CoSMI - 1.0.1.11 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - psychological testing

CoSMI - 1.0.1.11 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - psychological testing

Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

There is one area of psychology that might be a little less susceptible to subjectivity, and that is standardized testing.  There are a number of tests in psychology that are standardized over a large population.  Some of these tests might be of limited use to you, such as intelligence tests, but there are also tests of character traits, as well as other tests that might help you to get to know yourself in a variety of different ways.

Sometimes a battery of these tests might be offered together for one fixed price.  Generally speaking, you will find these offerings if you search on things like career counseling.  Unfortunately, while the tests are standardized, the advice that you might get once you have the results of the tests may vary.

The results of some of these tests might be quite complex.  They might give you insights into your own character, but some of them can be very complex, and you almost need training in order to understand the results.  Some of them, on the other hand, can be quite simple.

One tool that I have found quite useful over the years is an extremely simple matrix that relies on you asking yourself only two questions.  The first question is would you rather deal with tasks (or problems), or would you rather deal with people?  The second question is, do you consider yourself to be an active person, or are you more passive?  The results of the answers to these two questions gives you four options, task active, task passive, people active, and people passive.  You can group the answers into a 2 by 2 four-part matrix, but you don't have to.  You can simply think of the four options.  The four options tend to tell you what type of person you are.  Task-active people tend to be managers and drivers of activities.  Task-passive people tend to be analytical and possibly researchers.  People-active personalities tend to be those who are entertainers or salespeople.  People-passive personalities tend to be the people who are the glue that holds society together.  They are those who care for others and make sure that others are feeling all right, without necessarily pushing themselves forward into a specific position in order to do so.

This matrix not only can identify you and tell you something about yourself, but it can also be used as a tool for resolving certain types of conflict.  For example, a task-active manager may be someone who is impatient with the details that a task-passive analyst may be attempting to provide to them.  In that case, there might be a conflict.  In order to resolve the conflict, the task-passive person should be prepared to reduce the facts and details to be presented to the manager into as small a space as possible.  They should also be prepared, as quickly and forcefully as possible, to explain why the details that they do have to present to the manager must be considered in order for the manager to make the proper, informed decision.  Similar types of conflicts can be addressed in the other quadrants of the matrix.

This matrix is extremely simplistic, and some would say that it is too simplistic to be effectively used as a guide to behavior and activities.  However, I am simply using it as an example of the type of psychological testing that I can here explain quite quickly, but which gives you an example of how psychological testing might be useful to you in a variety of situations.

CoSMI series:

Previous: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10110-authenticity-know-yourself.html

Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

Next: TBA

CoSMI - 1.0.1.10 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - psychology

CoSMI - 1.0.1.10 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - psychology

Psalm 32:8

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

I have to be careful here.  I have to point out that I'm neither a psychiatrist, a psychologist, nor do I have certification as a counselor, nor do I even pretend to be a life coach.  I do have quite a bit of background in courses in psychology.  If you are in college or university, I would highly recommend that, whatever other course of study you are taking, you take courses in psychology.  Studying psychology will be a benefit to you regardless of what other career you plan to pursue.  Whatever you are going to be working on, you are going to be working with people, and understanding how people work is going to be very useful to you.

Particularly if you want to know how *you* work.

That said, a bit of background on various aspects of psychology and psychological counseling.

Psychology, as a field, is only a little bit over a century old.  It got its start with psychiatry.  Psychiatry is based on a number of theories which a number of people now feel are rather suspect, and which don't appear to be particularly effective as compared to other kinds of therapies.  It is where this all started.  Psychiatrists also have to be trained as medical doctors, and psychiatrists are the ones who can prescribe certain psychiatric medications.  Psychologists do not have to be medical doctors.  Psychological counselors, generally speaking, have at least a master's degree in the study of psychology, as well as certification as psychological counselors.  There are some who have less formal education, but still have certification as counselors.  There are those who advertise themselves as life coaches, and there is no requirement for any formal study at all.  Life coaches are just people who set themselves up as life coaches.  Caveat emptor.

Generally speaking, if your family doctor says that you need some kind of psychological counselling, he will refer you to either a psychiatrist or a psychological counsellor.  In this case, part of the cost of the counselling sessions will be covered by medical insurance.  Otherwise, if you just wish to talk to a psychological counsellor yourself, you are going to have to pay for the counselling.  Even if you are referred by your family doctor, psychological counselling, in actual practice, tends to cost more than medical insurance is willing to cover.  Certainly, if you are paying for the psychological counselling yourself, that can be quite expensive.  Unfortunately, there is very little to say that the quality of the counselling that you receive is going to match what you pay for it.  Psychological counsellors, although they tend to take similar training, still will have preferences in terms of the way that they think psychological problems should be addressed.  This may or may not be consistent with what you want to do with regard to psychological counselling.  Once again, let the buyer beware.

Having pointed out all the possible problems with psychological counseling, you may be wondering why on earth I am even bothering to recommend it.  Counseling can provide you with insights.  Psychology can provide you with insights.  I have taken many courses of study in a variety of fields of psychology over the course of my career.  Over the course of a lifetime with depression, I have also had a lot of experience with a lot of different varieties of psychological counseling.  Sometimes I have simply found out that I am, basically, an unhappy person.  Sometimes I have found out things that helped me in a variety of ways.  Sometimes I have done my own psychological research and study and found out some very useful tools and techniques.

There is value in psychological counseling, but there are, unfortunately, no guarantees.

CoSMI series:

Previous: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10109-authenticity-know-yourself.html

Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

Next: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10111-authenticity-know-yourself.html

CoSMI - 1.0.1.09 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - Mindfulness

CoSMI - 1.0.1.09 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - Mindfulness

Deuteronomy 18:9

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

You don't have to do all the work yourself, as you would have to do if you simply followed introspection.  You can get psychological counseling.  We are going to talk about that, but first I would like to talk about mindfulness.  I would like to talk about mindfulness first because it is a potentially useful tool, but secondly, if you do go for psychological counseling, it is extremely likely, in the current environment, that they are going to set you on the path of mindfulness anyway.  It's very popular right now.

I do not want to recommend mindfulness unreservedly.  Originally, mindfulness came from a weird variant of Eastern mysticism known as Transcendental Meditation that arose in the 1970s.  It became very popular for a while, and then sort of fell out of favor.  Except for the mindfulness part, which sort of lived underground for a while, and then, as I pointed out, became popular once again in psychological counseling circles.  But its origin does give it certain problems.  Particularly for those that I am addressing in this particular series, who are, after all, Christian.  Eastern mysticism is not terribly consistent with Christian theology and philosophy.  Although mindfulness has been semi-sanitized by various people who have tried to extract it from its Transcendental Meditation origins, it's surprising how often the philosophies of Buddhism, Hinduism, and other Eastern philosophies and religions pop up.  If you examine the materials on mindfulness carefully, you will find that the concepts of Nirvana and attempting to achieve a state of nothingness come up a lot.

(I should tell a story that will point out just how pernicious this danger can be.  I attended a session where they were discussing Transcendental Meditation and the potential risks.  One person challenging the presentation said that he used Transcendental Meditation just for the purposes of aiding studying and wasn't taken in by the mysticism parts of it.  The presenter asserted that even if you didn't think you were being taken in, you were being affected by it.  "No, I'm not," said the challenger.  "Yes, you are," said the presenter.  "No, I'm not," said the challenger.  This seemed to be pretty pointless until the presenter said to the challenger, "All right, if you are not being affected by the mysticism, then tell us your mantra."  The mantra was an aid to meditation given during Transcendental Meditation, just simply a word that the meditator would repeat.  However, the philosophy of Transcendental Meditation said that the mantra was a secret and should not be disclosed to anyone.  The challenger, even though there was no point in not disclosing his mantra, would not do it, thus proving the presenter's point that he was, in fact, being influenced by the Eastern philosophy behind the practice.)

You don't have to go for psychological counseling in order to get training in mindfulness.  If you just do a search on the Internet, you will come up with all kinds of people and websites who are willing to train you on mindfulness.  An awful lot of them, of course, will want you to buy books or take courses or otherwise pay them.  However, there are courses out there that will teach you about the basics of mindfulness without charging you anything for it.  Go and find these sites, but remember they are going to vary in quality.  Anything that you find on the Internet should be taken with a grain of salt.  Possibly a whole bag of salt.

The online sites that are going to be useful to you will assist you with the business of sitting in silence, and then asking yourself the kinds of questions that we have already started to explore.  Think about how you feel.  Think about why you feel that.  First of all, just examine your own feelings: physical sensations, what do you hear, how comfortable do you feel, what do you feel emotionally.  Use this to learn more about yourself.  The better mindfulness sites will guide you in asking these questions and in examining the answers that you get from this practice.

As I say, for a Christian, the practice of mindfulness is not without its risks.  Please do be careful.  I have not yet experienced a mindfulness site that is not contaminated with Eastern mysticism and philosophies in one way or another.  I cannot unreservedly recommend it as a practice.  However, it can help you if you do it carefully and prayerfully.

CoSMI series:

Previous: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10108-authenticity-know-yourself.html

Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

Next: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10110-authenticity-know-yourself.html

CoSMI - 1.0.1.08 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - introspection

CoSMI - 1.0.1.08 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - introspection

Psalm 139:14

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

I have suggested the simplest aspect of getting to know yourself, that of just sitting with yourself, in silence.  And, I suppose, I have suggested the next step, for some; that of not being afraid of just sitting with yourself in the silence.

But, of course, this may not give you all the answers you need.  As a matter of fact, it's pretty much guaranteed that it will not give you all the answers that you need.  So you need to do some introspection.  Introspection is the more analytical part of sitting alone with yourself.  You start to ask yourself the same questions as I suggested that you ask your family and friends.  What type of person am I?  What is it that I am afraid of?  What is it that brings me joy?  What is it that I want?  And don't be afraid that you'll mess things up if you ask yourself "what do I want right now."  Like sitting with yourself in silence, introspection takes time, and practice, and it will take many sessions before you really start to see that you were getting some benefit out of it.  I don't want to scare you off, but it may actually take years.

But once you start, you will find that you do start to get some answers.  And then you question those answers.  What is it that brings me joy?  How do I achieve that joy?  What do I need to do in order to make it possible, more often, to obtain that Joy?  And so forth.

All of this; the silence, sitting in silence, getting away from the distractions of the world, not being afraid of the silence, asking your family and friends, and introspection; is intended to allow you to start to know yourself.  As was pointed out earlier, knowing yourself is essential to authenticity, and ensuring that you remain authentic in your postings as a social media influencer.

Depending upon how far along on your own prospective path, and journey to knowing yourself; and also depending upon how far along in developing your own prayer life, you may find that this practice of introspection becomes a part of your prayer life.  While you are asking questions of yourself, and about yourself, you may find that you are asking God for answers to the same questions.  You may also find that you are asking God how God would have you change and develop.  This is quite okay.  You may also find similar things happen during your Bible study, where a verse will "jump out" and speak to you, your character, or your activities.

But this is only the first and simplest step.  There are other, more formal steps that you can take in order to know more about yourself, and therefore ensuring that you remain authentic.  We'll suggest a couple of them.

CoSMI series:

Previous: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10107-authenticity-know-yourself.html

Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

Next: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10109-authenticity-know-yourself.html

CoSMI - 1.0.1.07 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - friends

CoSMI - 1.0.1.07 - Authenticity - Know Yourself - friends

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

But you don't have to rely entirely upon yourself.  You don't have to sit in silence forever, waiting to figure yourself out.  There are people who can help you.

Your family.  Your friends.

Ask them.  Now, I say "them," advisedly.  Don't just ask one friend.  Ask multiple friends.  Ask your friends who you are.  Ask your family who you are.  Friends may be slightly more reliable than family.  Family, in particular parents, pretty automatically have certain things that they want you to be.  They may be aware of this, and they may fight against it, but they do have things that they would prefer that you be, rather than certain other things.  Sometimes your family, and even your parents, can fight their way past their expectations, and give you an honest assessment.  So ask them.  Take their answers with a little bit of salt, but they are the people who know you best: who live with you for the most time.

So ask your family and friends.  Ask acquaintances.  Ask people who have only known you for a short time, and ask them what kind of a first impression you make.  Since you intend to be an influencer on social media, there are going to be an awful lot of people who encounter you for the first time, and it's very valuable to know how you come across to people who don't know you very well.

Ask if you are a serious person.  If you are a funny person.  If you are a thoughtful person.  If you are a reliable person.  Ask all of these questions about yourself.  About how other people see you.  (I should note that this should not be the only topic of conversation: you should ask about the other person for a good amount of the time that you spent talking with them.  It's only fair.)

If you have aspirations to be an influencer, you probably have some idea of what an influencer should be.  And you probably hope that you have some of the characteristics of an influencer.  So there are things that you hope that you are, that your friends may not identify in you.  In fact, they may say that, no, this characteristic that you consider to be very important for an influencer is not present in your character at all.

Do not panic.  And, in terms of panicking, do not immediately try to create this characteristic within yourself.  Do not try to learn how to present yourself in such a way that it appears that you have this characteristic, whether you have this characteristic or not.  That is not going to be successful.  There is the old joke about sincerity being vitally important, and once you can fake sincerity you've got it made.  But it's a joke.  It is not career advice.

The thing is, if you don't have that characteristic, well, you don't have that characteristic.  There is no point in trying to fake it.  If you do try to fake it, you will come across as inauthentic.  It may take a while for people to see through you, but, the longer it takes, the more they will turn against you when they finally realize that you have, essentially, been lying to them all along.  So don't try to fake it.

But the other part of not panicking is, you may be wrong.  You may be wrong in that this characteristic, that you think is vitally important to an influencer, may not be all that important at all.  It may not be a significant factor in the success of any given social media influencer.  So just keep on doing your best, and presenting yourself authentically, and your authenticity will probably outweigh the lack of whatever characteristic you think you should have, and you don't have.

The other way that you may be wrong is, well, your friends and family might be wrong.  You may have this characteristic, only not to a major extent.  You may have this characteristic as an underlying component of your personality.  And, when it becomes important, if you remain authentic, if you remain honest, and present what you know to be your true self, then that characteristic will come to the fore when it is needed.

CoSMI series:

Previous: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10106-authenticity-know-yourself.html

Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

Next: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10108-authenticity-know-yourself.html

CoSMI - 1.0.1.06 - Authenticity - Know Yourself (part 2)

CoSMI - 1.0.1.06 - Authenticity - Know Yourself (part 2)

Psalm 139:1

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

As I say, not all of you will be afraid of this.  But, some of you might find it very frightening.  Why is it that you find the silence so frightening?

In fact, we do find silence frightening, very often.  We are used to the constant noise distraction that the world throws at us.  The police understand that silence is frightening.  This is why, when they questioning suspects, they sometimes simply sit in silence.  They know that the silence is more terrifying than any threats that they can make, and they know that, if they wait in silence, then, in order to fill the silence, the suspects may start talking, and may say a lot more than they intended to.

But this is, perhaps, a little bit distant from your situation as an influencer in social media.  So, why do you find silence so frightening?

Is it possibly because you are used to the world telling you who and what you are?  Is it possible that you are used to the fact that the world is constantly whispering who you are, what you want, what you need, and all kinds of other information.  And if that information is gone, even if it is disinformation, do you really exist?  Maybe that is the frightening question or the frightening part of the question?

If so, we can address that problem.  It isn't really a problem.  If you sit and wait, and don't allow yourself to be frightened, you will start to feel who you are.  You will start, I grant, very slowly, to feel what it is that you want, rather than what the world wants you to want.  You will start to realize your own ideas, rather than the opinions that the world would like you to have.  Don't let the initial fear terrify you.  This will pass.  Unplugged from the world, even if only for a little while, you will start to realize who you are.  You will start to know yourself.

CoSMI series:

Previous: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10105-authenticity-know-yourself.html

Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

Next: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10107-authenticity-know-yourself.html

CoSMI - 1.0.1.05 - Authenticity - Know Yourself (part 1)

CoSMI - 1.0.1.05 - Authenticity - Know Yourself (part 1)

Psalm 26:2

Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind

In the first sermon in the related series on social media influencing, I opened with an endorsement of authenticity.  And got an immediate response asking how one can be authentic on social media.

So I guess I have to back up a bit, and start earlier in the process.

To be authentic is to be true to yourself.  Which then begs the question of how to be true to yourself.  So the first step is obvious: know yourself.

At least it is obvious to *me*.  The thing is, I'm really old, and I have more than seven decades of experience at this.  Maybe it isn't obvious to those who haven't spent as long at it.  They might think that they already know themselves.  Or, they may have taken the first step, and realized that they don't really know themselves.

And you never really *do* know yourself.  Not completely.  It is a life long process.  Mostly because it is hard.  Secondly because you keep on changing, and, every time you change, you have to unlearn something about yourself that you thought was correct, and relearn the new bit.

Another reason that it is hard to know yourself is that the world keeps on blaring noise at you, and particularly about who and what you are.  And often this noise is quite wrong.  The world has reasons for feeding you this misinformation.  The world wants you to buy things, so it tells you that you need them, or want them.  Maybe you do, but very often you don't.  But the world keeps on repeating the message that you do, so it's hard to decide what is truly you.

A first step, although not necessarily *the* first step, is to cut out the noise and distractions, as much as you can.  Some people suggest that meditation is a good start, but an awful lot of the people who are promoting meditation are also trying to sell you something, so I'm going to suggest something that is even simpler.  Just sit in the quiet for a while.  Turn off the TV.  Turn off the radio.  Turn off the social media.  Turn off the ringer on your phone, or, better yet, turn off your phone for a while.  Don't be afraid of missing out: believe me, social media will still be there when you get back.

Don't think that you are going to get some kind of inspired insight on the first try.  Believe me, the first time you try this, it may terrify you.  As a matter of fact, for an inspired insight, that's not too bad.  The realization that just simply sitting, by yourself, in the quiet, without the world constantly bombarding you with messages, is terrifying.  Just think about that for a minute.  What is so frightening about that?

At any rate, this is going to take a while.  You are going to have to try it a number of times.  Each time, finding a little bit more about yourself.  How do you feel?  Why are you feeling that way?  What does this teach you about yourself?

And this is only a first step.

CoSMI series:

Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

Next: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10106-authenticity-know-yourself.html

CoSMI - 1.0.0.02 - Can a Christian Be an Influencer part 1

CoSMI - 1.0.0.02 - Can a Christian Be an Influencer part 1

Mark 16:15

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

In trying to prepare sermons for this particular series, I have had reactions from different people that this is impossible.  It is impossible, inherently impossible, for a Christian to be an influencer.

Obviously I don't agree with this position, but I think it's important to address the points that these people have made.

Jesus said that in order to follow him, we have to deny ourselves.  Paul says to the Philippians that they should do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  I think those who feel that it is inherently impossible for a Christian to be an influencer see influencers as primarily self-centred.  Not necessarily solely selfish, but definitely centred on themselves.  Their opinions, their reputation, their brand, and the way they present themselves to the world.  However, if that position is accurate, then it is impossible for a Christian to be an actor or a popular singer or really any position that puts them at center stage.  That would seem to include the position of a mass evangelist.  Was Billy Graham wrong in being an evangelist?  Was Mother Theresa wrong in trying to use her influence to advance the plight of the poor?

Most of us, in most denominations of Christianity, accept that we have a professional clergy and professional song leaders.  Therefore, we are having people who take center stage and do so on a regular basis and do it to the glory of God.  Gloria was a soloist.  She knew, from the age of twelve, that her voice was a gift from God and was to be used in God's service.  She frequently said that she considered God to be her booking agent.  When she was asked to sing, she always said yes.  She said that the requests came from God and that her voice was to be used in God's service.  She said that when she sang in Christian service, she always knew and felt strongly that there was at least one person in the audience who needed to hear that song.

So, can you be an influencer on social media if you are a Christian?  Can you be a Christian social media influencer, apart from trying to be a SMevangelist (social media evangelist)?

It would seem to me that we not only can, but that we must.  We are told to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  Cyberspace is now part of our world.  Social media is part of cyberspace.  Therefore, it would be not merely careless, but negligent, to abandon cyberspace to those who are either opposed to, or apathetic about, Christianity.  There is a risk to us, to our faith, and to our character, so we must take precautions.  But, if this is our calling, we must go.

There is, of course, always a danger, as there is with any aspect of life.  Vanity and conceit cannot be allowed to rule, and it would seem that pride and overconfidence are definitely dangers and sins that are not merely present in any activity on social media, but particularly the province of those who have ambitions as influencers.  Envy is definitely one of the sins that is going to be associated with social media.  Anger is also a sin that is omnipresent in our current social media platforms.  Therefore, yes, there is a great deal of danger for anyone who has any ambitions to be an influencer on social media platforms.  But, as I have said, we may be negligent if we simply concede it to those who do not wish Christianity to thrive.

CoSMI: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

CoSMI - 0.0.1.00 - introduction and table of contents

CoSMI - 0.0.1.00 - introduction and table of contents

Mark 16:15

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

Is it possible, as a Christian, to aspire to be a social media influencer, even in secular topic areas?  Is it inherently contradictory to have an ambition, as a Christian, in a field that is so completely self-centered?  What are the dangers and risks to your character and faith from such an ambition?  How can you ensure that you, yourself, remain authentic, and that your postings authentically reveal who you are?  Is admitting that you are a Christian going to damage your social media reputation or brand?  Is working as an influencer in social media going to damage your reputation as a Christian?  What do you have to watch out for in terms of your own topics and opinions in your social media work, in order to avoid damaging the reputation of Christianity?

Many people these days aspire to a job, and even a career, as an influencer in social media.  If you are a Christian, you have to ask yourself all of the questions above, and many, many more.  This series is going to attempt to address some of those questions, and assist in guiding those who wish to get into this particular field to do so safely.  Safely for you, your faith, your brand, and even, one might say, your immortal soul.

Topics and table of contents:

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html (this one)

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10002-can-christian-be-influencer.html

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10105-authenticity-know-yourself.html

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10106-authenticity-know-yourself.html

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10107-authenticity-know-yourself.html

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10108-authenticity-know-yourself.html

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10109-authenticity-know-yourself.html

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10110-authenticity-know-yourself.html

https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-10111-authenticity-know-yourself.html

CoSMI: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2026/05/cosmi-00100-introduction-and-table-of.html

Sermon - CoSMI - 1.0.0 - Can a Christian Be an Influencer part 1

Sermon - CoSMI - 1.0.0 - Can a Christian Be an Influencer part 1

1 Corinthians 12:4

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

In trying to prepare sermons for this particular series, I have had reactions from different people that this is impossible.  It is impossible, inherently impossible, for a Christian to be an influencer.

Obviously I don't agree with this position, but I think it's important to address the points that these people have made.

Jesus said that in order to follow him, we have to deny ourselves.  Paul says to the Philippians that they should do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  I think those who feel that it is inherently impossible for a Christian to be an influencer see influencers as primarily self-centred.  Not necessarily solely selfish, but definitely centred on themselves.  Their opinions, their reputation, their brand, and the way they present themselves to the world.  However, if that position is accurate, then it is impossible for a Christian to be an actor or a popular singer or really any position that puts them at center stage.  That would seem to include the position of a mass evangelist.  Was Billy Graham wrong in being an evangelist?

As a matter of fact, in taking this position, it would seem to be the case that one could not be a preacher of any kind or a song leader.  And there are, after all, certain denominations who take that position.  Quakers, or the Society of Friends, do not have anyone at all leading their services.  The Brethren do not go quite this far, but they do not have professional ministry or those who lead the singing on a regular and professional basis.

But these groups are in the minority.  Most of us, in most denominations of Christianity, accept that we have a professional clergy and professional song leaders.  Therefore, we are having people who take center stage and do so on a regular basis and do it to the glory of God.  Gloria was a soloist.  She knew, from the age of twelve, that her voice was a gift from God and was to be used in God's service.  She frequently said that she considered God to be her booking agent.  When she was asked to sing, she always said yes.  She said that the requests came from God and that her voice was to be used in God's service.  She said that when she sang in Christian service, she always knew and felt strongly that there was at least one person in the audience who needed to hear that song.

So, can you be an influencer on social media if you are a Christian?  Can you be a Christian social media influencer, apart from trying to be a SMevangelist (social media evangelist)?

It would seem to me that we not only can, but that we must.  We are told to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  Cyberspace is now part of our world.  Therefore, it would be not merely careless, but negligent, to abandon cyberspace to those who are either opposed to, or apathetic about, Christianity.

There is, of course, always a danger, as there is with any aspect of life.  Vanity and conceit cannot be allowed to rule, and it would seem that pride and overconfidence are definitely dangers and sins that are not merely present in any activity on social media, but particularly the province of those who have ambitions as influencers.  Envy is definitely one of the sins that is going to be associated with social media.  Anger is also a sin that is omnipresent in our current social media platforms.  Therefore, yes, there is a great deal of danger for anyone who has any ambitions to be an influencer on social media platforms.  But, as I have said, we may be negligent if we simply concede it to those who do not wish Christianity to thrive.

I have mentioned Billy Graham.  He very definitely achieved a very large measure of fame, and used that fame to influence people, and even politics.  The same can be said of Mother Teresa.  Of course, for every Billy Graham that we have, we can find a number of counter examples in televangelists who have achieved fame, and riches, and have then achieved notoriety, as they fell into sin.  There is a definite danger, and anyone who works in any area where fame and celebrity are part and parcel of the activity must beware of the dangers, and definitely take strong preventative action against them.

In regard to keeping yourself safe from the dangers of sin, in approaching the ambition to become a social media influencer, it would seem that the first and most effective preventative is honesty.  Be honest with those that you are influencing; your followers on social media.  But definitely be honest with yourself.  Are you doing this for the right reasons?  Are you willing for your reputation to suffer as a result of identifying yourself as a Christian?  Are you willing to trash or diminish your social media and influencer reputation in order to share the gospel with someone who hasn't heard it?  Are you willing for your influence, as an influencer, and your own celebrity to be secondary to your responsibility to follow what God would have you do, and say, rather than what may be popular on social media?

This issue of honesty is something that we have to examine very specifically in the next sermon, on authenticity.

Sermon - CoSMI - 1.1.7 - Can a Christian Be an Influencer part 2 - TBD

Sermons: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2023/09/sermons.html

Sermon 15 - Iisaak

Sermon 15 - Iisaak

Romans 13:7

Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

1 Peter 3:15

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

I'm trying to learn the Nuu-chah-nulth language.  To learn a new language is not simply to learn vocabulary, syntax, and grammar.  The language, in many ways, carries the culture.  What words mean, and the emphasis and priority putting put on certain of those meanings, tells you a lot about the people who use that language.

I learned a new word recently.  It's called iisaak.  It means "respect."

But, as is usual, it doesn't just mean respect: it has other meanings as well.  Translating from one language to another is like that.  The word Naas, for example is the word for God, but it's also the word for creator, and it's also the word for sky, and it's also the word for heaven.  Multiple meanings for the same word, at least in terms of what we think a word should mean.

Anyway the word iisaak means respect.  But it also means observe.  And it also means appreciate.  And it also means to take wise and thoughtful action.  All in one word.

And, if you think about it, isn't that what respect is?  If we respect someone or something, do we not observe it?  Do we not note the behavior of the person that we respect, and even try and emulate it?  Do we not observe what they do and say, and learn what we can from it?

And if we respect someone, don't we appreciate them?  Don't we appreciate every minute we can spend with them?  Do we not resent when other people take their attention from us?

And taking wise and thoughtful action.  Isn't that in there as well?  If you respect someone, do not you consider your own actions in comparison with theirs?  Do we not try and emulate their thoughts, and their wisdom?

Kelly, who taught me this word, uses the variety of meanings to make a framework for conflict resolution.  And for dealing with a variety of problems.  I think it's an excellent idea.  For one thing, conflict resolution should always be based on respect.  But the additional meanings do allow you to build a framework, and a process, that can be very effective for resolving conflicts and problems: first observe, and make sure that you understand what the problem actually is; then appreciate the valid points on the other side; and then take wise and thoughtful action to resolve the issue.  I think it's a terrific framework.

And, of course, it also makes for a terrific sermon.  We need to respect God.  And that means that we need to observe, and appreciate, and take wise and thoughtful action with regard to God.

First off, we need to observe.  God has revealed himself to us in a variety of ways.  To begin with, there is God's word: the Bible, the scriptures.  We get to hear God speaking directly to us.  We get to hear, pretty plainly, what God wants to tell us.  How he expects us to act.  What it is that he expects of us.  And, of course, even within the scriptures, God has revealed  himself to us, very particularly, in the person of Jesus Christ.  This is a revelation, a very special revelation, for those of us who believe.  It is the most direct, personal, and plain revelation to the world.

But God reveals himself in all kinds of ways.  The heavens declare His handiworks.  The Earth is full of his glory.  The atheists like to raise the problem of pain as a proof for the non-existence of God.  The problem is, we say that God loves us, and that he is all powerful.  Well then, say the atheists, why does pain and suffering exist?  If God was good he would want his creatures to be happy, and yet there is suffering.  So, either God is not good, or he is not all powerful.  This is the problem of pain.  Well there are a number of answers to the problem of pain.  But the atheists have another problem: the problem of beauty.  If God doesn't exist why is the world so beautiful?  What is the purpose of having such amazing glory all around us for no particular reason?  Why is there an absolutely gorgeous sunset pretty much every day.  And, since I tend to be up most earlier than most of you, I can also tell you that the day starts off pretty much the same way: absolutely glorious.

And observe the provisions that God makes for us, and for every living creature as well.  God provides for us in so many ways; such prolific ways; such a variety of ways.  God takes care of us.  But there is such beauty in the universe!  The wonders of the orbits of electrons in the smallest atom and the structure of the cosmos overall like a giant soap foam, made up of galactic clusters.  Look at the smallest weed wildflower growing in your patch of lawn.  Consider how beautiful it is, just as it is.  And then take a lens, and look at it more closely.  Consider the structures in veining and the amazing design of the individual pedals themselves.  And then go even deeper, if you can find a powerful enough microscope, and consider the beauty and art that goes into the cells, and the channels that fluids flow through in order to nourish the plant and give it life.  And all of this beauty, that could have been just simply functional, for no particular reason at all.  At least no reason if there is no God who does not want us to see the beauty of his creation.  And all of this may be provided for one single planet of people: us.  All this amazing provision, just to keep us alive.  And entertained?

And do we appreciate it?  Do we appreciate the beauty, the grandeur, and the provisions?  Are we properly grateful for the fact that God keeps us alive minute by minute?  He maintains the world.  He maintains the universe.  He maintains us.  He feeds us.  He feeds everything, and in some weird and wonderful ways.  He provides us with life.  And then, even though we are ungrateful, and selfish, and disobedient, he saves us.  He provides salvation, as well as life.

Do we appreciate the beauty?  Do we appreciate the provision?  Do we appreciate that God, the creator of the entire universe, and any other universes that there are if you believe that there are other universes, wants to be your best friend?  Wants you to live with him forever?

Do we respect God enough to appreciate all that he has done for us?

And then there is the thoughtful and wise action.  Give thought to the respect that is due to God.  Give thought to all that we have to appreciate, which is provided by God.  And then, give thought to the fact that our respect for God, the appropriate respect for God, and our appreciation for all that he has done for us, must prompt us to action.  And that action must be thoughtful.  Yes, our appreciation may prompt us to throw our hands in the air and praise.  That is all well and good.  But is that all that we owe God?  Thoughtful action would indicate that we need to do something more for God.  Therefore, we need to determine, or at least try to determine, what it is that God would have us do.  What action God would have us take.

Fortunately, God has provided us some help in this regard.  He has given us his word, the bible, the scriptures.  He has shown you, oh man, what it is that he requires of you.  God has provided us the law.  God has provided us the words of the prophets.  God has provided us with stories and histories and wisdom, and even his son as an example for us as a rabbi for us, as a direct statement to us of what it is that we are to do.  And so, we should emulate that example.  We should look into those stories and give them careful thought, and then take action based on what we read there.  We need to take action.  We need to, as closely as we can, do, and act, in the way God would have us act.  This is the thoughtful action that we would take we need to take.

And we need to take action, rather than doing nothing.  Failing to take action is not wise.  But, in addition to action, and addition to giving thought to what actions to take, we need to study wisdom.  We need to be wise in our actions.  We need to give thought, we need to ponder wisdom, we need to ponder the words of God and consider and root them deeply into the way we work and the way we think, and we need to use that wisdom to guide our actions.  It is not enough simply to observe.  It is not enough simply to appreciate.  It is not enough to give thanks, no half matter how effusive.  And, it is not enough to take action, simply any action.  The action must be thoughtful, and the action must be wise.  And, given all that God has done for us, the wisdom must be the best that we can give.  The thought must be the best that we can give, so that the action is the best that we can give.  God deserves the best.  To do anything less is to lack respect for God.  To demonstrate a lack of respect for God.  To demonstrate that we have failed to show the proper respect for God.

Sermons: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2023/09/sermons.html

A couple of firsts

As previously noted, I have known Carl even longer than I knew Gloria.  So I went to his birthday party.  It was a bit of an adventure.

It was suggested that I check out the Hullo ferry.  The Hullo people tend to market their service as an adventure.  It's not really that kind of an adventure.  Basically, it's a bus.  I am confident in that assessment, because, after I got off the Hullo ferry in Vancouver, I took a bus out to UBC.  It's basically the same experience.

Admittedly, I was on the lower deck.  The "Comfort" class.  If you pay more, you can get the "Premium" class or the "Business" class.  If you do that, you get to bring an extra bag, you get a bigger, more comfortable seat, you get to board and disembark first, and you get to sit on the upper deck.

(The lower deck is not exactly crowded, but, if you are on a full transit, as one of mine was, you had best pay heed to their suggestion to stay in your seat for the trip.  The aisles are easy to move around in, when empty, but even a few extra people moving around tends to result in blockages.  I would really hate to see an emergency on board.)

The Hullo office and lounge on the Nanaimo side is quite nice.  It's got a washroom, it's got a snack bar, and it's got a bunch of very friendly staff waiting for the next departure.  There is a rather large parking lot on the Nanaimo side.  I was traveling mid-week, in early spring, and there was plenty of parking available.  I shouldn't have worried about it, although I did, and I went way too early.  But they have guest wifi available in the lounge area, so I was okay.

Of course, you don't embark from the lounge area, and nobody mentioned this.  You actually embark from a set of lineups that are outside the office.  Because I didn't know this, I was one of the last to board, because everybody else who does know this goes directly to the lineups and skips the lounge.

Of course, it doesn't really matter, because if you buy your ticket in advance, you choose your seat.  So I had assigned seating.  Apparently, I was charged for assigned seating.  I wasn't really given an option.

There appears to be massive confusion about what counts as luggage on the Hullo ferry.  I haven't seen such confusion over bringing massive suitcases onto a journey since the last time I was on a flight to Nigeria.  I suspect that an awful lot of people are traveling from Nanaimo to get a day of shopping in Vancouver and want large suitcases to bring back their purchases.  And apparently everybody wants to avoid the extra $25 you get charged for a checked suitcase.  Carry-on luggage is free, but what counts isn't exactly spelled out.  There is one place on the Website that mentions a twenty-two inch limit.  Even in the Nanaimo lounge there is no explanation of this, nor one of those racks that the airlines have so you can measure your bags.  Actually, in terms of the allocated space on board, you could bring a medium-sized purse, or a fairly small backpack, and that's about it.  Even a briefcase is a little bit much in the comfort class area.

The seats, even in comfort class, are starting to look a bit depressed, but are comfortable enough.  So, was the ride.  The day that I happened to travel was pretty much a flat calm, although some recent high tides had apparently pulled an awful lot of flotsam off the beaches, which may have accounted for some odd movements in the travel.  The captain was probably avoiding drifting logs.  Each trip is about an hour and twenty minutes.  The view, en route, is not exactly great, but it definitely could be improved if anybody would wash the salt spray off the windows.  Actually, when I went to embark on the ferry for the return trip, I noticed that they do, occasionally, wash the salt spray off the windows, both on the upper and lower decks.  With a hose.  On one side only.  The side that I was on was not cleaned for either of the voyages that I was on.

During the trip they run various ads on screens throughout the cabin.  The safety video also ran on these screens.  Every once in a while, there was an announcement that all systems were operating smoothly.  I would have had more confidence in this announcement had it not also been immediately followed by,(and sometimes preceded by) another announcement that the guest wifi on board was not available because of system upgrades.

It's too bad that the return trip has to be from Vancouver.  The Hullo infrastructure on the Vancouver side is pretty much non-existent.  Apparently, there is a VIP lounge in a nearby restaurant, but neither arriving in, or departing from, Vancouver did I have the time to go and explore and find out where it was.  The arrival and embarkation on the Vancouver side is attached to the new convention center.  The new convention center is rather an enormous complex, with multiple levels, and a whole bunch of attached infrastructure.  The Hullo ferries arrive at, and depart from, the Harbour Air seaplane dock.  If you are not an aficionado of the harbour area in Vancouver, you can be forgiven for not knowing where this is.  The Hullo departure area can be identified from the rather squiggly handwritten word 'Hullo' that has been added in Sharpie marker to the elevator buttons.  If you can find the area where the seaplane dock is, and if you can find the elevator.  Basically, when you arrive in Vancouver, you are two blocks from anything other than the new convention centre complex.

So I had to hoof it about five blocks up to the bus loop at the Bentall Centre complex.  God was good to me, in that one of the first buses at the stop I eventually decided on was an express bus out to UBC.  Mind you, then I was at the bus loop at UBC, and, because of various areas of construction, both the sidewalks between the bus loop and Regent College were closed.

I worked the room at the birthday party.  This was basically in Gloria's honour.  Gloria always insisted that I did very well at working a room, and was quite capable at it, regardless of the fact that this is definitely not my comfort area.  I met a few nice people, and a couple of people who I wasn't quite sure why they were there.  They seemed to be not quite sure why they were there, either.  I was able to talk, briefly, with both Carl and with Betsy.  I was also able to meet a couple of members of the family.  It's interesting that, given the time that I've known both Carl and Betsy, I, over the years, had multiple reports on the accomplishments of various of their kids and family.  But this is the first time I've actually met them.

I had to leave early in order to get back to the ferry for departure time.  This led to the second first of the day: I rode in an Uber.  One of the people that I had contacted, in regard to being at the birthday tea, indicated that they would get me back to the ferry on time, and apparently this was their solution.  It was fine.  I am still not going to sign up for Uber.