Be Encouraged

We seem to pay more attention to what we don’t have than what we do.  People want something different than their current circumstance.  What do you wish wasn’t so? It can be as big as your job or as small as your fingernails. We use energy  wishing that something wasn’t so, negative energy, fighting against reality. I’m not scolding you or myself; we all want things we don’t have at times.  What i...

Do worries get you out of rhythm? That can lead to pulling back from life in fear.  My friend with heart problems is using awareness of the present moment to help him. For him, being in the moment is calming and helps answer anxiety’s call to worry. He’s getting medical care but he wants life be more than trips to doctors and taking pills.  What worries do you have? What comes to mind that especia...

People used to just sit for hours on porches. Maybe you never did but saw someone older than you sit around and talk. Remember Andy & Barney on the TV show sitting on the porch talking or playing guitar? Some folks had a knife and stick and whittled while they sat.  If you didn’t whittle, there was always talking, or rocking in a rocking chair, or listening to nature. If you lived near a road,...

Do you know what you want or need? If you stay lost in thought, you will be confused about it. Sometimes dogs know better than humans.  What do you want? In this very moment, what do you want?  What do you want for today?  This episode explores being aware of yourself to the level that you know what you want, not what others want for you.  What do you want right now? If it is something you can do,...

It is good to live in the moment. But let’s be honest, some moments are hard to be in.  The news has been horrible, with loss and grief, painful violent situations that keep hurting people, like shootings and covered up sexual abuse, and war. These stories run in our minds as we work, sleep, eat, and interact with family.  Hopefully where you are right now is safe and pleasant enough. Being more a...

Men are bad about this. Really everyone, male or female has thoughts going on in their head, much of which isn't said. Sometimes they are words of encouragement, kind curiosity, and love. These caring thoughts just need to come out. It doesn’t have to be a big speech but just a comment to bring them into the light.  Things often go unspoken because we fear if they are spoken, they will grow a...

How does the phrase “brute force” strike you?  It seems this is the way of humankind, we often “brute force” our way.  It seems standard procedure to scrape off the top and “brute force” nature, because it just harder to “finesse our way.”  Do you prefer to use brute force or finesse? Which do you prefer having used on you? Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in t...

My wife saw the flashing lights coming through the blinds on the front of our house. She opened to find an ambulance parked at our neighbor's house. Both have struggles, so we did not know which one the ambulance was there for. My mind can spin away in moments like this. It is tempting to go into some active problem solving mode or to choose a distraction. But being here, living in the the fe...

Isn't all that loud singing of birds in the Spring annoying?   Do you complain about what happens to you rather than observing it and learning from it? It is easy it is to see the negative, and hard to accept things as they come. Become a better observer, and you have a skill for being in the moment.  Or you will miss a lot of what is around you.  Right now is full of interesting things.  The...

 It’s kind of casual looking to stand in a twist, but it isn’t good for your joints or muscles.  You may find that you, like Jay, tilt to one direction too!  Having our bodies in twisted or slumped positions hurts over time. It crowds organs, causes muscles to lengthen and shorten unnaturally, and makes joints hurt. So, when you can, you should work to stand and sit properly to maintain this great...

Are you annoyed when a traffic light turns green and the car in front of you just sits there? My guess is, the driver is looking at his phone; what would you guess? People drive without paying attention.   When your mind goes into a trance you do things only half paying attention. You get them done but don’t remember them afterward. Typical things we do can be unexciting, so we add other stimuli l...

There are times when we experience something really nice, and we just want it to last. Being in nature can create a good memory that you can savor.  The less than pleasant creates an experience you may want to avoid. When the unpleasant happens we want to get it over with as soon as possible, and forget about it.  But neither the good or bad things last, they come and go.  This episode encourages...

I can look at a situation and decide what it means and get it completely wrong!  Then, if I get it wrong, I react in the wrong way.  I’m guessing you have done this too.  Sometimes it’s because we are just not paying full attention, so we get half the facts, draw a conclusion, and its off target.  Other times we get our conclusion wrong because we come to the situation with a perspective, like col...

Ever lost something valuable? And then when you were honest, you knew you lost it because you were not paying attention?  Then it takes more  time to fix things because of a lack of concentration.  That is aggravating! It's a problem, but very human tendency to be distracted and miss important things.  You need to improve your attention, but how do you do that?  This episode includes easy to...

“I never felt better in my life!” he used to say.  He was a “glass half full” person.  It’s easier to be a “glass half empty” person. Problems parade in front of us on the news, and sometimes even in our own families. Sometimes the problems seem greater than in the past. So maybe it’s impossible to be a “glass half full” person now? Or maybe we need to limit our exposure to the many things we can...

Life is often overwhelming. And now there is a war going on.   It is in Ukraine, not near most of us, but it is disturbing. It feels nearby and it adds to the tensions in the world from  the pandemic, political fighting, social distancing, family and work problems. To be in the moment requires a way to stay balanced within yourself and not be thrown off by fear, anger, or confusion. And to respond...

Being distracted or zoned out is a life out of touch with yourself and the sacred.  Do you know anyone who checks out from reality? Once in a while is OK, but too often it is a life pattern. And patterns take us someplace. When things go bad, it is usually more like a steady drip, drip, drip than a cataclysmic event.  Being more aware of the present moment can be the cure to many of our problems....

The simplest things can be interesting if we pay attention. But we are often of two minds, doing one thing and thinking about something else.  This episode encourages you to just notice where you are right now and what is happening. It can be fascinating! And it has the added benefit of calming your mind and spirit.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the mome...

Listen in on a  story about my dog that illustrates that life is both good and not so good.   When we make time to be in the moment, we see that each moment has potential to be good or bad. Learning to accept the present “now” includes accepting the bad with the good, knowing that each come and pass away. Pleasure doesn’t last forever, and neither does pain.  My hope for you is that you will be co...

When life gets tough we humans seem to do a couple of things, we escape/numb out, or we try to control.  What do you do?  “Be still and know that I am God,” from Psalm 43 comforts and challenges. The message includes being still, and in the stillness coming to know that God is God. If you sit with stillness, as this verse says, you will have many thoughts and moods come. But I believe when we sit...

Life is hard and can knock us down. Or we can be tempted to give up, to go into a room, close the blinds and hide. Some choose a distracting or addicting behavior and numb out. You are created to be , not just do. When the things you try to do fail or fall short of your hopes, you can still be .  Whatever is happening, perhaps your existence was intentional, not an accident, that you are a beloved...

You know some things and people in a surface way, like trivia facts or friends on social media. But, hopefully, you know other things and people more deeply. This episode teaches about "knowing" at that deeper level.  Look closer at other ways of knowing than just gathering information, or hurrying through relationships and decisions.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podc...

Stress is rampant, and people are on edge.  You will get practical tips on living life as something other than "busy person." Go deeper and practice being still for a short time. Meditate a few moments on the scripture that tells us to "be still..." Being still, if only for a short time, makes you calmer. And if you are calmer, you will handle the world differently! Send us Fan...

Your mind, like mine, is a thought creator. One thought leads to the next and we go down thought streams and rabbit holes that we never imagined. In some moments of clarity you may realize you have been in a trance of thoughts, letting your thoughts run away with you. Taking time to be right here, right now can be an antidote to mindless thinking.  Consider the word “Be.”  What is it like to just...

Each episode of this podcast will have a story, a time for getting centered with the present, and a reflection on ancient wisdom. You will be able  to find your own experience in what is shared.  The story will inspire you, even if you are not a dog person. Then you can experience a brief exercise for touching peace within yourself and receiving peace from God.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show B...