Read together, Psalms 22 and 23 reveal a deliberately layered theological and pastoral arc. They are not merely adjacent in the Psalter; they function as a paired testimony that moves through death, not around it, and in doing so disclose a larger picture of trust, deliverance, and communion with God.
I. The Three-Story Brain Model This model (popularized by Dan Siegel) is a useful functional framework for understanding emotional dysregulation without pathologizing it. In brief: * Upstairs brain (prefrontal cortex): reasoning, empathy, moral judgment, impulse control, long-range vision. * Downstairs brain (limbic system): emotions, memory, attachment, threat detection. * Smoke detector (amygdala): rapid,
I. 1. What We Mean by βWillpowerβ Willpower is the human capacity to restrain impulses, delay gratification, and choose a course of action contrary to immediate desire. Biblically and philosophically, it aligns most closely with: * Volition (the choosing faculty) * Self-control (αΌΞ³ΞΊΟΞ¬ΟΡια, enkrateia) * Discipline of behavior It is important to note:
Scripture never gives a single, tidy βProverbs 31 for men.β Instead, the Bible forms a composite portrait across the canonβless a checklist, more a calling shaped over time. What follows is a canonical synthesis: a Genesis-to-Revelation portrait of a godly man, drawn from narrative, law, wisdom, prophets, Gospels, epistles,
I. Hebrew Bible / Jewish Liturgy Few texts rival the Shema for poetic density. Its beauty lies in compressionβoneness, love, memory, obedience, and daily life woven into a single rhythmic confession. It is liturgy as formation: spoken, worn, taught, remembered. 1. The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4β9) βHear and obey,
Scripture presents Sabbath not merely as a day off, but as a pattern of ordered rest that restores the whole person and, by extension, the community. What we tend to collapse into βphysical restβ is, in the biblical vision, multi-layered. I. 1. Physical Sabbath Rest from labor and bodily exertion
I. 1. Stress Chemistry: Different Default Pathways Men: Stress β Dopamine-Dominant Response (Action-Oriented) Under stress, men tend to show stronger activation in dopaminergic pathways, particularly those tied to: * Goal pursuit * Problem-solving * Risk-taking * Reward anticipation This often produces: * A drive to do something immediately * Narrowed focus on a solution * Increased tolerance for
I. 1. Hebrew Thought: Concrete Before Abstract Ancient Hebrew language and cognition are notably concrete. Unlike later Greek philosophy, which excelled in abstraction, Hebrew communicates meaning through embodied, visible, and relational realities. * Truth (βemet) is not an idea but something reliable, firm, proven in action. * Faith (βemunah) is not belief-in-the-abstract
Let's act like we're a cool movie and start at the end, at least, the end so far. In modern times we've been able to work out the psychology behind human behavior (which will always be one of the most fascinating areas of study)
I. 1. The whole world Romans 1:8 - I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,Β because your faith is being reported all over the world. Paul is not claiming a literal, globe-spanning reach in the modern sense. He is using a well-understood first-century rhetorical and
Preamble I want to explore connections between having a form of godliness (and all the wickedness described) and having to be trained to distinguish good from evil. There is a quiet irony embedded in those two ideas, and Scripture seems content to let it sit there uncomfortably rather than resolve
I. 1. Fear and Hardened Hearts: The Same Root Problem Fear in Scripture is rarely just an emotional state; it is a relational rupture. * βDo not fear, for I am with youβ (Isa. 41:10; Josh. 1:9; Matt. 28:20) assumes a temptation to act as though God is