing God 2

We're examining how knowing God brings us to a sense of security which is a dynamic of self esteem. But the Bible also challenges us to know God:
2 Pet.1:2LB Do you want more and more of God’s kindness and peace? Then learn to know him better and better. For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life; he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us. And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character.

Maybe you missed that. "...He will give you everything you need for living a truly good life;.... shares His own glory and goodness with us... gives us His own character. All this from knowing God better and better.

And in Proverbs 9:10 LB we read, "For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. "

A little girl drawing a picture was observed by her mother, who asked her what she was doing. “I’m drawing a picture of God,” the little girl said. Her mom replied, “No one knows what God looks like.” To which her daughter exclaimed, “they’ll know when I’m finished drawing.”

The Bible challenges us to know God and J.I. Packer in his book, Knowing God, exclaims: “We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange and painful place, and life in it is a disappointing and unpleasant business for those who do not know God. Disregard the study of God and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”

And yet, Thomas Aquinas claims God is utterly unknowable. "No thoughts can contain him, no words express him. He is beyond anything we can intellectualize or imagine. "

Oswald Chambers adds to this thought: What is God like? God is not like anything; that is, He is not exactly like anything or anybody. We learn by using what we already know as a bridge over which we pass to the unknown. It is not possible for the mind to crash suddenly past the familiar into the totally unfamiliar. When the prophet Ezekiel saw heaven opened and beheld visions of God, he found himself looking at that which he had no language to describe.

Know God! Impossible to do so!! How do we handle this topic of "knowing God" as our source of security? More tomorow!

Identity - The Spiritual Dimension 1

Progressing from man’s way of building positive self esteem through appearance, achievement, positive thinking, relationships and status we now examine the spiritual dimension.
An overly simplified summary is this: men and women have two distinct self esteem needs. One is a need to feel significant and the other is to feel secure. Spiritually, security is derived from knowing God at increasingly deeper and more intimate levels. Significance comes from knowing who we really are “in Christ.”

We’ll spend the next considerable time purusing the topic “knowing God” to lay the foundation for a a depth of security that can not be manufactured by any human source.

A.W. Tozer declared that, “The understanding of God is so decadent as to be utterly beneath the dignity of the Most High God.” The words “Be still and know that I am God” had become meaningless to the hustling, self-confident Christians he knew. There were more interesed in living a victorious life than in knowing God.

Who is God? What does God have to do with my self-esteem?
A magazine advertisement pictured a dog and a cat lying side by side in harmony. The legend over the picture stated: “A couple of VIPs” (very important pets). What makes them important is who owns them.”

What makes you and me important is who owns us. The Psalmist wrote, “It is God that hath made us, and not we ourselves, we are his people…” Psalm 100:3, KJV
The new Testament states it this way: And because we are his sons God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, so now we can rightly speak of God as our dear Father. Now we are no longer slaves, but God’s own sons. And since we are his sons, everything he has belongs to us, for that is the way God planned.”

Think of it! Everything God has is ours. As one man said, “We pull our chair up to God’s table and say, ‘pass the biscuits.’” All His resources are at my disposal. As we look at this mind-blowing concept every day, think of the dynamic influence on our self esteem. All His resources are ours (mine).

The Bible challenges us to know God:
2 Pet.1:2LB Do you want more and more of God’s kindness and peace? Then learn to know him better and better. For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life; he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us. And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character.

Dear fellow sojourner, do you get a little glimpse of the awesome impact God wants to have on our life? More tomorrow.

Identity - Self Esteem Man's Way 4

Burwick extended family. Snow in Nampa reminds me of the great time in Jellystone Park last summer.

Some final thoughts on building positive self esteem man’s way. Again, there is value in some of the thoughts projected by “secular” professionals who are not into the spiritual dimension of man. For example:

1. Listen to the critical inner voice and refute it. Challenge the negative messages that tear down positive self esteem. As a stutterer I sometimes feel like a blemished product, having to prove my worth. Rebuttal sounds something like, I can’t speak fluently like most folk but that doesn’t negate my character and the strengths God has given me. Refuting the critical inner voice.

2. Take care of yourself. Some would call it self-nuturing though that sounds kind of narcisistic. Practice Basic Self-Care – regular exercise, get enough sleep, eat in a healthy fashion, practice good hygiene, and so forth. Plan fun and relaxing/recreational activities for yourself. Gain a realistic performance picture of yourself and don’t be too hard on ourself if you’re not living up to your expectations. Either change your goals or exercise the discipline necessary to reach the performance standards you have set for yourself.


3. Establish healthy relationships. A close positive friend who is encouraging, caring and will never get in your way unless it is to prevent you from going down is an invaluable asset. A rare jewel to be honored and cherished. This friend will let you vent without trying to fix it. Will encourage you to greater success in whatever you are doing. Will be there for you when you bottom out. Will help you pick up the pieces and grow on.

Sometimes low self-esteem can feel so painful or difficult to overcome that the professional help of a therapist or counselor is needed.

What secular therapists leave out is the spiritual component. That is what we’ll hit next in our study. Just a little to whet your appetite: “For God bought you with a high price . . .” (1 Corinthians 7:20). Our self-esteem needs to be based on the honor God gives us (Psalms 8:3-5). We are a priceless treasure, the object of His infinite love (Romans 8:38-39). God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to Him (Ephesians 1:18b LB). God’s exchange rate for our imperfect lives makes our self-worth incalculable (John 3:16)!





Have a great weekend!

Identity - Building Positive Self Esteem Man's Way 3

Grandkids love old pickups

Continuing the examination of a web site that portrays well a humanistic perspective on building positive self esteem.

We are not exactly the same people we were in the past. One thing to remember when we beat ourselves up now for past actions is that we are not the same people that made the errors in the past. So, in a sense, we are blaming the wrong person. We have learned and changed since then, so why criticize someone that doesn't even exist anymore? Focusing on past mistakes (beyond what we can constructively learn from them) is totally unproductive.

Recognize positive aspects of yourself--including your goal of growth and your past growth. Observe the importance of measuring your life by how much you learn and grow. Focus on your ultimate concern of overall happiness, and adopt abundant motivation by being grateful for all that you have received. Identify past positive actions and aspects of yourself. Make a list of all the positives about you--as you are now. (THOUGH POSSESSING SOME VALUABLE INSIGHTS, THIS APPEARS TO BE QUITE NARCISISTIC TO ME. it is part of man’s way of building positive self esteem.)

Put this list in a prominent place and keep reminding yourself of these qualities. Convert these general ideas into clear visual images that exemplify these qualities. Never let yourself state negatives about yourself without also stating positive qualities.

OVERCOME YOUR FEARS OF NEGATIVE LABELS
We can develop a huge fear about the truth behind a label. The fear of being labeled "stupid," "weird," "crazy," or any "whatsit" can be like a cancer eating away at our self-esteem. It can be a fear that others use to control us. It can prevent us from believing or doing many of the things that can help us grow and be happy.

One of my clients, a psychology graduate student, came in because he had low self-esteem and a combative relationship with a woman he loved. They got into arguments that started with mild disagreements, but quickly escalated into shouting matches or even physical brawls. He knew that he couldn't control his temper and suspected that it had something to do with his relationship with his father. Why did he always have to be right? Why was he so persistent and competitive--even over unimportant differences of opinion?

We explored his relationship with his father. His father was a brilliant scientist, had obtained a prestigious position at a very early age, and had achieved a great deal of recognition. But his father was very demanding. His father had hoped his son would someday become a great scientist. Whenever his son couldn't grasp an idea quickly, he would use a negative label like "stupid." My client's mother was also very bright and had a doctorate. Intelligence and science were supremely important in his family.

My client felt confused about his intelligence. Part of him believed he was intelligent. After all, he did well in school, and he thought that a high IQ ran in his family. But another part of him doubted his intelligence because his father had called him "stupid" all his life.
When my client developed interests in art and psychology instead of "hard science," his father was furious and felt like a failure as a father. He told his son what a stupid choice he had made and nearly disowned him. He felt he must be "stupid."

Yet being "smart"--even "brilliant"--was so important to him and his family, that he could not stand to think of himself as other than brilliant. He always had to be right--just like his father. To be wrong might imply that he was stupid (the ultimate sin). When a difference of opinion would arise with someone, he would either fight desperately to win and prove himself right or withdraw (out of fear of losing the other person's love.)

He, literally, didn't understand how to have a noncompetitive conversation over an issue and accept that two people could each have a legitimate point of view. He turned every discussion into a contest in which one person won and the other lost. His pride or self-image was at stake in every disagreement. This competitiveness undermined all of his relationships--especially those with women. Through self-exploration we had found that being thought "stupid" by himself or others was one of his worst fears in life. That was a major insight for him. But what could he do to overcome this fear?

Can you relate to this gentleman? More on the topic tomorrow.

Identity - Positive Self Esteem Man's Way 2

Granddaughter Kayleigh Keister

We looked at building self esteem from Man’s point of view yesterday. Today we continue in that theme, information garnered from a web site. I don’t agree with the information in total, but there is some truth that can be gained from a humanistic aproach. (It’ll be truth that concurs with Biblical principles.)

How the mind plays in developing positive self perception.
If two lower courts conflict over federal law, then the conflict is referred to a higher court. Eventually the case may go to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court relies upon the U.S. Constitution as the ultimate code of law.

The same principle applies to resolving conflicts between lower parts of ourselves. We can choose to make our Higher Selves our Supreme Courts. (I would call "Higher Selves" the Spirit-led life as viewed in Scripture.) We can give our Higher Selves this authority by choosing to resolve inner conflicts with questions like, "Which alternative will create the most happiness for me and others?" or "Which is the most honest?" "Which will lead to the most growth?" Our "Constitution" consists of values and beliefs such as these.

==> For every old or dysfunctional belief, question it, confront it,explain it, or persuade it with a more powerful Higher Self belief.

We cannot unlearn old beliefs and habits. We can never entirely erase an old belief or habit, because we can never completely unlearn something we have learned any more than we can forget 2 + 2 = 4. However, we can get better control of these dysfunctional parts by (1) understanding them--especially their negative effects--and by (2) acting on messages from our healthier parts.

Accept the past as past--focus on the present and future. One client came in because he was almost 40 and had been in college for almost 20 years without ever completing all the courses he signed up for! He was intelligent, but had always lacked motivation. He typically set very high goals, and started semesters with a bang. If he had problems or lost interest, he would fall behind and then drop out when he was not making "A" grades. Many of his friends were professionals with high incomes and jobs he envied. He said, "I think I'm as smart as they are, but I've just wasted my life."

One thought that had haunted him for years was, "Look where I would be if I had just worked hard and finished college in my early twenties." This thought was so strong that it was a powerful impetus for his constant dropping out. He learned to replace that thought with a different point of view. He would put himself into the future 20 years, when he would be almost 60. He then asked himself, "How will I feel if I look back to the age I am now and say, 'If I had completed college then, look where I would be today'."

Whenever he would start to focus on the past missed opportunities, he would refocus on this new way of looking at the future instead. His new focus lite a fire under him. This was the first semester that he had ever completed all the classes he signed up for. Not only that, but he made good grades. He has since graduated and was completing his Master's degree the last time we met.

More tomorrow on "man's way" of building self esteem.

Identity - Man's Way

Grandpa Ole Burwick, a tobacco chewing auctioneer who would
measure the value of an item for sale.

We’ve defined self esteem as, “How you think and feel about yourself; how you value yourself. It's like being your own auctioneer, observing how you’re doing in the world and setting a price on it.”

The origination of self image begins in childhood. Feelings of inferiority or superiority are increased by attitudes of parents, close relatives and by friends. Our image of ourselves is basically determined by relationships. What we think others are thinking of us determines what we think of ourselves.

No one has been raised by perfect parents in a perfect environment. We enter adulthood with inner voices telling us we’re not quite good enough; that we’re blemished; that we must perform for approval and recognition and mirade of other voices from within, questioning our personhood.

We spoke of the need for healthy self examination. “Search me O God…point out anything in me that makes you sad.” However rather than face our inadequacies and wounds, we run or hide. Consequently our self esteem is marred.

As we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal “emotional cholesteral” the next challenge is to clean it out. And that begins with forgiving those who have hurt us. Forgiving ourselves. That is the foundation for building a healthy self esteem.

Now let’s look at how man suggests growing a healthy self perception.
1. Appearance. Develop the physical self. It is said that the cosmetics industy is one of the few industries that does not suffer during a recession. Much effort is spent on looking and smelling right by using the “right” consmetics. However, after 30, wrinkles set in, muscles sag, clothes go out of style. Nothing wrong with looking good; however, if our identity is determined by our appearance, it is easy to be happy when complimented, crushed if ignored.

2. Achievement. Developing the intellect helps promote healthy self esteem but if our identity is based on being the smartest, we’re heading for a let down. Because the more we know, the more we know we don’t know.
Any kind of achievement helps one feel better about him/herself; but what if the ability to achieve is obstructed through accident, disease or some other extenuating circumstance? What happens to self perception based on achivement if we bottom out or top out. The man in mid-life crisis often says, “Is that all there is to life?” He has accomplished all his goals or realizes he never will be able to reach his objectives.

3. Attitude. Power of positive thinking. A good way to focus our thought life. And it is Biblical: Fix your thoughts on what is good true and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely. Dwell on the fine good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.” Positive thinking is healthy but it doesn’t touch the deep insecurities and deep inadequacies that we sometimes apack around.

4. Association. Relationships. Building positive relationships enhances one’s self perception. It is nice to be cared about. To be complimented. To have joint ventures of success together. Too numerous to count are those whose self esteem was built on relationships to have the image hammered by rejection. Some kind of relational abuse wiped out not only the relationship but the positive self perception.

5. Status. The most shallow attempt of building self esteem. The new stylish clothes. The hot car. The young babe on the arm of an elderly man. The high exposure job or position in the community. Status makes one feel better, but the glow is short lived because the source of identity is not coming from within. It is circumstantial.

There is value in building self esteem man’s way. We’ll examine this further.

Identity - Reframing Your Life 5

One of my blessings, a college roommate (Jerry Isaacson). We maintain contact.

Finishing up our topic of “Reframing your life,” lets look at some practical examples. Again, it is not so important what has happened to you as it is important that your response is healthy and productive.

For example, Betty Fergusen had a 16-year-old daughter who was kidnapped and killed by her English teacher, Ray Payne. She reports, “I was consumed with hatred and suffered everything from headaches to back pain so severe I could hardly stand.”

Six years later while attending a funeral she grasped more deeply the words, “Forgive those who traspass against us.” She began to work through the forgiving process. Eleven years after the murder she visited Payne in prison and told him the heartbreak he had caused. He listened and both cried.

She reported, “Forgiveness is the greatest gift I ever gave myself – and my children.” She now works as a mediator in a Pennsylvania program for violent-crime victims.
She has reframed a horrendously painful experience into something productive, helping other people who have gone through what she previously experienced.

On a lessor pain level, I’m having to reframe my life from a Parkinson’s disease perspective. My mobility is being curtailed with loss of balance and a host of other symptoms. I have a choice to reframe, which would move me from a postion of discouragement for what I’ve lost to a mindset of gratitude for all God has provided for me these 68 years of life. Be sad and mad for the loss or rejoice and be grateful for what He has provided – past and present. 98% of the time I reframe properly!!!

How about you? When life has thrown lemons at you, has it turned you sour or are you selling lemonade?

How are you doing reframing the present – like getting stuck in traffic? Is that a time for discontent or could it be reframed to one of productivity? A time to memorize scripture or time to pray?

As Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:8, Fix your thoughts on what is true, good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely. Dwell on the fine good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.

Proud Papa Weekend #2 C

Bella Rose Burwick

It is reported by her big sister that this 4 1/2 month old athlete can now roll over on both sides!

Her daddy says she is a great, mild-mannered baby except when left alone. Solitude is not her thing and lets everyone know by yelling (not crying) that she wants company. Her favorate foods are peas and peaches. Loves the Cincinatti Bengals and jumping in her Johnny Jumper.

Bella and papa have at least one thing in common. She started life with a full head of hair. She has lost about half of it!!!

An old man's grandchildren are his crowning glory." Proverbs 17:6a LB

Thanks for praying for my grandchildren

Proud Papa Weekend #2B

Jordan Ann Burwick

Jordan is following in her sister Kendall's footsteps. She plays soccer and basketball and at this point is more concerned in helping other players off the floor or ground and patting them on the back, than scoring a goal or shooting a basket.

Being in 1st grade, Jordan is reading at a 4th grade level. She has never made under a 98 on any of her school work. Her teacher says it is hard challenging Jordan, so they have her in every advanced class. Jordan is also the commedian. She will say the most off the wall stuff that is hilarious, and keep a strait face. She also loves being a big sister to Bella. Her teacher says that she braggs about it almost every day at school.

"An old man's grandchildren are his crowning glory." Proverbs 17:6a LB
Thanks for praying for my grandchildren

Proud Papa Weekend #2

Kendall Alyssa Burwick

Last weekend I featured My daughter Gretchen's two children. This weekend - my son Ray's three daughters. Today, Kendall. Fifth grade, Good student. Loves basketball, soccer and going to Crossroads Church. It is reported that her defense and rebounding in basketball is outstanding. She scores 4 points per game in basketball and one point per game in soccer. She is taking guitar lessons and "hopes to be as good as her dad."

She asks for prayer for her friend Erin who has a brother with brain tumors. This proud papa loves her sensitive, Godly spirit that even when on the weekends with her mother, asks if she can go to church with her dad.

"An old man's grandchildren are his crowning glory." Proverbs 17:6a LB

Thanks for praying for my grandchildren.

Identity - Reframing Your Life 4

Global Warming???

Continuing our series on the reframed life:
The reframed life is not confined to the past, but instead, past experiences are understood in ways that help forge a future with expanded effectiveness because you have discontinued hurtful patterns and live free of resentment and bitterness. All of these elements are part of the reframed life.

The person can develop wisdom to develop a creative response leading to problem resolution and stronger relationships. Reframing is the end of waiting for someone else to take the lead in your life. You take the lead and actively, creatively and productively choose a response to whatever area of your life is giving you difficulty. You move out actively to master the difficulties of life rather than be victimized by them.

Arterburn suggests the following process in reframing.
1. Humility. Romans 3:23 says “all have sinned…” Everyone of us has messed up, and we are all fellow strugglers. When we acknowlege this, we take away our entitlement to blame and shame. We don’t live in a perfect world and if those who have hurt us, hadn’t, someone else would have. And we would have definitely hurt ourselves. Next:

2. Galatians 5:16 challenges us to live according to the new life in the Holy Spirit, not doing what “comes natural.” Revenge. The person walking in fellowship with Christ has the empowerment of the Holy Spirit – a power greater than ourselves to live the supernatural life that replaces the natural life of vengance.

3. Awareness of the reality of the imperfect life - that person who hurt you was himself a hurt person before he hurt you. (People who hurt, hurt people.)

4. A mindset of looking at the past in a new way, developing a forgiving spirit that realizes people will let us down. But you can give grace and acceptance and see the value of previous harm done to you.

Arterburn says, “When you put the four pieces of the frame together, then put them around even the vilest abuse, you become open to resolving it and putting it behind you. If you have been holding on to the same grudge for years it is time to let it go and live your life from a different perspective – leading to resolution and never having to relive the pain or ever allow the abuser to influence or control your life again. Once you achieve this, you are free to move into the future and live out the purposes God created for you to accomplish.