Cultivating Character

  O ur lived experiences are filled with cause and effect. One action causes another. This is one of the rules of existence that we come to understand through our lived experience and those with the ability to discern what cause brings about a particular effect are able to use that knowledge in very powerful ways to bring about their desires. The attempt to bring about a particular desire is what worship is about. Worship is the ritual act of pleasing a deity whom the worshipper believes has a particular power to grant their desires. The purpose of worship is to show that deity that you honor and respect it and wish to be in its good graces.  The goal of worship is to please the deity so that in turn the deity will act favorably towards you.  These are straightforward transactions that humans have been engaged in for a long time.  They like most of human behavior have developed through a process of trial and error.  Humans have discovered that if they ac...

God is. The statement should be as simple as that except for the fact that we are human beings and ascribe different meanings to the term “god.” We have different meanings for the term because we associated different concepts with God. As human beings, we process the world through our senses. Our senses are the only means by which we can form a picture of what we call reality. Through our senses, we develop concepts by grouping sensory experiences together. Here is an example of a concept, an object hanging from a tree that has an outer surface that can be peeled away to reveal an edible fleshy interior and also contains one or more seeds. From your experience of the world, you may conclude that I am describing a fruit.  If more detail is provided like the taste, shape, size, feel, texture, and color you will quickly understand that I am describing a particular type of fruit.   Fruit is one of many concepts that we have developed over time through learning and experience....

  Be Rich in Good Works What are your goals for the new year? Are you focused on obtaining more things or do you want to obtain more lasting wealth? I encourage you to consider a personal goal that is of more value than material wealth. Focus on obtaining the kind of wealth that will provide you with a firm foundation for your future. Wealth that no one can take away from you. Try to be rich in good deeds. Goodwill 1 Timothy 6:18, 19 suggests that performing good works is how people add to their spiritual treasury. Good acts create positive equity, a reserve that sustains them in the future. Through good acts, a person can grab hold of life. This is how they can make life more abundant. By performing good acts a person intentionally earns an asset referred to in accounting as goodwill. Goodwill is your established reputation. It's yours and no one or thing can arbitrarily destroy it. It does not succumb to market pressures. You alone decide when and where to use this reserve. Inv...