Head-dibs

It's an old word, "affectation." We would say simply, "fake." Designed to impress. Don't put up a false front in what you do, what you say, even how you say it. You were created a certain way to fulfill a specific purpose. Your purpose is not to be artificial. Posing gets you nowhere. Don't try to be brilliant because you really don't know. Don't try to be popular because you are not. Don't try to be magnetic or impose yourself on others. No two people are alike so there is no need to be like someone else. There is something better, with that in mind. God never intended us to be someone else. " . . . the first and greatest task of the philosopher is to test and separate appearances, and to act on nothing that is untested." (Epictetus)

Withhold. Impose forbearance. Refrain. You don't have to. Want to test your will-power? Deny yourself something meaningful. Ceasing the small stuff is easy. Holding off something precious can be painful. Abstinence does not mean to quit, as in changing habits, but abstinence might lead to it. Abstinence can be a useful tool. It can be a way to prepare for hardship, in parting with something comfortable for a while. Try missing a meal. Or two meals. Or a whole day's worth of meals. Try taking a cold shower, or going out in the cold without a coat. Other people do it. Daily. So now you have to ask yourself: what do those people have that I do not? This is what abstinence will reveal.

Why Moralism Is Not the Gospel -- And Why So Many Christians Think It Is Shared via AddThis

“If we are honest about what we are, proud of what we do and unwilling to disapprove of the actions and attitudes of others no matter how offensive they are, we have arrived at modern society's highest sense of goodness and value.” --Bob Dewaay, at Twin City Fellowship

The story is told of a man who was caught stealing a loaf of bread. When the judge investigated he found that the man had no job, could not get work and since his family was hungry, he felt he needed to steal the loaf of bread. The judge told the man, "I'm sorry, but the law can make no exceptions. You stole, therefore I have to punish you. I have to assess a fine of ten dollars." As he said this, the judge reached into his pocket, pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to the man. "I want to pay the fine myself," the judge said. As the man took the money, the judge added, "Now, I also want to remit the fine." This means the judge laid the fine aside. He released the man from the guilt or penalty of the fine, which means the man could keep the money. "Furthermore," the judge said, "I am going to instruct the bailiff to pass around a hat to everyone in this courtroom, and I am fining everybody in this courtroom fifty cents for ...

Isaiah 6:3 ; Revelation 1:8 ; Isaiah 43:25 ; 1 John 3:18-22 ; James 4:13-16 ; Micah 4:2 The Lord our God is enthroned on High, and we live in His world unstunned by His glory. The angels in God’s presence don’t dare to look or be uncovered in His sight; yet they dare not look at anything but Him nor do anything that is not pleasing to Him. They dare not say anything beyond calling out who He is. They are not merely overcome with astonishment, but are mobilized by the fear of who He is. Men live, move and have their being without guilt or shame, uncovered with high-handed sin in His sight. There is no fear of God before our eyes. If we did fear Him, He would receive much higher praise, louder and longer praise by all we say and do. “ Einstein had so little use for organized religion, although he strikes me as a basically very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had every imag...

Jury Duty seems to liven life up a bit for law-abiding citizens. This is a "must read" from Ray Comfort's blog: "I was called to jury duty in Compton, California, the city that has been called "the murder capital of America." As I sat with 44 other people in the jury selection process, the judge asked the prospective jurors in the jury box if they would give as much credence to the testimony of a gang member as they would to the testimony of an officer of the law. I looked across at the two gang members who were on trial for the murder of an Hispanic “human being,” as the judge had put it. They looked nice enough, in their plush suits and ties. I imagined them in their baggies, with their long socks and hats to the side, holding their guns the way gangs do. The judge also asked the prospective jurors if they would be prejudice against anyone who pleaded the Fifth Amendment, and didn’t testify on their own behalf. The next day I was called to the jury box. ...

Thank you for responding to my question, “would you consider yourself to be a good person?” You responded, basically, that there is no universal morality (despite what some religions claim) and are uncertain if there is a “good” answer to that question. If there was no universal morality, would I be correct to state that the things you do (you gave me a list) to “make them and myself feel good (without causing harm in the process, of course)” are really done for some other reason? Let’s do something. Let’s put the Bible aside and go to the courtroom. Ok? No “religion,” just law. How many things would one have to steal in order for the police to brand him a thief? Just one, right? Just like it takes one rape to make one a rapist, right? What about telling lies? Have you ever thought about what telling lies makes you? If I told you a lie I am certain you would file my face under the word “liar” in your dictionary, correct? I am certain you are able to construct a string of ca...

It's been a busy month with Intensives going on. In my "downtime" last night, I read George Washington's Farewell Address. Remember him? The first President of the United States wrote this (bold characters are my emphasis): " Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports . In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness—these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, "where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice?" And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality ca...