What do you do when life blindfolds you and spins you around? We think it’s our fault, that we’re to blame, when really we should be focused on being gentle with ourselves. Melody Beattie

Meditation: This past month has been a whirlwind. There is much sickness going around everywhere, throwing families off their schedules and their equilibrium. Politics is overwhelmingly dark and maddening. Work schedules have been crazy with extra meetings, extra traveling and extra strategizing events. January has been a cold month on top of all of that. Our bodies want to go into hibernation, but instead are forced to function twice as hard as usual. Being blindfolded and spun around is a good image for the past month. When we can’t keep up and when we begin dropping and losing things, or when we don’t meet deadlines, we could start getting frustrated with ourselves and push even harder. Instead, it is so helpful to know that we belong to a merciful God who wants to comfort us in the midst of our “spinning” experience. When we are troubled, God wants to comfort us. Living grounded in God’s Grace means that we can refrain from being harsh with ourselves on top of life being rough. Instead we lean into the experience of self-compassion. We acknowledge and validate how hard the past month has been, and we give ourselves credit for still standing. Or if standing is too difficult, we sit or lay down for a while, just resting. It is wonderful to belong to a God who is patient and compassionate.

Prayer: Gracious God, when we start blaming and judging ourselves for not being more “functional”, Your Spirit intervenes. You remind us of all that has happened to and around us. You remind us of the things we could not control but that impacted us deeply. And then You fill our heart with compassion for ourselves. And after you comfort us in this way, You also give us compassion for others who are “spinning” in the dark, just like us. You are such a safe place to land. And we are grateful! Amen

God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2. Corinthians 1:3b-4 (NLT)

 

Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise. Adolf Hitler

Meditation Our president applies grandiose and positive thinking to all he does. No matter how bizarre it might seem, he “creates reality” by making things up and make things appear to be real. He proclaims many wins and gains, when in reality things are faltering and failing. He announces victories, when in reality many of his political endeavors are embarrassing disasters. If you call an apple a banana long enough, people will give in and join you in switching their perception and language. We can call this method brainwashing. Scientology and other religious organizations/cults like the “Positive Thinking Church” of Norman Vincent Peal use this method with its members. Trump attended Peal’s church growing up and learned to use this method of changing and manipulating people’s perceptions. The Episcopal Church writes about Peal’s teachings: “They influence, mislead and often disillusion sick, maladjusted, unhappy or ill-constructed people, obscuring for them the Christian realities.”

Prayer: God, as this president uses his religious background to get his way, let us learn more about where he comes from and how he uses the indoctrination of “positive thinking.” We see behind these methods the abuse of religion and the manipulation of the masses, just as Hitler did. Wake us up! Us who are Your church in the US and worldwide, so that we can start a theological debate and if necessary a theological fight. Alert us where Christianity is being misused for capitalistic, narcissistic and nationalistic gains. Let us not allow this president and his propaganda machine to abuse the Christian faith and misuse it for his purposes. Amen

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1. Peter 5: 8-9

 

All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach. How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think. Adolf Hitler

Meditation: If we wonder why our president is using such simple and vulgar language and such a limited range of vocabularies, it makes sense if we see it as intentional use of propaganda tactics. Even the simplest person can understand what the president tweets. Reducing the complexity of our world down to “good-bad” language serves his propaganda purposes. It also eliminates the masses from having to think for themselves. And that is the purpose of every propaganda machine. If the president and his people numb the masses with constant lies, with consumerism and promises the masses want to hear, they can in the meantime do whatever they want. They rejoice that the majority of people don’t think.

Prayer Spirit of the Living God, make us think. Make us see the complexity of this world. Let us not fall asleep or turn off the TV as we don’t want to hear the propaganda machinery. We are annoyed and appalled, and yet we need to know what the masses see and hear every day. Help us see our role in these times. Let us not abdicate our responsibility when facing this manipulative propaganda machine. Let us be alert! Let us think! Let us speak up! Amen

But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:36

Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it. Adolf Hitler

Meditation: There are certain principles that Hitler used to manipulate the masses. The above is one of them. People around the world wondered “How could the German people fall for somebody like Hitler?” He presented as the “Father of Lies”. Isn’t there a parallel to today? Some of us may ask: “How can common Americans fall for somebody like Trump, especially the evangelical Christians?” Both men used the same tactic. They knew how to use mass media. Hitler did not have it as easy as Trump has it with Twitter. Hitler just took longer to infiltrate people’s brains than Trump does. Both men knew what they were doing. Both used people’s need for simplification of reality and people’s eagerness to follow a power projecting leader figure that promised them whatever they wanted to hear. It is amazing how we humans don’t learn from history, but allow it to repeat itself. It seems to me that European history is not being taught in American schools in the depth it might need to be for Americans to understand the dynamics behind last century’s Nationalist movement in Germany. And so it takes a long time for the American people to get a grip on the Nationalist movement that is in full force here in the US.

Prayer: God, we see how lies are being made big and simple. We see these lies even being taken seriously and discussed by critical news agencies. And just by repeating certain words and phrases, even as a disclaimer, those lies are becoming reality. God of truth, we see the manipulation of the masses happen again. We feel the danger that is inherent in a political movement like this that has no respect for humanity. We pray that truth will prevail and that our democratic institutions will be strong enough to withstand this attack. God, have mercy! Amen

For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

 

Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching. Satchel Paige

Meditation: Freedom in the Spirit of God is an amazing experience. It means being free from seeing money and power as the purpose of life. It is freedom to forgive wounding and dare loving again. It means becoming free from fear of judgment and free for joyful self-expression. Today my 14 year old daughter danced her first solo in front of a large audience. She waited for ten years for this moment. The past years she has generally been rather shy and worried about what others might think of her. However, today there was freedom. Today God’s Spirit was tangibly present. My daughter had chosen her own music and her own costume. She prepared her own makeup. She danced coming into her own. All fear was gone. There was presence and joy and self-expression. She danced like nobody was watching. Freedom is an amazing experience. Thanks be to the Spirit!

Prayer: Spirit of The Living God, you free us from fear. You liberate us to come fully into our own. It might take years. It might take our whole life. However, Your will for us is to be free from all anxieties that keep us from being passionate, loving and self-expressive – just for the sake of it, and not for secondary reasons or gains. Your Spirit is freedom. And we are grateful! Amen

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2. Corinthians 3:17

I think a lot of self-identity and inner-personal development is hampered by consumerism and capitalism because we see ourselves as a reflection of the TV, rather than as a reflection of the people who are around us, truly. Aloe Blacc

Meditation: Our children grow up with consumerism and capitalism as daily bread. They open their computer and are being targeted. Did they look at certain shoes yesterday? Today they are being flooded with pop-up advertisement that show those and similar shoes in several varieties. When one decides: “I really don’t need another pair of shoes”, one’s resolution is being seduced for weeks and months to come by “pop ups” that show exactly those shoes. Anybody who accesses the internet to look for products immediately becomes an object in the digital machinery of consumerism run by a capitalist system that wants our money. Children and Youth often don’t have role models anymore, but try to find their identity in the products they are able to purchase. And whoever cannot afford a certain brand outfit or product is not “popular” and is threatened to fall through the social network. The singer Aloe Blacc sings “Love is the answer”. Look him up and listen to his inspiring music. Glad that today’s Youth listens to him and likes his music.

Prayer: God, we need Your creative Spirit to translate Your presence and Your will for humanity into today’s world. We need our children to have role models so they can resist consumerism and objectification. We need our Youth wanting to become a reflection of Your love in this world. We need Your “Good News” for the next generation in art, in music and in powerful mentoring. Thank You for all artists who spread Your word, even and especially in our secular world. Amen

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Mark 8:36

Speaking of trust, ever since I wrote this book, ‘Liespotting,’ no one wants to meet me in person anymore – no, no, no, no, no. They say, ‘It’s okay. We’ll email you.’ I can’t even get a coffee date at Starbucks. My husband’s like, ‘Honey, deception? Maybe you could have focused on cooking. How about French cooking?’ Pamela Meyer

Meditation: High-stakes lying is out of control. And it’s costing us big bucks in one way or another. It’s not simply a matter of quantifying losses in dollars. It’s costing us emotionally and psychologically as well. One-year-olds learn concealment. Five-year-olds lie outright: they manipulate via flattery. Nine-year-olds – masters of the cover-up. By the time you enter college, you’re going to lie to your mom in one out of every five interactions. And if you’re an average married couple, you’re going to lie to your spouse in one out of every 10 interactions. Now, you may think that’s bad. If you’re unmarried, that number drops to three. White lies keep social dignity intact and are far more prevalent than most people realize. Several studies have found that an average person is lied to from 10 to 200 times a day – mostly just to keep a conversation going, to avoid conflict, or to establish a connection with someone. Trump is a master obfuscator. Like an octopus escaping a predator, he releases a cloud of ink when called to the carpet on one of his many lies. His strategy? Obfuscate, then reference others. ‘Millions agree,’ ‘everyone knows,’ ‘many have done it.’ However, study after study shows that people are much less likely to lie to a person they consider to be honest. (All quotes by Pamela Meyer)

Prayer: Spirit of the living God, our children are growing up in an era of deception. Lies are everywhere. They are part of society that our current government is using to deceive and corrupt the masses. You are the Spirit of Truth, Honesty and Integrity. You are the one who says: “Thou shalt not lie!” Help us to watch our own conduct. Where do we take the easy way out? Help us show character and admit the difficult truth. Where do we buy into the white lies that surround us? Let us speak honestly and frankly. Where are our marriage or family relationships poisoned with small or big lies? Let us sow truthfulness and integrity in our and our children’s lives, for a long and happy future depends on those. Amen

Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6: 7-8

Con men look for human frailty to exploit. This is most often greed. Trump found a different vice: anger. The emotional are always the most susceptible to manipulation. Pamela Meyer

Meditation: A speech of the union of this US president is a farce. He set out to divide. He looked for those greedy and angry to follow him. And then he set out to split and to undermine our democracy. It is scary to have GOP members try to undermine the legal branch of our democracy. This will be the real test for this country. Do we allow the greedy and hateful to run this country? Or are we taking this country back? Will the legal branch survive the attack, or will we watch and allow our legal system to be compromised and invaded by those who have no shame, no sense of right and wrong, nor values other than accumulating wealth and power and taking revenge. Our democracy is being tested like never before. European democracies have been hijacked before and those who successfully took them over produced worldwide destruction. The American democracy is being hijacked like this for the first time. Are people too busy, too ignorant or too complacent to see what is happening? The moment you take a relationship, a system, a government form for granted – it starts to fall apart and die. America, wake up!

Prayer: God we are sick and tired of the masquerade, the lies, the manipulation, the greed and the rage. We are tired of this narcissistic president who has no clue but plunges ahead as if he knew. We are tired of the hatred, the racism, the bigotry, the splitting and the undermining of the government’s roles and functions. God, what do You want us to do? Wake up Your people. Where and how can we resist? Amen

A wise man is cautious and avoids danger; a fool plunges ahead with great confidence. A short-tempered man is a fool. He hates the man who is patient. Proverb 14: 16-17

True friends are the ones who never leave your heart, even if they leave your life for a while. Even after years apart, you pick up with them right where you left off, and even if they die they’re never dead in your heart. Unknown

Meditation: It is so difficult to lose friends or loved ones. When friends or loved ones move and start living in different cities, states or even countries there is still this special bond, but the daily connection and interaction is no longer possible. Some relationships are being forgotten and fade away when physical distance becomes a factor. However, some relationships move to another level. Similarly when a beloved person dies, we humans respond either by forgetting about the person, or we take the relationship to another level. This new level can be understood as a spiritual bond that we are forming. Friends who are departing now become an internal reality as much as they had initially been an external reality. When relationships are being transcended in time and space onto this new spiritual level, it becomes a powerfully new experience of loving and connecting. These are the friends who we only see every few years, but it feels like we have been together just yesterday. This is because each side has kept a space open in their heart for the other. Similarly when a friend or loved one dies, we can keep a space open in our heart for that person. Their voice, their smile, their life theme will become part of our inner world. The other person lives on in some mysterious way in our heart and in our life themes. We will never be the same, even if the other person lives far away or even if the other person dies. Love is the powerful experience of “being knit to another person’s soul”.

Prayer: God of love and friendship, one of the greatest mystery of humanity is our capacity to love. And this love is a reflection of who You are. We are knitted to Your soul. And you love us as Your own soul. And all other relationships that are long lasting and enduring despite distance, time and space are participating in this mystery of spiritual and transcendent connection. Help us to attend to those special relationships and not dismiss or forget them. Let us not miss the spiritual presence of those we have loved and who have departed from us. They will for always be part of our soul. Amen

The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 1. Samuel 18:1

 

As a woman I have no country. As a woman my country is the whole world. Virginia Woolf

Meditation: Today is Virginiga Woolf’s 134^th birthday. She died in 1941 in England. She was a woman and author whose emancipated views speak into our times. The women’s marches that are happening in the US at this time are protest marches to oppose our current government’s and president’s behavior and their sexist, racist, chauvinistic and xenophobic attitudes that poison America’s national and international politics. American women are breaking the silence and are speaking up in the “Me too” movement. The global experience of women’s experience of sexual harassment, assault and rape is being openly named. The shame and silence of female victims too frightened to talk is being overcome collectively. The power of women’s stories of oppression and sexual exploitation are speaking loudly against all forms of male dominating oppression.  Women all over the world are listening to the stories of sexual oppression that are suddenly being told through microphones and in front of large crowds. “Me too” is an amazingly bold movement of women speaking up. Women overcoming shame and victimization. Women coming out. Women no longer remaining silent about the many times they have been victims of sexual objectification. And this experience is global. This speaking out of women might not look powerful right now. But how often in history have grass root movements brought about real change. The “Me too” movement will eventually have a worldwide impact. It speaks truth to power!

Prayer: God, in Jesus You are the one hanging naked on the cross saying “Me too”. You know the experience of being assaulted, of being shamed and victimized.  You are the voice of truth that reveals all hidden injustice. You are the power of resurrection that overcomes the deepest shame. Your Spirit does not allow victims to be buried forever, but empowers those who were meant to be silenced or killed to rise. And collectively the women in the US are rising. For all the world to see. For all women around the globe to hear. No! Sexism, racism, chauvinism and all other forms of oppression will not have the final word. Amen

Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 1. Corinthians 6:14