The Mind/Brain Connection

What a fascinating book - Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson, MD. He is a psychiatrist who has studied the latest research on the brain, and also believes that God in Jesus Christ is reconciling the world to Himself. The book shows how our minds can become dis-integrated with neural pathways deeply ingrained by our interactions with our parents, and how they can become integrated through connections with other minds. According to him, it's never to late for improvement, though the ruts do become deeper with each passing year. I highly recommend this book, because I can't hope to give even the gist of the meaning in this blog. Suffice it to say that this is not any kind of proof for or against God or the soul, but a guidebook on how to use the best scientific understanding of the brain to help our emotional and spiritual lives.

One thing I do want to pass on is his understanding of Matthew's account of Jesus' last word, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Dr. Thompson points out that given Jesus' upbringing as a Hebrew male and scholar of the Bible, he was almost certainly calling the entirety of Psalm 22 to mind by crying out its first verse, and affirming his trust in his Father's ultimate good will and gracious plan in the midst of the worst suffering the world has ever seen. "From the cross he still speaks into the darkness of evil, confident that he is heard...He is mindful and centered, completely integrated at the level of his prefrontal cortex."

The book also offers new insights on Genesis 3, 1 Corinthians 12-13, and other Bible passages and stories. If you are interested in improving your relationships with yourself, others and God, and willing to work hard at it, this book will help!

I Love a Good System

My kids think I'm a nerd because I know the words to "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and half the answers on Jeopardy! and I like classical music and oldies (other than 50's or 70's, which they also like now). So don't tell them about this nerdiness - I love it when my things are well-organized. I've been reading and implementing a book called "Getting Things Done" by David Allen, who strongly recommends filing everything in folders with printed labels. I had things all over the house, in binders and boxes and school folders, but I'm gradually moving everything into one file cabinet. I find myself smiling as I go to create a new file folder, or file a piece of paper or a receipt, because the system is so good. I know I'll be able to find these things when I need them.

The other two books I'm currently reading for implementation are "The Simple Living Guide" by Janet Luhrs, and "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality" by Peter Scazzero. These three books are good to read together because they are complementary. The gist of the first is that if you can get everything off your mind and onto paper in a good system, then the power of your mind will be unleashed and you'll get more things done. The gist of the second is that we are seduced by our modern culture into believing that happiness comes from getting more things done and having more things, and we need to release expectations and things in order to find true happiness, which is found in relationships with people. The third, the only Christian book in the bunch, argues that many of us are missing out on God's best for us because we have never grown up emotionally, even if we are frenetically "growing" spiritually. "Mature spirituality and emotional health are inseparable." So the three books balance each other out, and while I'm getting more things done, I won't mistake that for the source of my happiness or for mature spirituality.

But I do love a good system!