| Published Articles William C. Jarvis, Ed.D. |
| Feb. 21, 2010 People of praise Find comfort in Psalm 23 read out loud William C. Jarvis In the midst of discouraging times, a friend told me how to find peace: “Read Psalm 23 aloud and listen to the words.” Even if a person knows this Scripture by memory, read it aloud and it will have a unique, comforting influence on your outlook of life. Henry Ward Beecher, a clergyman who lived in the late 19th century, said something like this: “This Psalm has flown like a bird up and down the Earth, singing the sweetest song ever heard. It has charmed more grief to rest than all the philosophies of the world. It will go on singing to your children, and to my children, and to their children, till the end of time. And when its work is done, it will fly back to the bosom of God, fold its wings, and sing on forever in the happy chorus of those it had helped to bring there.” This Psalm was composed by David 1,000 years before the angel choir announced the birth of Jesus. The Lord’s Prayer was given as the model prayer for Christians in the New Testament. The words in Psalm 23 as well as the Lord’s Prayer are magical in that they address all the concerns of daily life. Knowing that God cares for us, never leaves us as we go through the valleys of life, restores our soul, provides overflowing sustenance, and offers hope for the future, will provide comfort. Every time a person reads or recites either of these passages, he can experience and find “peace” in allowing the words to bring comfort and in remembering images associated with various words. This is the wonder of the Holy Spirit, who satisfies our desire for goodness and inspires us to fulfill his purpose in life. Peace can be found in this process. The Holy Spirit is “in” the Christian to make this peace a reality. John affirms this concept in the following passage: “This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and will be in you” (John 14:17). Francesco Petrarch said five great enemies to peace inhabit with us: avarice, ambition, envy, anger and pride. If those enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace. The enemies to peace according to Petrarch all are qualities that represent self-centered actions. It is when a person reaches out with positive intentions and becomes engaged in Christian activities that help others that peace becomes inherently a result of these efforts. As a result of allowing God to be Shepherd, a person becomes free of the constraints of peace in life: avarice, ambition, envy, anger and pride. It is having control over these natural human negative characteristics that creates the spiritual environment to restore the soul and know a peace. The Lord allows a person to rest amid the turmoil of life. The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that has the same concepts as Psalm 23; that is, the prayer can also be one in which a person can find “peace” every time it is read or recited. The parallels are interesting. If broken down into sections, a person can find the same basic concepts as previously mentioned as representative of Psalm 23. For example, the following are portions of the text from the Lord’s Prayer and how they may correspond to the text in Psalm 23. There is peace in knowing the Father cares for you and provides access to an inward peace in earthly life as well as eternal peace in heaven: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” There is serenity and calmness in knowing God wants the same peace on earth as it is in heaven. By addressing God as “Father” immediately provides the peace of mind that comes when talking to someone who you know wants the very best for you and has unconditional love for you. This awareness immediately provides peace and security to the individual involved in this prayer. Listen to the words every time of these scripture passages. The words will give comfort to the difficulties of life! People of praise December 27, 2009 Christian living fosters personal peace William C. Jarvis Daily living can be discouraging. There are problems at work, problems at home, problems with interpersonal relationships and problems in dealing with problems. Christian living has all the basic elements of a continual forward movement in a person’s personal life to something good. It is this forward movement that occupies the mind with thoughts of doing good to others that diminishes any negative thoughts to result in personal discouragement. Published Oct. 4, 2009 Journal Gazette Fort Wayne God’s vow means no need to fear William Jarvis Moses was told by God to lead his people out of Egypt. Fear was his first response to this command. Moses made every excuse to avoid his responsibility to do this. There are countless stories in the Bible where fear was the basic response to fulfilling God’s leading. Even today, fear stops us from doing what we know is right in the eyes of God. We use every excuse to affirm our reluctance as the only choice. Published April 25, 2009 PEOPLE OF PRAISE Give the gift of hope in words and actions William C. Jarvis Success is built upon the hopes and dreams of people. Everyone wants to succeed at what he feels is important in his life. People have hopes and fears. It is when hope becomes reality that fears are diminished. Even though it is the “fears” that keep us alert, it is the “hope” that drives us to see things through. How do we attain hope? It is this universal inner quest that causes every person to sometimes choose the wrong direction in life. Christianity offers a positive answer in how to attain and give hope. Published: February 14, 2009 Life of faithfulness requires gentle self-control William Jarvis “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 The last three traits of the “Fruit of the Spirit” are part of the answer to a happy life. Church is the first religious experience a person has to be “faithful” in a spiritual sense. Faithful religious experience usually involves attending church and Sunday school. The word faithfulness implies that a person is faithful to something. In Christianity, a person is faithful to God and Christian qualities taught in the Bible. A person never knows for certain how he will respond to a situation until it happens. The more intense and difficult the situation, the deeper the requirements of a person’s faith. William Jarvis is author of “Snail to the Finish – Leaning on Faith.” Published Oct. 25, 2008 Patience, kindness essential through life “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” – John Quincy Adams Fishing? Patience is needed. It takes an extreme amount. I remember going fishing with my father and waiting for the fish to bite. It would often feel like forever. However, when expectations are met, it seems the wait was not that long. The anticipation of something happening often seems like forever. “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can” – John Wesley Complete Love means Forgiving and Forgetting William Jarvis comments and situations will keep the attributes of love the focus of attention in a person’s daily life. This will also make the absence of this trait apparent. Improvement in this area would be far less awareness of the sins of others and not to judge other people. A person is aware of his progress to attain this “fruit of the spirit.” Norman Vincent Peale said the following about love: “The most curative thought in the world is the thought of love. Just go around loving people. Cast out all negative thoughts and fill the mind with positive thoughts. Cast out all inferiority thoughts. Fill the mind with victorious thoughts. Healthy mindedness is what makes people healthy, vital and alive.” Journal Gazette, The (Fort Wayne, IN) - February 2, 2008 - FAITH PEOPLE OF PRAISE: Control builds personal strength Author: William Jarvis Word Count: 577 As I lay on a table, taking Occupational Therapy for my arm, the therapist had me make small circles with my arm stretched up straight. I was instructed to control my arm as I made clockwise and counterclockwise circles in the air. I said to the therapist, "It is very difficult to control my arm." She replied, "With control comes strength." I found this to be true. When one can control his arm or leg to make small movement, it often gives Journal Gazette - Sat, September 1, 2007 Former prof uses magic for Gospel By Rosa Salter Rodriguez The Journal Gazette The Fort Wayne resident also believes in magic, especially the power of stage magic to help spread the Gospel message. Jarvis, 62, was a professor of education at Taylor University Fort Wayne until a horrific car crash in 2000 left him in a five-week coma with limited muscle function and a serious brain injury....... Journal Gazette - Sat, May 05, 2007 Optimism, belief powerful catalysts for success By William Jarvis TBI Support Group co-leader Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution. – Dr. David Schwartz A person must believe that he will be able to conquer adversity as he implements proactive strategies. Life will not be without difficulty, but it is having an optimistic outlook for tomorrow that determines the quality of life today. A person can be optimistic about the most devastating circumstances. This will make it more likely to get through adversity in life. God will always meet a person’s needs. It is mostly a psychological way of living life: Is the glass half empty or half full? The person who sees it half full believes life is basically good and he can always improve his circumstance, no matter how small. A person needs to be thankful for what he has, his blessings; there is always someone who has less. Journal Gazette - Sat, Mar. 03, 2007 PEOPLE OF Praise: Three truths cement faith in life's trials Source: William Jarvis TBI support group co-leader There is no need to worry about the future as you go through adversity. Faith will give you peace and the ability to withstand all aspects of your adversity. These are the three things I have learned through my adversity: *God will always take care of you *The power of faith is unlimited *God has a purpose for your life God will always take care of you How do I know? God has always taken care of me throughout every possible adversity in life. Through faith, the experience of.... Journal Gazette - December 16, 2006 PEOPLE OF Praise: Magic spins life, learning wonders Performing magic (tricks) significantly helps with social development, cognitive thought and language skills. There are programs that advocate the use of magic in therapy for people with disabilities such as Project Magic of David Copperfield and The Healing of Magic by Kevin and Cindy Spencer. Magic benefits the social development of the individual. This is reflected in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Levels: 1. Physiological (food, water, oxygen) 2. Safety (nurturance,... Journal Gazette - May 20, 2006 PEOPLE OF Praise: Faith, perseverance vital to overcoming obstacles It was Winston Churchill who said, "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up." A person will succeed the most if he doesn't relent in his effort when going through adversity. I was in an automobile collision in 2000 that resulted in a coma for five weeks, a fractured C1-C4 vertebrae, a punctured lung and a lacerated liver. The brain stem injury resulted in a traumatic brain injury. I was in three... Journal Gazette - December 17, 2005 PEOPLE OF Praise: Consistency holds key to success in life Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. - William Feather Being consistent in effort is very important to success. Maximum success to get through adversity depends on it. I have experienced the effects of consistency as an educator in public school, a university professor and a patient in rehabilitation. First, consistency was important in dealing with children in a public school setting. I was always consistent in my approach to teaching. This... Journal Gazette - October 1, 2005 PEOPLE OF Praise: Visualization serves as crucial tool for success "Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will." - George Bernard Shaw Everyone's nightmare is to wake up in the hospital to find out you were in a car collision and cannot move. This happened to me in December 2000. During the months that followed, I had physical and occupational therapy, speech and many other therapies to regain cognitive and physical... |
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