of Truth and Pain

It is in the breeding ground of untruth that pain is birthed and nurtured. While actions are planned in the presence of any shade of falsehood, a perfect soil is created for heartache and anguish. Internalizing deception, dwelling on trickery, contemplating prevarication, any shade of untruth is coalesced with torment. The only way a strain is ever placed within a spirit is through untruth, even if that untruth stems from an outside source, it is melded together with pain to the extent that a clear delineation between the two is impossible. 

Why then do people dwell on falsehood? Simply because in the miscellany of possible decisions it is those wrought with deceit that promise relief from pain. Truth is so simple that it remains silent, shouting volumes in its dormancy. The simplicity of truth is completely separate from the pain and anguish fused together with deceit. Truth is only difficult when untruth has already taken hold, but even then the lie is lying about the pain of truth. 

Embracing truth shuts out the cacophony of sorrow that lies in wait to prey upon the hearts of man. But it is only in complete truth that pain can be avoided, ninety-nine percent truth will bring with it pain. For the smallest degree of falsehood is a host to misery, but the simple purity of truth is a ward against heartache.

un-Biblical Theology

When discussing theology I find more and more people never once use the Bible as source for the core of their argument. They instead rely on the thoughts and ideas of other men, or in the worst cases the thoughts and ideas they have come up with. I instead have founded myself firmly in the Romans 3:4 concept, “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” No matter what how brilliant a man is, no matter what degree is attributed to their name, no matter how respected they are in the theological community, no matter how many times they claim to be inspired by God, if a man argues anything that contradicts the Bible what that man says is wrong. Founding a theological concept on the doctrine of any man or even angel is un-Biblical theology; theology outside of God’s words. 

Some will doubtless argue that the Bible is not the word of God, to those I provide the following scriptures all of which declare or assume that the scripture is God’s word: Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 17-18; Joshua 8:32-35; Psalms 1:2, 12:6, 19:7-11, 93:5, 119:9,11,18,89-93,130; Proverbs 30:5-6; Matthew 5:17-19, 22:29; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; John 2:22, 5;24, 10:35; Acts 17:11; Romans 10:17; Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 3:15-16; Revelation 1:2, 22:18.

Having established that the Bible is the Word of God we must then judge every word that contradicts it as being contradictory to God Himself. Therefore, I never want to hear anymore theological arguments that are not founded on scripture. No matter how clever or clear an argument or concept seems, without scripture it is worthless. 

of Greatness

Find me a man without friends and I will show you a man, who though rich in wealth or fame, is the pinnacle of shame. The greatest measure of greatness is simply the measure of friendship. 

of Standards

I will not be held to the standards of a mortal society the likes of whose immorality has not been seen since Sodom and Gomorra. I refuse to hold myself part and parcel to the pattern set before me by the ungodly. No matter how many stand up and seek to convince me to follow the path chosen for me by those who dwell in the temporal world; I will take shelter in knowing that I have achieved immortality in that even if I am slain I will not die. Therefore the ever-changing standards and edicts of the mortal realm do not hold sway over my future, nor do they influence the decisions I make concerning how I live my life. Instead, knowing that I have achieved immortality in being crucified with Christ, I need not fear the opinions or censure of any mortal who walks according to his own selfish desires.

The greatness of those who have set the standards of society is what brings war. The goodness of those who have set the standards of society is what brings hatred. The glory of those who have set the standards of society is what brings lust. But it is the goodness of God that destroys all these in the eternal fire of Hell, and it is the goodness of God that nullifies the standards they have set forth upon the Earth. 

College

When college becomes more about the degree than learning its time to rethink college.

Cantalamessa

I have stumbled upon an amazing truth while reading a transcript of Raniero Cantalamessa’s message to the vatican during the season of lent. While I do not practice (celebrate/keep whatever word is best here) lent because of the complete absence of any such practice in the Bible I was blessed greatly by the message of Cantalamessa. The major purpose of his sermon was to convince the vatican that any words preached out of the mind of man were worthless words. Anyways, if you want to discover the full details of the message search it out on google, a search for Raniero Cantalamessa should get you something. I am giving you a single quote from his message so that you can see why I was so impressed.

 When one never succeeds in proposing the simple and naked word of God, without making it pass through the filter of a thousand distinctions and precisions and additions and explanations, which in themselves are even right, but extenuating the word of God, one is doing precisely what Jesus reproved the Pharisees and scribes for that day: one “nullifies the word of God”; one dilutes it, causing it to lose the greater part of its power of penetration in the heart of men. 

-Raniero Cantalamessa

 

of Leadership

Leadership is not in knowing exactly what to do, it is in acting like you know exactly what to do. The masses desire a guiding hand, a leader gives them one. That is why there are leaders that so many times lead people astray, that so many time lead people to their deaths. The mark of a great leader is not only in acting like you know exactly what to do, it is the dedication to search out the right path in every situation.

of Mediocrity

When searching the annals of history and the present state of mankind I have stumbled upon a truth, the mediocre do not choose mediocrity, nor do they fall victim to it. The mediocre consciously allow mediocrity to overrun them. 

Mediocrity is a status that man allows to possess him; greatness is one that man decides not to avoid.  

of Music Listening

I am convinced, more than I have ever been convinced on any single subject, that people who find it impossible to go about their day to day tasks without the constant, encroaching presence of music do not think. Not only do they refuse to exercise the little capacity for thought that they were blessed with, they barely possess that faculty at all; I would go so far in some cases as to say that they can not think. I find it a very difficult thing to imagine a world without a stream of consciousness, but I am convinced that this world lies in the lives and minds of those who listen to music in their cars or at their desks or while sleeping or while showering or while doing anything that leaves room for thought. Furthermore, to replace their non-existent stream of consciousness, they rely on music. Therefore, with sadness I pronounce this verdict upon those who are addicted to music, they are doomed to a mediocre life subservient to the streams of consciousness amongst the thoughtful.

A Fruitful Defile

A classroom full of students is a fruitful defile. There is really no other explanation for the amount of time that is wasted by useless comments, questions and statements by both teachers and students. All of these comments, questions and statements defile the mind of a student; and they ascertain that the student will have a future career that is equally as useless. I attended class this morning to receive feedback from fellow students on a piece I had written, they proceeded to spend thirty minutes pointing out all of the good parts and five pointing out the bad. I believe that I, the writer of the piece, know more about the good parts than is probably good for me; I am, however, blind to the evil that is there. I hate wasting my time…