How Does Our Mind Work?
|
Posted:Mar 5, 2012 5:47 am
Last Updated:Sep 28, 2012 9:31 am 19153 Views
|
This is only a gleaning of reading, study, and personal application. Still, it does help to understand some of the longstanding view of how our mind works, as this may assist us in making better decisions.
We need to look no further than men/women in their relationship. From a source, an idea appears. The man says to a woman that he wants to take good care of her. She responds that is good and defines that good care would be a house for her. He responds back that is fine I would love to build you a big comfortable house. She says okay, but lets stick to budget. So from that agreement a beautiful design within budget is formed. Then the man says smiling,everything must be done right and according to building standards,so now lets do it. But, the woman says of course, but really now I want some fine curtains, and some appliances and a nice bathroom to enjoy. Okay says the man and the materials are gathered. Both the man and the woman then want very much to start building the house. The home is then soon built. It is beautiful to behold, and they are eager to move into the house.
This scenario plays out many times a day. We make almost instant decisions going through this paradigm of logic, reason, and resolution of polarity conflict. What we think of conflict, extremes or polarities in our mind is simple and wonderfully the way our mind find not just a solution but the best solution based on fairness and intention to do the best we can under the circumstances.
When one polarity is not balanced by its opposite or a combination of opposites, then we have personality disorders. The Holy Spirit opens our minds more as we listen and learn and practise to see and understand better how life and our minds work. WE are made in His image, according to scripture and so we can understand how His mind works as well. Scripture shows the Lord's mind working this way. He weighs things, finds balance, beauty, and also economy. He prepares before he builds, but also builds according to plans. There is purpose, there is initiation and completion, and maintenance, fairness, and equity. To go from a source, to the idea, to many discussions, and finally the creation is a process of resolution to produce beauty in truth.
The devil throws in his pitch to short circuit this process and do it faster, cut to the chase, and ignore balance, equity, and focus on one side of it for instant gratification. This is what unbalances our personality and makes people mentally unstable. Prayer should be part of our inner conversation, and scripture says we have the mind of Christ. Knowing how His mind works helps us with how our mind works. WE need to be clothed with Christ, walk with Him, talk with Him and be more like Him as He leads and empowers. A sound mind is His gift to us. Not spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind is a gift that has been given to us.
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
Is It Sin If It Is Love?
|
Posted:Mar 4, 2012 12:31 pm
Last Updated:Mar 5, 2012 10:10 pm 20139 Views
|
Be careful now. This is really a loaded question, but also profound in its implications. Many of you have favorite scriptures. Its been a long time for me to pick one out that really resonates with me. Besides John 3:16, and maybe a few other scriptures I have narrowed it down to Romans 13:10. The apostle Paul writes to the Christians in the city of Rome that "love does no wrong to another, so love fulfills the law."
On Big Church we have so many people who use the law to judge, condemn, demean, criticise, and in general try to make others feel guilty. Anyone who has faith in Jesus and accepted Him is in the realm of love now, not the realm of law. Love justifies anything. Why? Because love does no wrong to another person. This behavior based on love fulfills any law and there is no sin.
Could love justify living together? Could love justify same sex marriage? Could love justify war? Would love justify mercy killing? Would love justify lying to save a life? It really depends on the intention.
For some people an action would not be love but self centered. For others love is their motivation. Its an individual action. It may or may not involve other people, perhaps even many people.
The point is that our purpose on earth now is simply love. This fulfills the law. Condemning others is not justified because love justifies anything that is love. If it is not a wrong to another, it is right, it is justified, it is love. The Christian life is profoundly simple. Live by love and ignore people who condemn you because you don't follow their rules, their laws, their ways. In love we are free to grow and grow and more and more do good to others, however it is, whatever it is, as long as it does not wrong another.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
Who Is Getting Beat Up Here On BC?
|
Posted:Mar 1, 2012 8:52 am
Last Updated:Mar 5, 2012 5:58 am 20844 Views
|
Let's recognize who is getting beat up here. This domain of BC is the world. The Church is here, but it is beating up, demolishing, and overcoming the reign of the devil's locale.
Remembering Jesus own words that His Church would prevail against the devil's domain, it is not a surprise that there is conflict here on BC. This is more than a High School shooting, or a war in the Middle East. This is a conflict of light and darkness here.
If you want a safe harbor, then may I suggest you turn off your blog feature that allows anyone to post. Also set up a friends only thing. To be out in the open like I am invites combat. Women are always commenting and complaining about getting harassed and insulted. It figures, does it not? An open blog here is the trenches that are every bit as bad as those in the civil war at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. You are going to get bloodied, hurt, and offended here in an open blog. You have my sympathy, but what do you expect?
I suppose most people or at least many people are here to find or be found by someone for a relationship. This is suppose to be the purpose of BC, but as it turns out the rest of it is here too. If you are really serious about dating and a possible marriage relationship, I believe the only way is by emailing those who interest you. Sandra and I got started here by emails.
If you want to comfort people, and offer your heart felt understanding and prayers, I suggest you do this privately in emails. If you do this publicly, then be prepared for just about anything. What this means is simple. This place is for meeting, but privately by emails, and publicly for emotional, intellectual, spiritual discussions and wrangling over life's issues.
Please remember in public, Jesus was harassed, condemned and insulted. But, He gave back better than He got. Those in the devil's domain could not withstand His wisdom, actions, character, and love. Indeed the gates of hell could not hold up to His offensive and counter offensive assault on those gates of self centered living. In His own words, He came to destroy the devil's works or selfish domain. This combat is not physical. Even here on BC, it is still above physicality. This place is public, and the issues will be a public struggle. The light will win as it always does against darkness.
This public domain is not the place to bear your heart and vent your feelings. It is naturally a place of combat between Jesus and the devil. The place for help and healing and support is private. Also you can ban and ignore people here, but that is like a band aide. Still a band aide is very helpful. WE are born into a world of conflict to transform ourselves, and by conflict we will exit this world then a better person and blessing to others.
Another party, another time. But it was good.
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
Why Do Men / Women Post Differently?
|
Posted:Feb 28, 2012 10:20 am
Last Updated:Sep 28, 2012 10:17 am 20070 Views
|
Men like to fix problems, theirs and other people's. We talk about our problems. Women like to vent daily their emotional experiences, not to be fixed, or for any advice please, but just to say it and get it out, and no comments except that it is understood.
If us guys acted like women, we would be thought crazy, and likely given a beating for our own good. Strange thing is though, this is a lot of what women want from us, but just as strange is that us guys do not want much to hear women vent their days emotional experiences because we see and hear problems to be fixed. The first thing I think about when I hear a women vent is how can I fix this. And this is not what a woman wants. She just wants to be HEARD.
There in is the problem for the blogs. Guys do not want to hear emotional explosions, but women want to express and hear more of it. Us guys are all about ideas. Women are mostly about feelings. So once again the difference between men and women is as wide as the Grand Canyon. WE can easily get on each others nerves. Women are about Chic-flick movies, and guys are about action movies. Get it?
Advice. Women vent only to other women. If you bare your feelings to the world you can expect a lot of insulting comments from guys who do not understand and hate it. Guys confirm women's vent and women respect guys ideas of solution. To a woman, talk feelings, and a little ideas. To a guy, talk ideas, and ideas, and a little feelings. Go easy and learn to share carefully.
I am trying to line dance at a filipino party.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
How Do We Lose Faith?
|
Posted:Feb 24, 2012 9:39 am
Last Updated:Feb 27, 2012 9:42 am 20141 Views
|
You might be surprised to learn how we gain and lose faith. First and foremost, faith is not of this world. There is no way we can believe, really believe, in something without the proof of facts, unless it is given to us as a gift.
Faith is walking across a bridge trusting in the engineers who designed it. Faith is walking on water because we trust in Jesus. So, faith is a leap based on trust, not on facts. This time the bridge might not hold, but we trust it will. WE believe Jesus so we walk on water, but then we look at all the storm around us and our faith weakens and we begin to sink. We turn back to Jesus and He rescues us, but chides us for doubting.
I believe that faith, primarily in Jesus, is the unexplainable result of contact with the Word of God by hearing or reading, and trust is generated within us. Doubt is the absence of faith. If we doubt, we lose our faith. Doubt is the antithesis of faith and faith is the antithesis of doubt. The two are mutually exclusive like light and darkness.
There are many very smart people in the world who doubt. There are also smart people in the world who trust or have faith. So who is right? Neither the one who trusts, or the one who doubts can be proved right or wrong. Its a CHOICE. That's the amazing part. WE can choose to either accept the gift of faith, or reject it. Once we reject enough times the gift of faith that is offered, we will no longer be offered the gift, and it becomes impossible after a time to even know the gift is being offered. Because we have hardened our spirit to the offer, without proof, and so we no longer have any sensitivity left to recognize the offer of the gift of faith. This gift is then taken back because we rejected it. The gift is not forced on us. Our choice is respected.
How do we lose faith? We lose it by the continual rejection of the gift. Remember Jesus said it is better to never have received the gift of faith and then lose it. It is the Lord's job to offer the gift of faith or trust. It is our job to receive it or reject it. Jesus said we are blessed if receive the gift because flesh and blood has not offered us the gift, but our Father in Heaven has done it, He said.
Remember faith can not be proved. Nor can doubt be proved. But, treasure the gift if we have received it. It is probably the most precious thing on earth we possess. In time, the proof will be given that the Engineer of life is trustworthy, and that our faith gift is well founded.
Just because people say there is no evidence of God, or life after death, or any of the many claims of the Bible, does not prove it one way or another. There is no evidence period. There is circumstantial evidence, but not sight evidence. The gift of faith is beyond sight evidence. It is the ability to trust in what we can not see. This ability is a gift of God. Treasure it above all else. I believe we will not be disappointed and generously rewarded for receiving the gift of faith and keeping it.
Me at a recent asian party in south texas.
|
|
|
2
Comments
|
|
Why Is It Hard To Change?
|
Posted:Feb 23, 2012 8:48 am
Last Updated:Sep 28, 2012 10:24 am 19772 Views
|
Most us know better. That is, we have learned our behaviors don't work and are destructive to a relationship, but with good intentions to change we do not. WE are stuck. We become anxious about any future relationships because we know that sooner or later we will be at fault for dooming another relationship, so why bother. The pain of being alone, or the pain of being in a failing relationship is our choice. At first in a relationship we present a nice image. But, we know that is not who we really are and the false person will inevitably surface and stress the relationship.
What is going on here? It is simple. We want the world around us to think we are someone we are not. So we present an image carefully crafted over a long time. The devil helps us a lot. This is called our ego or the image we want people to see in us. I believe it starts when we are young.
WE can redraw the image. The devil will never go away in this life, nor will Jesus every go away either. We can, however, stop showing too much a negative image and also, surprisingly, too positive an image. WE use false images for protection. In truth a false image makes us more vulnerable to being hurt and hurting others because it is not the truth.
What then is the true image we need to show? The truth of life is resistance, respect, and responsibility. Jesus won for us the right to renew our image based on truth, not on falsehood. Day by day, little by little, we can learn by experience to resist the devil's pushing our image buttons, and then receive the true help of the Holy Spirit to be more respectful and responsible.
However we live each day, there will be people who like the real us and people who don't. Its the same for a false image as well. Some people will like it and some people will not. This is because the world is divided between the devil and Jesus. WE can not get everyone to like us in a divided world.
I believe that each true and real person at their core is a beautiful creation. If only we can unwrap and uncover the many layers of ego or false image we have built up, this beautiful person will slowly and surely emerge. My counsel is to not try to undo years of falsehood in a day, but try to make progress daily. We should also be advised that our relationships may change as we will become more and more who we really are, and less the person we have made people think we are.
Wall decor at a recent asian party in south Texas that I attended.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
Should We Love Immigrants ?
|
Posted:Feb 20, 2012 10:04 pm
Last Updated:Sep 28, 2012 10:28 am 20065 Views
|
Experience is a good teacher? Perhaps experience is the only teacher that really matters. It might be easy to be against chocolate until you have tried chocolate. I used to be neutral to motorcycles until I bought one. I used to be shy about public speaking until I began to speak in public.
Recently, I have been in the tropics and acquainted with asians in their own tropical culture. I experienced the asian pacific immigrants. These people work very hard to come to the USA. It takes years and lots of money to make the journey. The US Embassy's abroad tell them to start businesses as entrepreneurs as soon as they get here. This they do and provide employment for hundreds of Americans. The Asian culture is a strong family and community oriented group of people. They have a strong work ethic.
What I have learned about immigration from experience has been an eye opener. It is true that it is difficult, with many pages of paperwork, and expensive like thousands of dollars, and sometimes many years to enter the USA legally. Of course most of us know that our USA was founded by immigrants. I believe that immigrants are one of our greatest treasures because the Lord has blessed each culture with strengths. Because people are a great resource for our nation, I hope we can find a way to make it simpler, less expensive, and less time consuming for this national resource to be here legally and always welcome. We really need every talent we can get. I believe we should be on the side of immigrants like we used too, and expedite their journey to become part of our national resource.
I believe we are going to need everything we have to deal with our national future successfully. Why let other nations have these many people who want to contribute to our national well being? We have solved so many problems with better thinking. Few would say that having 15 million immigrants here illegally is a good condition for them or for us. There must be new ways to turn this situation into a win for everyone.
 A recent asian pacific party I attended.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
Is Interior LIfe More Important?
|
Posted:Feb 15, 2012 10:30 am
Last Updated:Feb 18, 2012 9:23 pm 20165 Views
|
Change our thoughts will change our life.
As we think so we are.
As a society thinks so is a society.
As the human race thinks so is our environment.
Can we really control our thoughts? Not really. But, we can say yes or no to them. We can find better and better thoughts to choose to think.
Believe it or not the scripture actually tells us to choose to think upon anything that is true, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is just, whatever has a good report.
Can our thoughts create? Science says so. Jesus did it. Scripture implies so. Have you ever looked at someone and they suddenly turned around and looked back at you?
It all begins with our interior life, but it does not end there. It goes on and on. WE think our life into what it is. We think our world into what it is. We think ourselves into heaven or else.
Changing our thoughts changes our life, our world, our relationships, our marriage, our work, our self respect, and you name it.
In the end of a project is the thought of its beginning. The tree is in the seed, and in the tree is the seed.
We can choose which thoughts we are going to focus on. We can not stop the flow of negative and positive thoughts that are piped into our minds every day.
Scarcity thoughts bring scarcity. Abundant thoughts bring abundance.
The Lord is not the only creator. Being made in His image, we also are creators.
Sow a thought reap an act. Sow an act reap a habit. Sow a habit reap a character. Sow a character reap a destiny. History is a record of the destiny's of individuals and societies that all began with their thoughts and continue with a hallelujah chorus or crying and silence.
Rome fell from within, not from without. This empire began with a very strong focus on family. It disappeared when it lost its focus on family and humanity. No empire that thinks well in its interior ever falls from without. When its interior thinking becomes rotten, the environment comes to consume them.
In Noah's day, the thought of society were evil daily. The environment consumed them in a flood. The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah rise clear to Heaven. The environment rained sulfur down on them and the ensuing consuming fire destroyed them, perhaps mercifully so.
Our interior heaven or hell is revealed to the world in our outwardly visible life. We can hide our thoughts for a while but not for long.
Business, friendships, marriage, societies, nations, are build on thoughts and crumble on thoughts.
Can we do something about it. Yes, the good news is we can. We can find the best thoughts possible and no matter the stream of destructive thoughts the devil throws at us, we can choose to ignore them and making the better thoughts our own, express them in our actions.
Personally I would start with the thought of God, add prayer and respect and express them in actions.
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
WE Are Responsible For Our Problems And Society's
|
Posted:Feb 13, 2012 10:46 pm
Last Updated:Feb 14, 2012 4:25 pm 19399 Views
|
You believe in the law of cause and effect don't you? You can respect the law of gravity and use it for your own good, or you can jump off a high building and end up with a busted face and legs or worse. Are you going to blame the law of gravity? Of course not, the law of gravity is blameless. The effect is how we use the law of gravity. Its the same with electricity. You can use it to cool off with a/c or stick your finger into a socket and fry. The effect is blameless. Its how we use a/c that is good or bad for us.
Okay to the point. The effect of all these bad things happening like the who drowns, or is killed, or abducted, and many many more things in our society, is the effect of the people violating the law of love our neighbor as oneself, or the reality of negative selfish thinking by our society. What we think as individuals and as a society we are, for as we think it is created. You are where you are because of the way you think. It is the same for one person as for a whole society.
The Lord gave us free will. We can choose how we think, but we can not then stop the consequences, either good or bad depending on how we choose to think. So what is wrong with your life? You are responsible for it because of how you think. It is simple. Even a can understand it. But not all can believe it. People want it to be complicated, strange, difficult to believe. It is simple as how we think, we will be.
Life is built by the Lord on His law of love people as we love oneself. Obey this law and the effect is a heaven on earth. But, disrespect this law and the effect or consequences are what is going on now in our society and world. Homosexuals, gays, genetic disorders, paralysis, accidents so called, diseases, wars, Wall Street, and all the rest of the negative things happening are the effect of our society thinking of oneself only, and not caring about how we affect and what we do to other people.
The Lord is responsible for this, but only in that He allows us to choose how we think. That leave all of us responsible for the world we live in, the good parts and the bad parts.
I am sorry that this sounds strident, and even extreme. It is not easy to hear we are responsible for all the mess of our lives. Its easier to blame others. In truth I believe others are some responsible for our problems, as we are a thinking society, but not all of it society thinking regarding us.
There is a way to change the world if we really want too. If we change our self, we then automatically have changed the world because of cause and effect. The effect of this change influences everyone around us. This is why Christians are the salt and light of the world. The more we change individually, the more the world changes, for better or for worse. Tolstoy once said that everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change them self. But, the way to change the world is to change our self from negative selfish thinking to thinking of how we treat others.
You do not have to ask people on BigChurch if they are happy and blessed or not. Out of the heart the mouth speaks, and so out of the mouth the heart is revealed. How people talk to each other on here shows how they think in their heart and therefore their life condition. People may not realize or care how exposed they are to the view of all people by their attitude and words which expresses how they think. Its not all bad. We can know how to help people by this revelation. If we have been healed by the Holy Spirit, they we are responsible to help as it is possible.
WE are not responsible for all our thoughts, as the devil sends us his negative thoughts regularly. But we are responsible for how we respond to them. So also the Holy Spirit send us good thoughts and we are responsible for how we choose them or not. It is up to us to choose which thoughts we are going to own and express. WE can choose to think and act like a devil, or we can choose to think and act Christ like. WE have plenty of help from either the devil or Jesus to think and become who we choose. This again is why we are responsible for who and what we are today. If we do not like who we are, we can change our self by which thoughts we are going to accept and express.
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
