What ever happened to her?

When you read about a character in the bible, don't you often wonder, "What ever happened to them?" Like: whatever happened to the Good Samaritan, whatever happened to the Demoniac after Jesus left town, or what became of the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well? 

I think that would make for some interesting blog material.

Radio personality and newscaster Paul Harvey had a program I loved and tried not to miss. Its was  called, "The rest of the Story." In this five-minute segment, he would discuss significant events in the life of a well-known person, and then - after a commercial - he would tell an amazing story about the person that was mostly unknown.

John the Evangelist describes the event when Jesus met a woman at "Jacob's Well" near the Samaritan town of Sychar, He showed His love by engaging her in a serious conversation. As a Samaritan, she was an outcast and unclean with five unsuccessful marriages, and was now living with a man who is not her husband. She had little to recommend her to Jesus. But He saw beyond her disqualifications. He saw her as one created for true love. He saw beyond her sin. Jesus saw her as one destined for a genuine relationship with God and with her fellow humanity. Jesus knew she was a bearer of His image and likeness. He beheld the accurate image in her. Despite her brokenness, He saw her as one created for a worshipful union with God and complete relationships with others. He invited her to partake of the living water of His love. 

We read in John's Gospel how this woman went into town and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah to all who would listen, but did you ever wonder whatever happened to her after this encounter with Jesus?

Here is the rest of the story.

Baptized on Pentecost along with her five sisters and two sons, she took the name Photini meaning the enlightened one and followed the apostle John. 

She then began a missionary career, traveling far and wide, preaching the good news of the Messiah's coming, His death and resurrection. When Nero, the emperor of Rome, persecuted Christians, Photini and her son Joseph were in Carthage, in Africa, where she was preaching the Christian gospel. After Jesus appeared to Photini in a dream, she sailed to Rome. Her son and many Christians from Africa accompanied her. Photini's arrival and activity aroused curiosity in the capital city. Everyone talked about her, "Who is this woman?" they asked. "She came here with a crowd of followers and she preaches Christ with great boldness."

When Nero, the emperor of Rome, persecuted Christians, Photini and her son Joseph were in Carthage, in Africa, where she was preaching the Christian gospel. After Jesus appeared to Photini in a dream, she sailed to Rome. Her son and many Christians from Africa accompanied her. Photini's arrival and activity aroused curiosity in the capital city. Everyone talked about her, "Who is this woman?" they asked. "She came here with a crowd of followers and she preaches Christ with great boldness."

Nero ordered his soldiers to bring her to him, but Photini expected them. Before they could arrest her, Photini, with her son Joseph and her Christian friends, went to Nero. When the emperor saw them, he asked why they had come. Photini answered, "We have come to teach you to believe in Christ." The half-mad ruler of the Roman Empire did not frighten her. She wanted to convert him! Nero asked the saints their names. Again Photini answered. By name she introduced herself, her five sisters and younger son. The emperor then demanded to know whether they had all agreed to die for the Nazarene. Photini spoke for them. "Yes, for the love of Him we rejoice and in His name we'll gladly die." Hearing their defiant words, Nero ordered their hands beaten with iron rods for three hours. At the end of each hour another persecutor took up the beating. The saints, however, felt no pain. Nothing happened to their hands. Photini joyfully quoted words of a psalm by David: "God is my help. No matter what anyone does to me, I shall not be afraid." Perplexed by the Christian's endurance and confidence, Nero ordered the men thrown into jail. Photini and her five sisters were brought to the golden reception hall in the imperial palace. There, the six women were seated on golden thrones, In front of them stood a large golden table covered with gold coins, jewels and dresses. Nero hoped to tempt the women by this display of wealth and luxury. Nero then ordered his daughter Domnina, with her slave girls, to go speak with the Christian women. Women, he thought, would succeed in persuading their Christian sisters to deny their God.

Domnina greeted Photini graciously, mentioning the name of Christ. On hearing the princess' greeting, the saint thanked God. She then embraced and kissed Domnina. The women talked. But the outcome of the women's talk was not what Nero wished.

Photini catechized Domnina and her hundred slave girls and baptized them all. She gave the name Anthousa to Nero's daughter. After her baptism, Anthousa immediately ordered all the gold and jewels on the golden table distributed to the poor of Rome.

When the emperor heard that his own daughter was converted to Christianity, he condemned Photini and all her companions to death by fire. For seven days the furnace burned, but when the door of the furnace was opened, the fire had not harmed the saints. Next the emperor tried to destroy the saints with poison, Photini offered to be the first to drink it. "O King," she said, "I will drink the poison first so you might see the power of my Christ and God." All the saints then drank the poison after her. None suffered any ill effects from it. In vain Nero subjected Photini, her sisters, sons and friends to every known torture. The saints survived unscathed to taunt and ridicule their persecutor. For three years they were held in a Roman prison. Saint Photini transformed it into a "house of God." Many Romans came to the prison, were converted and baptized. Finally, the enraged tyrant had all the saints, except for Photini, beheaded. She was thrown first into a deep, dry well and then into prison again. Photini now grieved that she was alone, that she had not received the crown of martyrdom together with her five sisters, Anatole, Photo, Photis, Paraskeve and Kyriake and her two sons, Photeinos and Joseph. Night and day she prayed for release from this life. One night, God appeared to her, made the sign of the cross over her three times. The vision filled her with joy. Many days later, while she hymned and blessed God, Saint Photini gave her soul into God's hands. The Samaritan Woman conversed with Christ by the well of Jacob, near the city of Sychar. She drank of the "living water" and gained everlasting life and glory. 

That is the rest of the story of the Samaritan woman at the well who, when she encountered Jesus, her entire life changed forever. 

The love of God has the power to transform our entire being.

Do you have a life story to add that we can use in "The Rest of the Story?" If you do, visit http://aslanministries.org and click on the "rest of the story" in the menu. And pick up a free book while you are there.

Bill Johnson

Love is a four letter word

I notice that today, people are really quick to say, "I LOVE YOU,"  but what do they mean? Do they understand what love means? 

How would you explain love?

This is a trick question, don’t even try to answer it. Whatever you say will be inadequate.

The greatest need of the human heart is for love; to be loved and to be free to love others. Giving and receiving love are the hallmarks of our humanity. In order to truly be human, we must be able to receive love and release it to others.

But, what is Love?

The word “LOVE” is one of the most misunderstood and misused words in the English language. This simple, four-letter word can bring joy, peace, conflict, heartbreak, and disaster. What does it mean to you? That depends on your history, culture and vocabulary. Words are merely symbols - elements of language - that communicate ideas. 

 A group of psychologists delved into the meaning of love by asking a group of children aged 4 to 8 years age what “love” meant.

Their answers are truly amazing:

• 'When my grandma got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa does it for her now all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love..."
• "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouths."
• 'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
• "Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
• 'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
• "If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
• "Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken.
• "Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
• "When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
• "You really shouldn't say ‘I LOVE YOU’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

Writers have attempted to define love in popular songs, motion pictures, and romantic fiction and it almost always involves getting our own needs met. Love is a warm puppy, a chocolate sundae, not having to say I'm sorry. 

Many of us look at love based upon what we can get out of the relationship;

• “I will give if I am going to get.”
• “He makes me feel so good!”
• “I love the way that ice cream tasted.”
• “She is so nice to me.”

 If we are truly honest, most of us would define love in terms of getting our own needs met. Even a generous act of giving to others is often based upon an expectation of what we will receive in return. When someone offers us attention, significance, or pleasure, we eagerly give, with the expectation that we will get what we so desperately want or need. But that is not love - that is selfish and manipulative. Even eight-year-old kids have a better understanding of love. 

Love involves giving, giving beyond oneself. It means putting another's needs ahead of our own. Love is the freedom to see beyond oneself in order to see another, not to see them as an object to meet my personal needs. Love sees another as a person worthy of love.

1 John 4:8 (NKJV) He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

If God is love, our ability to understand LOVE is dependant upon our understanding of God.

Early church monastic, St John of The Ladder, examines the means of ascending to the highest degree of religious perfection by a series of thirty steps. Each step recalls a year of the life of Christ. The most holy example of religious perfection is achieved at step number thirty -”Love.”

The angels know how to discuss love, but even they are only able to do this according to their level of understanding. God is love, so the one who desires to describe this, attempts with dim eyes to weigh the sand in the sea. Love, from its very essence, is the likeness of God. As much as it possible for humans, in its action it is intoxication of the soul, and through its unique characteristic it is a spring of faith, and abyss of long-suffering, an ocean of lowliness. Love is fundamentally the exile of all opposing thoughts, for love thinks nothing evil.^[1]

If you want to know love, you must first know God!

---

^[1] The Ladder of Devine Ascent, St John Climacus

What is Love?

What is Love?

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. [1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV)]

What is Love? A simple four-letter word that confuses. Because of its misuse, it can result in conflict, heartbreak, and disaster when it should be ushering in peace and joy. The word love, itself, may be the most misunderstood word in the English language.  

What does it mean to you? 

It depends upon your experience. How do you explain a rainbow to a man blind from birth? The rainbow is more than a colorful arch in the sky. When you hear the word dog, what images come to mind? Some will imagine a cute puppy with

a wagging tail, while another might be stricken with fear as they imagine an angry vicious animal prepared to attack.

Words are merely symbols - elements of a language - that we use to communicate. Communications is a two-way street. One person - the sender - wishes to express an idea to another - the receiver. Each has a secret code ring. The sender encodes his idea or thought into words he feels express his thoughts accurately, but then the recipient must decode those words into his own thoughts. If the sender’s idea is to be interpreted accurately by the recipient, they must both be using the same code book. This seems like a simple process, but just look at the political climate in the world today.  Different people seldom use the same codebook. Codebooks are learned through experience and  personal history. A simple act of a gentleman opening the car door for a lady may become an utter disaster. While the gentleman believes that he is showing love by his actions, an emancipated woman may see it as an insulting stereotypical action of a male chauvinist.

So it is with the word love. We have attempted to define love in popular songs, motion pictures, and romantic fiction. But, if we are truly honest, most of us would define love in terms of getting our own needs met. Even generous acts of giving to others are often based upon an expectation of what we will receive in return. When someone offers us attention, significance, or pleasure, we eagerly give with the expectation that we will get what we so desperately need. But that is not love - that is selfish and manipulative. How can you understand love if you have never experienced it?

Early church monastic, St John Climacus, examines the means of ascending to the highest degree of religious perfection by a series of thirty steps, which recall the thirty years of the life of Christ, the most holy example of religious perfection. From step thirty we read;

"The angels know how to discuss love, but even they are only able to do this according to their level of understanding. God is love, so the one who desires to describe this, attempts with dim eyes to weigh the sand in the sea. Love, from its very essence, is the likeness of God. As much as it possible for humans, in its action it is intoxication of the soul, and through its unique characteristic it is a spring of faith, and abyss of long-suffering, an ocean of lowliness. Love is fundamentally the exile of all opposing thoughts, for love thinks nothing evil."^[1]

In the Gospel of John,^[2] Jesus reveals the Father's love as He encounters a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. Jesus asks the woman for a drink. Jewish religious leaders were not permitted to ever speak to women - especially women who were immoral. This particular woman had had five husbands and was living with a man that was not her husband. She had failed utterly in her search for love.

Jesus initiates a relationship with her for the purpose of showing her real love. He describes His loving presence as "Living Water" that will satisfy and become her spring of love welling up to eternal life. As they talk, Jesus reveals that He knows her sin. But more importantly he knows her hunger for love. He points out her five failed marriages, and her current live-in boyfriend, but does not use her sin and brokenness against her. He sees her as a person with a true and deep hunger for a love that won’t fail her. Jesus knows the true desires of her heart. He seeks to satisfy her desire with a love that comes from heaven. That love from heaven is more real and relevant to her needs than any human could provide.

Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life, he who comes to me will never be hungry, and He who believes in me will never be thirsty.

The Apostle, Paul, wrote letters of instruction, encouragement, and correction to the churches to which he had oversight. To the church at Corinth he wrote on love;

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails^[3]

If you dare to assess your ability to give and receive love insert your name in place of “Love” and read this passage.

 _______ suffers long and is kind; ______ does not envy; ______ does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. _______ never fails.

A good definition of love is "Giving to someone beyond what one is getting in return." Love involves giving beyond oneself. It means putting another's needs ahead of our own. Love is "the freedom to see beyond oneself in order to see another." not to see them as an object to meet my personal need. Love sees another as a person worthy of love.

Growing up in a family with stoic Northern European ancestry, there was little outward manifestations of love. Showing emotion or affection, while not discouraged, was not modeled. The word “Love” itself was reserved for things like chocolate cake and ice cream. Acceptance was given when you worked hard, obeyed, and stayed out of trouble. You worked hard to gain acceptance. I do not recall hearing the words, “I love you.” addressed to me, and I don’t recall speaking them to someone else.

The first time I said, “I love you” was to my future wife. Recently on the occasion of our anniversary, my wife asked me if I remembered when I first told her I loved her. It would have been an outstanding event because it was the first time I said those words and meant them. But, I still had no idea what love really meant. 

How can you understand love if you have never experienced it?

If our idea of "love" is restricted to an unhappy, dysfunctional or abusive relationship, then the fact that "God is love!" presents a false image of God. However, understanding true love presents a more realistic vision of God. 

Jesus, as God, presents us the reality and true definition of love!  

[excerpted from my forthcoming book, "Love Like Jesus."]

---

^[1] The Ladder of Devine Ascent, St John Climacus

^[2] John 4:1-26

^[3] 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)

What to do Until God Shows UP

Is impatience really a deadly sin?

Waiting is not easy for me. Choosing the right line at Walmart the bank, or the DMV is - for me - an unsolved mystery, which is rarely solved correctly. Now, the local McDonalds has opened a second drive-thru line. Traffic delays are the worst. I Saw a bumper sticker the other day that read,

"The Road To Happiness Is Almost Always Under Construction."

We live in a culture of push buttons, fast foods, and instant gratification. When something interrupts that smooth, rapid flow we get testy. We just hate to wait.

We are currently in the season of Advent. “Adventus” is the Latin translation of the Greek word “Parousia,” which commonly refers to the Second Coming of Christ.

For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from three different perspectives:  

·       In the flesh in Bethlehem;

·       In our hearts daily, and

·       In glory at the end of time.”

This season offers us the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming. Advent is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the coming of the Christ. We are awaiting the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, as well as His promised return at the end of the age.

Some four hundred years before Jesus’ birth, the prophet Jerimiah prophesied.

Jeremiah 33:14-16 (NIV) "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. ¹⁵ "'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. ¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.'

The Jews waited over four hundred years and after over 2000 years, Christians are still waiting. The early church thought He would return in a few days. The Jews have been waiting for 3000 years.

It is in these times of waiting that our relationship with God faces its greatest challenge. Our faith in His promises begins to suffer.

If anyone knew about waiting for God it was Abraham. He obeyed God and waited for decades and never saw all of God’s promises fulfilled. The Apostle Paul was called by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles, but waited for over ten years before the Lord’s promise would be fulfilled.

The things that God does in us are not so much planned and organized as they are born. Birthing is a process. There is the conception stage, a gestation period, then the birth. There seems to be a correlation between the length of the gestation period and the size of the baby. The gestation period for a field mouse is seven days and the baby is about the size of your pinky fingernail. The gestation period for the elephant is twenty-two months. 

Every Hero of the Bible was forced to wait. Moses spent forty years in Pharaoh’s palace learning about leadership, and another forty years learning desert survival. Only then was he able to free God’s people from slavery in Egypt.

What do we do while waiting?

How do we wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled? How do we wait for His imminent return? We often think that waiting is a passive activity, kicking back with our feet up, watching a ball game on the TV, and waiting.

Early Adventists predicted dates, got all their finances in order, and then went to sit on a mountaintop to wait.

• Abraham didn’t wait in Haran. He began the journey. While waiting he was moving down the road. While waiting for God to tell him where to stop, Abraham kept going.
• Paul spent the ten years in Tarsus, but was not cooling it by the pool. He was preparing himself. He spent days at a time in prayer and scripture study. When Jesus was ready for him, he was ready for the task. 

Waiting for God is not standing still, it is:

1. Preparation. Prepare yourselves.
   

   
   Get the things that you will need on the journey.
   
   
2. Taking action - Start moving
   
   Once prepared, we start the journey. Like ships sailing through the ocean, we can be turned by a tiny rudder in the rear. That little rudder is like that still small voice of God. But if we are not moving, the rudder can turn wherever it wants and we do not change course. We have to be moving.
   
   
3. Avoiding the “Self Help Syndrome.”
   
   
   Although Abraham was a man of faith, he had his moment of failure. He took matters into his own hands. After waiting many years for God to answer His promise to be a father of many nations, he acted at Sarais urging to help God fulfill His promise. Abraham then had a son by one of his maidservants. A common practice in that culture. It was not God's plan and it has continued to cause problems till today. 
   
   It is tempting for us to run ahead of God. God does not need our help in fulfilling His promises. Creating Ishmaels takes us on painful detours and cannot be erased.
   
   
4. Expecting God to guide you.
   
   
   Colombian Indians, deep in the Amazon jungle, go to church at night carrying small tin cans with a candle inside. They provide very little light. I want a huge spotlight. When I think about all of the poisonous snakes, the wild animals, and creepy crawly things, I want a huge spotlight.
   
   When I talk like that, its as if I am saying, "I am perfectly capable of handling every situation as long as I know what’s going on."
   
   God gives us the next right step, we want to know what's at the end of the road. God's direction often comes almost like a seed which is unfolded gradually.
   
   
5. Anticipating “Divine Chaos.” There will be difficulties
   
   
6. Depending upon God. 
   
   We have to be hungry, humble,  and teachable. The mark of spiritual maturity is a childlike spirit. We often do not look at the Apostle Paul as needy and childlike, yet he wrote;
   
   
   1 Cor. 2:3-4  I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. [4] My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,

In this Advent season let us all learn to wait in the same way that Abraham, Moses, and Paul waited for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

As we wait we must:

·       Prepare ourselves

·       Take the step we know to take

·       Stop trying to make it happen

·       Expect guidance from God

·       Expect Chaos

·       Depend upon the Lord

What is really Going On

It just seems to me that the world is going crazy.There is a geometric growth in anxiety, anger, and frustration. 

Theologians blame it on the approaching "End Times." 

Scientists blame it on entropy; (Newton's second law of thermodynamics) left to itself things are going to get worse.

The level of anxiety is higher now than at any time in my lifetime. There is a frustration in government, ethnic groups, political parties, and religious bodies. As this frustration rises, anger increases. As anger increases, actions become stronger and emotions explode. We see this happening almost everywhere - in our cities and towns and around the world. Frustration is rising in minority communities, in the younger generation, and in middle-class families.

Frustration is at the base of the explosion of violence throughout the world. It is the result of a reality that does not live up to expectations. The level of anger increases as our expectation keep falling short of reality. The level of frustration is the ratio of expectation divided by reality. When our circumstances fall short of our expectatins, frustration increases.

We sell our youth on the idea that if they graduate from college, they will get good paying jobs. They go to school and come back to live in their parents' basement playing video games. We tell interest groups that if they elect this leader, their life will improve. When it doesn't, frustration sets in.

We can solve the problem in two possible ways: lower expectation or improve reality. Lowering expectations has been attempted in several countries with socialism and communism. The state controls everything and owns everything. That evens the playing field for everybody except the ruling class. There is little incentive for workers to excel and the populace lives in mediocrity while the power of the state increases and often leads to tyranny. In all nations where this has been established, it did not lower expectations. We have witnessed lowering of expectations: in the education system as grades were eliminated; in our children’s sports activities where winning was de-valued. 

Lowering expectations will always lead to more frustration

Lowering expectations will always lead to more frustration because the human spirit seeks the frontiers of creativity -the highest reaches of consciousness and wisdom. Plato termed this “A fully functioning person", others have used the term, "healthy personality." Abraham Maslow, in his hierarchy of needs, calls this "a self-actualizing person."

The only viable solution is to change reality, but how?

Twentieth-century missiologist,  Donald MacGavren, created a term "Redemptive lift." He noted that missionaries in third-world nations noticed an increased standard of living where ever the Christian Gospel took root. 

On my first visit to India, I noticed an extreme contrast between prosperity and poverty. India is the worlds largest democracy with social programs galore, but many people are still locked into an illegal caste system with little hope no hope. There is no expectation of improving the reality of the lower classes. India is making strides to change by outlawing the caste system, but it still exists within certain religious sects.

We can change our reality, but it requires a change in our expectations. We must all expect to grow, increase and improve our lot in life, but this requires hope. The lower classes in India have lost hope.

Any traveler to Israel can witness the contrast between the Israeli controlled areas and the Palestinian controlled areas. Many of the Palestinian controlled are poverty stricken while the majority of the Jewish controlled areas are dynamic and financially stable. 

This is not a result of Israeli persecution of the Arabs. It is more a result of the God they worship. 

We often become like the God we worship. Have you noticed how married couples who deeply love each other become alike? If the god we worship is kind and loving, we tend to be kind and loving. If the god we worship is angry and vengeful, we will become angry and vengeful. If we worship a dung beetle (a scarab) we will become like the dung beetle.

We can change our reality and the reality of those around us. 

Find the right God to worship and allow Him to guide our lives, as a nation, as a tribe, people group, or as an individual human being. Social programs will continue to fail but "Redemptive Lift" is available for those who follow Jesus. 

The Christian Gospel continues to transform individuals and nations.

Feel free to make comments

Ask The Right Questions, Solve the Problem

Luke 18:18 (NKJV) "Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'" 

A young wealthy man had a problem. Something was missing in his life. So he went to Jesus and asked Him, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Knowing the man's real problem, Jesus gave him the typical rabbinical response, "Follow the Law." 

The young seeker answered and said that he had done this his entire life, but still something was not right in his life. Jesus was waiting for this comment and cut right to the heart of the matter. He told him to sell everything and follow His leading. The cost was too high for the young man so he walked away in despair. 

When faced with difficult problems, we need solutions, but how do we identify the best answer to our situation? How do we solve our problems and know that we are making the right changes?

“Read the question.” 

These words were written at the top of the exam's first page in my Organic Chemistry class at Georgia Tech. I wish I had taken time to let those words sink into my my head. I wish I had taken time to let those words sink into my my head. Instead I jumped right into the test, worked the problems, finished ahead of everyone else, turned in my paper, and smugly walked out knowing I had aced the exam. When my paper came back, I was shocked at the "D-" written in red pencil at the top of the page. There was also a note  - and a note from the professor, "Read the Question." Apparently, I had not read each question carefully and there were a number of trick questions designed to not only measure the our knowledge of the subject, but to train us to think clearly. 

That incident changed my entire approach to solving test problems and also difficult personal problems. In addition it helped me raise my grade in that class to a high "B" even with that first bad grade. The need to understand the problem has stuck with me and has become my guiding principle when solving complex issues. 

Too often we do not understand our own issues and problems, nor listen clearly to what others say.

We don't take the time to fully consider all aspects of problems we face in relationships, business, politics, or scientific issues. As a result we work to correct symptoms without ever facing the root problem. Just as a child finds a hammer and believes everything in the house requires hammering, we find a solution and look for a problem to which it can be applied. For Washington's politicians, their hammer is money. Whatever the problem, send money. In this day and age, nobody fixes things anymore, they throw it away and get a new one. This is true of computers, cell phones,  and relationships. Rather than find out what is wrong and fixing it, we throw it away and get a new one.

If we are to solve problems, we must identify what  went wrong and understand the real problem. Once we are able to define the problem clearly, the solution or solutions often become obvious. Solution are not hard - often the problem itself is so complex. Then we fail to spend the time and energy to get to the root of an issue. As a result we end up with a "D-." on our report card.

The biggest example is seen in bureaucracies. There are some that believe that the solution to every problem in business, healthcare, the economy, and relationships is more government regulation. Regulation is the hammer - the panacea - and everything must be regulated.

Even in our own lives we keep looking around for that magic hammer that will solve all of our problems in our relationships, finances, and careers. So we attend every webinar, read every new book, and look at what worked for someone else and try to apply it to our particular problem without a careful understanding of our individual problem. "How To" books are the largest sellers on Amazon. "How To" videos get the most viewing on YouTube. 

You cannot solve a problem if you do not understand the problem. But if you fully understand it and can clearly state the issues, the solution will usually become obvious. When we truly understand the problem, the solution or solutions become obvious.

Steps to Problem solving:

James 3:17 (NKJV) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

1.   Ask the right questions. 

Get at the root cause of the issue. 

One prayer that I have found God answers is, "What am I doing wrong?"

Get beyond the symptoms and find out why the symptoms exist. Symptoms are not the problem, they are the result of the problem. If your knee hurts, don't just take pain meds, determine the source. If your business is failing, identify what may be wrong, products, production, marketing, etc. Then look at where that can be improved. 

My first experience with a business consultant was very early in my career. He came around and asked questions of everyone, including me. Later when we received his report, it was obvious he just regurgitated our answers. The best way to find out what is wrong in any situation is to ask questions.

2.  Consider available solutions

Once the root of the problem is identified, it is time to consider a variety of solutions. Do not just pick up someone else's hammer. Consider even the wildest of ideas. This will help stimulate your creative juices.

3.  Evaluate potential solutions. 

Evaluate the potential solutions based upon James 3:17. Is the potential solution based upon a pure heart? Does it give you a feeling of  peace in your spirit? Are you willing to yield your rights? Will it yield good? Is it non-partial? Is it without hypocrisy?

4  Select the best, cost effective, solution. 

5.  Take Action on the solution

6.  Be flexible. 

If the path you have chosen is not working, you may have missed the root and are treating the symptom. If that is the case go back to step one. Do not just give up and throw in the towel. Solve the problems.