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Sermon Illustrations: Mind
Anecdotes
Victorious living is a struggle between the old man and the new man. It's like a dog-fight. If you feed one, it becomes strong and if you starve the other it becomes weak.
A researcher took the top shooters in the USA and found out what they were thinking just before they shot. Then he took novices and trained them to think the same things. They had a high degree of accuracy. Story from Gabriela Byrne.
A lecturer was trying to explain to a student how deductive reasoning worked. "For instance," he said, "I could reason a lot about you just from one small piece of information." "Really?" "Yes. Do you have a dog?" "Yes." "Then you'll probably live in a house." "Yes." "Then you'll probably have a family." "Yes." "Then you'll probably have children." "Yes." "Then you're a heterosexual." "Wow. That's amazing." He was so impressed that he decided to try it on his friend." "I could reason a lot about you just from one small piece of information." "Really?" "Yes. Do you have a dog?" "No." "What! You're a homosexual?"
Putting garbage into your mind is like pumping Macdonald's into your body.
Renewing of the mind: It's like going to the Imax Theatre and watching a 3-dimensional movie. And you're thinking, "This isn't 3-dimensional. It's only 2-dimensional." Then someone nudges you and says, "You've got to put the glasses on." "Ohhh, now I see."
The Bathtub Test: It doesn't hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started. During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalised. "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, and then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub." What would you use? "Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup." "No." said the director, "A normal person would just pull the plug. Do you want a bed near a window?"
In war, captors often try to mess with the minds of captives. One method is to give them a shovel, point to a huge pile of dirt, and tell them to move it to another point. Once that is done, they tell them to move it back. The idea is to remove their sense of purpose.
Our memories are like a photo album and we're the ones who get to choose what goes into the album.
Quotes
The best evidence that you have a mind is when you change it. Roger Scruton, philosopher
Your brain is capable of recording 800 memories per second for 75 years without ever getting tired. Earl D. Radmacher You And Your Thoughts
The greatest preacher you'll ever hear is yourself. (re the endless prattle in the mind - we listen to our own voice more than any other).
When you throw a ball to someone . "Your mind makes 732 million calculations just to catch a ball." (Back of envelope from Microsoft)