Motivational books?

[Godscreated]

[edit]

It was just an offer and in that offer I did say I wouldn't preach at you. I'm really confused as to how someone could blame the Bible because they almost tried suicide. To me to blame a book and only a book just doesn't add up.

GC

bold mine

I thought you believed that the book contained the word of god. Now it's only a book?

That's not what I said, l was saying to put the blame only on the book did not make sense.

GC

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Jesus fuck, we had a perfectly good thread about motivational books and helping with depression, and of course GC has to come and shit all over it like a fucking two year-old with his pathetic "read the bible,you were never a Christian, neener-neener" stupidity. Fuck off, asshole. Seriously, anyone that tries to peddle religion to someone looking for mental health help needs to be heartily bitch-slapped like the predator they are.

TEGH, in all my years fighting depression, I only found one book that ever came close to being of any value, but it's been so long since I read it that I can't really remember enough to recommend it. It's "The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hanh. He's a Buddhist monk, and I know you said no religious stuff. Mindfulness, however, can actually be a secular concept that doesn't take buying into the woo to be of value, and I believe there's not a whole lot of religious material in the book. Although, like I said, it's been so long that I can't actually remember what I liked about it, but I remember being pretty inspired by it.

Hey, l made a suggestion and left it at that, l did not post in this thread again nor would l have, but others took exception to what I did, except for the OP.

GC

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No need to get bent, I've said the same thing many times and all of a sudden you object. My bubble bursting, l do not live in a bubble l know what's happening all around me. I've been here longer than any other Christian and most of the non-believers and no one has come close to changing my mind not even a thought of changing. The people of my church have always thought l was good at evangelism and frankly their opinions don't matter all that much either, it's all about what God thinks.
The scriptures tell us in more than one place that once we become a Christian nothing nor no one can move us from God. Look at it this way being a Christian means you know God without a doubt, so if you could change your mind about staying a Christian you certainly couldn't deny that God is real. You could say I'm no longer going to serve Him and worship Him, but you can't say He doesn't exist.
You being a non-believer look at Christianity with the belief God isn't real and that Christianity is more of a social club or whatever. Myself I know God is real and I know what is involved in the Christian belief, understand I'm not biblically uneducated, I've studied the scriptures for a long time and dug deep into them. Just going before the church and saying you believe want save you, you will still be as lost as last year's Easter egg if your confession wasn't from the heart. I've seen many people who thought they were Christian spending their whole life in church and active in the work come to realize they were never saved. They had the answers to questions when asked, they went through all the right motions, they went before the church and confessed their belief and for years were empty inside and never asked anyone what was going on. Then one day God the Father actually called them to accept Jesus as their savior, that's when they realized they were lost and need to do something about it. God the Father doesn't call people to Christ at a certain age or certain time, He calls them when He knows they are ready to accept Jesus if they will. To many well intentioned Christians try to talk not just kids but everyone they meet into becoming a Christian, kids feel the pressure and try and please others by making a commitment that they have no idea what's involved, without the Father's call it's all for nothing. Jesus said only the Father can open the heart and call people to Christ, that's a paraphrase. Adults and older teens rebel more than they listen and search, they've already tasted the pleasures of the world (the forbidden fruit so to speak} so fewer come to know Christ at a later age.
With all that said I hope you can see that you and l look at Christianity with different sets of eyes. When I tell someone they were never a Christian who says they are no longer a believer in God l do not mean it as cruel or hurtful it's simply the truth according to the scriptures. Being a Christian means one is a follower of Christ the living God and, if someone claims they were once a Christian and now no longer believes God is real, then they could have never been a follower of the living Christ. It just doesn't work the way that those who called themselves Christians and then jumped ship believes it does. In my opinion they are trying to put on a face that will fit both sides of this issue, they just do not want to look bad for whatever reason.
If you never believe anything else about me just remember this, l do not tell those who have left what they believe was Christianity that they were never a Christian with any sort of malice, that's not me nor is it a proper way for a Christian to act. I actually do it in hopes they might re-examine what they believed to  a be Christianity and allow God to once again convict their heart. I  guess l've said all that can be said my friend, hope that I did not offend you in what I said.

GC

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If you persist in attaching an ever-growing number of lofty assertions to your personal definition of what a Christian is, then you will always win GC; In your own mind, of course. 
Congratulations, I suppose.

Though, do keep in mind, that the people you to wish enlighten are well aware of your willingness to engage in such ill-disguised dishonesty. So, when you shift gears and attempt to somehow 'move' non-believers with some random, goofy anecdote or testimony regarding your 'personal experience' with God, don't get bent out of shape if their not willing to take it at face value. 

You've already demonstrated an inclination to manipulate the truth quite desperately, when it comes to these matters.

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I haven't gotten bent out of shape and the only thing l did as any Christian would do is recommend the Bible as an aid. The OP did not get bent out of shape over my suggestion and l had no intentions of posting in this thread after that first post. If everyone else had minded their own business and gone on their merry way none of this would have ever transpired. If the OP did not take exception to my suggestion and the suggestion was to the OP alone, and if you all had paid attention to the response of the OP then all this crap would not have come about. If you guys want to keep this junk up go ahead, leave me out of it, l have nothing further to say on this matter.

GC

[Athene]

I haven't gotten bent out of shape and the only thing l did as any Christian would do is recommend the Bible as an aid. The OP did not get bent out of shape over my suggestion and l had no intentions of posting in this thread after that first post. If everyone else had minded their own business and gone on their merry way none of this would have ever transpired. If the OP did not take exception to my suggestion and the suggestion was to the OP alone, and if you all had paid attention to the response of the OP then all this crap would not have come about. If you guys want to keep this junk up go ahead, leave me out of it, l have nothing further to say on this matter.

GC

"Alright, GC...FINE, then!"

[brewer]

bold mine

I thought you believed that the book contained the word of god. Now it's only a book?

That's not what I said, l was saying to put the blame only on the book did not make sense.

GC

What is not what you said, word of god or only a book?

[Edwardo Piet]

No need to get bent

Indeed, no need for Thena to get bent. She's so polite to the theists here I've not only seen her be nice to you but also to Drich because she's such a tolerant person. Just because she disagrees with you doesn't mean she's being unreasonable.

So yes, no need for her to get bent but you, however, can get bent as far as I'm concerned.

If you fob off those who are the most decent to you then I think you can get fucked (or bent, take your pick).

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Are you actually trying to help people, or are you just in the business of converting them?

I don't think Godschild differentiates between those two things.

[Seraphina]

For dealing with procrastination and developing new routines:  The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

For depression:  The Mindful Way Through Depression (Williams, Teasdale, Segal and Kabat-Zinn).

I just remembered I also have "Wherever You Go, There You Are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Bought it years ago back in New York and it's a decent read. It's a tad New Age-y but maybe my New Age radar is up now that I live in Crazyfornia lol.

[Astreja]

I just remembered I also have "Wherever You Go, There You Are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Bought it years ago back in New York and it's a decent read. It's a tad New Age-y but maybe my New Age radar is up now that I live in Crazyfornia lol.

I've got a copy of that in my collection too, although I haven't finished reading it. (It's slated to be re-read from the beginning at some later date, and then either returned to the collection or given away depending on whether or not I expect to read it again.  I think I got about halfway through it before I got distracted.)

The depression book is more of a collaborative effort and a bit more to the clinical side rather than New Age, and I did read the whole thing before passing it along to someone else.

[Godscreated]

I haven't gotten bent out of shape and the only thing l did as any Christian would do is recommend the Bible as an aid. The OP did not get bent out of shape over my suggestion and l had no intentions of posting in this thread after that first post. If everyone else had minded their own business and gone on their merry way none of this would have ever transpired. If the OP did not take exception to my suggestion and the suggestion was to the OP alone, and if you all had paid attention to the response of the OP then all this crap would not have come about. If you guys want to keep this junk up go ahead, leave me out of it, l have nothing further to say on this matter.

GC

"Alright, GC...FINE, then!"

Was there anything in my last post to you that wasn't true? What did I say that would cause you to slam the door in my face? I'm not the only grown up here my friend.

GC

[Athene]

Was there anything in my last post to you that wasn't true? What did I say that would cause you to slam the door in my face? I'm not the only grown up here my friend.

GC

Well....I thought it was funny, and that it might lighten things up a bit.

Apparently not.
Sorry about that.

[Godscreated]

Was there anything in my last post to you that wasn't true? What did I say that would cause you to slam the door in my face? I'm not the only grown up here my friend.

GC

Well....I thought it was funny, and that it might lighten things up a bit.

Apparently not.
Sorry about that.

I accept that as your intention, no need for the sorry.

GC

[AceBoogie]

Sorry you do not want this, but here it is, the Bible addresses those and many more.

GC

Jesus christ, you just couldn't resist, could you?

to OP

I can't think of any books I've read that are anything like a motivational, pep talk type of thing... but there are some books that have helped me get out of slumps... books that are more about the mind itself and how to deal with different mental states.

The Art of Thinking: The Classic Guide to Increasing Brain Power by Allen F. Harrison and Robert M. Bramson

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Mastery by Robert Greene

The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living by Russ Harris and Steven Hayes

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide by Gillian Butler and Tony Hope