Greg Boyd teaches us that to dishonor others is to play the “king of the hill” game where everyone is trying to climb the social ladder at the expense of others. Love refuses to play the game of shaming another to benefit self. Instead, love honors others just as God honors us.
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Love Does Not Dishonor
• Greg Boyd
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Greg continues our “Love Does” series focused on the actions love takes in 1 Corinthians 13. Here he looks at Paul’s claim that love does not dishonor. This is a word related to social status. In all cultures, there are social structures that determine where people fit on a status scale. The higher one rises on this scale, the more they are honored. These are the people who get noticed, get priority seating at banquets and become the center of social interaction. Those who are lower on this scale receive the opposite of honor. They are dishonored, and to be dishonored is to be shamed.
The honor scale is a zero-sum game where one climbs upward in social standing by knocking another down. Humiliation, mockery, and shaming is the way that one gains and preserves their status. It’s a “king of the hill” game. It’s a game that pervades our normal lives so much that we do not even recognize that we are caught up in it. It’s just the way things are. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 that agape love does not dishonor or shame others. It does not even enter the game.
In Romans 12:1-2, Paul instructs us not to be conformed to the pattern of this world. The word pattern here means something like “scheme.” We are not to align ourselves with this scheme of the world where people are climbing over one another. The social games that people play mean nothing. And the reality is that they actually undermine the only thing that does matter, love.
There are two things that Greg encourages us to do in response to this teaching. First, we must wake up to ways we unwittingly dishonor others. Because the honor game is part of the cultural air that we breathe, we will unknowingly play it unless we intentionally examine the way that we think about others. Are we treating people differently because of their location on the social hierarchy? Do we assign value to another person because they can benefit us? How are we pushing people down so that we can rise up? These are hard questions to ask when we are surrounded by others who don’t even know that we should be asking them.
Secondly, we must trust that God will never dishonor or shame us. He will disapprove of some things that we do, but he will not disparage who we are. You are a beloved child who has unsurpassable worth. God is perfect other-oriented love and God’s other-oriented will is for your well-being. He desires for you to become everything God created and saved you to be. Out of love God will disapprove of anything you choose to do that gets in the way of this. But he will not shame you in order to get you to act differently. Shame reduces our relationship with God to an employer/employee or master/slave relationship. God wants to have an intimate friendship with you where you freely receive and walk in his embrace.
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1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor…
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Thank you Greg
You gave me a piece I was missing PATTERN from the Greek συσχηματίζω suschématizó
I’ve taken Jordon’s advice and am writing a STORY of my life and what I have discovered is that life is a series of pass fail TESTS and GOD-incidences far out way coincidences and Dan I’ve failed more then I’ve passed but God just circles back with another TEST down the road. He appears to never give up.
And Dan thank you, from your sermon.
“We can only be what we are designed to be as we trust each other. Of course, this does not mean that we trust without discernment”.
My dad, his dad and his step dad ALL had trust issues having ALL got caught with their hand in the till only my dad’s was more of an ongoing Laban Jacob fiasco hands in the till on both sides with his step dad and it was about loaded dice.
My once in a life 1st GIG when I got out of the service, having been an illustrator in the medical field service school, IBM was waiting and in an interview with the a Director I said I had decided to be an artist which he replied why not come work for us and do both and he pointed to a picture on the wall, with graphics he had drawn with some verbiage, and said for your first assignment see what you can do to professionalize this and from there my next assignment was to write the prime number code on a joint project, (IBM, Honeywell and Lockheed Martin) to create a World Wide Reservation System cracking, with Calvin College “persistence and determination alone being omnipotent courage”, Elam’s fractal Rose Prime Number Spiral in the Mandelbrot set so as to create a relative record prime number index to spiral to the data in the cloud only in this case in the absence of global WIFI using WWII transatlantic under the ocean cables.
I got caught up in trying to fill my first apartment with stolen goods but got caught on a Sunday and landed in jail when on Tuesday morning I appeared with my dad in front of a court Judge and after: got back to work about noon. The Director, a 6 foot 7 Iowa farm boy with a crushing grip beyond my Charles Atlas city boy muscles, came and sat with me and with a warm TESTING smile saying why didn’t you call and tell us you were not coming in? All I could say is they only allowed me one call and I called my dad and he responded had you LIED to me I would have had to let you go but because you were TRUTHFIL I will stand with you and is there anything I can do? I said though is cost me all the money I had saved I had gotten a good attorney who would get me a first time probation for this felony insuring this pearl of great price once in a life time first GIG could continue so I was ok needing nothing more than a 2nd chance the minimal expectation of his sincerity. It is crucial that we learn to trust with wisdom and learn when to give the benefit of the doubt.
“Trusting in this way is a skill that is developed through practice. It is not something that we will merely pick up as we traverse the world in our daily activities. In fact, the world is built upon SHADOW distrust. We will experience ups and downs, lefts and rights along the path in the pursuit of trust, but we must keep RUNNING, keep trusting and keep learning to LOVE together.”
Now concerning suschématizó First some set up
Dan from the collage I sent you.
In The Matrix, the world perceived by most humans is not real; it is a computer-generated virtual reality (VR) [Hart Neoplatonism] simulation. This “system” is an artificial construction designed by machines to control humanity i.e. Hart a sub-reality dependent on a greater divine reality.
Sensory Input: Humans are in a comatose state in the real world, connected to the Matrix via input/output jacks. The Matrix feeds sensory signals (sight, sound, touch, etc.) directly to their brains, making the virtual world feel completely real. 2022 Nobel Prize the universe is not locally real
The Real World: The true reality is a dystopian future where human bodies are used as a massive neural network power source. NEURONS: ALL we ever took with us Rev 12: 4, Matt 6:20, where TRUTH and LIES reside, never die. Neurogenesis every day you wake up Lam 3:22-23 there are new brain cells generated in your head: moldable, changeable, and fresh ready to be shaped, NOT by food or nutrients, but by your thoughts.
[Templeton (TWCF Orch OR theory) of microtubule consciousness] When Jesus returns we get new bodies NOT made from a simulation 1 Cor. 15:51-52, Phil 3:21 As for wealth and status it will be the results of plus TRUTH versus minus LIES that we have lived. 1 Cor. 3:4-15, Rev 22:14-17
God never tempts you but he tests your faith and tests get progressively harder as the stakes get higher. Matt 25:14-30
The parable on talents teaches using the gifts and abilities God gives you to serve and grow rather than hiding them out of FEAR or LAZINESS, a COMFORT CRISIS must, (from the FINE TUNING cosmological constant Anthropic Principle neutron-proton mass difference in correlation with the strong force we would not be here), have serious consequences in that whatever is taken from one MUST be, IF 2 Peter 3:9 God’s not willing that anything parish, given somewhere else, when JESUS returns, a purge-a-gatory refining process. 1 Cor. 3:4-15 or Matt 5:21-26 Luke 16:19-31 HELL Google Tim Mackie – What Many Christians Misunderstand About The Bible
From my STORY from a couple of folk I really regard then adding in what you gave me.
Concerning Pleroma Theosis*** Google Paradise Now with Tim Mackie: opening in a RUNNERS HIGH NATURE, there’s huckleberries, (Hart ESP MGB TEST infinities simulation), all around if you are looking; the way to connect with other cultures colloquialisms, rather than cultural THEOLOGY verbiage awareness: then at some point a brief dancing on virtual reality (VR) [Hart Neoplatonism] simulation methodology.
Unpacking {Pleroma Theosis] AI Overview:
Tim Mackie (Bible Project) and David Bentley Hart (theologian/translator) connect through their deep engagement with early Christian thought, where Theosis (Deification)—becoming more like God by participating in His divine life—is central, often tied to Pleroma (Fullness) as the ultimate goal of this divine transformation, concepts Mackie explores via his deep dive into Church Fathers like Gregory of Nyssa to explain biblical themes, resonating with Hart’s Eastern Orthodox emphasis on union with God beyond mere sinlessness.
Here’s how their ideas intertwine:
1. Tim Mackie & Theosis/Pleroma:
• Mackie’s work, especially through Bible Project, emphasizes the Bible as a unified story leading to Jesus, drawing from early Christian thinkers (Church Fathers).
• He sees these early theologians as culturally close to Jesus, not distant Greeks, bringing precision to God’s nature, which involves humanity becoming fully what they are meant to be in Christ.
• This aligns with Theosis, where humans participate in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), progressing towards the fullness (Pleroma) of God’s life, not just being ‘fixed’ but transformed into divine likeness.
2. David Bentley Hart & Theosis/Pleroma:
• Hart, an Eastern Orthodox scholar, heavily utilizes the Fathers (like Gregory of Nyssa) and emphasizes Theosis as central to salvation—not just avoiding hell, but achieving union with God’s life and light (divinization).
• He argues that heaven’s bliss requires a transformed self, not an erased memory, aligning with theosis as a journey of becoming fully ourselves in God’s presence.
• Hart’s translation and theology often highlight the radical vision of creation’s restoration and fullness (Pleroma) through Christ, where humanity achieves its divine purpose.
The Connection: Both Mackie and Hart, from different angles (Mackie: biblical narrative/teaching; Hart: theology/translation), point to the biblical vision of humanity’s ultimate destiny as a divine participation in God’s own life (Theosis) and fullness (Pleroma), rooted deeply in the Patristic tradition they both admire for its richness.
AI Overview
David Bentley Hart’s perspective suggests that what is often called “extrasensory perception” could be related to a deeper, more substantial reality of “spirit” that the modern, materialist worldview has lost the capacity to perceive. He does not frame it as a mere “paranormal” ability, but rather as a potential aspect of a richer, pre-Cartesian understanding of consciousness and the cosmos. Hart ESP MGB TEST infinities simulation
Key Points of Hart’s View
• Critique of Materialism: Hart is a strong critic of materialism and the idea that consciousness is merely a byproduct of physical brain processes. He argues that a purely physical explanation of existence is incoherent and that “mind” or “spirit” is the foundational substrate of reality, NOT a derivative property of matter.
• Spirit as Substantial: For Hart, “spirit” is not an ethereal, non-existent “ghost in the machine,” but rather a more fundamental and enduring “element” with its own extension and consistency, which is in fact more substantial than what we currently perceive as matter.
• Loss of Perception: He posits that modern human consciousness, shaped by a mechanistic worldview, has lost the ability to perceive certain dimensions of reality that people in earlier ages could access more readily. He even speculates that a change in our shared metaphysics may have altered the balance of the brain’s capacity for perception. From my collage a COSMIC dance WARFARE fact……ending with……. UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE, [TRUTH LIES WARFARE], one ten trillionth the amount of matter, THINGS, in our bubble, with ALL the rest back in HEAVEN, matching well with what we can actually see from the Collage front lower explanation note: Jordon Maps of Meaning the WORLD can be construed as place of THINGS and a form for ACTION as the UNCERTAINTY correlating well with the universe as a TESTING ground virtual reality (VR) [Hart Neoplatonism] SIMULATION.
• Beyond Coincidence: In an article, Hart describes personal experiences, such as a possible remote awareness of a dying person that he suggests cannot be explained by mere coincidence, indicating a belief in forms of connection beyond normal sensory understanding.
• Mind as the Ground of Being: His work, particularly in books like The Experience of God and All Things Are Full of Gods, consistently argues that reality is fundamentally mind-based and that our individual consciousness participates in an INFINITE, DIVINE CONSCIOUSNESS that constitutes all reality.
In summary, while Hart does not use the term “extrasensory perception” in the typical pop-culture sense, his metaphysics provide a framework where certain phenomena beyond normal sensory input are not only possible but consistent with the nature of a “mindful” or “spiritual” reality that is the ground of all being. He would likely consider such phenomena as expressions of this deeper spiritual reality, rather than mere “paranormal” exceptions to physical laws.
What I was in need of an index (schema) Thanks again.
The purpose of GROK like computers is to load in a quadrillion permutation of combinations of possibilities with specific, to given project, requirements so as NOT to FIGURE OUT WHAT IS but to ELIMINATE by DISCOVERY, the 99.99999%, WHAT IS NOT leaving only a small fraction of WHAT MIGHT STILL be possibilities and then concatenating the resulting data on common INDEXING, what I was doing at my 1st GIG, (DARK MATTER DARK ENERGY a COSMIC dance WARFARE fact logical syllogism false premises) what needs to be SUFFERED as LOSS violent sines LIES are isolated and terminated by introducing a TRUE sine, determined from the requirements. Elam’s fractal Rose or Prime Number Spiral.
Adding: Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the PATTERN of this world LIES, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve TRUTH what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Taking into account Jordon’s Maps of Meaning” PATTERN from Greek συσχηματίζω suschématizó Sy(with) + schema (proper form/pattern) as the blue print for our bubble universe: as stars collapse into black holes creating star dust matter THINGS and likewise DARK MATTER DARK ENERGY records a complete history of ACTION as a SCHEMA is the complete blueprint for a DATABASE, defining all its tables, fields, relationships, and rules, while a subschema is a user-specific, partial view or subset of that schema, showing only relevant data and structures for a particular user think of the schema as God’s entire universe of universes and a subschema as each of us a: “…and I realized that he shares not only my DHA but also the dreamy side of who I am. I look at him sometimes and I am filled with awe, for he too is a universe that displays the glory of God—a mysterious, miraculous and majestic universe.” Hetland “Seeing through Heaven’s Eyes”.
Think of this as a COSMIC dance WARFARE fact as GOD DOES His PART, (at a bare minimum in a Sept-second 1 sextillionth -the time it takes a photon to cross a hydrogen atom- beyond our pay grade but MOST likely God takes far far less see my collage page 12), WHAT NOW needs to be SUFFERED as LOSS is violent sines LIES isolated and terminated by introducing TRUE sines for every subschema galaxy as entangled concatenations shuffle content gaining crowns or suffering loss with only neurons that never die being the only THINGS we take with us when Jesus returns THEN our apprentice TESTED habit trained soul or NOT (the 3rd part of Romans 12:2) gets sorted out in the lake of fire a silver and dross refining process for LIES cannot enter the party they have to be left at the gate 1 Cor. 3:4-15 Rev 22:14-17 or Matt 5:21-26 Luke 16:19-31 HELL! I.e. Hart ESP MGB TEST infinities simulation plus virtual reality (VR) [Hart Neoplatonism] simulation methodology.
AI 101 FREE COURSE I was IDIOT EMISSARY math SAVANT MASTER LOGIC DISCOVERY with percentages fast really fast!
A logical syllogism with a FALSE PREMISE uses an incorrect assumption (premise) but maintains a valid logical structure, leading to an unreliable or FALSE conclusion, even if the steps seem sound; for example, “ALL birds can fly (FALSE Premise) hint all is rarely TRUE where most folk go wrong; Penguins are birds (TRUE); Therefore, penguins can fly (FALSE Conclusion)” shows a valid form but unsound reasoning due to the untrue starting point, highlighting the DIFFERENCE between logical validity (STRUCTURE MATTER THINGS) and soundness (TRUTH ACTIONS SPIRIT). From Collage Jordon Peterson Maps of Meaning
Key Concepts
• VALIDITY: The argument’s structure is correct; if the premises were true, the conclusion would have to be true.
• SOUNDNESS: An argument is sound only if it is both valid and all its premises are factually true.
Examples of False Premise Syllogisms
• Example 1 (Common Fallacy):
o Major Premise: All dogs have wings. (False)
o Minor Premise: Fido is a dog. (True)
o Conclusion: Therefore, Fido has wings. (False)
• Example 2 (More Subtle):
o Major Premise: Every gray-haired woman is a grandmother. (False)
o Minor Premise: Joan is a gray-haired woman. (True)
o Conclusion: Therefore, Joan is a grandmother. (False, as some women may not have children)
Why It Matters
• Misleading Conclusions: False premises allow for convincing-sounding arguments that lead to untrue outcomes.
• Identifying Flaws: Recognizing false premises helps in spotting faulty reasoning in others’ arguments and avoiding them in your own.
• Not All Faulty Logic is a False Premise: A syllogism can also be invalid (structure broken) or use ambiguous terms (like “star” meaning different things in each premise), but a false premise specifically attacks the factual basis of the argument. That’s the problem with most folk and gave me a huge edge percent’s!
Sorry the links did not make it through the website text conversion. The Logic course links were helpful.
A 3rd person a highly regard Iain McGilchrist, which I left out in my prior comment, life work on Metaphysics gives strong support to Greg on Open Theism.
o Symmetry left Emissary hemisphere Calvinism Outside the bubble
o Asymmetry right Master hemisphere “. Open Theism Inside the bubble
The differing world views of the right and left brain respectively have shaped Western culture since the time of the ancient Greek philosophers Plato, Socrates and the growing conflict between these views has implications for the way the modern world is changing. Google RSA ANIMATE: The Divided Brain 10 min
AI Overview
In metaphysics, symmetry refers to invariance under transformation (like a perfect reflection or rotation), while asymmetry involves a lack of such invariance, often crucial for change, function, and individuality, especially in consciousness and biology, where perfect symmetry often seems “uncanny” or leads to a lack of phenomena, with reality emerging from the interplay and breaking of symmetries, as seen in quantum physics and human perception. Asymmetry creates structure (e.g., handedness), while symmetry represents underlying, unchanging laws, with the world arising from the breaking of symmetry, leading to unique experiences and forms.
Symmetry in Metaphysics & Physics
• Definition: A property where an object or system remains unchanged under a specific transformation (e.g., rotation, translation).
• Underlying Laws: Physical laws often possess deep symmetries (like conservation of energy), implying a symmetric reality at fundamental levels.
• Example: Gravitational force between the sun and a planet has rotational symmetry, keeping orbits in a plane, but the planet’s orbit itself isn’t perfectly symmetrical in all dimensions.
Balliol College, Oxford This video explains the concept of symmetry in physics:
Asymmetry in Metaphysics & Physics
• Symmetry Breaking: The transition from a symmetric state to an asymmetric one, often when a system’s conditions change, leading to new stable states.
• Emergence of Phenomena: Asymmetry is necessary for things to happen; perfect symmetry often means nothing can occur.
• Biology & Consciousness:
o Biological systems rely on asymmetry (e.g., brain hemispheres, DNA’s handedness) for function, even when superficially appearing symmetric.
o Consciousness itself is an asymmetry, creating a unique first-person perspective from potentially symmetric brain processes.
• Aesthetics: Perfect symmetry in human faces can appear threatening; natural beauty often involves subtle asymmetries (like the Golden Ratio).
Andrew M. Davis This video explores the concept of axiological asymmetry:
The Interplay: Symmetry & Asymmetry
• Crucial Relationship: The dynamic relationship, not just one or the other, defines reality.
• Asymmetry implies Symmetry: We perceive something as asymmetric only because we recognize an underlying (broken) symmetry.
• Asymmetry can incorporate Symmetry: Asymmetry (like a slightly irregular shape) can contain regularities, but perfect symmetry cannot easily contain asymmetry.
Dr Iain McGilchrist This video discusses the importance of asymmetry in nature:
Key Takeaway: Metaphysics explores how fundamental symmetries of the universe give rise to the complex, changing, and unique asymmetric world we experience, with concepts like symmetry breaking bridging the gap between abstract physical laws and concrete reality.
Diving Deeper:
In metaphysics, the relationship between symmetry and asymmetry is a foundational tension between the idealized, invariant laws of reality and the dynamic, structured world we experience.
—Symmetry left Emissary hemisphere represents invariance—properties that remain unchanged under transformation
—while Asymmetry right Master hemisphere is often viewed as the essential driver of “phenomena” or change.
1. The Principle of Symmetry-Breaking
A central metaphysical claim, famously articulated by Pierre Curie, is that “asymmetry is what creates a phenomenon”.
• Presence vs. Absence: For something to happen rather than nothing, an initial symmetry must be broken.
• Causality: The Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) suggests that an asymmetry (an effect) cannot originate spontaneously without an asymmetric cause.
• Causes and Effects: Symmetry in causes must be reflected in their effects, but effects can be more symmetric than their causes, creating a directional flow of information.
2. Temporal and Causal Asymmetry
Metaphysicians debate whether time and causation are inherently symmetric or asymmetric.
• The Block Universe: In a symmetric “God’s eye view” or block universe model, past and future are both fixed, making the passage of time a psychological rather than a metaphysical reality. Calvinism Outside the bubble
• The Growing Block: In an asymmetric model, the past is fixed while the future is open, establishing a metaphysical “arrow of time”. Open Theism Inside the bubble
• Explanatory Asymmetry: Metaphysical explanation is typically seen as asymmetric; for example, if facts about parts explain the whole, then the whole cannot explain the parts in the same way.
3. Ontological Asymmetry in Consciousness and Physics
Recent 2024 and 2025 theories explore how asymmetry defines existence:
• The Asymmetry of Consciousness: While physical laws might be symmetric (reversible), the first-person perspective is inherently asymmetric. Each individual experience is unique and “breaks the symmetry” of the objective physical world.
• Symmetry Inferentialism: Philosophers debate “symmetry inferentialism,” the idea that the symmetries found in physical theories should directly guide our metaphysical conclusions about what truly exists.
• Grounding: Some argue that a symmetry cannot ground an asymmetry. If the fundamental “mosaic” of the universe is symmetric, the resulting reality must also be symmetric, posing a challenge for theories like the B-theory of time.
4. Ethics and Value (Axiological Asymmetry)
In ethics, “The Asymmetry” refers to the evaluative difference between bringing a happy person into existence (often seen as neutral) versus bringing a suffering person into existence (seen as a negative). This highlights how even our value systems are built on a lack of balance between polar opposites.
AI Overview
Calvinism emphasizes God’s sovereignty, foreordination, and exhaustive knowledge, believing He has predetermined all events, including human choices, which honors His power and leads to certain salvation (TULIP), while Open Theism argues God’s omniscience includes all possibilities, but He doesn’t know truly free future choices, making Him more responsive and less controlling, thus preserving genuine human freedom, with both views differing on God’s foreknowledge and its impact on free will.
Calvinism
• God’s Knowledge & Will: God knows the future because He has ordained it; He is the ultimate planner, controlling all events.
• Human Freedom: Human choices are real but ultimately align with God’s predetermined plan; God’s foreknowledge doesn’t negate, but guarantees, the outcome.
• Salvation: God sovereignly chooses who is saved (election); the Holy Spirit draws them, ensuring their response (irresistible grace, perseverance of the saints).
Open Theism
• God’s Knowledge & Will: God knows everything that can be known, but the future, being genuinely open and unmade, isn’t fully knowable in advance, making Him reactive.
• Human Freedom: Humans have genuine, libertarian free will, meaning their choices aren’t predetermined, allowing for truly new possibilities.
• Salvation: God offers salvation to all; He desires everyone to be saved, and individuals freely choose to accept or reject Him.
Key Differences Summarized
• Foreknowledge: Calvinism: God knows the future because He fixed it. Open Theism: God knows all possibilities, but not specific free choices in an undetermined future.
• Control: Calvinism: God actively controls all outcomes. Open Theism: God allows for genuine human spontaneity, making Him sometimes surprised or responsive.
• Nature of God: Calvinism: God is absolute sovereign planner. Open Theism: God is sovereign but relational, interacting within an open future.
Open theism and Calvinism represent two opposing views on how God’s sovereignty interacts with human free will and the future.
1. Core Theological Differences
• Calvinism (Deterministic View): God is absolutely sovereign and has unchangeably ordained everything that comes to pass. This includes the final destiny of every person through “double predestination” (the elect and the reprobate).
• Open Theism (Relational View): God is omniscient but the future is “open.” Because humans have true libertarian free will, the future is not yet determined and therefore cannot be known as a settled fact. God knows all possibilities but discovers actual human choices as they happen.
2. Comparison of Key Pillars
Feature Calvinism Open Theism
a. Foreknowledge
Exhaustive: God knows the future because He decreed it. Dynamic: God knows all possibilities, but not “settled” free-will choices.
b. Human Will
o Compatibilist: Humans choose according to their nature, which God governs. o o Libertarian: Humans have the power of contrary choice; God does not control them.
c. Nature of God
o Transcendent: God is outside of time and never changes His mind.
o Relational: God is temporal and genuinely responds to or “relents” based on prayer.
d. Problem of Evil
o Evil serves a greater purpose for God’s glory.
o Evil is a tragic byproduct of true human freedom.
3. Biblical Support & Critiques
• Calvinist Prooftexts: Rely on passages about God’s eternal decrees, such as Ephesians 1:11 (“who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”) and Romans 9.
• Open Theism Prooftexts: Point to instances where God “changes His mind” (e.g., Exodus 32:14) or expresses surprise/regret (e.g., 1 Samuel 15:11).
• Mutual Critiques: Calvinists argue Open Theism makes God weak or “reactionary”. Open Theists argue Calvinism makes God a “tyrant” or the author of evil.
From Carl Jung – How to Find Your Soul, our logical left hemisphere minds contain the greatest revelations, our SHADOW, should not be influenced by another’s path because of the appeal of financial gain or follow me as I follow Jesus or lording-over: but by the whisper of God to our calling path WAY.
From Andrew Huberman, professor of ophthalmology and neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, how feedback attached to identity versus based on effort persistence and determination out ways Talent, IQ or Education affects performance!
Curious? Google A Conversation between Iain McGilchrist and David Bentley Hart
Sorry, I wasn’t planning this comment I was just writing my Story and I needed a link to ReKnew when I caught Angel Stories (podcast) and felt I had a couple of possible angel stories I needed to share.
In 2020 as a Vet I got on their health care program FREE and being a Vet also on a United Health Care Patriot Plan FREE actually better in that the Social Security knocked off all but $86 from my Medicare Medical Insurance (Part B and Part C) and also got a FREE Life Time membership, though open, pretty much empty because of Covid-19 where a met Isaiah hair, beard and smile as pictures portrayed Jesus with a lean very powerful build, articulate on style and crazy strong who was a 3rd grade teacher in a private Christian school who took an interest in me training together and I was looking good.
In the fall of that year I was beginning to have trouble sleeping and one day at the gym I did my sets but was severely dragging tired and when I got home, in need of sleep, my daughter came over and gave me some of her meds that did not go well and the next day I was rushed to St. John’s Emergency diagnosed with covid-19 pneumonia with an oxygen level at 72 and laid there for 20 hours waiting for a bed, I had NOT had the shot so I needed a private room and there was a shortage of nurses because they refused to work NOT wanting to get the shot, when good news finally arrived the VA had an open private room.
I remember the ride there it was like a Star Trek episode with two really cool guys but nothing else until I was woken up by a man in a long black robe, a Jesuit Priest, who I chatted with about Big Bang Cosmology: Georges Lemaître, a Jesuit Belgian Catholic priest, physicist, and mathematician proposed the “primeval atom” hypothesis in 1931, the first concept of the Big Bang theory, based on his work on Einstein’s General Relativity and Hubble’s law showing an expanding universe from a singular beginning, for quite a while then he left and I remembered nothing until I was woken by Franciscan priest again in a long black robe: this time chatting about: Candace Pert a neuroscientist who legitimized mind-body medicine by discovering the opioid receptor and linking emotions to physical health through neuropeptides, establishing Robert Ader’s psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) as she showed emotions as chemical messengers connecting brain, body, and immune system, challenging old dualisms and influencing fields from trauma healing to AIDS research with her work on Molecules of Emotion, then he mentioned he was a big fan of Dr. Boyd’s ReKnew he needed to leave and as he did I noticed he had on really cool Corvette Yellow tennis shoes. Side note: Walking into Life Time one day I saw a pair of size 12 K.SWISS DURAWRAP.FLEX on close out 50% off and for today only take another 50% off so I bought them for $32.
Adding to my diagnosis was a respiratory problem involving scar tissue, blood clots on both legs, a urinary tract infection and diabetes. There were 26 of us there with covid-19: they would try something new high flow oxygen on one of us and the rest medically induced coma mechanical ventilation via intubation. I was the one and it was HELL, though I did isometric exercises like I did when a had the car accident and the private room had a huge window with an incredible view, I never slept for the next two weeks however every night an Afro-American chap around midnight would come in and chat with me talking about him growing up in Africa living in a hut but how if you were at the top of the class all your education was payed for but because he was poor every day he had to run a long distance back and forth to school and NOW, though he was NOT an employee of the VA, a Private Consultant.
After two weeks they moved me to the rehab unit where again because I had NOT gotten the shot I landed one of the few private rooms, even bigger with a better view, while the other 25 had to share and a few of them though still in wheel chairs could talk most: were like little children having to learn everything again. The 1st day Michael came to visit and I talked about Tom Oord and Tripp Fuller on Open and Relational Theology (ORT) he listened then added how he talked with Jesus every day when he was a kid and left. That evening he dropped off an article on “Orchy OR” (Orchestrated Objective Reduction) developed by Nobel Laureate in Physics Roger Penrose with anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff, proposing that consciousness arises from quantum computations within brain neurons, specifically in structures called microtubules, inside neurons linked to spacetime geometry suggesting these quantum processes, governed by gravity, collapse to create moments of subjective experience (qualia).
For me the rehab unit elected a mix of visualization with isometric exercises and James Clear’s small-step recovery walking for the next two weeks, however though the general hospital staffing physical theory was big on keeping it small this rehab unit, with three on staff doing triathlons, got me a walker to carry my oxygen tank and said go for it averaging 36 laps a day around the circular ward about 3 blocks.
Michael stopped in again two days before I went home and gave me a book that I started reading that evening stopping after a story about the prodigal son that left me thinking he really got a free pass just a simple sinner’s prayer fire insurance. The next morning the VA had their own channel system that was somewhat challenging to navigate, maybe my COVID or AMBLYOPIA, however when I turned it on it was at a channel with a sermon by Charles Stanley just starting: about the prodigal son opening with yes he got a robe and got to go to the party however Charles went on for the entire sermon about all that he lost implying he barely escaped the flames.
Was I just alone in my imagination, unconscious a good part of the time just reframing reality or were any of these folk real or maybe just my imagination or possibly angels? ALL this just random coincidences or do GOD-incidences out way: does God setup GOD-incidences in advance but not exactly Calvin thinking?
GODs just got a GOOD sense of HUMOR!
Dan I think you can to a point when decided riding a motor cycle was a bad idea!
At the end of high school I bought a motor scooter, not the best idea for someone with amblyopia, and two weeks later had a head on collision with a 67 Pontiac searing off the roof with my body then, with an arriving police officer having to use a pen to poke a hole in my throat to breath, I was taken to the hospital where I was in and out of a coma for two weeks with both hands and feet fractured, three cracked ribs and what appeared to be a punctured lung but later determined only severely bruised, a jaw broken in seven places and a head, after they cut the helmet off, the size of a water melon but my mama was praying.
I remember sometimes being a wake no one ever around walking around my room but for the most part waking up and lying in bed doing isometric exercises, [contracting muscles and holding them in a static position without any visible joint movement focusing on time under tension from a book on Mental Practice Visualization I had purchased] than dosing back off. I consider now I may have been doing this in my imagination while unconscious.
AI Mental Practice Visualization Overview
Mildred Portney Chase (e.g., Just Being At The Piano) or research-focused works like PracticeMind for Everyone by Hans Jensen & Oleksander Mycyk, exploring how visualizing playing strengthens skills, a concept famously used by legendary pianists like Horowitz to improve touch without physical keys, showing that mental rehearsal does significantly impact real-world playing ability.
Key Books & Concepts:
• Just Being At The Piano: merged Buddhist mindfulness with piano, focusing on the inner, soulful journey of music, emphasizing the mind-body connection in playing.
• PracticeMind for Everyone: delves into the science of mental practice, proving it’s a powerful tool for improving performance.
• Mental Practice (Visualization): Famous pianists like Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein used mental practice extensively, proving that visualizing playing (or “playing in your mind”) greatly enhances physical skill and memory, making it a crucial part of mastery, not just a substitute.
In essence mental practice is a recognized technique where people do effectively practice in their minds, leading to real improvements in physical playing, as discussed in these books and by experts like Glenn Gould who said, “One does NOT play the piano with one’s FINGERS, one plays the piano with one’s MIND”. enter Elon Musk Neuralink
At my 50th class reunion I caught up with my closest friend from HC and he told me in those 1st two weeks he came every day to see me. I did not remember even one visit and thought why would he say that but gave him the benefit of the doubt thinking that he must be experiencing some early dementia but now I consider I was just alone in my imagination, unconscious when he came to visit, where I was reframing reality with isometric exercises. Hart ESP MGB TEST infinities simulation
About that same time Patrick the other artist drowned and at the funeral wake for him a few of my followers ask ‘the Bro” who WAS, note past tense, the best artist ‘the Bro” responded Patrick I was just a good copier.
When I finally came to isometric exercises had accomplished their mission so I was taken to surgery for the only thing they could do: pin and wire my jaw closed so as to heel. In the elevator on the way I saw a face I recognized and addressed the senior cadet colonel Dan from my freshman year a now intern who then spoke words of encouragement saying he would pray for me and come see me in two weeks. Probably coming out of a coma after two weeks was a big deal back then: coincidence or did God-incidence whisper to Dan? That evening after the surgery one of the nurse’s brought in her boyfriend who was a body builder who spoke words of power and encouragement. The next day this nurse handed me crutches, isometric exercises had done their work but now ALL the healing fractures, cracks and bruising’s needed to support ALL my weight, so for the next two weeks this nurse was a ruthless drill sergeant as I did the best I could to march in agonizing pain up and down a long hallway ALL day. Two weeks later Dan showed up “I dropped and gave him fifty” and the next day I went home on the day I turned 18.
In the collage I’ve included two authors: Hart ESP MGB TEST infinities simulation
1st Joe Dispenza who’s story centers on his own recovery from a severe cycling accident where he broke six vertebrae and doctors predicted paralysis and yet he refused surgery choosing instead to mentally reconstruct his spine through intense visualization healing in 10.5 weeks and walking within 12; an experience that launched his career studying how the mind (neuroscience, quantum physics) influences the body to achieve spontaneous healing.
2nd James Clear’s incredible recovery from a near-fatal high school baseball accident where he was hit in the head by a bat leading to skull fractures, a coma, and brain trauma forcing him to relearn basic functions; a grueling, small-step recovery: (physical therapy, walking, talking) inspiring his core philosophy in Atomic Habits: massive change comes from compounding tiny consistent improvements; turning a personal crisis into his life’s work on habit formation.
When I got home, still pretty much a dreamer in my own little world, my dad said “Son when are you going to come back to earth” and then suggested I have a chat with Brown Institute who had a well-respected course in writing code so: on arrival I was told I first needed a college degree and on top of that needed a good score on a pattern recognition test IBM put together and as long as I was there I should take it to see if this would even be an option.
It was a three part timed test, all with a 4 you pick the best answer, so armed with my gift, logic, and my percentage elimination process I finished the test early scoring 2nd highest in the nation and got a pass to take their course finishing 1st in class then taking the test a 2nd time where my dad worked landing the same score but being 1A for the draft joined the Army where I took the test one more time, in Basic, which based on the results was sent to Fort Sam Houston where I put together an art portfolio and landed a job as an illustrator in the medical field service school where I was taught how to save some time by using an opaque projector for a starting outline which I asked my boss, a Major, wasn’t that cheating just copying and he replied, with abstract art being the exception, everything we see is already there and we are all just copiers so it’s about how we uniquely piece these things together that creates, an attrACTION, a cosmetic appeal and all the education in the world won’t help if you don’t have that gift that he’d come to understand starts in your imagination as possibilities.
Dan this is the setup for the prior comment story a sent.