Meditate On These Things

"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."  Phil 4:8,9 (The Message)

Heard Dr. Rick Hanson speak on a City Arts and Lectures broadcast.  His story of learning to linger on small, positive moments reminded me of Paul's admonition to meditate on virtues.  The apostle doesn't tell readers how to practice this meditation, so try Dr. Hanson's HEAL method and see if it helps you fill up on God's most excellent harmonies.

Love makes you resilient

Compassion for self as love for self

New Testament Greek has different verb conjugations for indicative, command, and hypothetical "moods" (among others).  In Matthew 22: 37-39 the verb "to love" is in the indicative mood, future tense:  Ἀγαπήσεις-- You will love God.  You will love neighbor.  Jesus is not commanding you to love.  He is not speculating on the probability that you will love.  Jesus is claiming that this is what the future holds for you.  This sermon looks at love for self as the foundation for love of neighbor through the lens of positive psychology.

Love Celebrates

Positive Psychology is giving me a vocabulary for talking about "going on to perfection" without using the P word, which makes so many people think of perfectionism and dismiss the doctrine as unrealistic.  Love 2.0 includes exercises that have been found to be effective at increasing people's awareness of micro-moments of positivity (positive social connections).  I adapt one of Dr. Fredrickson's exercises in the sermon below in hope that it will be a contemporary way for my parishioners to pursue perfection.

Positive Psychology and Methodist Doctrine

I read Dr. Barbara Fredrickson's new book Love 2.0 with great interest. No surprise that I related Methodist Doctrine to her definition of love. I plan to preach a sermon series this month on love based on her findings. Anyone else discovered an affinity between positive psychology and Wesley's definition of salvation?