NEED TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT ‘LOSING IT’

In the early stages of losing ground mentally (and as a result, emotionally, etc.), before other people notice and express concern, the person who is struggling with reduced function may wish and search for real, practical suggestions for change that could actually help.
It is not helpful to hear others say they experience similar problems, even offensive to just tell you to see a doctor.
Unwillingness to offer conversation breeds isolation, and the troubled person must commit to silence, because the cost of feeling worse is too great.

Why can’t there be simple, honest understanding, with a willingness to talk and brainstorm for ideas—things to do, to change, to let go, to help, to make the person feel better.
There are few conditions like mental decline, so loaded with responses that are non-answers.

It seems most people want to focus on the times when the person seems to function okay—so they can avoid uncomfortable.
And thus—postponement of help that could be available.
This scary world would not have to be so scary if someone would just talk with you.

Humor is marginal with this matter, but I try it sometimes.
Anyway, at least it gives others a chance to laugh.

I need to write a book about ‘losing it’, with practical, everyday suggestions to let go of some things you can’t cover anymore, and conserve the time, energy, and thinking you have left.
Logic—Common Sense—Carefree—Refreshing.

How would I write this book ?
It would take an inspiration of the Holy Spirit (which He could do), because I don’t have the answers to put in the book.

Why would I write this book ?
So I can read it, because I don’t have the answers in the book.

AMERICA VS DEMOCRATS

“The U S Constitution is unConstitutional.”
—–aclu

“The U S Constitution is unAmerican.”
—–democrats

Everything the democrats are saying, everything they are for, everything they are against—it’s all opposite what America has meant from the start, and what Americans believe in and stand for today.

In the search bar above, type ACLU.
Food for thought from ten and thirteen years ago.

MARRIAGE VOWS AMPLIFIED

If these vows, repeated at the wedding altar, were thoroughly addressed in pre-marital counseling—so much so, that they are almost memorized—so ingrained to stick forever—then they may be recalled when reality hits home later (or sooner).

“I Promise” is a verbal declaration—“I give you my word.”
“I Pledge” is a promise backed with collateral—“I mortgage my life for you.”

– – –

I promise, I pledge, to you, [name], with everything I have from God’s power, that I will–
+ I will forsake all others, past, present, future.
+ I will cleave/cling to you.
+ I will cleave/cling only to you.
+ I will stay faithful to you as long as we live, with feelings and without feelings.
+ I will stay with you when we’re rich and when we’re poor.
+ I will stay with you when we’re healthy and when we’re sick.
+ I will stay close with you when we have faith and when we have doubt.
+ I will stay close together with you when we are strong and when we are weak.
+ I will stay together with you when we have warm feelings and when we don’t.
+ I will defend our marriage, our home, against all enemies outside and inside.
+ I will build our house (home) with the Lord to destroy the termites.
+ I will remember intimacy always, and catch the little foxes.
+ I will spend time with the Lord alone, every day.
+ I will spend time with the Lord together, every day.
+ I will spend time with you, every day.
+ I will “call upon the Lord in the day of trouble”.
+ I will “call upon the Lord in the day of trouble” with you.

– – –

I offered this at my youngest son’s wedding reception.
“Marriage is work, BUT remember to:
+ Spend 80% of your time and energy enjoying each other.
+ Spend 10% of your time and energy dealing with what the world throws at you.
+ Spend 5% of your time and energy dealing with what your spouse throws at you.
+ Spend 5% of your time and energy dealing with what you throw at your spouse.”

“LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL . . .” ?

“The love of money is the root of all evil.”—–Jesus
“The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

Hmmm.
For hundreds of years Bibles said “The love of money is the root of all evil.”
I wonder if the change from “all evil” to “all kinds of evil”, and “the root” to “a root” might be less of a mandate from modern translation revelation, and more of an influence from modern American financial ‘enlightenment’.

Is there a difference between “all evil” and “all kinds of evil” ?
“all evil” is universal, simple, clear, comprehensive.
“all kinds of evil” is open to listing the kinds of evil—and missing some ?
Perhaps “all kinds of evil” means what people want it to mean.
Perhaps “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” gives a little breathing room for what people do with their money.
Perhaps “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” means I can still do what I want with my money, because for me it’s not that root that causes those kinds of evil referred to in that verse.

Question:
Why the change in recent translations ?
Answer:
I find it hard to believe it is necessary for purely linguistic reasons.

WORDS – – – THEN AND NOW

Seems that some word changes in recent translations of the Bible—seem to tone down or diminish the weight of the meaning.

from:
“In the last days perilous times will come.”
to:
“In the last days difficult times will come.”

from:
“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people.”
to:
“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, God’s own people.”

from:
“Take no thought for tomorrow.”
to:
“Take no anxious thought for tomorrow.”

from:
“The love of money is the root of all evil.”
to:
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

from:
“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
to:
“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

from:
“I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”
to:
“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”

Could these changes serve to fit better in modern America, to not be so offensive or abrasive, and make readers and listeners more comfortable ?
These recent changes in Bible translations and recent changes in America have taken place at the same time, after hundreds of years with consistency for both.

DON’T ASK ANYONE – – – DON’T BOTHER ME

I know more than you, because I know how to use the internet.

Don’t ask another person—find the answer yourself.

– – –

And that “serves to bypass the old-fashioned looking for answers for life by human interaction, hashing out in heart-to-heart conversation, in person, with expression and emotion, until we arrived at foundational values.”

HAVE WE ARRIVED ? – – – ARE WE BETTER ?

BEFORE TECHNOLOGY (did not exist a generation ago)–
WERE WE WORSE THEN ?
or
WORRY WORSE NOW ?

TECHNOLOGY—ULTIMATE “JUST A LITTLE MORE”
or
“JUST A LOT MORE”

– – –

— PROLIFERATION OF TECHNOLOGY WITH INSTANT INFORMATION FOR EVERY QUESTION (faster than finding someone with answers)
and
— PROLIFERATION OF PUBLISHED HELP/ADVICE TO COPE WITH LIFE (relationships, marriage, family, health, stress, anxiety, . . .)

WHICH IS CAUSE, WHICH IS EFFECT ?
Actually, both are both cause and effect—both the technology and the published help/advice serve to bypass the old-fashioned looking for answers for life by human interaction, hashing out in heart-to-heart conversation, in person, with expression and emotion, until we arrived at foundational values.

The old, time-tested line of truth,
“I’m not just asking for solutions/answers—I need to know someone cares.”

– – –

— Are we indeed so special in the 20th-21st century ?
— Are we the yardstick because we know so much more ?
— Are we better, better off ?
— Evidence ?

Have we lost perspective of what is constant, to stabilize us through changes with claims that ‘we have arrived’ (or promises that we will arrive if we just get rid of the past) ?

Sounds like a ‘new and improved’ repeat of history—
“The one thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn anything from history.”

Is there an all-time perspective of history that does not change, that works in all circumstances, that just makes sense—to keep us from going crazy ?
Yes—the perspective that history is His-story.

Whether there is acceptance or not, a ‘consensus’ or not—there remains The Constant, The Creator of everything, The One Who keeps it going, The God of history, The Lord of all (of us too, especially).
AND, so we wouldn’t be left in the dark on our own, He wrote a clear, detailed manual that we can read for information on how it all started and for instruction on how to live.

The catch—His Book calls for our accountability to Him.
The catch—we have freedom of choice.
The catch—we face the consequences of our choice.

GOD’S WORDS VS MAN’S WORDS

When you say trinity (frequently) what do you mean ?

You need to tell listeners and readers what you mean when you say trinity, because most people don’t understand trinity.

Trinity is usually used without explanation.

– – –

Observe this—my observation—every time I hear trinity explained (which is rare because it gets so sticky)—every time the explanation will be almost exclusively man’s words, not God’s Words.

God’s Word does not help explain man’s words—never has, never will.

God’s Word has all we need to tell us all we need to know (all we CAN know) about God—Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

GOD DOES NOT ALLOW MAN TO PUT HIM IN A BOX, NOT EVEN A ‘TRADITIONAL’ THREE-SIDED BOX.

All such attempts end up foolish, laughable.
Just start reading explanations of the trinity, and you will get lost, or laugh, or both.

Better to not read or listen to the explanations at all.
Better yet, skip ‘trinity’ altogether.
And, ask your preacher, teacher, leader to skip ‘trinity’ altogether.

++ What would happen if we skipped ‘trinity’ ?
NOTHING

++ What would happen if we read and taught what God says about God—no “additions, corrections, or deletions” ?
EVERYTHING WONDERFUL ! ! !

THOUGHTLESS

“How could anyone be so thoughtless, and not care.”

That is one application of the word, thoughtless.
I will pursue another use of the word, thought.

For hundreds of years, thought was associated with worry, with something negative, without using the word ‘worry’. (I’ll explain that later.)
Then, it seems to me we had to doctor up the word ‘thought’ to better fit into modern America, where thought is how we get things done.
So now we say ‘anxious thought’ or ‘worry’ for anything that steps over the line from just figuring things out, to fretting over something.

Combine this with the prevailing pressure to perform—at work, at play, at home, even at church—and we are expected to apply thought and get results, on time.

At a time when we emphasize and even worship leisure and entertainment, for many it comes at an ever-increasing cost.
Does it not seem to take more effort, more energy, to accomplish more—so that, then, we can enjoy the something we work so hard for ?

And there is the hard-to-define fine line between ‘thought’ and ‘anxious thought’, or ‘worry’.
Everybody is on their own to come up with the answer, to draw the line.
Most people expect most people to keep going, producing—get it all together, keep it all together.
Anyone can choose from a hundred things on the shelves to help you do just that (just a little more, a little longer).

When does a boost deliver a down ?
Usually.
When does another batch of boost solve that ?
Usually.

But then, the big picture—what this article is all about—perhaps nothing profound—but profoundly ignored.

“For hundreds of years, thought was associated with worry, with something negative, without using the word ‘worry’.” (explained now)

“Take no thought for tomorrow.
Tomorrow will take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.”
—–Jesus said that

A bit more detail,
“I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor for your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food, and the body than clothes?”
—–and Jesus said that, and more on the subject

I have observed many interviews with authors of Christian ‘how-to’ books, and translations re-wording to make it ‘easier to understand’ the Bible.
It seems that the more new ways of explaining things (marriage, family, finance, the times, God) we have available, the more new ways are required to explain things.

The words of Jesus above served us well for centuries, and count just as well today as far as I can tell.
To take ‘no thought’ sets a higher bar against worry, than to take ‘no anxious thought’.
There are other examples from Jesus’ words, like “I am the Way (the only Way)” and “Strait is the gate (limited) and narrow is the way to life (in heaven).”

I think we want Jesus to not be so restrictive in His Words, for modern American audiences, for modern American churches.

POLITICIANS, LAWYERS, THEOLOGIANS

What do politicians, lawyers, and theologians have in common ?

Politicians say, “I’m from the government—I’m here to help.”

Lawyers say, “I know all about the law—I’m here to help.”

Theologians say, “I studied, I know about God—let me help you understand God.”

– – –

What do politicians, lawyers, and theologians have in common ?

They claim to know more than you.
That gives them power over you.
That gives them status over you.
That makes them better than you.
That makes them well-off.
That makes them dangerous.

– – –

Warning—Politicians At Work—for power.
Warning—Lawyers At Work—for money.
Warning—Theologians At Work—for vainglory.