Getting Your Head Turned Around

The door bell rang. An adrenalin rush. I bristled. I did not want
to answer the door. The phone rang. I said, "Oh no!." My wife ran
into the house, "We've got mail!"
"Uk! I groaned"

You could say that I was having a bad hair day. You could say that
I was depressed. As a theologian I would say that I was not "in the
mind of Christ", or that I was "unaware of the presence of God with
me."

The scriptures say that "God is light and in Him there is no
darkness at all" and that, "If we walk in the light as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with Him" (1 John 1:5). To be "in the
mind of Christ" is to be filled with light, with a sense of
anticipation, with curiosity to see what good things, or blessings
will appear in the day.

Several hours later I decided to take a ride through the Glen
Miller Park on my electric mobility scooter to see if I could let
some light into my soul. As I drove down the long hill I pulled up
beside a jogger. I asked the attractive young woman, "Are you in
training?" She answered, "Yes, I do a lot of the 5K races around
here. Isn't it a beautiful day for a workout?"

“Yes, I'm just out cooling off after doing weight training in my
gym at home."

As I pulled away, a smile spread itself across my face. Before it
had completely gone away, I pulled up to the pond and stopped.
Suddenly a Canadian goose splashed down in the water and started
honking, sounding like a crazy old man laughing, "Ha, ha, ha!" In
spite of myself I laughed. Then I looked up toward heaven and said,
"Thank you God for turning my head around."

Many Christians insist that in order to "see the Kingdom of God,
you must be born again." Being born again is often described as a
once in a lifetime experience - an exuberant release from the
burden of darkness and sin and a body tingling, mind altering
experience of being filled with the light and love of God. I have
had such a born again experience more than once.

But as time goes on, the power of such an experience is ultimately
of little importance. Even if you have made your commitment to
Christ, but have not had such a "born again" experience you are not
lost, nor are you a second class Christian.

All Christians are in the same boat. We all have bad hair days. We
all get hung up on our mistakes and overwhelmed by our anxieties.
As powerful spiritual experiences fade into the past it is easy to
sink down into our own shadows.

How can you get your head on straight when you are having a bad
hair day, or a bad hair decade? To retain the light of God in our
souls we need a continuous stream of what the psychologists call
"corrective emotional experiences," or what I call "spiritual
awakenings." To seek such "awakenings," go to church, study your
Bible, pray, take walks in the park and be around positive,
encouraging people. You will be amazed by how God will turn your
head around and let his light into your soul. Getting Your Head Turned Around

The door bell rang. An adrenalin rush. I bristled. I did not want
to answer the door. The phone rang. I said, "Oh no!." My wife ran
into the house, "We've got mail!"
"Uk! I groaned"

You could say that I was having a bad hair day. You could say that
I was depressed. As a theologian I would say that I was not "in the
mind of Christ", or that I was "unaware of the presence of God with
me."

The scriptures say that "God is light and in Him there is no
darkness at all" and that, "If we walk in the light as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with Him" (1 John 1:5). To be "in the
mind of Christ" is to be filled with light, with a sense of
anticipation, with curiosity to see what good things, or blessings
will appear in the day.

Several hours later I decided to take a ride through the Glen
Miller Park on my electric mobility scooter to see if I could let
some light into my soul. As I drove down the long hill I pulled up
beside a jogger. I asked the attractive young woman, "Are you in
training?" She answered, "Yes, I do a lot of the 5K races around
here. Isn't it a beautiful day for a workout?"

“Yes, I'm just out cooling off after doing weight training in my
gym at home."

As I pulled away, a smile spread itself across my face. Before it
had completely gone away, I pulled up to the pond and stopped.
Suddenly a Canadian goose splashed down in the water and started
honking, sounding like a crazy old man laughing, "Ha, ha, ha!" In
spite of myself I laughed. Then I looked up toward heaven and said,
"Thank you God for turning my head around."

Many Christians insist that in order to "see the Kingdom of God,
you must be born again." Being born again is often described as a
once in a lifetime experience - an exuberant release from the
burden of darkness and sin and a body tingling, mind altering
experience of being filled with the light and love of God. I have
had such a born again experience more than once.

But as time goes on, the power of such an experience is ultimately
of little importance. Even if you have made your commitment to
Christ, but have not had such a "born again" experience you are not
lost, nor are you a second class Christian.

All Christians are in the same boat. We all have bad hair days. We
all get hung up on our mistakes and overwhelmed by our anxieties.
As powerful spiritual experiences fade into the past it is easy to
sink down into our own shadows.

How can you get your head on straight when you are having a bad
hair day, or a bad hair decade? To retain the light of God in our
souls we need a continuous stream of what the psychologists call
"corrective emotional experiences," or what I call "spiritual
awakenings." To seek such "awakenings," go to church, study your
Bible, pray, take walks in the park and be around positive,
encouraging people. You will be amazed by how God will turn your
head around and let his light into your soul. Getting Your Head Turned Around

The door bell rang. An adrenalin rush. I bristled. I did not want
to answer the door. The phone rang. I said, "Oh no!." My wife ran
into the house, "We've got mail!"
"Uk! I groaned"

You could say that I was having a bad hair day. You could say that
I was depressed. As a theologian I would say that I was not "in the
mind of Christ", or that I was "unaware of the presence of God with
me."

The scriptures say that "God is light and in Him there is no
darkness at all" and that, "If we walk in the light as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with Him" (1 John 1:5). To be "in the
mind of Christ" is to be filled with light, with a sense of
anticipation, with curiosity to see what good things, or blessings
will appear in the day.

Several hours later I decided to take a ride through the Glen
Miller Park on my electric mobility scooter to see if I could let
some light into my soul. As I drove down the long hill I pulled up
beside a jogger. I asked the attractive young woman, "Are you in
training?" She answered, "Yes, I do a lot of the 5K races around
here. Isn't it a beautiful day for a workout?"

“Yes, I'm just out cooling off after doing weight training in my
gym at home."

As I pulled away, a smile spread itself across my face. Before it
had completely gone away, I pulled up to the pond and stopped.
Suddenly a Canadian goose splashed down in the water and started
honking, sounding like a crazy old man laughing, "Ha, ha, ha!" In
spite of myself I laughed. Then I looked up toward heaven and said,
"Thank you God for turning my head around."

Many Christians insist that in order to "see the Kingdom of God,
you must be born again." Being born again is often described as a
once in a lifetime experience - an exuberant release from the
burden of darkness and sin and a body tingling, mind altering
experience of being filled with the light and love of God. I have
had such a born again experience more than once.

But as time goes on, the power of such an experience is ultimately
of little importance. Even if you have made your commitment to
Christ, but have not had such a "born again" experience you are not
lost, nor are you a second class Christian.

All Christians are in the same boat. We all have bad hair days. We
all get hung up on our mistakes and overwhelmed by our anxieties.
As powerful spiritual experiences fade into the past it is easy to
sink down into our own shadows.

How can you get your head on straight when you are having a bad
hair day, or a bad hair decade? To retain the light of God in our
souls we need a continuous stream of what the psychologists call
"corrective emotional experiences," or what I call "spiritual
awakenings." To seek such "awakenings," go to church, study your
Bible, pray, take walks in the park and be around positive,
encouraging people. You will be amazed by how God will turn your
head around and let his light into your soul.



Dr. Greene is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and a resident of Richmond, IN. He is also the author of Benjamin's Dog Joseph, Feeling Better: The Wisdom of the Doc, You Can Feel Better: How to cope with chronic pain and physical disabilities, and co-author of Walking Free: the Nellie Zimmerman Story.

For further information about his books, please visit www.densmorereid.com

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