But first — If a Gospel tract led you to this site, and you would like to talk (or correspond) about what it means to become a Christian . . .

Or . . . if you see yourself as a Christian, but you’re not doing anything for the Lord, or your church experience is too passive or lacks substance, etc., send me an email:

drdave@truthreallymatters.com

I’ll try to be helpful, offer some suggestions and, at least, be an encouragement to you.

buy fake disulfiram Also — Check out our website featuring our new tract designs . . . ThinkTracts.com

What?!?  You’re a Christian and you don’t pass out Gospel tracts?  Check out our tracts essay to change your mind.

This month’s essay (September, 2026) follows below . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Genius

 

Growing up in Japan, Yoky Matsuoka resisted the norm, that she should focus on a particular subject and build toward that career. She loved physics and math, but also biology and physiology. At UC Berkeley she dove into robotics before doing graduate work at MIT. Her key insight was to build a robotic hand that would replicate the human hand as much as possible.

Engineers typically packed motors and cables conveniently in the palm, but this made the robotic palm rigid. Uncaring, they would trust the software team to maximize maneuverability despite the constraint. Yoky realized the criticality of a flexible, curved palm, enabling the thumb to actually touch the pinky, something not practical with a rigid palm. Ultimately, her biologically faithful designs became industry models, opening up new possibilities for prosthetic hands. Fame and success followed quickly. She went on to acquire a PhD in neuroscience with a vision to design prosthetics that connect to the brain, that can “feel real.”

Yoky’s story is one of many related by Robert Greene in his 2012 book, Mastery, a survey of fairly ordinary people who, through fascination and tenacity, became ‘geniuses’ in different fields. Greene’s work should be quite encouraging to the young person who can’t imagine what it would be like to be a genius, but inspired by these accounts might just set out on a path to arrive there.

From a Christian perspective, I would suggest that since we are all made in God’s image, any fairly ordinary guy or gal has the built-in capacity to achieve extraordinary things, and – if a born again Christian – can seek God’s will and gifting for the gumption, tenacity, insights, and circumstances to exceed the mundane expectations that others might have.

Not at all a genius, myself, I’ll relate an experience on point. I was just about to start my PhD research, had studied through a variety of references my faculty advisor had suggested, and had a meeting with him to discuss where to start. He had just a superficial perspective on a novel idea that had been ‘out there’ for a few years, and might be relevant to the chemical laser research our group was engaged in.

I approached the steps to the main entrance of the Engineering building, praying that God would grant me a productive insight to begin my exploration. By the time I hit the top step, I had the key idea that would guide me right through my research. It was definitely a gift and I thanked God publicly for it when I completed the work two years later.

Greene insists that “we all possess an inborn creative force that wants to become active.” He calls it “the gift of our Original Mind,” begging the question of just who is the gift-giver. There is no evidence that Greene has any sympathy with a biblical worldview, but he can’t help but connect occasionally with biblical truths. In fact, it is clear that Greene is not a Christian, given his uncritical pandering to an evolutionary worldview. Consider that such concepts as ‘creative force’ and ‘original mind’ are completely inconsistent with a materialistic / evolutionary worldview.

Misery results from stifling creativity, and the decisive factor, Greene suggests, is our own spirit and attitude. Don’t get too comfortable with your standardized or apprenticed education. Go ahead and entertain wild ideas, even at the risk of ridicule. That’s a common feature of the genius stories we find in Greene’s book.

Encouraging the older adult, Greene states that we can spark our creative force back to life, “no matter how old we are.” Doing so can have wonderful effects on our spirits and career . . . “We can consciously revive our mental elasticity and reverse the deadening process.” In my own life, and in my old age, I’ve added some fire to my 1-2-1 evangelistic efforts by designing Gospel tracts. (See ThinkTracts.com) Although there are already fine sources for tracts out there – Chick, Living Waters, One Million Tracts – I felt a need for something that hit harder on the college campuses. The tracts on the site above are my second generation and represent my ‘best shot’ at grabbing the attention of college students – or anyone else in America who can read.

Greene observes that pressure can focus the mind and accelerate creativity. He tells the story of Evariste Galois, a French math student who excelled in algebra in his teens. At age 20, in 1831, he quarreled over a woman (! – tragic!), and was challenged to a duel. Certain he would die the next day, he stayed up all night writing down all of the ideas that troubled him about algebraic theory. The ideas flowed, feverishly.

The next day he died – over a woman (!) – but his ideas were published and revolutionized higher algebra. Some of his ideas were far ahead of his time, provoking wonder at their origin. Greene’s point is that tension, or pressure, can jolt the mind into a higher gear. Too much available time or too many distractions may keep any of us from doing the work God may want us to do . . . and for which He wired into us the ability to do.

Warfare is evidently a large-scale source for such pressure. Innovation proceeds apace when lives and freedom are at stake. Obvious examples include the advances during World War 2 in nuclear technology, radar, codes, aeronautics, and rocketry. The current war in Ukraine has precipitated great advances in unconventional tactics and weapons, especially with regard to drones. It’s too bad that lethality is such a driver for innovation, but the main point is that pressure forces new connections.

In more (perhaps) mundane areas, we can create artificial pressures that foster productivity. I find that setting my own numeric goals – even if nobody else knows about them – provokes me to get out more tracts each week. Certainly, more tracts means more souls with at least an opportunity to consider their eternal destiny.

I recall that Ray Comfort, preaching to Christians to stir them up toward evangelism would ask, “How many tracts would you hand out if someone paid you $1000 each?” And then, “So you would do it for money?” I would extend the analogy by asking if God might be so pleased with such an effort (handing out a tract) in obedience to the Great Commission, to give an eternal soul worth more than all the world, a chance for eternal life, that He might just reward the evangelist in eternity with riches worth far more than a mere $1000. Is that possible, given how Jesus describes the eternal signficance of each soul?

Greene begins his argument by asking why so few in history excel to the point that others honor them as ‘geniuses.’ Typically, we account for uncanny achievement by concluding inborn talent or brilliance. Yet many show great talent in youth but accomplish little. Others do not stand out in childhood but excel later in life.

Greene’s study of great Masters in history leads him to recognize common elements: intensity of desire to learn, a deeply felt connection to their field, and a powerful inclination toward a particular subject. He sees the emotional connection as more vital than raw brilliance. Patience, persistence, and confidence are also keys as the budding Master begins to grow in wisdom.

Luck is a huge factor. Throughout history, opportunities to connect with and explore an interest depended on access, determined by social class, gender, and where on the planet you lived. Today’s world enables much more access than at any past time. I would point out that today’s world also promotes far more distractions and temptations toward self-destruction, or at least self-limitation, than in the past. Social media and other cultural elements seem to foster a pandemic of ‘whatever’ attitudes that lethally prevent deep attachment to learning and exploration. The sheer rapidity of social media info flow trains the brain to abhor patience and diligence.

Greene affirms that each of us is unique. He sees it as DNA variability. The Christian sees each of us as image-of-God creations. God is infinite, infinite in virtues, skills, and capacity to accomplish. Each of us shares some small sliver of creative potential bequeathed by our Creator. Greene explains our deep inclinations as “forces within us that come from a deeper place than conscious words can express. They draw us to certain experiences and away from others . . . they influence the development of our minds.” Once again – it is so ironic that a materialist embraces such strongly immaterial concepts. (By the way, all concepts are immaterial.)

Yet a counterforce can readily clobber your path to achievement, whether social conformity, or parental expectations, or temptations of the flesh and spirit. So Greene counsels awareness and diligence to connect with your inclinations and correlate them with a career path that fosters development. He writes that you should see your life’s work as inspiring, as a vocation to which you are called.

I would counsel the Christian that God’s ‘career path’ for you might have little or no notoriety in your temporal future, but might have great reward in eternity. Accordingly, Greene’s principles are reasonable, but must be tempered by an eternal perspective. Additionally, Greene cautions that your journey likely has twists and turns; straight lines are rare. The Christian is already wired for this – trust God from day to day and don’t worry about surprises.

Greene is right on the mark when he observes that most in our world today lack a sense of purpose to life; they have no great CAUSE. The Christian’s Great Commission is certainly the ultimate cause for the believer’s life. The Lord has many, many paths and roles to contribute, whether in business, science, medicine, law, politics, plumbing, or truck driving. Can one truly ‘excel,’ become a genius at plumbing or truck driving and connect achievement in such areas with the Great Commission? Use your imagination. Of course you can.

Some practical advice our author offers . . . Resist the temptation to be like others. Focus on the small things you are good at and develop those skills. You can build confidence from that base. Don’t envy those who seem to be naturally gifted; “it is often a curse, as such types rarely learn the value of diligence and focus, and they pay for this later in life.”

I recall two fellows I attempted to train in street evangelism. I was surprised at how quickly they embraced it. They seemed to be gifted in talking to strangers, getting them quickly engaged, and developing a rapport to more easily communicate even the hard truths of the Gospel. Those two guys were enthused about the experience. I was, too. But they didn’t stick with it. I’ve known others, and I include myself in the category, that do not embrace the ‘cold call’ naturally, always feel the trepidation, but are tenacious and just keep after it, making 121 evangelism a lifestyle. Diligence trumps talent.

Josiah Franklin planned to make his 12-year-old son Ben an apprentice in the family candle-making business, hopefully taking over the business eventually. Ben refused, threatening to run away. Dad relented, and Ben apprenticed in his older brother’s printing shop. Ben had not told anyone he wanted to become a writer. In addition to all the grunt work in his apprenticeship, he had access to English newspapers his shop would reprint, and a wide variety of books. He studied texts carefully and devised his own writing style.

Greene notes that we tend to make decisions based on what we value most; if money, we look for the biggest paycheck. But if we value learning, we find the apprenticeship or starter job that gives us the greatest opportunity to learn. It’s investment toward a bigger, more fascinating future. An eager apprentice tends to draw more involvement and instruction from the owner, the mentor.

Cesar Rodriguez was a sophomore at the Citadel when, on a lark, he decided to take the qualifying test for a career in Air Force aviation. He passed and wound up in the 10-month flight school at Vance AFB. But Cesar struggled with the stress, the physical and claustrophobic challenge of the cockpit, and panic attacks when overwhelmed with the information a T-37 (jet) pilot had to handle. Seventy students began the course, and he was fearful of being cut.

Cesar recalled his high school football experiences. Although he was short in stature, he trained rigorously, both mentally and physically, and became the starting quarterback. So he tripled his simulator time and begged his instructor for more flight time, filling the slot anytime another student had to cancel a session. Cesar begged his instructor to work him to death, practicing the maneuvers he hated most. Gradually, he moved up the rankings.

One day, flying a T-38, Rodriguez hit “the zone” – “it seemed like he could feel the plane itself at the edge of his fingertips.” He thought it must be what the “golden boys” felt, although it took him ten months to get there. Finally, Cesar graduated third in his class, and started a career in fighters, eventually achieving the rank of full colonel. In the 1990s his three air-to-air kills brought him closer to “ace” than any other American pilot since the Vietnam War. They called him the “Last American Ace.”

Cesar Rodriguez experienced frustration, despair, lack of confidence – it seemed like he’d hit a wall. Instead of concluding that flying fighters just wasn’t for him, he gutted through and became one of the best. Gifted? Yes, but with tenacity, not inborn flying skills. Greene’s advice? Move toward resistance and pain.

Some think that geniuses like Mozart or Einstein simply have genius-like genes. But Mozart did not write an original and substantial composition until after ten years of intense effort. Similarly, Einstein began doing serious thought experiments at the age of 16. Greene posits that what separates Mozart and Einstein from others is the youth at which they began a serious apprenticeship in their discipline and the intensity of their youthful work. They immersed themselves in their subject for years.

We all have experienced this to at least some degree. By immersing ourselves in a problem, meditating on it, practicing it, etc., without quitting, the subject becomes part of us, whether it’s integral calculus, or clay-court tennis, or playing the accordion, or doing street evangelism. Too often, we get too satisfied before we go far enough. True mastery requires . . . as many say, perhaps . . . ten thousand hours of immersion over the course of many years.

Greene tells an interesting story about Ben Franklin who traveled to London to work for a few years. Ben was dismayed that he kept misreading people; he suffered from naivete and was taken advantage of on occasion. He changed his philosophy about interpersonal relations. He got over his self-absorption and began to accept people as they were. Some are frivolous, some are vindictive, some are rigid. It is futile to get upset over how people act – they act as they wish, based on who they are.

The principle applies to the Christian life. I see Christians complain about how lost people act. How do you expect lost people to act? Don’t get mad about it – Don’t be their judge; rather pray for them and look for opportunities to share Gospel truth with them. You don’t have to put up with negative treatment from lost folks, but emotional reactions are foolish. The Christian should simply recall what he knows about the biggest sinner in his own life – namely, himself. The Christian has access to a Bible, daily. The Bible is the greatest work on the study of human nature ever written . . . of course . . . man’s Creator wrote it!

Greene writes an interesting section on what he calls the Seven Deadly Realities . . . Envy, Conformism, Rigidity, Self-obsessiveness, Laziness, Flightiness, and Passive Aggression. He warns the aspiring master to watch out for these in his own life, and to beware of these traits in others, who might do you damage.

For example, under laziness, he warns to look out for those who want to take shortcuts, avoiding the hard work themselves, who will steal your best ideas and the credit you deserve. They seek collaboration, but want you to do the hard work while they share or grab most of the rewards.

Greene recommends prudence. Keep key ideas to yourself or at least the key elements, so that you cannot be easily ripped off. On collaborative work, insure your part of the recognition at the beginning of the project by keeping the boss well-informed of your approach and progress along the way.

Sometimes you just pay the price. During my MBA program, every course included a serious group project. I was usually able to team up with the same three people to form a successful group, albeit knowing that I would invariably do 40% of the work, including the most difficult task of integrating the four parts of each project into a seamless term paper. But I wanted the ‘A’ and it could only help me to fine-tune my ‘integration’ skills to do the key task. I marveled a bit at one of the fellows who was perfectly content to do 15 – 20 percent of the work. Apparently, all he cared about was the course credit, and so he neglected the opportunity to learn and improve. So be it. In effect, I got more bang (knowledge) per buck (tuition) and I was content with that.

Jesus, by the way, had his own list of deadly sins. In Mark 7:20-23, he warns, “That which cometh out of the man defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

There are times that adversaries help, although it doesn’t feel like it at the time. Daniel Everett and his wife were missionaries to the Amazon basin in 1977. Many missionaries had failed to learn tribal languages. Immersing themselves with the Piraha tribe, they painstakingly learned that the Piraha language violated many linguistic principles that were conventional wisdom. They published what they had learned in Don’t Sleep, There are Snakes, but the linguistic establishment derided their conclusions and worked to get interviews cancelled and reviewers to trash their efforts.

Daniel was able to get past his emotional reaction to the attacks, and carefully rewrote his arguments and evidence to make his case bulletproof. Book sales increased over the controversy and he came to welcome the attacks of his enemies . . . they had helped him “improve his work and toughened him up.”

Greene cautions us to avoid the natural tendency to lower yourself to the level of the fools who attack you. Attacks are often irrational and so logic and data don’t matter to them. Keep focused on your goals and the people who will listen.

In Christian ministry Jesus regularly counsels, “He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Also, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6) This is rather rough, of course, so it takes discernment to distinguish between swine and those with hearing ears. And there are times when persecution will surely come, but “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:12)

I do heartily recommend Masters. It is chock full of stories and insights and advice, especially for young people who dream of excelling. Adding a biblical perspective would make the story complete. Do, indeed, evaluate life advice from a Scriptural perspective! Do pray for wisdom regarding how to invest your time and energy. Do pray for God’s help in developing knowledge and skills. Do make your days count, especially regarding the greatest need of every man, woman, and child on Earth – that they hear, understand, and respond to the Gospel.

• drdave@truthreallymatters.com