Image by dima_goroziya from Pixabay The Bible demonstrates again and again how futile it is for a person to think he is able to understand and decide by himself how to live a successful and happy life. But we keep trying. Four centuries ago, René Descartes, elevated this human propensity into a philosophical belief systemn which says that … Continue reading The way to happiness
self-esteem
But what do I do when I come to the real test?
In my later youth I was given a lengthy aptitude test based on questions with multiple choice answers. I looked at it, decided I would ask myself at each question, "How would I answer this if I had a real interest in mechanics?" And lo and behold, the test results said that I would be … Continue reading But what do I do when I come to the real test?
Is Christianity a subculture or a counterculture?
Subculture, a cultural group within a larger or predominant culture but distinguished from it by factors such as class, ethnic background, religion, or residence, unified by shared beliefs or interests which may be at variance with those of the larger culture. A group within a culture, distinguished from it by features of custom, conduct, etc. … Continue reading Is Christianity a subculture or a counterculture?
Self Help or Helping Others?
In my younger years, before I was a Christian, I read most of the well-known self-help books on the market. I was disappointed with the whole lot of them.In The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale took a verse from the Bible and told me to recite it over and over, much like a … Continue reading Self Help or Helping Others?
The self-important self
The dictionary pictured above lists 80 hyphenated words beginning with self; the Canadian Oxford Dictionary lists 200. What a bunch of self-centred, self-satisfied, self-important bores we have become!We think that good self-esteem is essential for happiness. We study self-help books to help us attain self-fulfillment, self-actualization and self-realization. There is a little problem though — … Continue reading The self-important self
JOY
Joy is the second quality listed as part of the fruit of the Spirit. If I am a Christian, yet find that joy is lacking in my life, it cannot be the fault of the giver. God’s gifts to His children are given liberally. Therefore, if there is a lack of joy in my life, … Continue reading JOY
Who is the victim here?
A young mother comes into the coffee shop with her three-year-old daughter. - Do you want a doughnut? - No. I want to go home. - Mommy can buy you a chocolate milk. - No. I want to go home. Mommy sees some friends at one of the tables and goes to talk to them. … Continue reading Who is the victim here?
Self-esteem versus reality
I think of this topic every time I look for a birthday card for one of my grandchildren. It is difficult to find a suitable card, most are full of language stoking the little darling’s self-esteem. I would rather choose a goofy card than one that tells them how special, unique and wonderful they are. … Continue reading Self-esteem versus reality
Respect of Persons
“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.” James 2:1. The hardest thing for a person to conceal is his opinion of himself, including his concept of where others rank in relation to him. The world has developed a corresponding expertise in detecting hypocrisy … Continue reading Respect of Persons
Flatlander Faith 