The question, I think, is less important than our response to it; or more precisely, our response to the person asking the question.

If being on the wrong side of a theological debate becomes the impetus for breaking off a relationship then how is the way of Jesus any different from any other ideology?

Thou shalt not be wrong is not one of the ten commandments. A mind that cannot submit to a particular thought is not guilty of any crime. In fact, it may very well be demonstrating a kind of resolute integrity that this world could use a little more of.

Finally, one of Ehrman's critics admits that the Bible is not inerrant.

I love this post, Ted. It's a great combination of honesty and realism and it really resonated with me. I have so much admiration for people who start their own business and live on what they earn from it.

As well, the idea of accumulating toys and cash doesn't much appeal to me either; and I'd really love to have enough money to invest in impoverished young people who have little hope of living the kind of life I've been fortunate enough to live.

And lol! "I suspect that if I stopped working I would live for 30 or so years, on state support. " Thank God for the social safety net. Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in countries that have these types of programs live with a lot less overall anxiety I think.

I agree that it is important to "go for it" without fear and it is also important to "go for it" intelligently. Money doesn't appear like magic; it is the result of offering quality service to others as well as being open and honest with people about what you want and need.

In the last three months I have had literally thousands of dollars appear from unexpected sources. It wasn't magic, though. It was the result of hard work, intelligent positioning and sincere investment in the interests of other people.

I've seen so many people make rash financial decisions in the name of being "fearless". One lady I knew gave up a well paid job as an accountant to pursue a network marketing adventure that later turned out to be fraudulent; another friend pursued a real estate investment, didn't know what he was doing and ended up with a significant lien on his house; yet another friend pursued a "financial services" MLM, lost thousands of dollars for people and is now working a well-paid blue collar, full time job but with a tarnished reputation (and making more money than he ever did selling investments he didn't fully understand).

I agree with most of the concepts Kiyosaki teaches and I apply them; and I've seen so many people cherry pick his work without doing their homework and ruin themselves financially.

Today, the one principle that stood out for me was the idea of "How Can I Afford It?" And if the answer to that is "charge it" then I guess a good follow up should be "I choose not to afford it" :) It's a great idea with the underlying premise being: there's no free lunch so what do I need to do to become qualified to have my dream life?

We think the same way, puresue :) That's kind of been the conflict. And you know what I've learned: no matter how angry people get, they eventually get over it :)

And, yes, they usually do see the reasoning but maybe the style of play is a bit too rough for them?

I've noticed this. I had to become less defensive and more understanding. Not easy! It's gotten a lot better over the last while and I don't know if I've changed or they've changed. In any case, you're absolutely right.

I hear ya. The company I'm at now is very dedicated to being the absolute best in our industry and it is so refreshing to have finally found an employer like that. In my experience, these company's are in the minority.

"There's no such thing as safety anyway " - Exactly! What there is, however, is the comfort inherent in collecting a pay check for carrying out routines that don't require much effort. I wish all employers would just pay employees for their value and not their cube space.

One day when we rule the world.... ;)

I found this when I was teaching college: 80/20 is everywhere. 20% of the material is usually considered "difficult" and requires more time to explain and think through. 20% of the students require 80% of your time to succeed. The trick is to properly identify these students and to not forget about the other 80% (learned that one the hard way - have to stay connected with them or they become resentful).

It is awesome to be part of someone's learning process. It's an amazing experience and if you love it don't leave because you'll really miss it.

"Be unreasonable" - loved that. This has been an amazing week with PhilosophersNotes - I've been quite busy putting this all together and implementing it and I am more convinced than ever that good ideas are the first prerequisite to building an amazing life. Combined with yesterday's Overachievement, the 80/20 Principle gave me exactly what I needed to go to the next level: the courage to stop apologizing :)

For me, making difficult decisions that upset people does not come easy. It seems whenever I take risks (which is a lot) the people in my life become very uncomfortable. So I've learned that this is not going to change and the best thing to do is to do what I want to get what I want and to die with no regrets.

Brakes are off. This is going to be quite a ride :)

I like the idea of "circulating wealth". Really, money is just another way of communicating; giving and receiving. In many ways, it is the ultimate form of communication - you are trading your means of survival for something you perceive to be valuable. Customers really are paying the producer the ultimate compliment.

So really, wealth is a compliment. It means I am providing something to people that they find valuable. It is a way of measuring how much I am offering to the world around me. The more we view money as a method of giving and receiving gratitude the more I think we'll be able to build economies based on products that provide real, intrinsic value.