UpS aNd DoWnS

Have you noticed that life seems to be filled with ups & downs. There
are good things happening, & things that don’t feel so good… or things
that appear neutral & I puzzle about why they showed up at all.

It’s easy to feel good & have a great disposition when things are going
well. It’s not so easy when things are not. Part of the issue could be my
expectations for “going well.” If I expect someone to act one way &
they act a different way, it might not be a bad thing. It is only
unexpected, which can startle my brain (that likes patterns & things to
go as expected) into going “Hey, what’s up with this? It is NOT according
to expectations!”

Our brains do not like change. They understand repetition. Our brains will
encourage us to keep doing the same things – even if they are dangerous to
our health. Our brains flood with fear chemicals when we even think about
changing or doing something we haven’t done before. Sometimes even making
a shift in our perception can be a scary thing. Unfortunately, if we want
our lives to change, we MUST change.

We have to think new thoughts, try new things, go new places, imagine new
perceptions. If we can go there in our imagination, in our visioning, in
our thoughts often enough, we will begin to make new pathways in
our brains, & the new pathways will become the norm.

Simple, RIGHT? Easy? NO!

They say it takes 30 days to create a new habit. That’s 30 days of
repeating the new activity. That works for some things, but not
everything. If you’re trying to change a 30 year habit, it might take
longer than 30 days. On the other hand, if you don’t start now, it will
take longer.

What new thought, what new habit, what new pattern do you want to be begin
to reinforce today? How can I see the unexpected in a different way? Are
your ups & downs really ups & downs?

All may not be well, but there are many reasons to rejoice, & be thankful for….
Thank you God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor

Lessons From the Geese
by Milton Olson

1. As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird following. By flying in the V formation the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.
LESSON: People who share a common direction & sense of community can get where they are going quicker & easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

2. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation & another goose flies at the point position.
LESSON: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks & sharing leadership with people, as with geese, interdependent with one another.

3. The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
LESSON: We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging, not something less helpful.

4. When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation & follow their fellow member of the flock until he is able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation or catch up with their own flock.
LESSON: If we have as much sense as the geese, we’ll stand by one another like they do.

Rejoice & Be Thankful For Those Around You!
Thank you God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me!
— Matthew 25:40,

Ye Have Done it Unto Me

My friend just sent this to me on Facebook.

“I had a wonderful experience this afternoon. A young woman at the checkout line behind me paid for my items when my debit card was rejected at the Dollar Tree. She said she was unemployed and understood what it was like to be short of cash. I was moved practically to tears. I hugged her and assured her that her kindness would be returned to her multiplied!!”

Remember my friends, in this time of crisis and every day, “pay it forward” whenever possible! What goes around comes around!

Thank You God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor

Good News

It often seems every headline, viral commotion or public uproar encountered today, reveal another scandal, catastrophy, or tragic event with negative outcomes. Do not dispair, because the human conditions is NOT solely one of Doom & Gloom! Recently, the New York Times reported that “The World IS Beating Disease, Poverty & Illiteracy”. Here are some of the more positive statistics from the article.

• In the 1990s, approximately 90% of the world’s population suffered from extreme poverty (less than $2 per person/per day). Today, only 10% of the world languish under similar economic hardships!
• Every single day, World Bank statisticians estimates:
  • ~250,000 more people graduate from extreme poverty.
  • ~300,000 experience the benefits of electricity, for the first time.
  • ~285,000 gain their first easy access to clean, drinking water.
• The United Nations estimates that more than 85% of the world’s citizens can now read.
• More than 100 million children’s lives have been saved through family planning, vaccinations, improved nutrition & medical care. Over the past 30 years, many routinely lethal infant & children diseases have been virtually eradicated.
• Experts anticipate to eliminate leprosy deformation in humans, by 2020.

All may not be well, but there are many reasons to rejoice, & be thankful for….
Thank you God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor