Praying for Biblical Self-Esteem: I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough... Or Am I?

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

In the 1970's, Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral wrote a national best-seller called Self-Esteem: The New Reformation.  In it, he made the rather audacious claim that the recovery of self-esteem would transform the church for the 21st Century, just as the Reformation led by Martin Luther had transformed the church in the 16th Century.  Self-Esteem became the cultural rage of the Me Generation in the 1980's and 1990's.  Saturday Night Live made fun of this obsession with their character Stuart Smalley, portrayed by now-Senator Al Franken from Minnesota, who would look in the mirror and affirm himself with the words: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, Gosh-Darn-it, people like me."

Self-esteem is a tricky thing.  Studies in the 70's had shown that students who performed poorly in school usually had very low self-esteem, while high-achieving students had high self-esteem.  Schools responded by developing self-esteem programs.  Oddly, other studies since have shown that one population group has exceptionally high self-esteem: death row inmates.  It seems they all valued their own worth much more than that of their victims.  Today, American students have nearly the highest self-esteem of any group of students in the world, even though they perform well below most industrialized nations on standardized testing.

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Life Is Funny: Where's KC?

By MAD21

If you have pets you know that sometimes they do things they know they are not supposed to do when we are not around. Just like a child, they wait until we aren't looking to get into mischief. Our cat, KC, is no different. Last week we were on our way out the front door when we realized we had forgotten something. My husband had run back upstairs to grab it when he found KC in a rather precarious position. Knowing she was somewhere she shouldn't be, she just froze as if she was hoping we wouldn't see her. Can you?

My friend and fellow blogger Wendy at Weight..What? has a fun carnival at her blog called "Life is Funny." Every Monday we talk about something in life that we find funny. Be sure to go visit her blog to read her post along with links to other blogs who are participating.

Tasty Bites: Toasted Walnut Pesto

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Have you ever bought fresh basil at the grocery store, or even at a Farmer’s Market? If you have, you know how pricey it can be. Last spring I purchased 4 tiny basil plants for 59 cents at our local grocery store’s garden display. They were pathetic plants, but there’s something purposeful about resurrecting the near dead. (I also bought cilantro, which was brown and buried about a week later).

The result of my meager purchase was so much basil, I can’t even give enough away. I put it in salads and pasta sauce, but the more I trim it, the faster it grows. I was seeing pesto in my future. One trip to the grocery store to purchase pine nuts sent me into shock – they were almost $15 a pound! Undaunted, I turned to trusty Google and found recipes for pesto with walnuts, combined a couple of the recipes, and here’s what I came up with. (Yes, all measurements are estimated. You really can’t go wrong). I really loved the extra-nutty flavor the walnuts provided here, and may never go back to pine nuts. Use as many of the tops of the plants as you can; those leaves are more tender and sweet.

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YOB: International Adventures 2010 (Part 5) Mykanos/Israel

By Lara

Most of the day on Sunday, we were at sea. I distinctly remember writing in my journal, napping, and being cornered by Karen for an hour in the lounge. Most of the time, I just let her talk. It was easier that way. She had quite the monologue about cruise ship disasters. I did a lot of trying not to think about it.

We got to port in Mykanos mid-afternoon. All of the houses were whitewashed with blue roofs and shutters. It makes for an eye-pleasing effect. There was a rather long period of waiting for the shuttle bus to take us into the main village of Mykanos. I mostly remember being windblown. Aine and I may have pretended to be in 80ies videos. I remember there was singing.

The village was beautiful. Karen led us on a walk-through to the windmills. The streets were all whitewashed and cobble-stoned. The weather was ideal. The water was inviting. The churches were quaint.

Half way through the town, we met Petros. Petros is a giant pelican and something of a local celebrity. I thought he was adorable until he yawned his beak inside-out. That was creepy.

While most of the rest of the group visited the shops, I tried to find some quiet places to just sit and drink in the experience. Everything was so bright and beautiful. Also, it was Sunday, so I popped into one of the churches to take a little bit of reflection time and prayer. Greek Orthodox churches do tend to be a little bit more ornate than is my taste, but they are still churches and they are part of the experience.

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One Word At A Time: Hope

By MAD21

We have a good friend who is going through a pretty traumatic time in his life. In most cases, people generally have some responsibility for the situations they find themselves involved in, but this time the pain is being caused by another person. I wish I could say that this is something that is a one time thing, something that just happened and that he will be able to move past it quickly, but unfortunately our friend has been living in this nightmare for a few years and can only pray it will be resolved soon.

We pray daily for him to have perseverance and strength, and for everyone involved to be wise in the decisions that need to be made. We pray for resolution, for peace to come into his life so healing can begin. But in the midst of the storm, how do you help someone find hope?

Most of us have lived through terrible events in our lives. Some short, some long, but either way, the pain and disappointment can be unbearable. When your life takes a sudden unexpected turn and you have no control over the direction you are now taking, how do you not lose hope?

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