Noah benShea to speak on life values during PBS fundraiser
On Saturday, Feb. 28, WQED-TV, Pittsburgh’s Public Broadcasting System affiliate, will air well-known Jewish author and speaker Noah benShea during its pledge drive. benShea will give three 20-minute presentations during the fundraiser.
Best known for his Jacob the Baker books, benShea will give an abbreviated message from his book, “Journey to Greatness and How to Get There.”
His talks will revolve around three issues in everyday life: honesty, love and faith.
“These are three issues that play in all of our lives,” benShea said. “If you are inattentive or have a dysfunctional relationship with these areas they can be a torment in your life.
“If you’re in a state of health with these, they can only help you in life.”
Each issue will receive special attention from benShea.
“All self-transformation requires self-witnessing,” he said about honesty in our lives. “The real question is whether we are ready to be honest with ourselves.”
Faith, benShea said is more than just a synagogue or Shabbat thing. It is a seven-day-a-week thing, and what people need to have during this country’s trying times.
“The most relevant message to the show is that these are tough times in a lot of people’s lives,” he said. “The message that I’m trying to bring is that things don’t have to be good for us to be great.”
“I think the most important thing right now is to make a conscious decision to put your faith not your fears in charge.”
He uses a story about people’s individual wagons and items being pulled by 12 horses to illustrate his point.
“You have 11 horses of fear and one of faith. If you put any of the horses of fear at the front of the wagon train, he will have doubts and the wagon will go nowhere. Doubts will lead to a frozen state.
“If you put a single horse of faith at the front of the wagon, the horses of fear will follow.
“Our fears will give fuel to our faith if we put our faith not our fears in charge. All of us have many more fears than faith. The challenge is to put your faith not your fears in charge.”
(Mike Zoller can be reached at mikez@thejewishchronicle.net.)
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