I just listened to a good interview with Fr. Robert Spitzer unpacking his new book “The Four Levels of Happiness: Your Path to Personal Flourishing.” I found his wisdom compelling and practical for charting the ultimate goal and diagnosing why so many of us get stuck in ruts that leave deep and enduring happiness elusive. Here’s a nice summary and overview. … More The Four Levels of Happiness
I am not a “funcle” – a “fun uncle” as they say. If I could show up at family gatherings and push a magic button that transforms me into carefree and social uncle who holds newborn baby nieces, rolls around on the floor with toddler nephews, and makes small talk with teenage nieces, I would push that button in a heart beat. Here’s an introvert’s apology. … More Funcles & Muncles: An Introvert’s Apology
In this video Ian Morgan Cron talks about the false narratives that we as individuals and as a culture are trained to believe, and what it looks like to connect instead with our true selves in the true stories of our lives. … More False Narratives & Finding Our True Selves
In this MainStreet Soul Care Seminar, Pastor Bill Johnson helps us learn how to “take our thoughts captive” using the skills of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and 11 common “Cognitive Distortions” we all struggle with. Watch, grow, and share!
Lukanoff and Haidt contend that the emergence of a culture of “safetyism” has produced institutional practices that overreach in their goals of protecting children from harm. Instead, they are undermining our ability to solve important social problems. … More The Strangling of American Discourse
“Every step closer to my soul excites the scornful laughter of my devils, those cowardly ear-whisperers and poison-mixers.” -C. G. Jung “We are not unaware of the Devil’s schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11). In 1978, spiritual writer Richard Foster wrote: “In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep … More The Enemy of Our Soul
Those who carry a “father wound” often subconsciously project their pain, anger, or fear onto their Heavenly Father. They may picture God as distant, or disinterested, or capricious or temperamental. Jesus came to show us the true heart of the Father. … More Everlasting Father Wounds
From Your Enneagram Coach: Finally, let’s explore Core Longing, or the central message each of our hearts is longing to hear. Each Type has a tendency to feel, think and act in certain ways in order to satisfy their Core Longing. But we forsake our Creator when we try to fulfill this unending craving in … More Enneagram: Core Longing
From Your Enneagram Coach: Let’s dive into Core Weakness or the issue that each Type struggles within everyday situations and interactions with others. Each Type has something that they are always wrestling with, an Achilles’ heel that remains with them for all their days on Earth. This is like the “thorn in my flesh” Paul … More Enneagram: Core Weakness
From Your Enneagram Coach: Today, we’ll take a look at Core Desire, identifying what each Type is constantly striving for, believing it will bring complete fulfillment. The way we each think, feel and behave are rooted in satisfying our Core Desire, and we become hurt, sad, frustrated, or angry when we can’t obtain it.⠀
We have been exploring the Enneagram personality typing system this fall at MainStreet. This powerful tool is helping us grow in self-awareness and compassion for others who perceive and experience the world in ways far different from us. For those who want to go deeper, or for those out there who want to jump in … More Enneagram: Core Fears
Here’s a retelling of a parable through the lenses of the Enneagram. Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in their False Self, thinking they were the better personality Type and regarded other Enneagram Types with contempt: “Two different personality types went up to the temple to pray, one a self-righteous Type One and … More A Parable Retold
As a Type Five on the Enneagram, I have found myself both amazed by the uncanny accuracy and profound insights of this system, while harboring my own skepticism about its fuzzy origins and claim that every person fits into one of nine categories. I’ve been a true Five, investigating it at a fast and furious pace, devouring several … More A Skeptics Journey with the Enneagram
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” -Psalm 139:14 If human beings are indeed created in the image and likeness of a Triune God, then we should not be surprised if ongoing explorations of the human psyche reveals a kind of 3-fold nature. In a recent … More Human Psyche & the Triune God
Dallas Willard has been a guiding light and master sage for many pastors who believe at the center of their craft is the call to deeper inner transformation of the human soul. His writings are a goldmine of thoughtful wisdom and, more importantly, his personal life and legacy reveal a man who had the smell … More Renovation of the Heart
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it’s fame and money, you’re not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you’re mistaken. As the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to data on true happiness and satisfaction. In this talk, he … More What makes a good life?
Here’s a brief overview of the nine personality types by Ian Cron.
SOURCE What is the Enneagram? How can the Enneagram help me? Which number on the Enneagram am I? Does the Enneagram work? The Enneagram: A (Very) Short History The Enneagram is old. It has roots in several wisdom traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Seven of the nine Enneagram types are associated with the “capital” … More What is the Enneagram?
“My soul, where are you? Do you hear me? I speak, I call you – are you there? I have returned, I am here again. I have shaken the dust of all the lands from my feet, and I have come to you, I am with you.” … More Journey Back to the Soul (Carl Jung)
LECTIONARY REFLECTION | Luke 13:10-17; Psalm 71:1-6 “Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, … More Childhood Wounds
Jeremy L. Berg 