Holy Chutzpah! Viewing Israel from the inside with the movie 'Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference'

A poll spanning 22 countries done recently for BBC’s World Service suggests people view North Korea and Israel equally negatively. The utterly cool movie Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference (link below) may change some naysayers’ minds … then again, maybe not. Closed minds are just that.

Narrated by New York Times bestselling author and former Harvard lecturer, Dr. Tal Ben Shahar, the film uncovers how despite incredible challenges, Israeli creativity, innovation and chutzpah have triumphed over adversities ranging from geographic to unspeakable.

Hundreds of TV networks and programs have profiled the brilliant, personable PhD and family man, including 60 Minutes and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He now consults and lectures around the world to executives in multinational corporations, Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, and for the general public. His topics include leadership, education, ethics, happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal-setting, and mindfulness.

Israeli-born and American-raised, Dr. Tal taught Harvard’s most popular course ever, 'Positive Psychology', and his international best sellers Being Happy and Happier have been translated into 25 languages.

You can view a ten-minute version of the movie here: Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference. 

Surprisingly unknown Good News about Vincent van Gogh’s journey

No one viewing Vincent Van Gogh's painting Starry Night walks away unmoved.

But how many know about Van Gogh's abiding faith in Christ? Both his father and grandfather were pastors in the Dutch Reformed Church, and apparently many in the family gravitated toward religion or art. 

Vincent’s zeal for Jesus grew in his early twenties. Wanting to study theology, he unfortunately failed the seminary entrance exam, so went off to serve as a missionary to coal miners in Belgium instead.

Much evidence exists of his literally pouring out his life in sacrifice and service on behalf of the diseased and destitute. 

Sadly, and likely a contributing factor to his later psychological problems, even church authorities rejected him for what they thought was his improper dress and excessive zeal.

Read the whole amazing story by Mark Ellis here, including reprints of some of his more overtly Christian-themed paintings.

The Invisible Ceiling: Breakthrough to freedom for all

We live on a beautiful blue planet suspended in sparkly darkness, lit up half the time by our glorious sun and the other half (sort of) by our reflective moon. Life should be good—for all of us. It is good for many, but not for too many more ... and atrociously horrific for all the rest.

Wherever you stand in your belief system, you know this is not right. Whether something good went wrong, or really wherever and however infection set in, we are infected. The planet and its people are infected. If you’re not infected personally, you are at least affected. And infection always spreads. With nearly as many permutations and combinations as beauty, it keeps us ever seeking new antidotes.

Mysteriously however, a huge infection being slowly well-treated in most of society continues to infect, primarily, people of faith. As much as we Christians in particular proclaim freedom for all, an oppressed people group remains in our midst: women.

“Nonsense,” church men reply. “I let my wife do whatever she wants.” You let your wife?

And it’s not just church men. I know otherwise powerful women, in Christian ministry themselves, who have confessed to traces of misogyny. When you’re in the culture, absorbing, for example, all the scriptural references to men, how can you not feel at best ‘less than’, at worst, invisible?

Once upon a time I dated a black fellow who would proclaim he was not ‘black’, but ‘brown’. Well yeah ... and I’m not white, I’m pink. But I didn't feel any need to make that point. Obscure analogy I admit, but perhaps it begins to at least partially, racially, illustrate the gender issue.

Recently I listened to, and was gobsmacked and hugely healed while listening to, a talk by Danny Silk. So in the spirit of Somebody Else’s Story, I want to share that talk with you (see link below). As Danny says, the message is for "anyone who knows a woman.”

Preview: did Jesus—this Friend of humanity/brother/prophet—come only to break the curse over men … and not women? You can download Danny's talk here: The Invisible Ceiling.  He has also published a book on the topic: Powerful and Free: Confronting the Glass Ceiling for Women in the Church.

God's Chosen Argumentative Ones?

Jewish people, says Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, "are not so much God's chosen people as His argumentative ones. They don't take things on faith. Abraham, Moses and Job," he notes, "all argued with God. And sometimes won."

As TIME magazine's Richard Stengel wrote recently:

"Like Bibi, they were ornery and maybe had a chip on their shoulder. You can imagine Bibi arguing with God, and he probably does. Israeli society hums with contest and grievance. The name Israel derives from Jacob's wrestling with the angel.

"Islam, Bibi has suggested, is about submission, Judaism about arguing. And if you disagree, he will argue with you. Just because everyone thinks something, he says, doesn't mean it's right."

—Richard Stengel, TIME magazine, May 28, 2012

And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations

No high like the Most High

Anyone born with multidimensional human DNA—which should be most of us—either knows or hopes life consists of more than the physically visible and measurable. Extra-terrestrials? Harry Potter? New-do voodoo?

In helping come to the conclusion "There is no high like the Most High!" two somebody else's stories here tell the biggest one.

The first is a clip from the brilliant PIXAR people: Alien abduction gone wrong!

In the second, Rising and Falling through Santeria, John Ramirez describes his search for fatherly acceptance, prestige, power, and respect from others in the Bronx, New York. 

Why are kids so happy?

When you are changing and learning, 

it's the happiest time of life.

Something to learn there, no?