Crown Of Compassion

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Metabolized then internalized https://ift.tt/lueMWCf San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in fog. “It’s a no brainer: human beings want to love with abandon, generously and extravagantly.  If you’re awake and alive, you want to love from deep inside.  But love cannot be internalized until it is metabolized. . . .  We metabolize love when we allow it to fill us up again and again, . . quenching our deepest thirsts, saturating us with the [Holy] Spirit.”- Michael John Cusick “We don’t yet see things clearly.  We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.  But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!  We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”- 1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG) Michael John Cusick concludes Chapter 12 of Sacred Attachment as he stresses that brokenness clears the way for us to experience more of God.  For when we pull away the rubble of our flaws and failures, we find that love still exists. Next, the seed planted for eternity begins to sprout and grow as it pushes up through the rubble.  Hence, the love growing in us possesses the power to crack and shatter the layers of our past vulnerability.  In addition, the author observes, we discover that new life begins to grow and flourish in stillness and solitude.  Furthermore, we may not see it, feel it, or even believe it.  But reality remains the same: love has you. In conclusion, Michael John Cusick exhorts: “Love has you and will continue to overflow — in your heart . . . in all facets of your life.  Love transforms you from the inside out so that as you experience wholeness and healing, divine love spills out of your brokenness for others to experience.  You can then share with them the living water of love and the One who is its eternal source.” Today’s question: Do you agree that love must be metabolized before it’s internalized?  Please share. Coming Monday: the January Short Meditation, ” Tomorrow’s blog: the annotated bibliography of Sacred Attachment The post Metabolized then internalized appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/zWqYN4C January 15, 2026 at 01:00PM

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An ocean of divine love https://ift.tt/7fc63At “Christians are growing more spiritually thin and impoverished.”- Eugene Peterson, Presbyterian minister, scholar, and theologian. “You can experience the fullness of love and enjoy its abundance, but it requires deciding what — or Who — will hold you and how you want to live the rest of your life. . . .  You can continue being a raindrop but not part of the flood.  Or you can embrace being in an ocean of divine love.”- Michael John Cusick “No single raindrop ever considers itself responsible for the flood.”- Khaled Hosseini, Afghan-American novelist In Chapter 12 (“Overflow: Opening Our Hearts to Vulnerability”), the final chapter in Sacred Attachment, Michael John Cusick observes that the smart phones in our pockets contain more Bible study resources than Martin Luther possessed throughout his entire life.  Most significantly, Michael John asserts, more knowledge about God and the Bible fails to produce life-giving experience with God. Consequently, Eugene Peterson once told the author what he considered one of Satan’s greatest strategies.  That strategy = getting people into Bible study three times a week.  Because, Michael John asserts, you need more personal experience of God.  Instead of only studying the written Word, you need to encounter the Word Made Flesh.  The God who looks like Jesus. Therefore, Cusick asserts: “We revert to legalistically having to get it right when we’re not daily surrendering to love, willing to be anchored by love.  The timeless good news, though, is that . . . God remains in love with us, literally.  He has never stopped loving us and never will. . . . And when we lose sight of his love because of distractions and diversions, God always gets our attention and reminds us that we’re not alone, that he is present with us, always eager to experience our union with him.” Hence, Michael John counsels, during those momentary lapses when we lose our way, we take comfort in this thought.  We’re not really lost.  After we stop spinning, in our disoriented state we discover that God’s love has us! Today’s question: Do you see yourself in an ocean of divine love or as a raindrop apart from a flood?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Metabolized then internalized” The post An ocean of divine love appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/h0zHWNt January 14, 2026 at 01:00PM

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No transaction in God’s economy https://ift.tt/wprVByq Ralph attempts to center himself after he injures his back during a bowling tournament. A day before his physical exam for the Gotham Bus Company. “Our images of God are not easily dislodged.  Which is why these practices are transformational, not transactional.  Because in God’s economy, there is no transaction.  There is only love freely given. . . .  There is an old Celtic saying that you can’t put the ocean in a thimble, but you can put a thimble in the ocean.  Practices provide a way to put our thimble in the ocean of God’s love.”- Michael John Cusick Michael John Cusick concludes Chapter 11 of Sacred Attachment with five practices to facilitate secure attachment to God.  He describes these five practices as elements of the acronym ICARE. 1.  I = Inquire: What’s Here Right Now.  First, you need to focus on the present moment.  Certainly, all that you sense, feel, and experience.  Rather than shut down when something painful, troubling, or unfamiliar comes up, face it and identify it.  As a result, you become a student of yourself in a way that opens you up to God’s presence.  And your experience of His love. 2.  C = Center: Be Here Right Now.  Above all, notice what your body and emotions tell you that you need.  Center yourself: find your physical, spiritual, and emotional reference point in your body.  For many people that spot is somewhere near their heart.  Then find a comfortable place of stillness. 3.  A = Accept Without Judgment: Welcome What’s Here.  Welcome all you sense and feel.  No matter how uncomfortable or unpleasant it may seem.  Furthermore, recognize everything in you as holy and welcome.  Securely connected to God. 4.  R = Remain: Stay Right Here.  Remain in the present moment as your calm yourself with your breathing.  Because you yield to the limitless presence of love that allows you to say with whatever you’re experiencing. 5.  E = Empathize: Be Kind to What’s Here.  Finally, simply attend to all you experience with curiosity and kindness.  Consequently, you see yourself lovingly, soothe yourself with kindness and gentleness. Today’s question: What helps you know there’s no transaction in God’s economy?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: ” An ocean of divine love” The post No transaction in God’s economy appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/3E0HrKy January 13, 2026 at 01:00PM

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Practice and presence – related https://ift.tt/u21qkHw “The place which Jesus takes in our soul he will nevermore vacate, for in us is his home of homes, and it is the greatest delight for him to dwell there.”- Julian of Norwich “We learn to be present to ourselves to that we are able to be present with God. . . .  Practice and presence are related, then.  As we practice being present with divine love, we also learn to be present with who we are and to be present with other people around us, accepting them as they are, where they are, just as God meets us.”- Michael John Cusick “One thing I ask of the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”- Psalm 27:4 (NIV) Michael John Cusick continues Chapter 11 of Sacred Attachment as he observes what happens when we fail to actively practice the presence of God.  As a result, we find that we’re unable to be present to ourselves.  In addition, we feel overcome by our fear, anger, sorrow, loneliness, anxiety, and depression. However, Michael John counsels, connected and in union with God, it’s possible to accept and welcome all parts of ourselves.  Even the parts we don’t like or don’t want.  Because everything belongs, we no longer need to hide, run, fight, deceive, or manipulate ourselves — and others. Above all, the author stresses, we must exhibit an intentional and consistent approach.  Make room for spiritual practices in all aspects of our being.  Consequently, Michael John explains: “In order to facilitate and sustain our experience of union with God, we practice embodied spirituality, which integrates our body, mind, emotions, and will.  This allows us to practice God’s presence like Brother Lawrence and other saints and mystics who realized the immediate accessibility of their divine union no matter what they were doing during the day. . . .  Aware of our human bodies, we allow each action and activity to be mindful, faithful, prayerful.  Nothing is too mundane or insignificant.” Today’s question: How do you liv out the relationship between practice and presence?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “No transaction in God’s economy” The post Practice and presence – related appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/HKg0EpS January 12, 2026 at 01:00PM

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A posture of the heart – vulnerability https://ift.tt/8byjN7C With a posture of the heart, Ralph Kramden protects Alice when two bank-robbing thugs hold them hostage in “Trapped.” “Vulnerability, the kind that opens up to experience God, never demands or pressures, refuses to create expectations or to feel entitled.  It’s a posture of the heart that comes from a place of poverty and humility, of honest need and authentic desire.  And vulnerability requires courage. . . .  Our brokenness becomes the doorway — not the dead-end — for entering a new space where we commune with God, in union with him.”- Michael John Cusick As Michael John Cusick moves on in Chapter 11 of Sacred Attachment, he reminds us of Dallas Willard’s prior statement.  That grace is opposed to earning, not to effort.  Because when we rely on works to attain and sustain relationship, that leads to comparative assessment.  As a result, our concern centers on whether we’re good enough or not good enough. However, in Ephesians 2:8-9, the apostle Paul emphasizes that our salvation rests solely on divine grace.  A grace evidenced by love that we accept by faith.  Hence, no one can do more or less than anyone else.  Thus, we all find ourselves in need and possess access to the love and grace of God. Most significantly, Michael John observes. practicing the experience of God’s presence begins with paying attention.  In addition, Julian of Norwich, who lived in the Middle Ages, coined the term oneing to describe this ongoing assessment.  In Revelations of Divine Love, Julian explains: “This beloved soul was preciously knitted to God in its making, but a knot so subtle and so mighty that it is oned in God.  In this oneing, it is made endlessly holy.  Furthermore, God wants us to know that all the souls which will be saved in heaven without end are knit in this knot, and oned in this oneing, and made holy in this holiness.” Today’s question: What most helps you to cultivate a posture of the heart?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Practice and presence – related” The post A posture of the heart – vulnerability appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/qvjKJud January 11, 2026 at 01:00PM

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Embodiment = tension of both-and https://ift.tt/mZTNxSh Felix and Oscar must serve penance at the Brotherhood of Life Mission by getting up early to bake bread. And they must keep silent for 24 hours. “Our understanding of the soul must include the body.  When we hold the physical and spiritual together, we realize there is no scorekeeping.  This is a good thing because where there is scorekeeping, there is a winner and a loser, a good guy and a bad guy. . . .  Embodiment holds all aspects, even the contradictory and problematic ones, within the tension of both-and rather than the fragmentation of either-or.”- Michael John Cusick Micbael John Cusick continues Chapter 5 of Sacred Attachment with a discussion of the importance to embodiment.  Because the Bible stresses this truth.  We must not separate, segregate, fragment, or compartmentalize one major aspect of ourselves from all the rest.  Certainly, not indefinitely. However, the author states, when we choose to ignore our bodies and all physical sensations, we compound our struggle.  Yet, Cusick notes, our survival response leaves something unprocessed.  Therefore, we find our response to danger and trauma stuck and separated from the way we normally process and integrate memories, feelings, and thoughts. In addition, as Michael John explains: “We do what we have to do to survive the danger . . . the trauma.  Rather than receiving the messages being conveyed by our body and its physical, biological, and neurological signals, we are hard-wired to temporarily separate them — and eventually suffer their segmentation.  The brain reacts to the perceived threat and experienced trauma with compartmentalization. . . .  While our brains serve as a supervisory analyst and regulatory governor of our bodily experiences and sensory data, the brain is still part of our body, an organ connected to all other bodily systems.” As a result, our somatic symptoms reflect a comprehensive, holistic problem.  A problem that affects all parts of our being, including our spirit.  Furthermore, our body keeps the score.  And that process dominates our mind and emotions.  In particular, it limits our willpower. Today’s question: What benefits do you see to embodiment?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “A heavy burden of emotional junk” The post Embodiment = tension of both-and appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/ogHd8xj December 22, 2025 at 01:00PM

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Viewing perfection all wrong? https://ift.tt/hJciQrB Curt Hennig, son of wrestler Larry “The Axe: Hennig, wrestled under the ring name Mr. Perfect. “But what if we’ve been viewing perfection all wrong — in large part thanks to the false assumption and misunderstanding the truth about perfection?  What if perfection is not about some flawless, sinless, static state to be attained but an integrated sense of wholeness that’s continually growing, changing, maturing.”- Michael John Cusick “Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine, you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”- John 15:5 (NIV) As Michael John Cusick moves on in Chapter 5 of Sacred Attachment, he examines the soul through the Hebrew lens.  Because the spirit operates within the context of the body.  Hence, it’s impossible to separate the spiritual and emotional.  Certainly, God is both. Consequently, Michael John observes, the solution for our spiritual struggles emerges where they all intersect.  Embodiment = that point of intersection. Throughout the Bible, the author states, God is known by His goodness.  Not His perfection.  For example, going back to the creation in Genesis, God pronounced each new form good — not perfect.  Above all, this occurred prior to Adam and Eve disobeying God.  Clearly then, Cusick adds, goodness and perfection aren’t the same. Therefore, Brian McLaren examines this key difference as he concludes: “Hebrew good is better than Greek perfect.  In other words, Greek perfect is static, but Hebrew good is dynamic.  Greek perfect is sterile and changeless, but the Hebrew good is fertile and fruitful.” In conclusion, the author comments on John 15:5.  He states that Christ purposely chose an organic metaphor.  First, the metaphor was familiar to His agrarian original audience.  Second, it aptly expresses the dynamic nature of being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit within us. Within our bodies. Today’s question: Do you agree with the author that we’ve been viewing perfection all wrong?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Embodiment = tension of both-and” The post Viewing perfection all wrong? appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/hNvg0ci December 21, 2025 at 01:00PM

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Microscope versus celestial telescope https://ift.tt/D2fljmT Vietnam War POW Jeremiah Denton blinks the word T-O-R-T-U-R-E in Morse Code. From 1978-1980 he served as a consultant with the Christian Broadcasting Network. “Instead of viewing our sinful behaviors under a microscope, we need to study the expansiveness of how God made us through a celestial telescope. . . Where in the Bible do we find this more comprehensive focus on how we’re made?  Simply put, it’s contained in the biblical view of the soul.”- Michael John Cusick In Chapter 5 (“Embodied: Connecting to Our Bodies and Connecting to God”) of Sacred Attachment, Michael John Cusick talks about a remedy prescribed for a crisis of faith or depression and anxiety.  It’s a singularly spiritual treatment. Primarily some variation of Bible study and prayer. But, the author notes, one problem exists with this paradigm.  It doesn’t work.  Certainly, Cusick acknowledges, one must not discount the value and impact of those means, messages, and methods.  Above all, this fact remains.  No matter how often we try to obey God’s commandments, try to resist temptation, or learn to study and pray, it isn’t enough. Therefore, Michael John explains: “The problem with such a paradigm of striving and trying harder, of performing and attempting to please God, is that it doesn’t touch where we live.  It’s not compelling in moments of pain, in dark nights of fear and anxiety, in situations of intense craving, in caverns of loneliness.” In conclusion, the author underscores, it’s important that we clarify and grasp the impact of the word soul.  A word often overused.  Most significantly, many beliefs and assumptions about the soul come from references in the New Testament. Furthermore, the New Testament reflects the Greek understanding of the soul as one’s mind, emotions and will.  However, the author asserts, commentators find the Hebrew concept of the soul found in the Old Testament more comprehensive.  Because the Hebrew concept encompasses the mind, emotions, and will — and body. Today’s question: What does it mean to you to study the expansiveness of how God made us through a celestial telescope?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Viewing perfection all wrong” The post Microscope versus celestial telescope appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/rcpfu3n December 20, 2025 at 01:00PM

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Settle for fantasy, suffer for reality https://ift.tt/21VaBU0 Danny Kaye starred in the 1947 film adaptation of James Thurber’s short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. “Evil thrives on the mantra, ‘and then . . . .’  Evil fills the gap between our woundedness — all that has hurt us, disappointed us, been lost to us, injured us, abandoned us — and our woundedness (sometimes referred to as sin), that longing to settle for fantasy rather than suffer for reality.”- Michael John Cusick Michael John Cusick concludes Chapter 4 of Sacred Attachment with this observation.  He stresses that the work of closing the gap takes place at the intersection of our woundedness, weakness, and warfare.  Therefore, we must consider, will we: allow our doubts and distrust to take root and flourish? move into greater wholeness through learning to trust, thus inviting other people and God into the wilderness where we find ourselves far from home? Most significantly, the author cautions, we find it much easier to cultivate anger and justification than grief and lament.  Simply put, Cusick adds, our vulnerabilities, hurts, and wickedness either (a) propel us toward God or (b) away from Him toward the allure of evil.  Above all, evil is alluring.  Because Satan, the enemy of our souls, know what appeals to us.  And why those places are tender and vulnerable. However, the Enemy possess limited power.  But God’s power is unlimited.  And it’s a power most often displayed in weakness and woundedness.  Rather than divine flexing. In conclusion Michael John counsels: “Evil seeks to pinpoint your pain and force you to experience it just enough to want relief, comfort, escape, or others to blame, hate, or take vengeance on.  If evil can convince you that you’re a victim, basically powerless against what it can provide, then you lose sight of who you are and who God is. . . . To overcome evil, you must identify the lies that create the big lie — that love does not have you.  You must see these lies and replace them with what is true and reflects the reality you know is there but cannot always be seen.” Today’s question: When do you find yourself prone to settle for fantasy?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: Microscope versus celestial telescope? The post Settle for fantasy, suffer for reality appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/XQaCTN4 December 19, 2025 at 01:00PM

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Fully holy and fully whole https://ift.tt/9Mu0Jen Fellow Evergreen Park native and 1972 Olympic bronze medalist Janet Lynn (Nowicki). Her father ran a pharmacy in the medical building where my dentist practiced. “Truth is not a proposition.  It’s all of reality aligned with who God is.  When a wheel’s spikes are out of alignment, they are said to be ‘out of true.’  Until we know and experience the holiness of God, we remain out of true, off-kilter, and out of balance.  We cannot be fully whole until we are fully holy.”- Michael John Cusick As Michael John Cusick moves on in Chapter 4 of Sacred Attachment, he stresses that all of us go through periods of spinning in our lives.  Spinning boils down to coming against an experience that stops, shakes, hurts, humiliates, or redefines you.  Whatever it is that leaves you spinning.  You orbit around whatever possesses enough gravity to pull you away from the terrible pain. In addition, the author reiterates, two essential lies sustain evil: You can’t trust God to meet your needs. Therefore, it’s up to you to meet your own needs – so you must find a way. Consequently, Michael John counsels: “These two lies have made the world go around for all of time.  The name I’ve given to this process is the rhythm of the kingdom.  When our eyes are open — which usually happens only when we’re spinning and disoriented — we begin to see the rhythm of the kingdom on every page of Scripture.  All the way back in the beginning, it was God’s way.” Hence, in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were unaware of how perfectly God met their needs.  Because they only knew the security of being in paradise while in relationship with God and each other. But when the serpent lied to them, doubt blossomed into disbelief of the truth.  As a result, Adam and Eve lost their bearing.  So, they reached out to grasp life on their own terms. Yet, in their spinning and disorientation God came looking for them, speaking words of reorientation. Today’s question: What does it mean to you to be fully holy, fully whole?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Settle for fantasy, suffer for reality” The post Fully holy and fully whole appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/R5tx6bU December 18, 2025 at 01:00PM

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Unintentionally test God? https://ift.tt/es9xoQl Jesus answered him, “It is also written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ “ “Rather than trusting God with our safety and security, we may unintentionally test him by claiming biblical verses or passages as promises for our present circumstances.  Instead of finding that God meets us where we are — in the midst of our pain, shame, and discomfort — we may feel spiritually entitled to a smoother journey.”- Michael John Cusick Then the devil . . . had [Jesus] stand on the highest point of the temple.  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down.”- Matthew 4:5-6 In Chapter 4 (“Evil: Rejecting the Lies About God and About Ourselves”) of Sacred Attachment, Michael John Cusick describes the crucial difference between the words evil and wicked.  Most significantly, the author views the goal as the crucial difference. First, evil uses two lies as it seeks to destroy beauty and goodness.  Evil deceives us about (a) who God is and 9b) who we are.  On the other hand, wickedness yields to temptation in order to experience what it lacks.  Wickedness, then, assumes God can’t or won’t provide what it deems necessary to live. When Satan first tempted Jesus in the desert, he appealed to Jesus’ hunger.  Basically, Michael John states, Satan tried to get Jesus to use His power to meet His own needs.  Rather than rely on His Father’s love.  Furthermore, we face the same temptation between our unhealthy self-soothing and being known and loved by God and others. Next, Satan cloaks the second temptation in religious language.  Because evil likes to sound as close to the truth as possible.  To always present alternatives in meeting our deepest needs.  For that process takes us away from the vulnerability of love. In conclusion, Satan goes all in with an offer of ultimate security.  But Jesus must fall down in worship. Hence, the author explains: “We face this temptation in our attempts to define and empower ourselves through what we worship. . . .  Worship is what we give our hearts to in exchange for life . . . what we give our hearts to in exchange for being seen and soothed and safe.” Today’s question: How do you unintentionally test God?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Fully holy and fully whole” The post Unintentionally test God? appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/uAv0EFK December 17, 2025 at 01:00PM

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A God who beholds us https://ift.tt/vtUWiN7 “Jesus looked at [the rich young man] and loved him.”- Mark 11:21 (NIV) “Sin is basically mishandling our pain.  Defining sin through a lens of broken relationship and broken attachment leads to real healing of attachment so that we can rest and trust in a God who beholds us and loves us perfectly and unconditionally.”- Michael John Cusick “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God.”- 1 John 3:1 (NKJV) Michael John Cusick concludes Chapter 3 of Sacred Attachment with this observation.  That, sooner or later, if you’re willing to be honest with yourself, you know your life isn’t working.  Perhaps you don’t truly know the love of Jesus.  Not in a way that allows you to accept His hands washing your feet.  As a result, you end up feeling stuck. However, the author wonders, what if you reviewed the hardest parts of your story, the twists and turning points?  What if, instead, you looked at them from a more compassionate and accurate viewpoint?  To see yourself the way God sees you. Therefore, Michael John Cusick exhorts: “If behold seems like an odd choice to describe how God loves you, let me explain why it’s one of my favorite words in all of Scripture.  In the King James Version of the Bible, behold appears more than a thousand times.  Translated from the Greek eido, behold literally means ‘to see’ or ‘take notice’ or as I like to translate it, ‘Would you look at that!’ ” In conclusion, the author acknowledges, we find it hard to imagine that losing our faith could be a good thing.  Because what you wind up losing has nothing to do with your beliefs, your passions, and your desire to know God.  Rather, what you lose has everything to do with your efforts, your ceaseless striving, and your exhaustion and weariness. Thus, sometimes we must lose what we cling to and call our faith in order to: receive God’s love. allow Him to wash our feet. experience divine secure attachment. Today’s question: What does it mean to you to rest and trust in a God who beholds you?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Unintentionally test God?” The post A God who beholds us appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/cuQPSRm December 16, 2025 at 01:00PM

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He will bring us goodness and light https://ift.tt/fHvwV6n Mr. Richard Kremer directed the 1968-69 Luther High School South Acapella Choir in recording the album Music of Christmas. It included the song “Do You Hear What I Hear?” “Said the king to the people everywhere, / Listen to what I say. / Pray for peace people everywhere! / Listen to what I say. / The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night / He will bring us goodness and light. / He will bring us goodness and light.”- Do You Hear What I Hear? (October 1962), Noel Regney (lyrics) and Gloria Shayne Baker (music) “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?  For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”- Matthe 2:1-2 (ESV) French-born Noel Regney (1922-2002) studied at the Strasbourg Conservatory and the Conservatory National de Paris.  But when Nazi troops invaded and occupied France, the German army drafted him.  Because Noel hated the Nazis, he joined the French Underground — while still wearing the German uniform.  Noel collected data and, when possible, warned French resistance fighters of impending Nazi attacks. In 1952, Regney moved to Manhattan.  Then, in 1962, during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a record producer approached Noel about writing a Christmas song.  Yet, the world trembled and prayed as the United States and the Soviet Union stood eyeball-to eyeball. One day, though, enroute to his home, Noel glimpsed two mothers walking their babies in strollers.  His heart filled with poetry at the sight of the smiling little angels.  They reminded him of newborn lambs.  Thus, the song begins, “Said the night wind to the little lamb.” Writing in Because of Bethlehem: Love is Born.  Hope is Here. (2016), Max Lucado wryly observes that it’s not always ho ho ho on the high, highway.  For we tend to blow past the signs that promise He will bring us goodness and light.  Extended time in the car tends to reveal human frailties. For example, in refusing to stop, dads hearken back to the actions of their forefathers.  Did Lewis and Clark ask for directions? Christmas, Pastor Lucado notes, prompts travel.  Ever since that delegation from a distant land came searching for Jesus.  Above all, Max states, Matthew loved the magi so much that he never mentioned the shepherds or the manger in his gospel.  But it’s easy to see why Matthew didn’t want us to miss the star and the seekers.  Max explains: “Their story is our story.  We’re all travelers, all sojourners.  In order to find Jesus, every one of us needs directions.  God gives it.  The story of the wise men shows us how.” Most significantly, while the star led the magi to Jerusalem, it took Scripture to lead them to Jesus.  However, we find the scholars of the Torah noticeably absent at the manger.  Certainly, they read the prophecy.  Yet, they failed to respond to it.  That He will bring goodness and light. Furthermore, the star reappeared after the wise men learned about the prophecy.  Sign and wonder worked together to bring the magi to Jesus.  Because the ultimate aim of all God’s miraculous and written messages involves shedding the light of heaven on Jesus.  Hence, Pastor Lucado notes, the wise men earned their moniker because they opened their hearts to God’s gift.  Thus, a sign called them, Scripture instructed them, and God directed them home. In conclusion, Max reminds us that He will bring us goodness and light.  As a result, Max encourages: “Christmas celebrates . . . God breaking through to our world.  In a feeding stall of all places. He will not leave us in the dark . . . He cracks the shell of our world and invites us to peek into his.  And every so often a seeking soul looks up.  May you be one of them.” The post He will bring us goodness and light appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/U2JH5ju December 15, 2025 at 01:00PM

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Your pursuit of a faith worth having https://ift.tt/qEljP1U In The Golfer, Ralph Kramden declines to engage in Norton’s unhealthy behavior. Norton asks, “Do you want to start on the other end?” “As [Thomas] Aquinas said, every unhealthy behavior reflects a God-given appetite. . . .  This is why attachments matter in your pursuit of a faith worth having.  Attachments are essential to what you do with your gap.  What if you could look back on your most painful, shameful, moments with compassion and grace rather than contempt and rejection.  Who would you be?”- Michael John Cusick Michael John Cusick continues Chapter 3 of Sacred Attachment as he underscores that the Christian concept of God is inherently relational.  Because God consists of the Trinity.  Of three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Most significantly, the style of relating you developed within your familial dynamics extends to your spirituality. In other words, Michael John observes, no wonder: you’re struggling with your faith. your beliefs and what you’ve been taught about God, faith, and Scripture rarely appear to align with your life experience. a gap exists between what you need, long for, and desire in a faith relationship with divine love and what you actually experience and receive. rigid, harsh Christian experience caused such deep wounds. Hence, the author reiterates his view that being seen is crucial for secure attachment.  As a result, this must serve as the starting place to close the gap and experience God for who He really is.  And here’s the good news.  It’s possible for adults who find themselves in an insecure attachment to turn that around.  Therapists call that process earned secure attachment. In conclusion, Michael John counsels: “But first it’s crucial to examine assumptions that may have been handed down by our family of origin and by Christian culture. . . .  Attachments boil down to our ability to receive.  An insecure attachment boils down to an inability to vulnerably receive.  If our needs go unmet, we learn to limit our ability to receive throughout the rest of our lives.” Today’s question: How do attachments matter in your pursuit of a faith worth having?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: the Christmas Short Meditation, “He will bring us goodness and light” The post Your pursuit of a faith worth having appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/4pxmckH December 14, 2025 at 01:00PM

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The relative health of our attachment https://ift.tt/hFJjW9f Baby David in an industrial strength stroller pointing at his smiling cousin Pat. “Technically, attachment refers to the process by which the immature infant brain accesses and utilizes the strengths of the mature adult brain in order to learn how to organize and regulate itself. . . .   Over the course of our lives, the relative health of our attachment has far-reaching implications for our flourishing and strongly influences the eventual nature and health of the relationships we develop and maintain into adulthood.”- Dr. Curt Thompson As Michael John Cusick continues Chapter 3 of Sacred Attachment, he examines the four main styles of attachment.  These styles: secure, anxious, avoidant, and ambivalent.  Most significantly, healthy secure attachment reflects all four S-needs being met.  Certainly, not met perfectly.  But met consistently and at least adequately during one’s developmental years. 1.  Secure attachment.  Securely attached adults learned how to balance their commitment and connection to others with their individuality.  As well as their autonomy.  2.  Anxious attachment.  When parents or caregivers fail to reliably meet a child’s need for security and stability, the child develops an anxious attachment style.  Above all, as an adult this anxiety and insecurity easily coalesces into people-pleasing.  In addition, the adults compromised their needs in exchange for toe perceived security of their partner, spouse, family, or group. 3.  Avoidant attachment.  Heading to the other end of the spectrum, when some children recognize their needs aren’t going to be met, they survive by meeting their needs themselves.  Hence, as adults they prefer to remain independent and to separate from relational attachments. 4.  Ambivalent attachment.  Finally, in this style, the best and worst of both anxious and avoidant attachment converge.  Because the child needs his/her Four Ss met reliably.  But the child fails to trust they’ll get what they need when they need it. Therefore, as adults they send mixed signals.  These signals reflect both their desire to connect and their defense against rejection or neglect. Today’s question: How do you assess the relative health of your attachment?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Your pursuit of a faith worth having” The post The relative health of our attachment appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/DatWeFH December 13, 2025 at 01:00PM

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Past conditioning or present choosing https://ift.tt/KC5I0Hu My baptism day – August 19, 1951. My maternal (and favorite) grandmother Charlotte holds me, flanked by my mother Elinor and her twin brother Elmer. “Please listen carefully.  The way we relate to our environment, events, and other people often results more from past conditioning than our present choosing.  Our early development and family of origin profoundly affect our nervous system, which determined whether we would have a secure attachment.  And that wiring is the basis for trust, including trusting in divine love.”- Michael John Cusick As Michael John Cusick moves on in Chapter 3 of Sacred Attachment, he talks about the four ingredients of secure attachment. For example, the author underscores, long before babies acquire the ability to look into the eyes of their parent or caregiver, they know whether or not they are being seen. Consequently, when a child feels seen, it’s only natural for the child to be soothed by those who attend to them.  However, if our caregivers failed to soothe us adequately, constantly, or lovingly, we move into default mode.  And in default mode, we learn to soothe ourselves.  Hence, we learn to live without soothing, to survive on our own.  Furthermore, these survival strategies compel us to turn to habits, substances, and relationships. Above all, these artificial soothing substitutes and counterfeits continue through each stage of development.  Unless we find healthy ways to soothe ourselves.  In addition, Cusick notes, we draw conclusions about our need for significant others to see and soothe us.  Then we begin to see how those conclusions relate to our needs for safety and security.  As a result, an overall sense of security remains lacking as well. Most significantly, if our need for safety goes unmet constantly, we usually fail to develop a secure attachment.  Because security requires a consistent and predictable loving presence.  Therefore, your caregivers must see you, attend to your needs, and comfort and soothe you consistently when you experience pain of any kind. Today’s question: How does past conditioning influence you present behavior?  Please share. Coming Monday: the Christmas Short Meditation, “He will bring us goodness and light” Tomorrow’s blog: “The relative health of our attachment” The post Past conditioning or present choosing appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/FWuMro9 December 12, 2025 at 01:00PM

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New adventure – take the risk https://ift.tt/O453RtB After Andy and Helen explore a cave, it collapses behind them. Although they find another way out, they return to be ‘rescued’ by Barney. “Security is about being able, in the face of feeling seen, soothed, and safe, to move away from our relational base and to take the risk of new adventure, whether it’s across the crib, across the room, or across the country.”- Dr. Curt Thompson, The Soul of Desire In Chapter 3 (“Attached: Being Held and Beheld”) of Sacred Attachment, Michael John Cusick talks about his understanding of the four basic human needs.  The need to be seen, soothed, safe, and secure.  Above all, the work of Dr. Curt Thompson greatly impacted the author’s understanding. Because Dr. Thompson, a psychiatrist, focuses on the intersection of Christian spirituality and interpersonal neurobiology (IPNF).  Furthermore, Dr. Thompson observes: “We are all born into the world looking for someone looking of us, and that we remain in this mode of searching for the rest of our lives.” In addition, based on this work, Michael John further developed the model of what he calls the Four Ss.  Seen, soothed, safe, and secure.  Hence, Cusick’s model depicts who we are and how we move through this season. Thus, Michael John explains: “These four S– words summarize the fundamental human needs each of us experiences as newborns, as children, as adolescents, and as adults. . . .  The method and degree to which they were met when we were infants and children also determines how we learn to relate to the world around us.  Or as we counselors like to say, these needs shape our ability to attach and form healthy, securely attached relationships — or not.” In conclusion, the author reiterates, secure attachment forms the basis for being able to: trust. have a solid sense of self. experience (through your five senses) healthy intimacy, whether together or apart with others in relationship. take care of yourself as well as ask God for help when needed. Today’s question: What most helps you step out to take the risk of new adventure?  Please share. Tomorrow’s blog: “Past conditioning or present choosing” The post New adventure – take the risk appeared first on Crown of Compassion. via Crown of Compassion https://ift.tt/P1dTVa0 December 11, 2025 at 01:00PM