​ "Don't be a follower" is excellent but incomplete advice. Usually, this is said as a negative response to following an evil, corrupt, or bad example. Some people, friends, or relatives may not be good examples of how to live and of what to think. I once knew a 21-year-old man who had a friend too. He had several friends. His group of friends said: "Let's go get a drink and have a 'good time.'" He drank his first alcohol that night. He became drunk and ended up in a bar fight. This man took the fight outside, where (with his military training) he ended up killing the man. With one dead, the man's life will never be the same. Prison. Criminal record. Guilt. All it took was one choice. One moment, following some bad advice from a "friend." He willingly let someone lead him astray. You don't want to follow this sad example.

A recent report says that 3/10 of pastors do not have a Biblical understanding of salvation.  How can this be?  The word "treasure" is a term we are familiar with.  "Treasure" (θησαυρός) is "Thesaurus" in our language.  A Thesaurus is similar in some ways to a dictionary.  A Thesaurus is a collection of words that are organized in a systematic way to identify synonyms and antonyms to learn language and concepts.  Words and concepts are treasures!  Bible teaching is a treasure.  Truth is a treasure.

Billy Sunday was known for his dynamic, boisterous, loud, and sometimes rough preaching.  He held the attention of his audience and was possibly "entertaining" to listen to and watch when he was preaching.  Even if your pastor or guest preacher is not "entertaining," that's OK.  Entertainment is not the goal - knowing God is. Here are some Every Day Carry Christian - Thriving Skills to help you when you are listening to preaching!

"Imago Dei" is the Latin phrase many people use to describe these Hebrew words.  Imago Dei means "image of God."  After sin entered this world, the image is distorted.  Like the dilation of the eyes, the image of mankind (looking like the Lord) is more complicated and hard to see.  The books we read, the films we watch, the news we listen to, the church we attend, the work we do, the classes we take, and the friends we keep will greatly influence our potential to look more like the Lord.

Men are not objects to covet.  Women are not objects to lust after.  Men and women are to be viewed through the personal lens of being a brother or a sister.  For those readers who are born-again Christians, we have brothers and sisters in the Spiritual Family of God.  They are siblings along with us in God's Church. Discover the Thriving Skills of Moral Awareness in this edition. 

The new school year can be a very busy, hectic, and stressful time of year!  How can a student, parent, or family juggle all the new routines and responsibilities of a new school year?  Have a flexible plan.  Having a flexible plan helps with the pace of life!

Many people in the Adirondacks of New York, where we live, enjoy targeting and hunting with firearms.  I enjoy the sports of shooting and hunting too.  When it comes to firearms, knowing what you are doing and knowing how to handle the firearm safely and properly is of utmost importance.  The Bible is similar in that we must "Handle it with care!"

Coping loss; How do we do it?  How can we mourn the loss of a loved one to death and then continue living the life God has called us to live?  Here is a brief example of how the survivors still have a future and God still has a plan for their life.  The loss and pain are there, but the Spiritual Thriving Skills of Healthy Coping can help. 

This podcast is about the subject of "humility" and in my estimation, this is the most incredible podcast recorded and posted to date.  Lol!  Really, that was a joke.  Sometimes when we are seeking humility, we can actually start to be proud of our humility.  That cancels out the "humility" doesn't it?  

Something the EDC Christian can carry with him/her each day is Kindness! "Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can."