1. Recognize that God is the source of life and we are just vessels passing it on.
2. Look to heaven and get a spiritual understanding. When tempted to go all ablather about physical blessings God gives, turn them back to Him in praise.
3. When someone says, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!" say, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
4. When someone says, "Hoc est corpus meum," say "Christ's body is in heaven (exalted at the right hand of the Father), and on earth (in the Church), but not in a box. Besides, it was a Passover seder, loaded with symbolism, at which Jesus said it. He just changed the symbolism."
5. When someone says, "I would not have God for my Father if I didn't have the Church for my Mother," make sure they don't put the cart before the horse and say that in order to be saved you have to join the church. It's the other way around. And note the absence of Biblical didactic teaching on the supposed Motherhood of the Church.
6. Paul said to eagerly desire the expressions of the Spirit, especially to prophecy. But recognize that you can want these blessings too much, and if you're not expressing them in love, you're a clanging symbol. Desire communion with the Giver of the gifts, over the gifts.
7. Recognize that the tendency to canonize people isn't limited to the Catholics and Orthodox. It's a human failing, very present in Protestants as well. They just don't call it that.
8. Love God, not money. It's deceitful and offers a false sense of security.
9. Stick with Scripture. Councils (yes, even Nicea and Chalcedon), Magisteria, Pastors, Bishops, Priests, Movements, Commentaries, Synods, and Confessions, are *all* relative.
10. Trust God. Eat from the Tree of Life, and not from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Obey God and understand that His commands are for our life (point one of the Genesis 2:17 prohibition) and that
pistis is greater than
gnosis (point two).
