Spiritual Advantage with Sam Stone

I have studied body chemistry for some time and learned about the four hormones that make us happy. Here’s the list, from the worst to the best. They all make you happy, but their long-term effects differ; some can hurt you, and others can help you. If you know how they work, you can deploy them for your benefit.
1) Dopamine
2) Endorphin
3) Serotonin
4) Oxytocin
Dopamine is released when you accomplish something, making you feel happy. It’s known as the success hormone. For example, you feel happy when you achieve a goal or finish a task because your brain secretes dopamine. The problem is dopamine can be addictive.
Addictive drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, induce dopamine to make you happy like a highly successful person. Maybe that’s why they call them “dope.” Some companies reward their employees for achieving escalating goals to make them addicted to success so that they would slave for the company. So, when you are happy, make sure what’s causing it. You don’t want to become a dopamine addict because you will keep asking for more.
Endorphin is released when we engage in physical activities—walking, running, swimming, etc. Endorphin makes you happy and numbs the pain during workouts so you can push your limits and feel the pain later. It makes you happy first; cry later! But not as harmful as dopamine, but if you achieve goals for your activities, then you are motivated by both endorphins and dopamine.
Serotonin is released during a social gathering. You are happy when you are with people because your brain releases serotonin. Social connection is vital for your happiness. Have a community you trust, such as a church or small group, and meet regularly to enjoy the happy serotonin boost. Serotonin also helps increase your melatonin and enables you to sleep well.
The fourth hormone, oxytocin, is the most potent happy hormone. Oxytocin is not addictive. Instead, it can heal addiction and emotional wounds. Many of you know my father used to run a rehab center in Burma for drug addicts using spirituality. It was exceptionally successful because the addicts could replace their happiness from the drug-induced dopamine with non-addictive healing oxytocin.
Out of these four happy hormones, oxytocin is preferable because it’s healthy, healing, and holistic. The question is, how do we get it? Unlike dopamine, which comes from achievements, endorphins from activities, and serotonin from social gatherings, oxytocin comes from love. It’s a spiritual hormone.
That’s why oxytocin is known as the love hormone. For example, when a mother gives birth to a child, she releases a great deal of oxytocin. The moment she holds the newborn baby in her hand, she forgets all her birth pain, and her emotional and physical wounds heal quickly. Jesus said,
“When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:21-22).
Jesus is comparing the chemistry of childbearing with the chemistry of spirituality. He implies that the disciples must suffer the pain of seeing his crucifixion like a mother in labor, but they will be filled with joy like a mother after the delivery when they see the risen Lord. The kind of joy that no one can take from them.
Can anyone take away the joy of a mother? Our kids are big now. Sophie can never forget the joy and satisfaction of bringing them into this world, no matter how much suffering she went through.
A mother’s love is spiritual, beyond human reasoning and rationality. So oxytocin is not just a love hormone but a spiritual hormone.
A group of researchers at Harvard University conducted an extensive study on why some people could handle highly stressful situations and live long and healthy while others die sooner. They held the same high-stress jobs without developing stress-related diseases like cardiovascular problems.
To make the long story short, they discovered those who live longer had a high level of oxytocin, which came from their belief system. It reinforces the statistics that show people who attend church live much longer comparatively.
Based on what Jesus said above, your belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ lets you experience the love that secretes oxytocin and gives you the kind of joy and happiness that no one can steal from you. So, based on today’s scripture lesson, let us look at what Jesus taught us about this love that keeps us thriving in this stressful and fallen world. Let’s begin!

I’m sure you all have heard the great news this week. WHO has declared that the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Some localized incidents may still occur, but it’s no longer a global crisis. We hope nothing like this will happen again in our lifetime or in the future generations. We don’t know how long it will take for us to recover from the trauma of these three years.
Now is the time for us to heal the wounds and strengthen our spirits to handle any future challenges that may be on the way. We must rejoice for the relief, but we cannot coast because life is a series of peaks and valleys. When we are at a peak, prepare for the valley; when we are in a valley, be ready for the peak. That’s the wise way to live in this fallen world.
One thing we can learn from this past pandemic is how fragile human lives can be despite our amazing inventions and incredible evolution in science, medicine, technology, and education. People used to think our growth in knowledge would save us from evil. But this pandemic reveals how little we know.
A Chinese proverb says, “When morality grows a foot, evil grows a yard.” (道高一尺魔高一丈). It means evil evolves faster than morality, warning us not to believe that we will outgrow evil, not on this side of eternity. We must grasp this harsh reality without letting our hearts be troubled.
The good news is Jesus has taught us how to handle hardship. The first century Israel was not better, but maybe worse, than our society today. His disciples thought since they had found the Messiah, they had secured their future, including the future of their nation. However, things were about to get worse before getting better.
When their master told them that even the Son of God was about to suffer crucifixion by the evil power, they were extremely discouraged. Their hearts were troubled when their only hope was about to explode.
How many of you have experienced the feeling of losing your last hope? We live in a fallen world, and the only thing that keeps us going is hope. We need hope to cope. When we lose hope, we suffer from all kinds of problems—depression, distress, desperation, despair, disorder, and you name it. Our hearts are troubled during hardship.
The good news is that Jesus taught us a secret that will keep our hope alive during trying times and turn us into instruments of hope for others. He began by saying, “Do not let your heart be troubled,” then revealed the secret to maintain hope to cope. Let’s begin!

Recently I discovered this human life expectancy and survival curve from the Our World in Data website.
Even though the data are based on England and Wales, it gives us a ballpark perspective of the human survival rate. It shows a growing percentage of people are living longer. Half of the population born around 1930 live up to 80 years old; half of those born around 1960 will live up to 90.
However, they all eventually die around 120 years old. That means even though our survival rate is getting better, the human lifespan stays the same—about 120.
The oldest person on record is Jeanne Calment of France, who lived to the age of 122 (1875–1997). She was the only person who exceeded 120. The oldest man is Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, who lived to the age of 116 (1897–2013). Women live longer than men.
According to Genesis, our maximum lifespan on earth is 120, even though this verse is open to interpretation.
Then the LORD said, “My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.” (Gen 6:3).
Even though it was written about 5,000 years ago and didn’t preclude exceptions, human lifespan data to date prove it is still valid.
I love science and have closely followed research on longevity for over a decade. Many researchers predicted that by around 2025 to 2030, a scientific breakthrough would allow us to live forever. I am open-minded and have been looking forward to this day to come.
Now we are in 2023, and this chart convinced me that breaking the maximum lifespan of 120 is more like an illusion. In 200 B.C., the emperor of the Qin Dynasty searched for an elixir to live forever, but he died before discovering it. In the 20th century, Chairman Mao said that we didn’t need religion because science would give us eternal life, but he died before science discovered eternal life.
Even if science did give us eternal life, it would not change my trust in the core message of the Bible, mainly about human sins, salvation, and the significance of life. So far, science cannot solve human sins. Crimes, corruption, wars, and genocides continue despite our knowledge and education. As someone said, an educated devil is worse than an uneducated one.
Jesus doesn’t promise to extend our lifespan on this side of eternity, but he does promise us the quality of life. He said,
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10).
The word “abundantly” is translated from Greek, “περισσόν (perisson),” meaning “overflowingly, fully, abundantly, advantageously.”
NIV translates,
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV).
The living Bible says,
“My purpose is to give life in all its fullest.” (John 10:10 TLB).
Jesus’ purpose is to give you life in all its fullest. I think our deepest desire is not longevity but the quality of life. Whether we live up to 80 or 800, God wants us to live to the fullest. From today’s scripture lesson, we will examine how Jesus expects us to live life to the fullest. So, let’s begin!

Recently, there’s been a lot of news about ChatGPT and whether we should fear Artificial Intelligence (AI). Are we creating a robotic device that one day might become a monster to destroy us? For now, it’s fascinating to see what it can do. You might have already tried it and seen some fantastic outcomes.
The last time I asked ChatGPT to write a sermon for me, it couldn’t do that. Since the release of a new version, I tried it out again and discovered it could write a pretty nice sermon for me; even though it’s not my style because it’s a little touchy-feely and fuzzy-wuzzy, it’s quite usable.
I don’t preach fuzzy-wuzzy sermons; I like to push the envelope and challenge people. However, AI is getting smarter every day. Soon, you will be able to ask AI to write a sermon in Sam Stone’s style, John Piper’s style, or Rick Warren’s style. Furthermore, it will be able to preach in my voice and might do an even better job impersonating me.
My avatar will be able to preach better than I do. I am glad I am approaching retirement age. Actually, that’s the good part of AI. The world can always use many good sermons.
The downside is that people could use AI to impersonate your relative and scam you. They will appear on your video chat, such as Facetime, looking and sounding precisely like your son or daughter asking you to transfer a thousand dollars to their bank urgently.
That’s scary, you might say. That’s right, and that’s why Elon Musk and a bunch of technology leaders ask Congress to halt the development of AI and come up with regulations. Whenever we have a breakthrough in science and technology, we encounter a confusing and chaotic moment.
Our world is changing faster than ever. How do you navigate the chaotic world? The answer is discernment. Discernment is the number one leadership skill. Every one of you is a leader in this world because Jesus trained his followers to be leaders in this world.
Whether you are a parent or president, you are a leader; you either lead a family, a company, a community, or a country. Leaders have to make many decisions. The more decision you make, the more mistakes you make. Some mistakes could be extremely costly. The only way to make better decisions is through discernment.
I have discovered that every leader rises and falls on discernment. The dictionary definition of discernment is “the ability to judge well.” In Christianity, it’s the wisdom of knowing God’s will. Charles Spergeon said,
“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” ~C.H. Spurgeon
It’s easy to know what’s right or wrong, but it’s not easy to know what’s right and what’s almost right. Good leaders have this ability. You can lead a good life in this chaotic world if you have it. The good news is Jesus has taught us repeatedly.
There are three levels of discernment: personal, social, and spiritual.
Personal discernment is knowing why you do what you do—why did I make this choice; what do I crave sugar; why I am angry, etc. Knowing yourself is a giant leap in discernment because most people don’t know themselves.
Social discernment is the ability to read people—who is a good friend; who is a bad influence; who is being honest; what is their motive; etc. Our success and failure depend significantly on how well we can read people. We often read about Jesus’ outstanding ability to read people.
Spiritual discernment is the ability to know God’s will. In fact, if you have spiritual discernment, you know yourself better and people better. If you know the Creator, you understand how the creation functions. So, if you cultivate spiritual discernment, you hit three birds with one stone. Paul said,
“Those who are spiritual discern all things.” (1 Co 2:15).
That means you can make better decisions. Then how do we develop this spiritual discernment? Paul said by having the mind of Christ. In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus imparts his discernment process to us. Instead of making decisions for us, Jesus taught us how to make decisions through discernment. It’s like teaching us how to fish instead of giving us fish. So, now let’s go fishing!

As I grow older, I’ve discovered that life is supposed to be simple, but we always complicate it, and I often wonder why. Children are simple, and Jesus taught us to become like children. He said,
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18:3).
Whenever Jesus begins his statement using “Truly I tell you,” he wants us to take this statement seriously. It means we must put it into practice and never take it lightly. I am also intrigued by the words “change and become,” as if childlikeness is a state of maturity for us to attain. That’s very profound and ironic.
When we were young, we couldn’t wait to grow up, but after growing up, we lost our childhood simplicity because we made life complicated. So Jesus wants us to change and become like children again. Otherwise, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
So, what takes away our innocence? That reminds me of a story about a group of scientists experimenting on monkeys. They put five monkeys in a room with a ladder in the middle. Then they hung a bunch of bananas above the top of the ladder.
As soon as the monkeys saw the bananas, they climbed the ladder to get the bananas to eat. But before they reached the top, a sprinkler would get triggered and spray water on them. So, they rushed down, and the sprinkler stopped spraying on them. They went up again and got wet again before reaching the bananas.
After several failed attempts, they stopped climbing the ladder. Then the scientists swapped one of the five monkeys with a new one. The new monkey would immediately climb the ladder to obtain the banana, but to his surprise, the other four would pull him down. The new monkey couldn’t understand because he had never experienced getting sprinkled. After a while, he also stopped trying to climb.
The scientists then swap another monkey with an old one. As always, the new monkey would rush up the ladder, but the other four would pull her down. Remember, one of the four had never experienced getting wet, but he joined the original three to pull the new monkey down.
The scientists then swapped the monkeys one by one until all five monkeys were new. None of them had experienced getting hosed. But none of them ever tried to climb the ladder to reach for the bananas. None of them knew why. It became a tradition.
That experiment tells us about life from multiple dimensions. From one perspective, it tells us that those who had failed in life would discourage you from trying to fulfill your dreams. From another perspective, the new monkeys are like innocent children, but society passes its baggage on them and complicates their lives.
Everyone is carrying a heavy burden and has lost their childhood innocence. We have lost our childhood dream of reaching for the stars. Heaven becomes so far away. Jesus tells us that heaven is still attainable if we change and become like children again.
In other words, we have made life complicated, but Jesus is telling us that life is simple, don’t complicate it. Based on today’s scripture lesson, we will examine how to change and become like children—how to make life simple and keep it from getting complicated. Let’s begin!

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Someone sent me this story about three men that died and are at the pearly gates of heaven. St. Peter tells them that they can enter the gates if they can answer one simple question. St. Peter asks the first person, “What is Easter?” He replies, “Oh, that’s easy! It’s the holiday in November when people get together, eat turkey, and are thankful...” “Wrong!” replies St. Peter, and he doesn’t let him in.
St. Peter asks the second guy, “What is Easter?” The second one replies, “Easter is the holiday in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents, and celebrate the birth of Jesus.” St. Peter looks at the second guy, shakes his head in disgust, tells him he’s wrong, and sends him away.
Then he peers over his glasses at the third guy and asks, “What is Easter?” The third guy smiles confidently and looks St. Peter in the eyes, “I know what Easter is.” “Oh?” says St. Peter incredulously.
“Easter is the Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus and his disciples were eating the last supper, and Jesus was later deceived and turned over to the Romans by one of his disciples.
“The Romans took him to be crucified. They made him wear a crown of thorns and hung him on a cross with nails through his hands. He was buried in a nearby cave sealed off by a large boulder.”
St. Peter smiles broadly with delight. Then the third man continues, “Every year the boulder is moved aside so that Jesus can come out...and, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.”
A miss is as good as a mile! I wonder if this could happen. Do we have any human on earth that doesn’t know what Easter is about?
There are two parts to Easter: historical fact and present reality. Joe Rogan asked one of his interviewees, “How could you even know if Jesus existed since it was 2,000 years ago?” My answer is simple; the calendar we use begins with the birth of Christ, but who cares about the birth of Christ if there is no resurrection of Christ?
The resurrection of Jesus Christ divided human history into two parts—B.C. and A.D. (or, to be politically correct, BCE and C.E.) Everyone on earth makes reference to Jesus Christ when they put down their signature. Christian or not, when you sign a document, you must put the date next to it, referencing the Anno Domini—the Year of the Lord.
So, when I look at the calendar, I see the evidence of Easter. However, Easter is not just a fascinating historical event but has an equal impact on our present reality. We believe not because Jesus changed our history but because he changed our lives by adding meaning to our lives. Easter empowers us to do great things. Jesus said,
“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” (Jn 14:12).
Christians are not supposed to be pew potatoes but commissioned to do greater works than Jesus did. Don’t ask who am I to do such things, but ask how Jesus has empowered us to accomplish greatness. Last week, when I talked about the Last Supper, I quoted Shakespeare. I want to remind you again because Easter completes this same theme.
“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” ― William Shakespeare
Which category do you belong to? Are you born great? Have you achieved greatness? Most of us belong to the third category—we have greatness thrust upon us because Jesus left us with a Great Commission to reconcile the world.
Easter empowers you to rise above yourself and fulfill the greatness thrust upon you, reminding you not to settle for less. As Shakespeare said, “Be not afraid of greatness.”
So, as we celebrate Easter, let’s renew our faith, courage, and commitment to RISE and shine! And live our greatness. Let’s look at how we can make it happen based on Jesus’ last words before he returned to the Father. Let’s begin!

I wonder how many of you have heard of the “Imposter Syndrome.” In case you don’t know, it refers to feelings of inadequacy or self-doubt that persist despite evident success and accomplishments.
For example, who am I to be the pastor of the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Bergen County, New Jersey, in this great nation of the United States? I’m just a hillbilly from the highlands of Southeast Asia. If I feel like an imposter or a fraud to hold my position, that’s called the imposter syndrome.
I was surprised that 70% of Americans suffer from imposter syndrome. It’s not a mental disorder and not part of the DSM5, but many people feel they have it. If you search “imposter syndrome” on Google, you get about 10 million results. That’s a lot!
Many students in Ivy League schools thought they were admitted by mistake. So, they worked extra hard to fit in until they discovered other students were in the same condition.
Many CEOs and top leaders also have that syndrome, fearing people might find out they don’t have the leadership qualities to hold the position, worrying people might someday discover they are frauds. Even Maya Angelou once admitted,
“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, “Uh-oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.” ~Maya Angelou
Albert Einstein also said he considered himself an “involuntary swindler.” So, if you feel you have imposter syndrome, you are not alone. You might wonder, “Who am I to be an Elder of the church?” If you ask that question, you are just normal.
On the other hand, narcissists would believe they rightfully deserve their position. That could be more destructive than imposter syndrome because those with imposter syndrome at least have some sense of humility.
Then, how do we walk the fine line between narcissism and imposter syndrome? Narcissism could sabotage your success, but imposter syndrome could make you anxious and settle for less.
The good news is Jesus has a solution for us in today’s scripture lesson. Jesus has a massive mission for you to accomplish, and he cannot leave his world-changing mission to people with imposter syndrome. He said,
“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” (Jn 14:12).
That’s a huge responsibility, especially at times like this, as we are a much smaller congregation. We might be suffering from the imposter syndrome, thinking, who are we for Jesus to expect us to do greater works than he did? He must be talking about other more capable Christians or bigger churches.
However, we can’t hide behind imposter syndrome to avoid this calling unless we want to disappoint the Lord. Like it or not, we have greatness thrust upon us. As William Shakespeare wrote,
“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” ~William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
How many of you can say you are born great? How many achieved greatness? I am quite sure most of us belong to the third category. We have greatness thrust upon us.
We are near the end of Lent and in the Holy Week. Just as Jesus left the responsibility to reform the world to the twelve disciples, it’s time to think about the great mission he thrust on us.
It has nothing to do with whether we have the capability, but it has everything to do with our response to his calling to greatness. It’s not an option. Jesus doesn’t call us to stay caterpillars but to be butterflies. We have no time and reasons to settle for less.
Today, we must decide to end the imposter syndrome once and for all. So, let’s begin!

I have a friend who is in charge of a mental health service. I have discovered that we are blessed living in New Jersey because our state ranks number one in mental health facilities. Many other states faced a mental health service shortage even before the pandemic.
It worsened after the pandemic because many psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses in the field left their practice, citing burnout. I was surprised to hear that because I thought they were supposed to be experts in handling burnout. If the experts on burnout could burn out, what about you and me?
According to the 2022 State of Mental Health in America statistic report, one out of five Americans experienced a mental illness, but less than half of them received treatments. According to NIH, that number is based on diagnosable mental illness. That means many other mental disorders are undiagnosable. That makes me wonder how deep is the rabbit hole.
After crunching some data from various sources, it seems as much as 75% of the population worldwide today have some sort of mental health problem, more or less, like a spectrum. I named the most common ones BAD (Burnout, Anxiety, Disturbance). You may have it without knowing it until its adverse effects appear on your medical checkup report. You have heard, “Healthy mind, healthy body.” Then how do you keep a healthy mind, and how does a healthy spirit contribute to a healthy mind?
So, I asked my friend, the mental health professional, if the church could help with people’s mental well-being. Since he is running at capacity, I wonder if we could be helpful. He said, “Absolutely!” Fewer people would end up at his mental health clinic if more people went to church and developed their spiritual health. Body, mind, and spirit intertwined. But it’s against the law for him to recommend his patients attend church.
I wondered why some people are more resilient to BAD (Burnout, Anxiety, Disturbance). Last week, I mentioned Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who survived eleven years in the concentration camp because he developed a solid spiritual anchor to maintain his sanity. I’ve also discovered many like him who preserved their sanity despite profound tragedy.
Jesus describes this kind of life as building your house on the rock so it will not collapse under severe storms. Storms are coming for sure because we live in a fallen world.
It reminds me of the story of The Three Little Pigs. One built his house with straws, the second with sticks, and the third with bricks. When the Big Bad Wolf comes, he will huff, puff, and blow the house down. In the children’s version of the story, the first two pigs are described as lazy, but as a real-life allegory, they just don’t know better.
I have discovered that many people today have lost the wisdom to build their spiritual house with bricks—or on the rock. Two reasons: today’s culture often cast doubts on traditional values, teaching people they can build their life on anything they “feel” right. So, they end up building their life on sinking sands. When the Big Bad Wolf comes, their lives crumble.
The other reason is that many churches have watered down the solid ground, thinking we are one of the ways instead of The Way, fear of persecution, unlike Jesus, who risks his life to deliver the cornerstone.
In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus risked his life to deliver himself as the cornerstone to build our life on. It will prevent your life from collapsing under stress and gives you indescribable joy and peace as you journey through life. Let’s take a look!