Ideas As Opiates

"Say what you want, say what you will
'Cause I find you make what makes it easier"
-Tears for Fears, 1983

Formula for Failure

"I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody."
-Herbert B. Swope

"Woe to you when everyone praises you, for you are like the false prophets." -Jesus

Defusing Anger

If you want to defuse someone’s anger, then sincerely be on their side. Understand their position and communicate that understanding. But be honest—if you hold an opinion that they will get upset at and they ask you directly, tell them. They may be angry at you in the short term, but in the long run they will know you to have integrity.

The Way of Gentleness

Gentleness is not natural. It is learned and earned through difficulties with others.

Qualifications for Marriage

If you do plan to get married, marry someone who you can talk to over the long term. Don’t let hormones make the decision for you. Your potential spouse may seem nice, and have something that really attracts you—but you need to build a relationship for a lifetime. Make sure the building blocks of relationship are there—communication of the hard issues, conflict management, a love of the Lord Jesus above all else.

Popular Causes

"The heights of popularity and patriotism are still the beaten road to power and tyranny; flattery to treachery; standing armies to arbitrary government; and the glory of God to the temporal interest of the clergy."
-David Hume

Hasty Judgments

Don’t be hasty in judgments. We may think that we can solve a person’s problems five minutes after hearing them. We can’t. We can’t know a person in one conversation, nor do our brains work fast enough to solve their problems quickly. If God gives a solution to me, and I discover it is really from God, then it often takes weeks to figure out why he said what he said. I’m just not smart enough.

Freedom

My right to strike my fist ends at the point another’s face begins.
-John Stuart Mills

This Is How Change Happens...

.... It is a relay race, and we're very conscious of that, that our job really is to do our part of the race, and then we pass it on, and then someone picks it up, and it keeps going.
-Alice Walker

Character and Success

"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."
-Lily Tomlin

Apathy is the Bedfellow...

...of hatred. There are many people who say, “I don’t hate anyone,” but they are apathetic of almost everyone. Both are the opposite of love.

Live for the Other

Live your life for other people. Use every talent and skill you have for the benefit of others. Only then will your life be worthwhile.

Necessities?

Living in the West is a bundle of necessary comforts and wastes—electricity, automobiles, television, supermarkets, fast food, newspapers, bananas, and bureaucracies. No one before a century ago thought any of these things were necessary. (Indoor plumbing, though—that is a real benefit)

I Am Nothing....

... You are nothing. Why God pays any attention to us at all is beyond me.

Poverty and Wealth

Do not seek either riches or poverty. Life is not about economics, but relationships and righteousness. Even so, don’t fear poverty. It is not the worst thing that could happen to you, unless you let it be.

The Hero and the Saint

The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. The saint is the man who walks through the dark paths of the world, himself a light.
-Felix Adler

Arguing One's Point

Example has more followers than reason.
-Christian Nevell Bovee

Pervasive Sexuality

In a modern city, sex is everywhere. You can’t escape it. If you live in a modern city, it is better to get married than to be beat up by bras and tight skirts. If God told you to not get married, get out of the city. Get out of the West.

To Marry or Not To Marry

Jesus and Paul advised their disciples not to marry. They were right. Marriage is a distraction. A bad marriage is deadly. But sex is kinda fun. And kids are a blast, when they’re not driving you nuts. It’s up to you—what you want to do.

Education and Life

Education is a crock. Learn what you need to live on. Learn how to survive on what you do well. It may require some suffering and quite a bit of poverty on the way, but make it a goal to live on what you love to do.

Control Yourself...

...because you can’t depend on anyone else controlling themselves.

Great Weakness

As much as I depend on my mind, I am losing my intellectual and self-control ability bit by bit. I need to recognize that and depend on myself less.

Stuck In The Middle...

The world is corrupt. The church is hypocritical. A godly person is hard to find. It is important to be the godly minority because very few will.

What All Religions and Philosophies Have In Common

We are all seekers of truth. We may use different methods, have different presuppositions, but we should recognize and honor the Truth-seeker in all.

Find New Ways To Communicate...

...the truth of Jesus to others, especially Christians.

Constantly Wary

The world’s entertainment and media (especially the Christian media) is not to be trusted, they always have an ungodly motive. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t much to be lauded—it is enough to be constantly wary.

To Forgive Demonic

To forgive is to insist that someone has done you wrong. Before there is forgiveness, there must be agreement at the wrong done. To forgive someone who did no wrong is an insult.

When Plans Go Awry...

...don’t be disappointed for long. Life is a process, not to be radically changed by a single event.

Don't Treat A Beggar...

...like a beggar. Rather, give according to their benefit, and treat them with respect.

Responding to "Prophets"

If someone speaks in God’s name, tear every piece of their statement apart. If it is true, accept it wholeheartedly; if it is not, then confront them. Nicely, if you can. If you can’t, well, do it anyway.