Saturday, July 26, 2008.
Avoid painful or negative thoughts by escaping them – by watching movies all day and night, for instance.
Tell yourself you don’t need anyone else; that, unlike most others, you are uniquely an island.
Put down any thoughts you may have about others; stay with your selected mode of escape.
Put off any thoughts of […]
Filed under: Stephen's Journal, Isolation, Thoughts on July 27th, 2008 | No Comments »
I wrestled a bit with a name. This post was almost entitled:
Sangha Benefits: Why Be Part of a Spiritual Community?
Church Dilemma: Why I Considered Going Back to the Church of Christ After All These Years
Church Dilemma: Why I Considered Rechurchification
I don’t think I can express in a single post what I’m trying to get […]
Filed under: Eastern Spirituality, Stephen's Journal, spirituality, Character Defects, Relationships, Isolation, Church, Sangha on January 17th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The strong social network that my parents have at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ (and Lipscomb) is a testament to the benefits of belonging to a group of like-minded individuals – in this case, the church of Christ. I grew up in this environment, so I can attest to its pervasive influence and importance.
The […]
Filed under: Isolation, Church, Community on January 17th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
As I am slowly coming to realize, I’m entering a new stage of recovery, or a new life ‘phase’. One of the most striking changes is a relatively fresh desire to find an appropriate, suitable, enjoyable, educational, and inspirational community of like-minded folks, or a sangha.
Another way to say this is that, after years […]
Filed under: Eastern Spirituality, Points of View, Stephen's Journal, Religion, spirituality, Buddhism, Isolation, Church on January 16th, 2008 | 1 Comment »