Tag Archives: Proverbs

I Can’t Do Anything

After rededicating my life to God during the second semester of my freshmen year of college, everything gradually fell back into place for me.  Every position I applied for except for one I received, in some cases having to decline offers.  From 1988-2010, life seemed easy, like I could do anything I put my mind to.  When the school I was teaching for began to struggle financially and eventually was sold during the school year, I actually thought I would make a smooth transition to another career.  Unfortunately, almost one year later, I was dead wrong!

When you are blessed with many talents, sometimes you get over confident or don’t work as hard as you are use to like first round draft picks in professional sports.  Then again, technology has drastically changed from the days of Cad, MS-Dos and Word Perfect when I graduated from the University of Delaware.  Anyway, I have gone from thinking I could do anything to a fear I can’t do anything right.  Solomon was right when he said, “humility comes before honor,” Proverbs 16:33b.  I just hope the humility part of my life has come to an end or is about to conclude.

As for now, its back to the drawing board.  Instead of having a touch of gold, my cover letters and resumes have turned into fools gold.  Despite these setbacks, I am laying in prayers of friends and relying on the words of Scripture to slowly restore my self-confidence.  However, I am no longer naive about my current state.  Alone, I can’t do anything but try, cry and try again,  In the long run, Proverbs 16:9 will determine where I land or where I fall.  Bethany Hamilton was right in Soul Surfer, quoting Philippians 4:13 numerous times.  With Christ I can do something, exactly what my next career is, only God knows.

I’ll let Bernie Taupin close this one out with his song sung by Elton John, “I’m Still Standing.”

You could never know what it’s like
Your blood like winter freezes just like ice
And there’s a cold lonely light that shines from you
You’ll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use
And did you think this fool could never win
Well look at me, I’m coming back again
I got a taste of love in a simple way
And if you need to know while I’m still standing you just fade away
Don’t you know I’m still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
I’m still standing after all this time

Loose Lips Sink Ships

In the 1900’s, American families for the most part shared a common parenting trait.  Either mom, dad or both parents reminded children weekly of the motto, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t open your mouth.”  While variations of this expression existed, the heart of the matter involves the biblical principle inside of Ephesians 4:29.  Just of loose lips sink ships, unwholesome words directed at another individual grieves the Holy Spirit according to Ephesians 4:30.

As a parent of 3 children, each 3 years apart, siblings rivalries are alive in my household whether I like it or not.  Sarcasm, teasing and untimely words are a daily threat to tear down self esteem, self confidence and a spiritual connection with God.  Therefore, it is essential for parents to remind their children of passages like Proverbs 14:3.  When a child or student can associate or tie their words directly to a specific punishment, wisdom might be found before its too late or before their own ship sinks.

Jesus’ own brother James, highlights the power of words in his letter to Christian’s scattered throughout the world following Nero’s persecution in the 60’s AD.  James 3:3-6 magnifies the force of a word, comparing the tongue with fire.  Like Smokey the Bear in his public service announcements airing as commercials, “only you can prevent verbal forest fires!”  As Facebook, Twitter and other outlets of social media continue to explode, make sure you practice self-discipline before you press send.  If not, you could be the next Manti Te’O.  Therefore, tighten the reigns of your own tongue before loose lips result in another titanic disaster.

by Jay Mankus

Missing Ingredients in Modern Marriages

Back in the 1970’s, divorce was rare, something that happened only as a result of extreme circumstances.  In fact, to the best of my recollection, the Roman Catholic Church threatened couples with excommunication if this option ever crossed their mind.  The King James Version of the Bible does not use the term reputation as our culture does today.  Instead, King Solomon encouraged people make a good name for themselves, Proverbs 22:1, to develop a good repute in their community.

In a typical wedding ceremony, there is a portion devoted to vows.  Some creative couples write their own, others follow the traditions of their denomination and most simply repeat vows first spoken by a pastor or priest.  Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 warn individuals to take their vows serious, especially ones which include “for better or for worse.”  Yet, mere words don’t hold a marriage together.  Rather, one of the missing ingredients in modern marriages is a will to love once feelings fade.

With this in mind, one of the commands Solomon gave his son is detailed in Proverbs 3:3.  Let love and faithfulness never leave you is a joint command, not to be separated.  In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13 is one of most popular passages read out loud during marriage ceremonies.  The original translation uses the term charity in place of love.  Thus, Solomon is introducing a concept to demonstrate charity faithfully.

The last portion of Proverbs 3:3 explains how one must carry out this command.  The term bind means to knit together, joining two pieces into one.  When a person fastens love and faithfulness to their neck, its always in their peripheral vision.  However, this still isn’t enough to save marriage.  Therefore, Solomon adds one further instruction to insure love and faithfulness endures.  If you enter, engrave or mark something mentally to remain in your heart, a will to love is born.  Follow the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 to complete these essential ingredients for a life long relationship.

by Jay Mankus

Soul Rush America

Since its debut 3 years ago, Gold Rush Alaska is one of the few television shows my wife and 3 children watch together.  During their inaugural season, my wife dubbed this show, “Idiots from Alaska” based upon all the rookie mistakes the Hoffman Crew made each episode trying to mine for gold.  Yet, like the ancient proverb promises, if you cry out for wisdom, she will be found, Proverbs 3:13-14, demonstrated by recent success during season 3 shown on the Discovery Channel.

As of January 11th, 2013, the current price of gold is $1.654 an ounce.  While the numbers are tempting to contemplate your own quest, there are other treasures in America more valuable than gold.  According to Proverbs 2:1-5, there are great moral benefits to digging for wisdom.  However, this treasure hunt is spiritual in nature, relying on the 5 senses as tools to find God’s glory hole.

All great soul miners need a few essential vehicles to begin their journey.  First, a state of the art hearing aide, dialed into the Word of God is a must to follow all mining commands, Proverbs 2:2.  Second, you must follow this playbook, not deviating to the left or right, Proverbs 4:27.  Finally, when drilling test holes, one must lean of experts of the past to guide you on this rush, Proverbs 13:10.  When all else fails, invest in a special generator, the Holy Spirit model, to lead you to pay dirt!

by Jay Mankus

The Mystery of Fear

As a child, nightmares blanketed my thoughts as I tried to outrun Bigfoot throughout my neighborhood, escape the Boogie Man who was underneath my bed or reenact a scene from a Creature Double Feature that I had watched earlier in the day.  While awake, I became afraid of heights after visiting the Empire State Building and snakes during a few close calls where snakes slithered between my legs while cutting the grass in my backyard.  Adolescence brought with it a fear of rejection, especially by girls that added to my already fragile psyche.  Never did I once challenge fear; instead I ran away like a little girl, awestruck by this mystery.

Catholic hymns like Be Not Afraid conveyed a little hope to my soul, exposing this unnatural emotion.  In addition, hearing priests read from Proverbs and Psalms from the Bible produced a sense of peace to ease any remaining anxieties of fear.  Yet, in high school I wasn’t mature enough to ask intelligent theological questions.  On the other hand, the busyness of college prevented me from contemplating the unsolved mystery of fear.  The timing was not right for me to tackle this subject, put on hold for another time down the road toward Elm Street.

Like a scene from Back to the Future, God revealed the answer I was searching for as I opened up Proverbs 1.  According to Solomon, unlocking wisdom in life starts with a reverent fear of God.  The spirit of fear on earth uses apprehension, panic and trepidation to form a constant state of worry.  Biblical fear is the key for attaining the cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude, Proverbs 1:1-7.  These qualities are available to anyone according to C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity.  However, this is only half the mystery.

The missing link and final piece of the puzzle is found in 1 John 4:18.  According to John, the disciple whom Jesus loved as a son, proclaims “perfect love drives out fear.”  The only obstacle to obtaining perfect love is sin.  C.S. Lewis states in his chapter entitled Theological Virtues, access is limited to just Christians.  This love comes from the power of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 2 Peter 1:3-4.  Therefore, if anyone seeks charity, hope and faith, you must come to Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5.  The apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 4:4-7 gives a glimpse of what one can expect when the Holy Spirit helps you conquer the mystery of fear.  “Be Not Afraid!”

by Jay Mankus

Looking for Jobs in All the Wrong Places

Wanda Mallette was observing second grade students one day, recognizing different children were looking for attention through all the wrong methods.  Wanda joined her friend Patti Ryan, both active writers, who turned this notion into a song.   Upon completion, these girls sent their song as a demo to Nashville, Tennessee, eventually ending up in the lap of fellow song writer Bob Morrison.  After a few tweaks, Combine Music published this song, sung by Johnny Lee in Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta.  The revised lyrics of Looking for Love, summarize my job search over the last 12 months.

Last January, I initially told friends to keep their ears open if they heard or knew of any job openings.  Meanwhile, I had to update my resume for the first time in 10 years.  Sounding simple, I felt like a cave man trying to learn the most complex computer software system.  Applying online provided 2 interviews, one on Skype.  Driving around the area fetched 2 more possibilities with neither working out for a variety of reasons.  Securing a seasonal position with a family from church eased my pain, yet I was still unfulfilled.  I thought I had searched under every corner of life until today.

I received an email from a former co-worker this morning simply stating he was fasting and praying for me today.  Before I knew it, I received a response from a manager of Amazon about potential rehires sometime in March.  Moments later a flurry of ideas popped into my head, filled with great topics for future blogs.  If this wasn’t enough, I had a spiritual breakthrough reading Proverbs as a new concept for studying the Bible suddenly appeared as a voice inside my brain.  Coincidence, maybe?  A God instance; most likely!  Whatever the reason for these series of events, jobs would be like dandelions along side blades of grass each Spring and life as you know it would be like paradise if someone fasted and prayed for you daily!

by Jay Mankus

ps – This mysterious force can be directed linked to Spencer Saints.

Living Like A Dog

King Solomon was one of the first people to compare human beings with dogs.  In Proverbs 26:11, he uses a vivid image to prove his point; “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats their folly.”  A fool is one who is bamboozled, duped and hoodwinked over and over, not learning from previous mistakes.  Like the Israelites mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:1-11, their failures are documented as a reminder not to live like a dog.

Like a dog who is never fully potty trained, the author of Hebrews suggest some Christians don’t mature as they should in Hebrews 5:11-6:3.  Depending upon your upbringing, some people are born into un-churched homes, growing up without ever going or entering church on Christmas Day and or Easter Sunday.  Others attend a church who either does not know how to disciple others or glances over essential details young Christians do not know how to apply.  Thus, new believers often become like my 11 year old Beagle named Autumn, still dumpster diving into trash cans, regularly going to the bathroom in the house and not sure how to act and play like a normal trained dog.

When the apostle Paul first visited the Island of Crete, he was astonished by their lack of manners, people skills and social interaction with others.  Cut off to the civilized world, most of the citizens of Crete were barbaric.  Thus, Paul had to address the most basic skill in his letter, teaching their church to do what is right, Titus 3:1-11.  Paul also lays out the expectations and standards that leaders should uphold, Titus 1:6-9.  Essentially, everyone from time to time, needs to go back to obedience school, touching up on the basics of Christianity written in the Bible.  If you practice what Jesus taught in  the 4 gospels, you will put the dog days of summer behind you!

by Jay Mankus

Abandon Ship, Abandon Ship

Edward Smith, Captain of the Titanic said, “I never saw a wreck and never have been wrecked, nor was I ever in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster.”  These famous last words illustrate why the apostle Paul warned people about being over confident in 1 Corinthians 10:12.  Unfortunately, Vince Young, former backup quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t learn from history calling the 2011 Eagles the next “dream team,” ending in a nightmare at 8-8.  Starting quarterback Michael Vick revised this statement with one of his own, calling the 2012 Eagles “a dynasty.”  After 8 straight loses following a 3-1 start to this NFL season, at 3-9 its time to abandon ship.

The word hype means to advertise, build up, excite and publicly tout.  If a professional athlete wants to get on ESPN, they will celebrate excessively or show boat to draw attention to themselves hoping to make Sports Center.  Meanwhile, if a journalist wants national exposure, he or she will try to write something controversial so that people will talk about their piece around the water cooler at work.  This probably explains why writers of the 1997 film Titanic include a scene with Leonardo DiCaprio standing up on top of the forward bow, yelling, “I’m king of the world!”  Instead of jumping ship, our culture has abandoned humility.

Gone are the days of acting like you have been there, handing the ball to the official after scoring a touchdown in football.  Or simply running around the bases following a home run in baseball.  Meanwhile, narcissists are running rampant in society, likely due to a lack of discipline, parenting and  the rod of correction, Proverbs 13:24.  Either way you slice it, people are abandoning the principles of the Magna Carta.  Europeans came to this country on ships to fulfill the great commission, Mark 16:15-16, by spreading the gospel to the new world.  Today, revisionists are erasing Christ from our history books as we now live in the Common Era.

As the ship called America is sinking, I am optimistic that Captain Jesus can save us from a sea of despair.  However, its not a bad idea to put on the life vest of salvation, 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9.  When the upcoming financial cliff approaches, be prepared for the worst, 1 Peter 1:3-7 so that through this adventure your faith will be refined for the next ice berg.  As for now, slow speed ahead with your eyes on the prize, Philippians 3:20-21!

by Jay Mankus