Brian Dietz Blog

Greetings and Salutations…

2/8/2023

There are a few adults who walk around the neighborhood puddle we call a lake that NEVER return a greeting. Shameful right? I mean what’s this country coming to? I can understand that behavior from a teenager but not an adult. I’m faithful with my personal hygiene and I’m pretty sure my deodorant still works so why ignore a friendly greeting? Am I not the right color, or age, or gender, or ethnic group, or species or all of the combined, for you to acknowledge?

When someone greets you how do you respond? Are you inclined to return a greeting, civil or otherwise, or just pretend the other person doesn’t exist? Do you pick and choose who gets what greeting like you pick out produce? “That one looks rotten, quick look the other way.” How do you feel if you initiate a greeting that is not reciprocated?

I am very much aware that it is a person’s prerogative to ignore whomever they want, whenever they desire, just don’t ignore ME if I’m talking to you. Seriously though, it’s one thing to have a bad day(s), be distracted, or suffer from some unforeseen issue but I’m talking about people who willingly choose to go through life with sand in their shorts. They own bitterness like a badge of honor. The olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton, who has survived some tremendous challenges is credited with saying, “The only true disability is a bad attitude.”

Being cordial, cheerful, civil, polite, respectful is a choice. That doesn’t mean you need to bounce around through life all the time like a Disney character with feather underwear but being a cold, bitter, curmudgeon won’t endear yourself to people either. A nasty first impression will require a lot of work to overcome. Wouldn’t you rather hang out with Bugs Bunny than Yosemite Sam?

A Princeton study found that most people make a first impression of a person within 7 seconds. Research also indicates that typically 11 different impressions are formed during those 7 seconds. Some studies concluded it only takes a tenth of a second to form a lasting impression. The way you greet people says a lot about you. From handshakes and howdy to head nods and hand gestures. Any, in my opinion, is far more acceptable than how animals greet each other.
Of course there are people, who for one reason or another, you may regret ever greeting them. You would like to just wish them into the cornfield. The less you know of them the better. That could fill up another whole blog.

Occasionally there are those who abuse the greeting. I once worked in an office where one particular person had the annoying habit of announcing her presence EVERY TIME she entered the room with a greeting. Now this may seem rather benign but during the course of the day she went in and out of the room many times a day. She became offended when no one responded after the third or fourth or fifteenth time. Honestly, we said hello already just thirty minutes ago, do we have to reenact that moment constantly throughout the day? It was like every time she left the room she traveled to another time dimension and we forgot she still worked there and just had to be reminded when she came back. It was exhausting.

Recently I ran into two of my favorite dogs and their owner at the lake. As I was still walking towards them I noticed from a short distance that one of the biggest unsociable culprits crossed paths with him. Not surprisingly, his greeting was rebuffed which totally irritated him. When I met up with him, he informed me that the next time he crosses paths with her, he is going to give her the one finger salute. As harsh as it may be, that of course is his choice. I countered that, if anything, I would prefer to just kill her with kindness.

A few days later while sitting on a bench overlooking the lake, I noticed her walking toward me. Remembering my promise to my trigger finger friend, I said a little prayer, “Lord if it’s your will, soften her heart and make her receptive to a greeting.” I greeted her with my usual “good morning.” Instantly, she returned my greeting with a “good morning”of her own. I about had to pick myself up off the ground. For the first time in a year, she acknowledged my greeting and returned a greeting.

More importantly, I experienced a paradigm shift. That was also the first time in more than a year, I prayed for her. Why is it, it took me so long to figure that out? I saw her as the one with the problem when I was exhibiting an issue of my own. A short time later I ran into my trigger finger friend and his wife. You’ll remember that he had his middle finger loaded and ready to fire at her. I shared with him and his wife my breakthrough encounter. He was as astonished as I was. His wife however, scolded him that he needs to put his poor attitude away and be more polite and civil. “See, see, I told you to be nice” she reminded him. Good advice for us all to remember to live by.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

1 Comment

Finding Contentment...

11/23/2022

6 Comments

Several months ago I was wearing my T-shirt that says, Grateful, Thankful, Blessed John 1:16. As I was on my morning walk, a young lady coming towards me, looked at my shirt, scoffed and hurried past. She SCOFFED at me! A wise friend later reminded me that her reaction proved she was ignorant to what being grateful, thankful and blessed truly meant. She was to be pitied. Are you having trouble finding contentment and giving thanks? Wikipedia describes contentment as an emotional state of satisfaction. Do you think you could really be content in any circumstance?

Not long after my brain surgery, I started making a list of all my blessings. It was eye opening. I worked on it for several weeks and compiled page after page worth of blessings. From the mundane to the extraordinary, it was obvious I had much to be thankful for, despite the many issues I was dealing with. The problem was, I stopped the list. It wasn’t that the blessings stopped, they didn’t. I got complacent and grew tired of the exercise.

Not long after that, I started to take inventory of my losses. I still struggle with this from time to time, especially when I experience some sort of setback. I make the mistake of looking behind or in the wrong direction then I get easily derailed and can find myself sinking into a pit of despair. I neglect to focus on the incredible gift of grace given to us by Jesus Christ. I choose to push my Costco sized cart of grievances down the aisle of self pity. We tend to conveniently miss that section of the store which displays our many blessings and overlooks our own indiscretions. Look what they have, what they get to do and where they get to go. I can’t do or have this or that. Just look at all I have to deal with that they don’t. Remember what they did to us? Where were they when we so desperately needed help and on and on? It’s easy to focus on your problems and convince yourself how bad things are and that everyone else except for you is leading a charmed existence. Anti-social media does nothing but hasten the angst. Those negative thoughts lead to complaining. Complaining is a virus. Like termites destroying a home, if not kept in check, it can mutate and spread like wild fire and take over your life. No one wants to be around an ungrateful complainer.

Instead of focusing on my blessings, I can get mired in a meltdown of pain and past hurts. In 2017 and subsequent years, we were hit with what seemed like waves of traumatic events for us, my health being just a portion. I ride a roller coaster of emotion based on what I choose to think about. It doesn’t mean that what happened to us was not significant. It was life changing. I had to learn to let go of the negative and move on. I had to learn to be content. It was a choice. Being in the habit of giving thanks helps prepare you for those times when life throws you curveballs and you struggle with feeling grateful. It became apparent that I had to focus on my relationship with Christ. It forced me to do some serious soul searching. I now realize that God used that pain to steer me in a direction of greater awareness. It doesn’t undo what I went through, it just helps clarify the blessings for me. I may never have fully appreciated the awesome miracles He has blessed us with without going through those painful experiences.

There is a story of an Englishman during WWII who, upon staring at the crater in the ground that was now where his house once stood, remarked that he always wanted a basement, now he could rebuild the house the way he always wanted. If we so cling to the past hurts, we risk losing sight of current and future blessings. You can’t undo what’s been done. You can choose how to deal with it though. You can learn from it, grow from the experience and move on. But can you be thankful for that hard thing especially when the wound is fresh? We don’t normally view problems and difficulties as something to be grateful for.

Being grateful helps you you develop a positive attitude by focusing on all God is doing for you, not on what you think you lack. When we are used to having so much, we tend to take our blessings for granted. We expect the flood of earthly gifts to continue endlessly. We fixate on the facade of those we think have it so much better, while completely missing the hordes of the less fortunate and ignoring the gift of grace that Christ has provided for us. I have learned an exercise I like to use on myself that helps remind me that I have been given more than I deserve. Every time I think of a negative experience I attach an “at least” to it to remind myself of something positive about it. For instance, my leg is really hurting today, at least I have a leg to hurt. No matter how bad this life has been for you, at least you can accept Jesus Christ as your savior and rest in the joy of a heavenly future.

Several centuries ago, Bible scholar Mathew Henry recorded this after being mugged: Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before; second, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.

The world can be a cold, miserable, painful place. You may think it’s hard to feel contented and thankful when mired in the midst of any of a number of problems this world serves up. It seems unreasonable to be content, even thankful when you are in the pit of despair and yet the apostle Paul was able to do exactly that, and instructs us to do likewise.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:4-13

Guard your thoughts. Don’t let yourself fall into the pit of negativity. No matter how bad things may seem, Jesus Christ provides the solution. “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.”1 Samuel 12:24,
Copyright © by Brian Dietz

Dr.Lee Warren podcast link...
Two Thought Cancers: IF and WHEN
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dr-lee-warren-podcast/id863481502?i=1000586406828

6 Comments

Substantial discussions…

10/4/2022

4 Comments

I get to know a lot of different people on my walks around the neighborhood. I am grateful that I can at least get out and interact with others on occasion. Recently, I’ve been able to meet several different people and discuss with them the various hardships they or their family members have gone through. With the odds stacked against them, they managed to overcome multiple times. Their stories are just a synopsis of the actual trauma that each person and their families have gone through. Every time I have such a meaningful encounter, I can’t help but feel as though the spirit led us to that meeting, something my brother, who has endured the trauma of losing a wife and child, pointed out to me. God has a way of lifting us up and providing what we need. Certain interactions can truly lift a person’s spirit. The most inspirational encounters I’ve had, are the ones where people have endured great hardships yet maintained their faith like my brother and sister in law. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10

My neighbor across the street has been through a lot of adversity lately. He just returned home a few weeks ago from yet another long hospital stay where he lost another portion of his second lung. He has been on the edge of death several times. He has two very bad lungs and uses an oxygen tank to help him breathe. He never smoked a day in his life. He served our country as a marine and spent a good portion of his duty preparing troops for chemical warfare which unfortunately exposed him to nasty chemicals that destroyed his lungs. We talked about the traumatic events of his latest hospital stay and the horrible things his hospital roommates were going through as well.

We talked about how trauma changes you. It makes it hard sometimes to carry on superficial discussions. So many of the things we used to think were important have no importance at all. When you face your own mortality it changes your perspective. Things the culture and media spew that they think is important is nothing but trivial dribble. We talked about substantial stuff like legacies, God, suffering and death. It was a deep and meaningful discussion that went beyond the superficial. It made me grateful that we could share something other than, hey, how about that game. It’s easier connecting on a much deeper level with another human who has endured a traumatic event if you yourself have gone through life altering trauma.

Another neighbor, whom I recently met, shared the story of their 23 year old son in law. Last year, he had not been feeling well and returned from the gym unable to catch his breath. They gave him a breathing treatment thinking perhaps it was his asthma flaring up. When the problems persisted they took him to the doctor who ran some tests and discovered a large tumor wrapped around his neck. He was referred to a doctor at the City of Hope where emergency surgery was performed. Thankfully, he survived that extremely delicate surgery. Not long after, he survived yet another critical procedure. With physical therapy he was able to regain much of his mobility. After radiation, there was uncertainty that he would be able to have more children. This young family has had a much different start of life together than what they had planned. His mother in law explained to me that he is a Christian who maintains his faith and credits God for getting him through all he has endured instead of blaming God for his perceived predicament. He recently got a customer service job with Microsoft which allows him to work from home. He and his wife are now expecting their 2nd child.

A week or so later, I drifted into yet another dismal malaise, which is so easy to do when left alone with your thoughts. I put on my Grateful, Thankful, Blessed t shirt and went for a walk. I happened to meet yet another neighbor who recently moved into the community. She commented on my shirt and proceeded to share with me her testimony and I was awed by God’s redeeming grace. The lifetime of pain and suffering she endured was off the charts.

As a child she was repeatedly raped and assaulted by a family member. She left home only to get into a horribly abusive relationship. She was beaten, assaulted, demeaned, held captive and treated as a slave by her husband and his family for years. Nine months into her second pregnancy he intentionally shoved her down a set of stairs severely fracturing her ankle and breaking several vertebrae in her back. Instead of calling for an ambulance which would alert authorities, they dropped her off at a hospital. By a miracle, she and the baby survived. She went through several horrific procedures and has permanent injuries to deal with as a result.

Some time later, her now ex was critically ill. She went to visit him in the hospital since he was the father of her children. He awoke from his coma literally scared to death and long enough to apologize for everything he did to her. He asked for her forgiveness and plead to speak to her pastor. She obliged and brought her pastor to the hospital. Immediately her ex, accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, got baptized, fell back into a coma and died.

Through it all she maintained her faith in God. She is adamant that God is the one that got her through. I am in total agreement. I pointed out to her the irony that she is the vessel that God used to bring her ex to salvation, something she had not even considered before. The very person he tormented all those years was ultimately the one who helped lead him to eternal life. I will let you know when her book comes out.

Inspirational stories, like the ones that I have been privileged to hear, can completely change your mood as well as your entire outlook on life. You don’t have to look far, sometimes those inspirational stories are right next door. I am truly grateful to God that he led me to these “chance” meetings and meaningful discussions. I didn’t just meet and talk to anyone. I met these individuals, who whether they know it or not, helped me when I needed it. I am constantly awestruck by God and His handiwork. He knows what we need and never ceases to provide for us. Praise God.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:3

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Copyright © by Brian Dietz

4 Comments

Perspective...

7/6/2022

2 Comments

Perspective gives art dimension and makes an image appear realistic. There are several types of perspective that can be used. Proper perspective involves establishing and using a horizon line, baseline and vanishing points. These elements act as a guide or reference used to establish the point of view or how you see an image. If an artist doesn’t use proper perspective, the image can end up looking skewed or distorted like a primitive cave drawing, which if not your original intention, can contribute to a growing landfill problem.

Throughout the painting process I’ve been taught to periodically put down the brush and take a few steps back away from the canvas. It helps me evaluate what I’ve done so far and pinpoint any errors I have made and corrections I need to make. It can help you judge if your perspective is correct among other things. A painting can look completely different just a few feet away. There are times when I can’t back away far enough. Occasionally, I will swallow my pride and ask someone else I trust to give me their opinion. Sometimes it helps to get another set of eyes on it to point out any corrections needed even though I may not always like what I see and hear. It can lead to a whole lot of extra work but chances are the end product will be better for it.

So it is with life. When we are fixated on ourselves we can lose perspective. We become self serving and skewed in our thinking. You may have a big problem that you just don’t see or you may think something is an enormous problem when comparatively speaking it is really minuscule in scope. You need to get proper perspective. Do yourself a favor and step away occasionally and critically assess yourself and the situation or allow someone else to critically assess you or what you are doing.

Don’t be afraid to get another opinion from someone you can trust to provide you with an honest critique. My therapists will periodically remind me to stop and find my baseline or point out that I am not doing an exercise properly. They are a voice of reason because they see things I may not. The other day my wife, who is a wonderful cook, was trying a new recipe for healthy banana muffins. She brought me a bite to taste and asked for my honest opinion. Thankfully, she has an equally wonderful sense of humor and we both came to the same conclusion about that particular recipe. Dicey as that situation could have been, if I wasn’t honest with her, we might be relegated to eating mediocre muffins or having a bunch of extra door stops laying around. Of course, I had to do it in a way that I didn’t end up eating her shoe. The trick is knowing when to give an honest opinion, if asked, and when your honest opinion is the LAST thing that should come out. Your brain needs to engage the instinct filter. If you’re not up to the task or you don’t trust yourself, abort the mission, pull out the troops, disengage before it’s too late. My wife wasn’t looking for praise (this time) but honesty. She wanted a fresh perspective. Telling her everything but what was wrong would have just made it more difficult for her to ascertain what was needed to get the desired results we could both stomach.

You may not see a problem at all until some brave soul points it out to you. There are people who refuse to go to a doctor for fear of what the doctor may say. There are others who go from doctor to doctor or supposed expert because they refuse to believe what they are told. They don’t want to hear the truth. Having a mentor or friend who can lend perspective rather than flattery is worth a fortune. It helps us make corrections, refine our behavior and hopefully become better humans. There are a host of issues and problems that can be avoided if we were to trade in our pride for wise counsel, at the very least it may prevent our humiliation by falling prey to some current fad.

The comedian Brian Regan tells of going to the hospital and being asked to rate his pain on a scale of 1 to 10. He was afraid to give the wrong number for fear they wouldn’t take him seriously. We all know people who tend to catastrophize one issue or another in hopes of drawing attention to themselves. Perhaps you’ve done it yourself at times. One day they try to convince you how terrible their life is because of a hang nail, the next day they are prancing around some amusement park. They need to assess the optics and ask themselves, how might this look to others? Why does it matter what others people think, you might ask? Simple, you lose credibility. If the optics don’t add up, it’s hard to take the person seriously. They need some real perspective.

My friend Dave is a wonderful photographer, www.CrivelloPhotography.com. On occasion, he uses a drone when taking real estate pictures. It helps give prospective clients a different perspective of the property. Focus on the Family has a great program where they help equip pregnancy medical centers across the country with ultrasound machines, resources, and nurses’ sonography training so a mother considering abortion can get much needed perspective. www.Focusonthefamily.com

Occasionally, we all need to lower our walls, open up, step away and take in a different view. It helps give us a perspective that perhaps we didn’t see before. As a child I was taught to “put yourself in other peoples shoes.” Learning what the other person may be going through is good advice if we remember to adhere to it. Dr. Lee Warren has a prayer wall on his website www.wleewarrenmd.com. Spend a few minutes reading through it and you will realize the enormously painful issues people have to suffer through. If that doesn’t work for you, look no further than the Ukrainian war and the fleeing refugees or spend an afternoon at a rehab center or homeless shelter, or better yet, read the 19th chapter of John in the Bible, it can do a lot for your perspective.

The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. Proverbs 12:15

The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. Proverbs 16:21

“How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?” Matthew 7:4

Copyright © Brian Dietz

2 Comments

A Myopic Encounter...

4/27/2022

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I took a walk around the block this morning. We have a shaded greenbelt with a sidewalk that runs behind our house. On warm days such as this, it remains several degrees cooler than the areas exposed to direct sun. Along the way, I encountered another gentleman roughly the same age as myself. Rather than walking around the block as I had done, he awkwardly used his cane and descended a set of stairs that connects to the shaded walkway at the half way point. He was out walking his two old dogs.

When our paths crossed, you could say it was a meeting of four old dogs. He and his canine companions seemed cordial enough. He felt it necessary to inform me that he was using a cane because he just had back surgery. He wanted to know why I was using a walker. I simply said that I had a brain tumor a number of years ago. His only response was “NICE”. It was obviously one of those unfortunate inappropriate canned responses that we use far too often. Somewhat surprised, I quickly shot back with “no it was not”. He wasn’t slowed at all as he continued complaining how uncomfortable he was and how tough it was for him to get down the stairs. He was looking forward to returning to full health in the next couple of months. I then felt obligated to inform him that after more than four years, I am still unable to walk down stairs.* I wished him a good day and we each went our separate ways.

When the moment of enlightenment hits him, I’m sure he will want to beat himself with his cane. I don’t know anyone in their right mind who would describe a brain tumor as “nice”. I actually felt sorry for him. I couldn’t help but think of the countless times I have recklessly, to my horror, opened my mouth only to expel some thoughtless anecdote.

Someone once said, listening is not formulating a response, listening is a step towards understanding. My morning acquaintance wasn’t listening. He was in complaint mode. I know it too well. I have found it helps to focus on the blessings you have, and not what you lost or no longer have. We were upright. We were able to walk. We were able to live long enough to be called old. He could walk down stairs. He had companions to walk with. There was a nice safe walking path. The weather was decent. We both had safe, air conditioned homes to return to. Neither of us was malnourished. We both had decent clothes and medical devices to help us get around. Near as I could tell, aside from his temporary back ailment, he was relatively healthy. We both had access to good medical. He had a good prognosis in a relatively short period of time. We both had the tools necessary to communicate. No one was firing mortar rounds at us. No one has tried to round us up on our walk and throw us into a labor camp yet. Currently, we are both free to worship our God as we see fit.

As I reflect back on this encounter I regret that I let myself be offended by something he said, something I myself am good at, and I didn’t reach out at that moment and offer to pray for him or graciously remind him of all we have to be grateful for. Forgive me Lord.

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalms 19:14

*Update - It's not pretty but after nearly five years, thanks to a lot of therapy, prayers and persistence, I have finally learned how to get up and down those stairs.

Copyright © Brian Dietz

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Grounding…

3/2/2022

1 Comment

Since brain surgery I have struggled to walk freely. I am currently in vestibular therapy to help with my balance. My therapist explained that I need what they refer to as grounding. I need to have something to lean on or hold onto and brace myself for my brain to feel secure. That is why I use a walker to get around. Being grounded is a BIG deal for me. The walker (I call him Herschel) provides security from falling. If I was a Weeble it would be no problem. If you remember, Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.

When in the hospital, the nurses put a note on my chart and a sign on the wall that I am a fall risk. My brother wondered about the other times of the year. From a theological stand point, we are all fall risks. That is one risk that you don’t want to take lightly. Being properly grounded can make a big difference. Knowing who or what we can lean on when life’s adversities throw us off balance is just as important as falling on your caboose.

Being grounded can coincide with being humbled. Being active my whole life then suddenly requiring aids to help me move around is humbling. I am very thankful to have those aids for without them, my life would be a lot more complicated and depressing. I have to be willing to acknowledge that I need the aids first. I have to be willing to listen to my therapists to learn how to move properly. I have to practice the exercises they give me daily. I am not a perfect patient. I get complacent, distracted, fatigued and I sometimes forget which exercises to do and how to do them properly. I fail repeatedly.

As a religious person, I have learned to lean on Jesus Christ for security much like I lean on Herschel my walker. There are daily frustrations that I admittedly don’t always handle the best, but I know that God is never going to abandon me. I have to learn to trust Him. I would rather live with all my pain and challenges with God, then to be pain free and separated from him.

Being sick with the brain tumor, life came to a complete stand still. Nothing else mattered except getting through each moment of the day. I was on the edge. I was ready to die. When meeting with the neurosurgeon prior to surgery, he basically gave us two choices, have the surgery or not. The surgery itself was very complicated and presented a host of not so pleasant risks including death. Not having the surgery, meant an excruciating certain death. On the day of my surgery, after saying goodbye to my wife, I focused on communing with God as they wheeled me back to the operating room. I wasn’t thinking about anything or anyone else. It was do or die time. I thanked Him for my life. I prayed that He be with the surgeons and guide them. I prayed that He comforted my wife and family no matter what happened. Interestingly, I was totally at peace. I was content in the loving arms of our Lord. I was not alone. I never have been. My wife confessed that she too was washed over with a sense of calm and peace as she made her way to the waiting room.

God has a way of getting your attention. On numerous occasions he got mine. It may not always have been the way that I would have chosen, but it was admittedly probably the most effective. We can easily succumb to the danger of crowding God out of our life. When you are humbled, you have more of a tendency to call on God for help, otherwise we tend to be complacent and apathetic. He humbled me and brought me to a place that made me reach out for him and earnestly search for understanding. Through that process, I have learned more than perhaps I ever would have known had I stayed in the place I had always been. I was desperate for help and God provided the tools necessary. I have sought out and found help through scripture reading, podcasts, devotionals and the wisdom of fellow believers.

How well grounded are you? From personal fears such as medical diagnosis to family issues to career and money woes to social, environmental and geo political concerns we are all constantly faced with problems. When the storms of life blow, how well grounded are you? Will you stand strong, wobble like a Weeble or completely crumble.

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.”
Jude 1:24 NLT

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”
Psalms 62:1-2 NIV

Copyright © Brian Dietz

1 Comment

Infuriating Email...

1/28/2022

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I checked my email this morning. Someone sent me a link to a couple of articles pertaining to the covid corruption. In the body of the email they used words to describe the article such as scary and infuriating. Scary doesn’t do much for me, but infuriating, now I’m interested. Talk about selling it.

My life’s been too languid for much too long now. Who doesn’t want to get a little infuriated every now and then. Don’t 3 out of 5 doctors recommend getting plenty of infuriation in your diet or is it the other way around? There’s always plenty of opportunity to get miffed, peeved and steamed but not infuriated. It’s not often an opportunity to get infuriated presents itself. That is like a whole other level of fun. Yeah, thats what I want. Sign me up!

Ironic how we get angry at the news, yet we keep turning the news on. Like a moth to a light we are drawn to things that aren’t good for us. We complain that our budget is blown at the end of the month, yet the Amazon boxes keep coming. I never had a problem before, but since the brain tumor, I have to take blood pressure pills. Part of the medicine I give myself doesn’t come in the form of pills but in the way I choose to live my life. That is a blessing I have been granted. I try to make wise decisions that are good for me physically, mentally and spiritually.

Difficult as it may be, I had a choice. Open the link and get infuriated, or start my day off by opening my devotionals and the Bible. Hmmm that is quite a conundrum. Tempting as getting infuriated may be, guess which I chose? No, I’m not ashamed of my choice either. I’m not saying not to stay informed. Educating oneself is admirable. To be fair, I’m sure the individual that sent me the email was just sharing something they found interesting. I know that I’ve sent my share of infuriating emails. There’s only so much infuriating a person can take, however. It’s important to watch that infuriating saturation index you know. Personally, I try to limit my intake as much as possible these days.

Instead, I read this in a Billy Graham devotional just this morning, “The world’s sewage system threatens to contaminate the stream of Christian thought”. No truer statement has been made. The devotional contained two supporting scriptures, Philippians 2:5 “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” and Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.

Would you rather obsess over God’s grace or the pollution of the world? I have never had my blood pressure raised by reading scripture, listening to a good Bible study or a Dr. Lee Warren podcast. By staying grounded in the word of God, I know exactly who is always in charge and what is ultimately going to happen without having to read an infuriating email. Perhaps I’ll read it tomorrow.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8 NIV

Copyright © Brian Dietz

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Time Out...

11/3/2021

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I haven’t written in a while. I’ve been in a self imposed “time out.” I didn’t have to stand in the corner or go to my room, but I did need a break. I needed to regroup, round the wagons in a circle, and evaluate what I was doing and why I was devoting my time to it. Was it worth it? What, if anything, do I need to do differently going forward? Perhaps it comes after facing ones own mortality, but a period of self assessment seemed vitally important.

I was speaking to one of my brothers the other day. I mentioned that I had just completed the online class he recommended. I enjoyed it and hoped to take another when I had the time. He queried, what do you mean when you have time, unaware how I fill my days. It’s funny how time gets swallowed up with priorities no matter where we are in life.

Even though I am a disabled, I like to stay busy. A good percentage of my day is devoted to my therapy exercises and getting the proper rest needed. I once had a doctor tell me after brain surgery that just daily living was therapy. He was absolutely right. Everything takes a LOT more effort now.

My therapists have put me on an activity diet to curb my activity appetite. The brain does not function as efficiently or effectively as it does before a brain injury. I have to choose my activities wisely to hopefully prevent unnecessary symptoms and setbacks. I now have to chart every activity I do. From filling out a chart to getting dressed, making the bed, getting my lunch or talking on the phone as each and every activity taxes my system. The goal is to learn to take necessary rest breaks and spread a number of activities across a number of days, rather than trying to “push through” and get it all done at once as I was used to doing. I’m not very good at it. When the day starts, I’m like a puppy breaking out of the back gate for freedom. I’m in a race to experience the day and accomplish my goals for that day before I get distracted and, or, run out of gas.

There are times however, you may need to pull to the side of the road and check the map to make sure you are traveling in the right direction. I had to determine if there was any value in the things I spent my time on. It’s easy to neglect something that you don’t see a value in. I still enjoy painting when I can, but I told myself that no one is all that interested in what I have to say, so why waste the time and energy writing. I weighed the importance of chronicling my thoughts against all the other things going on in my world, and it quickly fell down my priority list.

My circle of influence may be a tiny dot, but that shouldn’t be the deciding factor. While I convinced myself that no one wanted to hear what I had to say, I found that the exercise of writing, like painting, can be very therapeutic and just may help someone else out. I decided that, no matter what is going on in the world, my healing requires me to keep moving forward as long as I pace myself properly. If someone else finds value in what I am doing, that is a bonus. I may not be able to paint or write as often as I used to, but I will do my best to share my thoughts on occasion.

When you go through personal trials your world shrinks, a lot. You don’t necessarily care about the same things you did before. It changes you. I am not the same person I was before 2017, 2018 and 2019 took a toll on me both physically and mentally. Then came 2020 when it seemed the whole world was in upheaval, not just my tiny corner of the world. I am much more selective with what I am able to, and what I choose, to give my attention to these days.

I decided that if I do anything with whatever time the good Lord has gifted me, my commitment to Him should be above all else. He is the reason I am here. So I had to ask myself, am I doing what God kept me here to do? Am I honoring him with my use of time? Jonathan Edwards the American revivalist preacher once said, “How can you expect to dwell with God forever if you so neglect and forsake him here?”

As long as we are alive, we have a choice. You can choose to spend all your time focusing on your own problems, or you can accept whatever challenges you have and make the most of your time by working to improve yourself to help the world around you.

Are you overwhelmed with the seemingly endless stream of negative news and hard stuff to deal with? Maybe you’re not sure if you are doing what you’re supposed to be doing with your life. Perhaps it’s time for you to take a time out. Give yourself a break and turn off the noise! If you’re not sure you are going in the right direction, pull off the road and check your map. Make an assessment of your gifts and what you have to offer. Ask yourself, what am I here for? What can I do to make someone else’s life better?

Several years ago I decided to do my best to live by Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. I chose to, stay away from, or limit the things which proved to be detrimental to my health. Purging anti-social media and news feeds were a great place to start. I challenge you to try it, it’s quite liberating.

Make a concerted effort to replace the negative with positive. Let God fill your thoughts rather than the media. As part of my physical therapy I was given a list of ways to rest or to pass the time. The list includes things like listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks. Their list did not include prayer so I added that to mine. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2 Listen to positive, healing podcasts or read a book. You’ll learn more than you ever would on twitter or facebook. Better yet, read the Bible and dwell on the hope for the future that God provides for those who believe in Him.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Copyright © Brian Dietz

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The rain, the perks and other things…

3/10/2019

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We live in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Don’t be deceived by the title Inland Empire. We are not a great conquering nation of warriors but rather a collection of mostly transplants from neighboring affluent coastal counties. The Inland Empire is a hot-semi arid region of southern California. We average less than 12 inches of rain in a typical season. Our landscape is made up of low cost housing, fast food restaurants, rocks and tumbleweeds. If Seattle is known as the Emerald City, Menifee could be called brown town. Quite often we get hot, dry, destructive Santa Ana winds that blow dust, debris and tumbleweeds for miles. If you dare go outside during that time, you get a snoot full of Death Valley blown up your nose. We have tumbleweed drifts like other areas of the country have snow drifts. Every year I threaten to decorate a tumbleweed as a replacement for a Christmas tree.

We anticipate rain like Seattle anticipates sunshine. We want what we don’t have. We normally get excited in anticipation of a cloud or slight drop in temperature or anything that resembles a winter season so if it rains we celebrate like a team that just won a big game. Mind you, not everyone shares the same sentiment that my wife and I do. We crave anything other than hot and dry. If it rains at night and we don’t see it, it doesn’t count. This year we are FINALLY having a winter season after many years of drought. Instead of normally warm dry weather, we are getting rain. On more than one occasion, it rained for several days in row. For a brief moment I thought I forgot to turn the sprinklers off. It’s like the whole area gets to take a mass shower and nasal rinse. Boy did we need it. San Bernardino was really beginning to stink. I’m pretty sure the local golf course is offering white water rafting now. Some of the hills around our home that normally resemble a pile of dried refried beans have a mossy green substance growing on them now. If you squint and have a really good imagination it could resemble someplace other than brown town. The air is so clean right now that you can take a good deep breath and not choke on hot smog or brush fires.

Another advantage of the rain is the spring time wildflowers in our area. This year because of all the rain, the experts are predicting what they refer to as a super bloom. The normally dead hills have come alive with brilliant colors of green, orange, purple, white and yellow creating super traffic jams. I read an article that local communities are amping up for the crowds by renting portable potties and traffic police or maybe it was portable traffic and potty police. Hordes of people from the coastal counties on a quest for selfies with flowers, are descending on us in mass, clamoring up normally dead hills littered with rattlesnakes and beer cans to sit next to a patch of flowers that 3 months prior was nothing more than a pile of coyote dung and tumbleweeds. Supposedly many of the wildflower seeds sit dormant for years until a sufficient enough rain encourages them to come to life. That is pretty much how we are too. We sit around dormant for years for years until we get a decent winter rain and then we spring to life.

This year I discovered sweaters, jackets and long sleeved shirts that I had long forgotten. They are the bench warmers, the second string of the wardrobe. We hardly ever need them but when the conditions call for it, they are a necessity. I’m fairly frugal and I have a tendency to wear clothes completely out before I discard them. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the holes that are supposed to be there from the ones that aren’t. My daughters once hid one of my well worn shirts and sewed hideous patches all over it before wrapping it up and giving it back to me as a Christmas gift. When I tried to wear it again they seized control of it permanently taking it out of my rotation. When it comes to the second string, they may be worn once or twice then cleaned, folded and put away for another decade or until winter decides to arrive. I was finally able to utilize an umbrella my daughter gave me a few years back. Once I finished watching the YouTube tutorial on how it works, I was able to put it to good use.

At one time in my life, I watched the local evening news on occasion. If we have more than a few minutes of sprinkles in a single month the local media goes into full blown frenzy. Instead of the latest Hollywierd noise, the lead story becomes STORM WATCH. The networks parade out the Barbie doll weather reporter immediately and as often as possible. In typical SoCal overkill fashion, they send a team of reporters out with film crews to cover what amounts to little more than a leaking faucet and then tell us it’s a typhoon. They advertise the fact that they have a mobile weather van with the latest Doppler radar technology. First of all, I would hope that the van is mobile. Was their previous van not mobile? Do the other networks just have a stationary weather van sitting in the back parking lot with Doppler radar? Does it really matter if they have a weather van or not? Anyone with a smart phone and wifi can pull up a radar image and a weather report. Do they really believe we think they are cutting edge storm chasers? It’s SoCal not tornado alley.

If the local weather Barbies tease us that there will be a slightly greater than 1% chance of winter in our area there are things we do in anticipation of the impending storms. A few weeks before our rainy weather started I replaced the windshield wipers on the cars. It was a rare stroke of good timing on my part. I’ve been duped in the past by the Barbies. Normally the wipers are camouflaged to appear to be perfectly capable of completing the task at hand. Then when it starts to drizzle and you hit the wiper switch, you get a broken rubber band and a metal arm flapping and scratching mud across your windshield at 50 mph. We have gardeners that maintain the brown belts in our neighborhood. Their timing is not the best. The other day during a rainstorm was the day they decided to attempt to blow the leaves off of the sidewalks. The previous time they waited until the Santa Ana winds were blowing Semi trucks off the roadways.

The city work crews put up temporary signs around town warning drivers about the flooded roadways. There is always some thrill seeker who dares to ignore the obvious and proceeds to plunge in, inevitably gets stuck or worse. I recently read a story about a woman who was hiking at Yosemite. She chose to ignore the signs that marked the trail closed for winter and proceeded to walk around a gate blocking the trail. Unfortunately she was struck by a falling boulder. There are consequences when we choose to ignore the warnings.

We know that while a storm can inflict a lot of damage, it can reap wonderful benefits too. In order to enjoy the wildflowers and the crisp clean air, you have to go thru some storms. It doesn’t take long to figure out what you need to prepare. It’s like saving those long sleeved sweaters. Eventually the warm dry spell will come to a screeching halt and you’re going to need to call in the reserves. We don’t always know where the storms in life will come from or how much damage they will do, but be assured they will come, it’s inevitable. Some of the storms we bring on ourselves. Some storms happen as a result of someone else. Some storms cannot be attributed to anyone or thing, they just happen. How prepared are you? Don’t wait too long like our gardeners, it might be too late and the results may be less than desirable. Don’t ignore the warnings like the Yosemite hiker. There is no need to over react either like our local media. God has us here for a reason and it’s not always going to be sunny and sweet with flowers and rainbows everywhere. He knows what storms you are currently going through and the ones that loom on your horizon.

I think that Noah and Job had a lot in common. They both endured tremendous storms and had their respective worlds taken away in a manner of speaking. They both had to endure the scorn and ridicule of the people around them. The thing that stands out though is their loyalty to God. They both went to God in prayer and they were both able to weather the storm. Their worlds were much different after the storm than before, but their God was the same before, during and after as He always has been. It’s normal to question things when the storms of life hit. Job may have questioned God’s motives but at least he knew who really was in charge. At least he continued talking to God. Occasionally there are gully washers that can knock you off your feet no matter how prepared you are. Don’t think you have to try and get through those times alone. Turn to the Lord in prayer. Thank Him for all He has done and ask Him to guide you safely to where you need to be.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Copyright © Brian Dietz

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Splitting Hairs...

2/6/2019

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So you think you know what pain is? It’s a lot more than a four letter word. I once had a doctor ask me what my level of discomfort was. Real pain is more than discomfort. Discomfort is a wrinkle in your sock. To say that pain is “discomfort” is a gross understatement. Comfort is lounging in hammock on a beautiful beach, sipping a cool drink. Change the weather just slightly and voila you have discomfort. Pain would be that hammock snapping and your backside landing on a jagged lava rock.

Metaphorically speaking the areas where pain is most likely to occur is the neck and the derrière. There is no limit to what can be the cause of that. Home and car maintenance, neighbors, pets, neighbors pets, relatives, drivers, politicians, bosses, cable companies and so on. I’ve had a real pain with the toilet lately. No, it’s not something Preparation H would help. You see the toilet tank has been leaking. Our cat Truman is sometimes known as a PITA. Pain in the same place as the toilet. I’m not talking about someone stealing your Twinkies or your team losing the big game either. I’m talking about honest to goodness gut wrenching, nerve searing, drop you to your knees kind of pain. The next time you run into someone who you think is a real pain in the keister, remember they may be dealing with a pain far worse than you can imagine.

I was a big fan of Bugs Bunny cartoons and The Three Stooges when I was a kid. I found it hilarious when a character had an anvil dropped on their head or was launched through a wall. I still love to laugh, but I’m a lot more sympathetic of the stooge who gets his eye poked now. Pain has its place in animated or vaudeville humor but real life can be a lot more sobering. Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate what is more painful. Is it the chronic illness or the broken heart? The pain may be different, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. If not treated properly they can both linger and cause worse problems. Mental and emotional pain can hurt as much as physical pain. Deep scars are hard to cover. Other people may no longer see the scars but you know exactly where the wound was.

With all the different types of pain, sometimes it hard to differentiate what a person is suffering from the most and what their pain level is. At some point you will be asked to rate your pain. If you’re just having one pain then it’s pretty straight forward. If you have multiple issues it can be more complex. The medical community has adopted the pain scale in order to assess the level of pain a patient is in. You mention pain and right away they make you take a test. “On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, what would you rate your pain?” Is this going to count against my grade? Even though it’s multiple choice it doesn’t make it any easier. They trust me to tell them? I cant even figure out what I want from the drive thru menu. Don’t they have a device that tells them what level my pain is without relying on me? Quick somebody look up what I said last time I was here. So now not only are you in pain, but you have the added pressure to come up with an appropriate number. I don’t trust myself in these pressure situations anymore.

There are many different types of pain scales. My chiropractor uses a chart with an outline of the front and back of the human figure. I find it makes for a fun anatomy drawing project. My file reads like a life drawing portfolio. Some scales have cute little emoji faces. Some are very descriptive while others look more like an engineering schematic. We live in Southern California. We are acutely aware of earthquakes. There are many earthquakes we just don’t feel. We are as desensitized to earthquakes as we are car chases. Pain scales are the Richter scales of medicine. Unless it registers over a 4 or 5, don’t waste our time. Once you hit say 7 well buckle up buttercup, the pain train is leaving the station and you’re in for the ride of your life. If you have multiple issues, the pain scale becomes skewed. If you hit a 9 or 10, nothing else seems to matter. For instance, you may have had a significant back issue that normally would register a 7, then something that is supposed to be on the inside ends up on the outside and it registers a 9, suddenly your back doesn’t seem so bad. Pain for you may not be pain for me. What I think is an 8, may only be a 4 for someone else. It’s purely subjective.

Certain pains trump all other pains. Start combining them and now you have a real conundrum. This is my dialogue with my doctor during a recent checkup. Doctor, “So how are you feeling?” I say, “I’m having some pain.” Doctor, “What would you rate your level of pain?” I tell him “zero stars, two thumbs down.” He just stares at me. He wants details. So I continue, “Well my TN has been acting up, so it goes from 3 to off the charts in less than a second. My neck on the side of my brain surgery is a 6 at the moment. My lower back is anywhere from 2 to 6. My trigger finger is currently a 4.5 except when it locks up and I pop it back in place then it is easily a 7 but only for a few minutes. My right arm where the catheter was is a 3.5 but yesterday evening it was a 5. My blood pressure is high. I still have trouble swallowing and I choke easily. I still get dizzy and lose my balance. My eyes are bothering me still but I’m still taking my glaucoma drops. I’m trying to figure out this hearing aid too. Emotionally, I’ve been better, I’m sorry, what was your question?” I was a human piñata.

When you’re in pain you don’t always make rational decisions. The best you can do is to know you need help. You really don’t care how you get relief, you just want relief. Ever notice how people call out to God when they are in pain? Unfortunately, too often they do so in a blasphemous manner. I was told right after brain surgery I was calling for help from Jesus and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The quicker the help arrives the better. Does anybody buy just plain old regular aspirin anymore? Seems like when I was young, you had two choices, regular or Bayer. Now the choices are extra strength or maximum strength or super fast acting extra long lasting. We can’t wait. We want help and we want it now.

The care givers go through their own brand of pain. I had the unfortunate pleasure of spending a night in a hospital room with a crystal meth addict. He was a human wrecking ball. He was both demanding and demeaning. I felt sorry for the nurses having to cater to his incessant bellowing. I informed a nurse intern that it was never too late to change careers. That lightened her mood. Everything about him was loud and irrational. He cursed at the nurses nonstop. He blasted his television all night long. He was uncomfortable so he wanted everybody around him to be uncomfortable. He didn’t care. I wanted to let him know that he wasn’t the only one hurting. It would’ve been lost on him. At 5 a.m. when he finally turned his tv off and tried to sleep, I turned on my tv and discovered a Christian broadcast that for some reason only worked on full blast. We got to change rooms later that morning.

Everyone deals with pain differently. There are people who avoid going to the doctor because they are afraid of what the doctor will tell them. Ultimately they are afraid of pain. They would rather live with the discomfort of ignorance than deal with the fix. You go to the doctor to have a spot checked out. The doctor says, we can work on this one freckle size area but it’s going to hurt like hell or we will need to remove half of your body but you won’t feel a thing. What would you prefer? Which half doc?

Often, the fix can be worse than the ailment. Things doctors love to say, “This will pinch a little” or “this is going to burn slightly” or “you might feel a little discomfort temporarily.” Is that something they read in a book? What to tell your patients as you pull their intestines out through their nose with a tweezer. I once had a neurologist suggest a new medication. When we asked about the side effects he very matter of factly said death. Is that all, well give me some of that!

I was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia in 2003. TN has the distinction of making it somewhere on every list of most painful diseases. Some doctors will tell you it is the worst pain a human can feel. I haven’t experienced every single pain available on the menu so I really can’t say for certain. One of the treatments I sought for TN was a procedure called stereotactic radio surgery. During the procedure doctors screw a metal frame into your skull. You are then laid on a table while they bolt the frame down and shoot radiation at the nerve. Normally this wouldn’t be the worst but unfortunately for me, they didn’t inject enough local anesthesia prior to screwing the frame into my skull. I nearly passed out. This was supposed to be the fix.

We have a natural aversion to pain but we are incredibly gifted at giving it. As a society, we seem to derive great pleasure from watching others in pain or inflicting pain on others. We just don’t like it when it happens to us. It’s ironic that certain institutions and people that are supposed sanctuaries who advertise love and healing can be the very ones causing incredible pain and suffering. People can seem oblivious when it comes to how much pain they inflict on others. Either they have never experienced pain or maybe they just plain forgot what it was like or they are completely insensitive. You can always count on someone to illicit some insensitive remark too. Right after brain surgery I had to have a person tell me all about their uncle who died of a brain tumor. Tact and timing are everything. Something some people just haven’t mastered yet.

Dealing with pain can be exhausting and challenging. You can always find someone who has it worse. That doesn’t mean your pain isn’t real and what you’re experiencing isn’t bad. Pain is pain. It is no fun. Some people are relative rookies when it comes to pain yet they drone on like they are the only ones who suffer. They only succeed in embarrassing themselves. They do their best to convince everyone within earshot that a boil on the butt is a bigger issue than a ruptured spleen. They long to tell you all about how they have it tougher than anybody. It’s not that they necessarily have worse pain, they just crave the attention like a social media diva.

Then there are those people who offer unsolicited advice. They insist that your doctors don’t know anything. They themselves have no medical training other than a blog they once read. They have no idea your health history or access to any of the medical tests and yet somehow they feel qualified to prescribe what they think is best for you. It’s the personal version of socialized medicine. They don’t have a lot of credibility with me. Don’t tell me you know best how to deal with my pain when you don’t have a clue what I’m dealing with.

Pain and suffering can cause us to do extreme things. It can also draw us closer to the Lord. We have probably prayed more in the last few years than we did our entire combined lifetime. It can also make you more aware of what others are going through. It’s easy to find people who have it worse off than you do. A Shriners or St. Jude Children’s Hospital commercial especially tugs at your heart. No matter what type of pain you are suffering, it’s important to know that it doesn’t have to be permanent. Jesus came into this world to take on all our pain. He conquered this world and so can you because of Him. Pain in this world is just a reminder how amazing the gift of heaven will be.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3

Copyright © Brian Dietz

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Greetings and Salutations…

Finding Contentment...

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Perspective...

A Myopic Encounter...

Grounding…

Infuriating Email...

Time Out...

The rain, the perks and other things…

Splitting Hairs...

Brian Dietz

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