August 2018 – Andrea Arthur Owan

Will Your Resurrection be more Spiritual or Physical?

What does your future resurrection mean to you? Do you look forward to it with longing and joy, or questions, fears, and misunderstandings?

Do you believe your spirit will go on eternally but your decrepit, physical body will remain eternally entombed someplace in the Earth?

Today we’re going to explore some Scripture that may impart new meaning, new joy, and new purpose to you for your resurrection, and for your present life on Earth.

Getting it straight—

Throughout the pages of Scripture—Old Testament and New—you can read a promise of, and belief in a future resurrection—spiritual andphysical. There is both a physicality and soul/spiritual component. The physicality of a resurrection actually defines and solidifies the definition of resurrection.

Word pictures of resurrection—

Scripture gives us word pictures of people “coming forth” out of their tombs after hearing God’s voice calling them to come forth, like Jesus called out to Lazarus when He raised that dead man from the grave.

This resurrection will be grand and unspeakable, an awesome display of God’s creative and re-creative and restorative powers. It will be a day unlike any other since Jesus’ Resurrection.

There are Old Testament resurrection passages echoed in the New Testament.

Even Job believed in a bodily resurrection.

Supporting Scripture—

Meditate on the following verses to expand, solidify and encourage your resurrection view and hope.

“But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Jesus speaking in Matthew 22:31-32).

“And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14).

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed” (First Corinthians 15:51-52).

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (First Thessalonians 4:16).

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).

“Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are I the graves will hear His voice and com forth—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:51 – 53).

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2)

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And after my skin is destroyed, this I

know,

That in my flesh I shall see God,

Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not

another,

How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27).

May your heart yearn within you, dear reader and child of God, for the bodily resurrection you will enjoy, the eternal spirit that already resides within you, and the promise of seeing our precious Savior—in our renewed, restored, and revitalized bodies—face-to-face!

Until NEXT WEEK (when we’ll explore more about the importance of our bodies), may you revel in these truths and meditate on them in supreme joy!

For more reading on this subject see this article on the “desiring God” website.

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Hand and Sea photo by Ian Espinoza

Bible photo by Colin Carey

Blister Basics Part 2

One of the first shocking things I learned as a beginning gymnast was that:

I was going to get a lot of blisters on my hands;
They were going to HURT; and
I needed to learn how to take care of them so they wouldn’t be a problem—for my health or my gymnastics participation.

At the beginning—

My eight-year-old hands were tender, unused to the friction and shear forces I was going to expect them to handle for the next fourteen years of my life. Like it or not, they would come with my sport.

So after the first two or three episodes of having areas on the palms of my hands heat up, get fiery red, hot and swollen, before having the skin peeled off, I had to learn to care for my hands.

Coach would laugh when we told him we “had a rip.” As an ex-military guy, it was all in line with toughening up, and he thought it was funny. “Just chalk up and get back up on those bars!” A palm-full of thick calluses was to be my fate, and the fate of every other gymnast I knew.

That was back in the days when female gymnasts didn’t wear the grips they do now. Guys did; girls suffered. They were cumbersome and difficult to use on our oval-shaped bars; and they were also difficult to use if you had stubby fingers like I do—not enough finger sticking out beyond the grips to grad hold. And they didn’t really make them in girls’ sizes. Surprise.

What is a blister, really?

And what causes it?

I learned more than I wanted to know about the physics of blisters. I learned a lot more when I studied and practiced athletic training. Here are some blister-forming facts:

Blisters can be caused by friction, when a tissue encounters friction when it’s rubbed over or against another surface. Like the up-down motion of your heel against the back of your shoe when you’re wearing thin socks, or no socks at all. Rub, rub, rub. Blister.
Deeper blisters are most often the result of shear forces, when the layers of skin are rubbing back and forth on one another.
When the epidermal layer of skin is irritated or damaged by these forces, fluid collects between the epidermis—top layer—and the deeper dermal layer. The fluid usually comes from plasma escaped from the surrounding damaged cells.
The fluid seeps into the pocket and puffs up the top layer of skin.
The fluid is there to bathe the damaged skin layers, protect it, and start the healing process.
Shear force blisters can cause tremendous pain because it causes damage or irritation to surrounding nerves.
Blisters can form under calluses. (These types of blisters can be hard to manage and require careful treatment.)
Having thickened calluses that aren’t managed (like carefully shaving down or kept soft or pliable) can increase your risk of deep blisters, and a lot of pain!
Sweat and warmth—as what happens when your sweaty feet are stuck in a shoe—increase blister formation likelihood.
Blisters can be filled with a variety of fluids, like serum, plasma, blood or pus (indicating a probable infection).
The crushing or pinching of tissue (like I experienced a lot of as a gymnast, when I was swinging around on the bars) can rupture a blood vessel in the dermal layer, which in turn allows blood to seep into the pocket between the layers. There were times we’d leave blood streaks (or skin sections) on the bars when we had a rip.
The body quickly springs into action when a blister forms.

At six hours post-blister formation, the blister fluid is usually re-absorbed, and the top layer flattens back down onto the underlying tissue and begins to die. But it serves as a protective cover for the wound beneath it.
At 24 hours, new skin layers are already beginning to form.
And at 48 hours, new “soft” baby skin can be seen developing over the wound. If the blister is not properly cared for, this new skin can crack and another wound (now exposed) can appear. Then you can have a blister forming underneath a blister, a very painful condition.

Blisters improperly cared for can lead to infections and slowed healing.
How hydrated you are affects blister formation, and how well it heals. Really.

*On the photo above, you can see the cracked, peeling skin of the blisters that ran along my middle toe. I didn’t do anything to treat those. The body took care of everything, and the old skin is now peeling away. While noticeable, these blisters (which occur in the same spot on both my feet), were not noticeable enough to slow me down, or warrant padding or bandaging. But if I were to go on longer hikes during the day, day-after-day, I would make sure I taped the toes to reduce friction and shear forces. Clearly I am prone to irritation in these areas, probably due to the biomechanics of how my foot hits the ground and pushes off.

NEXT WEEK: Learn how to provide immediate care for your blisters.

Until then, keep those feet dry and as cool as possible! (I know. Difficult on a long walk or hike.) And don’t peel the skin from those blisters!

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photo by Andrea A Owan

The Power of your Philosophy—Are you an Enlightened Rationalist, Hopeless Romantic or Doubting Naturalist?

On our last Meditation Monday we covered Theism, Christian Theism and Deism and learned the sometimes-subtle differences among these three worldviews or philosophies.

Today we’ll explore Rationalism, Romanticism, and Naturalism and the effect they’ve had on world history.

Be Enlightened!

Around the early 1600s a new breed of philosopher emerged who focused on being rational. (Although this thinking, evidently, can be found in antiquity.) These great thinkers envisioned themselves to be enlightened and believed truth to be derived via intellectand deductive reasoning.

They believed that certain undeniable principles naturally exist in mathematics, sciences, logic, metaphysics and ethics and were confident that reason was the method mankind could use to understand the world. To them, empirical or physical evidence are unnecessary to prove something. The French philosopher, Rene Descartes, championed this philosophy and is considered the father of modern Western Philosophy.

John Locke, an English philosopher, also championed this belief and is considered to be one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers. He is referred to as the “Father of Liberalism.” Locke considered life to be somewhat of a “chalkboard” or tabula rasa, (the Latin term meaning “blank slate”), on which a person’s life experiences and responses are “written,” thus creating a personality. One of his quotes sums up much of his worldview:

“No man’s knowledge here can go beyond his experience.”

The Enlightenment worldview gained a foothold in Europe as it spread across that continent. It was particularly prevalent in England, France and Germany and is believed to have run from 1650 – 1800. It holds particular significance for the United States because it was the primary philosophy leaned on to justify and plant the seeds that sprouted the American Democratic Republic and American Revolution. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were considered to be great men of the American Enlightenment period.

The people who combined Rationalism and Deism thinking often spoke of “unalienable rights” (ever hear that term before?) and “common sense.”

Enlightened thinkers focused on:

Reason
Individualism
Skepticism

Does that not sound like the guts of the American spirit? That if we only reason things through, we can fix them; that we are stalwart individualists that abhor having our rights tread on; and that we have a tendency to view everything with a jaded eye, even while being optimistic? Pull out your Declaration of Independence and read through that document. Do any of the terms scream Enlightened to you?

Enter the Romantics—

The people who embraced Romanticism took issue with the Deists and Theists. They believed that Nature was God, and it was very good. In their belief, original sin was man’s separation from Nature. And man should try to return to Nature because doing so determines his goodness and effectiveness in life. The closer he gets to Nature’s perfection the better he is.

Romantics didn’t like Deism or Theism because they considered those philosophies, or beliefs, too dogmatic and close-minded. Too legalistic; not free enough. Better to commune with Nature to get back to your roots; be in a constant search to return to the Garden. They emphasize the subjective, while Deists emphasize the objective. Subjectivism gives a person way more latitude in their thinking and behavior. (What’s good for you may not be good for me. “Whatever floats your boat!”)

A popular American novel exemplifying Romanticism is James Fennimore Cooper’s Deerslayer, in which the protagonist is content and safe while on an island, separated from humans. In Walden, famous American author Henry David Thoreau writes about his experience living alone on Walden Pond in Massachusetts for a year, to find his God. It certainly wasn’t what he expected it to be. He came away a little jaded and disappointed through that experience. And maybe he wasn’t quite so Romantic in his views thereafter. (I couldn’t finish Deerslayer when I tried to read it. But Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans was fabulous!)

Naturalism is the way (And there’s proof!)

So along comes Naturalism, which is different from Romanticism’s Nature-is-good beliefs.

Naturalism does not look kindly on Nature, as it does not believe Nature is good or benevolent (gift giving). On the contrary, they consider it to be mischievousness, having a bent toward being and doing evil, and being quite unpredictable.

World War I had a tremendous impact on people’s beliefs, and Naturalism seemed a more logical and proven alternative to Theism and Deism.

After that bloodbath, how could anyone believe in a living God that loved people?

And if there really was a God, how could anyone believe He cared about His creation? The war was proof that He didn’t. And, if He did exist, He was just as unpredictable as His creation (nature) and prone to behaving in evil ways. So, maybe there is a God, or maybe there’s not. Either way, people lose because the end result is bad and impossible to make a judgment call on.

Although Naturalists may hold a soft spot for Romanticism, they believe that particular philosophy to be terribly naïve.

To the Naturalist, God is:

Absent,
A big wimp; or
Just plain mean and in possession of a bad temper.

Take-away—

Do any of these philosophies sound familiar to you? Can you see them filtered through our media, educational curricula, or modern (more liberal/progressive) religious teachings?

Meditation Points—

I invite you to spend some time this week really pondering what kind of influence these worldviews have had on your life and life outlook. Because, whether you’ve realized it before or not, they have.

How have any of these beliefs sneaked into your worldview and influenced you? Who taught them to you, by their words, instructions or actions?
Have they affected your belief in, understanding of, or relationship with God?
Do you ever ask yourself: “How could a loving God allow such-and-such to happen?” (Rape, murder, ethnic slaughter, natural disasters?) What answer do you give yourself?
When you analyze your worldview, do you have a hodge-podge of beliefs?
Do you have a difficult time seeing God has loving, good, benevolent, and just?
Are independence, freedom, and individualism a primary focus for you?
Do you pride yourself in being a rational, thoughtful and logical person? Do you analyze the world and your experiences through these filters?
Do you need to have evidence in order to believe? Are you prone to doubt?
Has combining these beliefs resulted in your frustration with life? Has any one of them led you to depression or a feeling of hopelessness?
I have a acquaintance, an older lady who is a brilliant and witty scientist. She told me once that she didn’t deny there being a God; she just couldn’t prove He existed. She proclaimed herself to be an agnostic. Which worldview(s) do you think she is inclined to follow?
What worldview do you think an pure environmentalist would hold? A Democrat? Republican? Libertarian or Green Party candidate?

NEXT WEEK I’ll offer my perspective on our American holiday, Labor Day.

Until then,

try to figure out what your favorite television personality or news anchor’s worldview is. Read and hear what they have to say, where their focus is.

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photo by Tom Coe

Was the Resurrection More Spirit than Body?

What are you?

Are you spirit or body? Equally? Or more spirit than body? Or vice versa.

As I’ve said in previous body and spirit posts, I have a suspicion God thinks both are equally important. Today I’ll give you another reason why I believe that to be true.

What about the greatest event in human history?

Remember the Resurrection? After Jesus was resurrected from the grave, He appeared to the apostles and then to His other disciples in bodily form. In such bodily form that He tells His disciple Thomas to touch his nail-punctured hands and put his fingers into His lanced side to touch Him, really know that it is He—Jesus—returned from the dead and restored to life. Thomas is so overwhelmed by just seeing Jesus in the flesh that he doesn’t seem to need to do those things, even though he previously claimed he’d have to do them in order to fully believe Jesus had come back to life.

the facts—

Jesus’ spirit was rejoined with His body. He walked with the disciples; he ate with the disciples. He demonstrated a perfect, fulfilled melding of body and spirit by enjoying bodily activities and also performing a disappearing act when He suddenly departs from the disciples he joined while they walked on the road to Emmaus.

What others think—

Some religions that claim to follow Jesus believe His resurrection was purely spiritual, with no real body component. Whatever body we saw seemed to be a figment of our imagination, or maybe something the Lord willed His followers to see. I’ve never gotten them to explain that idea so it’s comprehensible.

I don’t see what the point of that kind of resurrection would be. It doesn’t make sense. Not with the promise of our own future, post physical death resurrections God talks about in Scripture. Jesus had a point to prove, a promise to fulfill.

And a future promise to foreshadow.

Jesus’ resurrection was a literal conquering of death. It was real, it was tangible, and it held a promise for our own futures. It is the hope we look forward to, the end reward for a well-run race. Being spiritually and physically reunited with Him to enjoy eternal life.

The Resurrection displayed the power of the spirit and its eternal existence. But I don’t think that fact negates the body’s importance.

While our spirit does return to the Lord upon our physical death, the story doesn’t end there. Scripture indicates there is much more to come.

NEXT WEEK we’ll explore that more-to-come truth.

Meditation points—

Until then, I invite you to take a moment to explore the following questions:

Why do you think it was so important for the disciples to see Jesus in the flesh rather than just “feel” or experience Him in the spirit?
What do you think went through the disciples’ minds when they actually laid eyes on a fully (in body) resurrected Jesus?
What difference would it make for you to see a loved one resurrected in the body rather than just in the spirit? Do you think Jesus knows the important of that to you and wants you to experience it, like He made sure the disciples did?

Enjoy pondering these questions until next week!

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photo by Andrea A Owan

Blister Basics Part I

Ever have a big, fiery red puffed up blister on your foot, toe or heal? Not a lot of fun, is it? It can make shoe wearing and even walking miserable or nearly impossible. And they can take SOOO L-O-N-G to heal.

I saw and treated a lot of blisters in my day as an athletic trainer. There was a special process we’d go through to lance, drain, pack and pad them, so the athlete could bite their lip and return to practice or competition. And I still find myself treating my own today.

But a lot of those blisters could have been avoided. Some of the blister-causing culprits I saw were:

Improperly fitted shoes.
Shoes that had gotten wet and dirty and, consequently, dry and stiff. No pliability left.
Too old or too worn out shoes. (Sometimes athletes just couldn’t relinquish them.)
Wrong shoes for the activity. Tennis for running. Running shoes for tennis.
Old, dirty socks worn, worn and re-worn until they could stand up on their own.
Worn out socks with pills, errant threads floating around, threadbare areas and holes.
Shoes stiffened from sweat.
Socks that didn’t fit.
Wrong sock for the wrong activity.
Dirty feet and toes.
Improperly trimmed toenails.
Untrimmed toenails.
Feet not properly dried following a shower or sweat-inducing exercise.
Grit and dirt in the shoes or socks.
Old insoles that needed to be replaced.
Calluses that hadn’t been cared for properly or filed down sufficiently.
Doing too much too soon on soft, unconditioned feet.

Did I say doing too much too soon on unconditioned feet?

That last one is probably one of the biggest culprits. Feet need to be conditioned to do the work you expect of them. You need to work up to the mileage and pace you want to maintain.

Blister Care—

Some things have changed about blister care since I was treating them daily. Some of the super neat treatment options were arriving on the scene while I was still in school learning how to be an injury-preventing, injury-identifying, and recovering-from-injury athletic trainer. Our understanding of how blisters are caused has evolved, and that understand has allowed developments in better treatment.

But there is no one-type-of-prevention-fits-all to follow.

You can conquer and reduce the number and severity of blisters if you know the basics.

NEXT WEEKI’ll take you through the physics of blister formation. Then we’ll talk about how to reduce their occurrence and treat them if they do arise. Literally.

Until then,

look through your closets and drawers for socks that have seen better days and need to be retired to the laundry room as rags. (Hint: look for thread bare areas, broken down weave, holes, runs, pilling, and stretched out elastic. Thank the socks for their faithful service, and then use them for something else.)

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photo by Craig Whitehead