Art Print Works

Jesus Healing Prints

David Stockwell — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:57:00 +0000

Classical art is often filled with irony.

Jesus Healing the Leper, 1864 In Mark 1:40-45, Jesus heals a leper and cautions silence, but the man didn’t keep quiet, so Jesus could no more openly enter into the city.

Jesus Heals the Paralytic in Bethesda (John 5:1-18) This man is a Judas—a betrayer, who turns on Him who has done only good to him.

After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, 26 lest anything worse happen to you.” 5:15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders 27 that Jesus was the one who had made him well.

Armor of God Art

David Stockwell — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 01:52:00 +0000

The passage in Ephesians 6:10-18 describes how a Christian can be prepared to encounter threats and challenges in terms of elements of body armor of the time. The elements are: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of the spirit. These elements were used by soldiers of the time can be seen on pottery of ancient Greece.

For example the Athenian Black Figure Kylix fragments from the 6th century BCE (A1574) often depict soldiers in this armor. The subject of later potters seem to be less martial and more liberal, reflecting greater attachments to comforts of the classical era.

Bleeding in Dreams

David Stockwell — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:52:00 +0000

References to bleeding in the bible describe a state of uncleanness or sickness, requiring isolation and healing.

Leviticus 12:4-5 describes restrictions due to bleeding after childbirth and the length of time before the mother is regarded as cleansed.

Three gospels, Matthew 9:20, Mark 5:25-29, and Luke 8:43-44, relate the healing of the woman "subject to bleeding for twelve years". This story is interesting as the healing occurs without the clear volition of Jesus, unlike other documented healings. Presumably the bleeding was from the uterus, such a chronic infection might cause. This story highlights the role of faith in healing, because Jesus was not initially aware of the woman, He was not personally responsible for the healing.

Bleeding in dreams would seem be another form of 'salvation longing'. The dreamer, aware of their 'uncleanness' and desiring to be healed, longs for that wholeness the presence of Jesus gives.

Blood Dreams

David Stockwell — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:19:00 +0000

Dreams of blood, bleeding, or wounds have a two part significance when interpreted from the point of view of the Bible. Hebrews 9:22 describes the two parts clearly. "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission."

Shed blood by you or others would seem to indicate a purification of the person. The purification could mean the process of clearing of your conscience, via the removal for dead things or activities from your life. While purification can involve suffering, following the purification is the remission or the forgiveness and cancellation of the penalty.

Sword Dreams

David Stockwell — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 23:15:00 +0000

The sword is a very important symbol in the Old Testament, to people who largely lived and died by the sword. In the New Testament, the sword is one of the main items in the whole armor of God, enabling us to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). The sword is revealed as none other than the word of God in Ephesians 6:17: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;"

Thus the actions of a sword in a dream relate to the actions of the word of God. To dream that you are wielding a sword, represents using the word of God to overcome and conquer obstacles. Alternatively, to be struck with a sword is to receive the word of God deeply into your life.

Naked Dreams

David Stockwell — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 21:25:00 +0000

Nakedness is first mentioned in the Garden of Eden story of Genesis 3 where the perception of nakedness alerts God that Adam and Eve have disobeyed His word, by eating the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. In Isaiah 20:3 His servant Isaiah walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, to prophesy the shame of being led away as a captive nation.

In Job 1:21 nakedness refers to a state without possessions: "Naked came I from my mother's womb, and naked shall I depart." But following the acknowledgment of this physical truth, Job reveals the spiritual truth in "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" Paul speaks further of this spiritual nakedness in Hebrews 4:13 "And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do."

The interpretation of nakedness in dreams is related to the idea that we are as if naked before an all-seeing God. God sees our secret deeds, but we yearn to be clothed over, to put on our celestial body like a garment, adopting the clothing of the spirit (2 Corinthians 5:4). To dream of being naked then, is to be walking without God's protection, out of God's will. The remedy to lack of confidence that comes with public nakedness, is the spirit: 2 Corinthians 5:7 "Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." and further, "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Teeth Dreams

David Stockwell — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 16:52:00 +0000

In the Bible, teeth are a common metaphor for lack of personal power, e.g. in Psalm 3:7 "Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly."

In Mathew 8:12 Jesus used teeth to represent the despair of the unsaved: "While the sons and heirs of the kingdom will be driven out into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth." However, this passage on the faith of centurion concludes with the remote healing of a servant boy, due to the centurion's powerful faith Matthew 8:13 "Then to the centurion Jesus said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed. And the servant boy was restored to health at that very moment."

From a Biblical perspective, dreams of loose, broken or decaying teeth represent awareness of our lack of power of individuals and a longing for the power of Jesus, through which as Paul says, we can do all things.

Chase Dreams

David Stockwell — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 16:20:00 +0000

Giving in to fears leads to anxiety and dreams of being chased. In the bible, running away leads to weakness and defeat. "And you shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword." Leviticus 26:7 And again in Isaiah 30:17 "One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them."

But the following verse shows what happens to those who rely on the power of the Lord, remain still and wait on his direction. Isaiah 30:18 "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"

Slothful Person

David Stockwell — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:43:00 +0000

Here is a great painting entitled simply "Sloth" by Julie Crozat. Other painting on the site include "Anger", "Envy", and "The Emporer Has No Pants". Inspiration from the classical themes never dies.

The New Jesus Freaks

David Stockwell — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:41:00 +0000

While the "Summer of Love" is often remembered in retrospectives such as Rolling Stone for the "sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll", or not remembered depending on how much drugs were taken, it was also the birth of another and more enduring social movement. Originally a pejorative term, the Jesus movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s came into existence in the freak scene of that era.

During July and August many local churches are organizing events to celebrate new Summer of Love inspired by the 40th anniversary of the Jesus movement in San Francisco. Other things will be happening around the Bay Area as many churches and ministries roll into the collective new freak out.

Epilepsy and Spiritual Literature

David Stockwell — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:04:00 +0000

Spirituality has been associated with a mysterious epilepsy-like medical condition.

For example, a study reported at the American Neurological Association meeting in October 2002 by Dr. Thomas Hayton and associates reported people with epilepsy were more religious and spiritual than the general population. They scored higher than others in terms of daily, personal spiritual experiences (feeling the presence of God, love, deep inner peace, and the beauty of creation). They also scored higher in measures of the strength of their spiritual beliefs and values.

Here is one explanation. Our states of consciousness are managed in the temporal lobes of our brains. The temporal lobes do all sorts of things including language, long-term memory storage, emotional reactions, perceiving spatial relationships, and music, smells are interpreted here, as well as patterns, whether these are patterns in time or in space.

Most importantly, the human sense of self is maintained here, including our feelings of self-worth, our sense of being an independent person, and it infuses our moment-to-moment experiences with meaningfulness. If the pathways that are involved with the experience of meaningfulness have their thresholds lowered, individuals find meaning in more and more things. Miss the bus? It was 'meant' to happen. One may also experience less of a sense of independence, such as being under God's will, or in the presence of another.

The temporal lobes are unique in having their own special kind of epilepsy. Its usually called temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), but it also goes by the name of 'complex partial seizures' because it stays in the temporal lobes of the brain. Because the temporal lobes control states of consciousness, unsusual activity produces odd states, at least compared to that person's usual (or baseline) states.

Todd Murphy, a behavioural neuroscientist reports that sufferes of TLE might 'hear voices', and are more likely to spend time writing. Poets have been found to have TL 'signs' more often than others. There are important language centers in the temporal lobes, and when the temporal lobes are generally more active, these language centers are going to be affected. When TLE patients were asked if they 'felt that they had an important book to write', most answered 'true'.

Great works of spiritual literature or brain malfunction? Gives one pause for thought.

Motivational literature on adversity is not Biblical

David Stockwell — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 04:52:00 +0000

Modern motivational literature says: "there is no failure; there is only feedback". They suggest that successful people look at mistakes as outcomes or results, not as failure.

The ancient literature has another view of failure, a view that had to be learned as a consequence only of trial and error experience, through mistakes. People self-limit themselves when they don't know these ancient truths. Most people do not achieve a fraction of what they are capable of achieving because they are stumbling in the dark without the wisdom of the past.

Here the beliefs found in motivational literature are compared with the wisdom literature.

Belief: Take Action. Bold, decisive action. Do something scary. Fear of failure immobilizes you. To overcome this fear, you must act. When you act, act boldly. Action gives you the power to change the circumstances or the situation.

The Bible suggests a more cautious approach. For example, Proverbs 14:8 "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception."

In Biblical view, instead of "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" we should be thinking about "What could be the consequences to yourself and those around you?" It is not a matter of being brave. If it doesn’t work out the way you want, doing something else may not be possible, and beware if you fall into a trap.

Belief: Persist. Successful people just don’t give up. They keep trying different approaches to achieving their outcomes until they finally get the results they want.

But in Proverbs 22:3 "A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." While successful people take note of things that don’t work, the Biblical examine their motives. Often excessively persistent can gain goalsat the expense of other more important things in life.

So if you have tried and failed, with self-help books lined up on your bookcase, the Bible suggests looking first for strength from the Lord: Isaiah 40:31

"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

Belief: Don’t take failure personally. Failure is about behavior, outcomes, and results. Motivational literature claims failure is not a personality characteristic.

But in Proverbs 3:33 "The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous." Although what you do may not think you are the problem, when you don't get the result you wanted, you may be the reason.

And in Proverbs 16:2 "All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord."

Belief: Do things differently. If what you are doing isn’t working, do something else. There is an old saying, "if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got." If you’re not getting the results you want, then you must do something different.

There are right things to do and wrong things to do, not just different things: Proverbs 15:10 "Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die."

Belief: Don’t be so hard on yourself. Hey, if nothing else, you know what doesn’t work. Failure is a judgement or evaluation of behavior. Look at failure as an event or a happening, not as a person.

The Bible disagrees again: Proverbs 10:16 "The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment." Correspondingly, examine your income to see which category you fall into: righteous or wicked. If you are reaping the income of the wicked, then it is time to look hard at yourself.

Belief: Fail forward fast. Tom Peters, the management guru, says that in today's business world, companies must fail forward fast. What he means is that the way we learn is by making mistakes, and we must make mistakes at a faster pace.

In Romans 8:25, "If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." All throughout the Bible are warnings against impulsive actions and encourages waiting for the right time.

Proverbs has a way to knowledge other than making more mistakes: Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

So if we want to progress at a faster pace, we must wait and fear (or revere) the Lord. We don't need to keep making mistake after mistake. The key is to line your behaviour up with the word of God. Then you will reap the promise of Proverbs 4:6 "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you."

Belief: Treat the experience as an opportunity to learn. Think of failure as a learning experience. What did you learn from the experience that will help you in the future? How can you use the experience to improve yourself or your situation?

Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." Then use what you learned from the experience to examine yourself and your motives.

Belief: Look for possible opportunities that result from the experience. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, says "every adversity, every failure and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit." Look for the opportunity and the benefit.

Adversity is a seed that God can bring to the harvest given a Biblical perspective. In fact, the Bible states that we can anticipate adversity resulting from success: John 15:2 "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

A World Within

David Stockwell — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:11:00 +0000

Consider a world within, a world within worlds. Where the nightingales play and tuneful gondolas lap through eerie labyrinths. Our mind, it is said, is a complex organ or is it as has been written, a reflection of the world like a canal façade rippling among the dip of poles and serene swish of passage.

Consider a world within. It is, is it not, a world of poetry or a world of repartee? Is it a world of spirits dwelling or a world of robots clanking and whirring or any of these? What is your world within? What is your conception of your world within, that is, the reflection of your reflection? And does your reflection affect your reflection and does the reflection affect the reflected, that is, our view of the world affects our action which changes it?

Our world within, the influence of our thinking, that we need to change to change our reality. Is there a shift or a shake that rearranges it for the benefit, or is there a trauma that scars it forever? And is there healing in this world and also suffering. Our world, personal, or public?

A world within is an endeavor to understand the world of our minds from a variety of viewpoints that will enable us to better use that amazing resource. We can see the results of different worlds in different actions and lifestyles. We can see the people with fertile worlds or desert landscapes. The mind of the city, of the internet and the bar. But we cannot easily control the change. That is, to reflect our reflection easily. To realize the reality that is the conception.

We are looking into the spirit of man and his core that reflects all there is. We are looking into a world of demons and angels. A world that is a once solid as a testament but then strange, like a devil reading from a bible. These too are world that emerge when we admit to worlds within. But without worlds within we have only worlds without. Which, I am prepared to say, is a distinct and comforting possibility, but not so near to my feelings.

I am not only writing to those who are whole and able, but to those who have been to hell and back. To those who are desperate and those who are trying to feed the flock of lost sheep. There is much to say and I will start with a story.

In one of my struggles with my mind, I was convinced something was wrong. I had trouble concentrating, focusing and forget where I was momentarily, entering another world so to speak. For example, I would go roller-skating and suddenly trip and fall, suddenly clumsy, suddenly losing track of my legs. While this does not seem a very serious condition, still a friend convinced me to go to a doctor and they found something on an EEG and pronounced that I had epilepsy from early birth trauma. The prescribed the anti-convulsive drug Dilantin. Wow. The first pill made such a difference! I felt suddenly like I was real. As if the past years had been spent in a dream. I don’t know what the medical implications of that are, whether the effect of a medicine can confirm a condition. However, the change was dramatic. My inner world, instead of being unstable, prone to sudden life changes, impulsive departures and changes of direction, became focused. I embarked on a program of study that ultimately led to a job in a laboratory. It was there that the prospect of side effects of constant drug-taking concerned me and I decided to stop. By then, I had experienced enough of a normal life within and felt I could emulate it without from then on. It ultimately led to further study, and a PhD in mathematical modeling. I think I was determined to prove to myself there was nothing wrong with my mind, and the proof was the highest academic success.

This illustrates the feature of the world within, that given an experience of a world, we can make this world persist. Until we experience of the world within some way, we can create it perhaps, but most of us need to experience it first.

Most people are familiar with the process of modeling, where one person by modeling the kind of behaviors desired, will better influence the others in that direction. Modeling is a form of inner world experiment.

Another form of inner world emanates from books or acts of any kind. A well-crafted book or movie can have through attention to every detail of its world it creates, an effect on the mind that creates an inner world. Immersion and repetition also intensifies the effect until it can be turned on constantly.

Literature can also exhibit inner world. For example, the Bible is not so much about something but an expression of an inner world of God’s existence. A world that is so persuasive that millions of people have cohabited within its rich corridors. And Christians speak of reading the Bible and “spending time with the Word” as an experience of other world immersion. Faith, spirit, and prayer are inner world constituents that solidify and give permanence to that world. Loss of faith, lack of faith, and so on associated with shallow, dissolute and perhaps desperate lives, at least, it is said by believers. Many effectual people are not believers, but there are other worlds that in occupation produce lives of substance, solidity, and predictable desirableness.

Pursuing the Holy Spirit

David Stockwell — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:51:00 +0000

Holy Spirit is presented throughout the Bible as a source of power. But our actions can determine the extent of this power in us. The Bible instructs us in how to pursue the Holy Spirit and invite the Holy Spirit into our lives.

1. Pursue good, as the Holy Spirit is provided in order that we may 'tend the sheep'. The measure of the Holy Spirit increases in one's life in order to meet the demands of the flocks you shepherd.

2. Pursue excellence, as the Holy Spirit will not abide in laziness or sloppiness. This means checking your current activities for sloppiness and cleaning up messes, and also evaluating future activities on the basis of excellence. If excellence is not possible, because you are over committed already, perhaps it should be given to someone else. The excellent worker will be brought into the presence of Kings.

3. Obey the Lord, as the Holy Spirit is His helper. Watch and wait on the Lord's guidance and the train of the Holy Spirit will arrive on perfect time.

The Righteous

David Stockwell — Thu, 24 May 2007 02:17:00 +0000

Proverbs is very detailed in its description of the righteous person, the characteristics, attitudes, communications and especially the beneficial results of righteous behaviors. Here they are:

Characteristics: Seeks knowledge and understanding, partners with people, is blameless and prudent, works his land, ploughs in season, harvests in summer, is bold, honors the Lord, is truthful discerning, generous, patient, gracious, waits and watches, and overall diligent, restraint with riches, buys truth but doesn’t sell it.

Attitudes: Trusts in the Lord, is awake and grateful, fears the Lord, is faithful, humble, delights in wisdom, finds refuge, hopes, is kind and just to the poor, commits to the Lord.

Communications: Listens to rebuke, speaks softly, spreads knowledge, speaks wise and kind words, nourishes, guards their lips, is instructive, confesses and renounces sins.

Results: Joy, stability, safety, honor, favor, rejoicing, wealth, health, understanding, long life, rewarded, rises again, escapes trouble.

The Righteous

David Stockwell — Thu, 24 May 2007 02:17:00 +0000

The Righteous

Proverbs is very detailed in its description of the righteous person, the characteristics, attitudes, communications and especially the beneficial results of righteous behaviors. Here they are:

Characteristics: Seeks knowledge and understanding, partners with people, is blameless and prudent, works his land, ploughs in season, harvests in summer, is bold, honors the Lord, is truthful discerning, generous, patient, gracious, waits and watches, and overall diligent, restraint with riches, buys truth but doesn’t sell it.

Attitudes: Trusts in the Lord, is awake and grateful, fears the Lord, is faithful, humble, delights in wisdom, finds refuge, hopes, is kind and just to the poor, commits to the Lord.

Communications: Listens to rebuke, speaks softly, spreads knowledge, speaks wise and kind words, nourishes, guards their lips, is instructive, confesses and renounces sins.

Results: Joy, stability, safety, honor, favor, rejoicing, wealth, health, understanding, long life, rewarded, rises again, escapes trouble.

Slothful People

David Stockwell — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:18:00 +0000

The next most considered person in Proverbs are the slothful, or the sluggard. The description of their characteristics and results are as follows:

Attitudes: Lies around, sleeps long, sleeps during harvest, lack of progress

Qualities: careless, unsatisfied cravings, slack in work

Communications: irritating

Results: poverty, scarcity, lack of progress, enslavement, destructive, discraces parents.

Wicked People

David Stockwell — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 05:32:00 +0000

The psychology of wicked people, as described in Proverbs is as follows.

The attitudes of wicked people are to take pleasure in evil, have malice, and no interest in justice for the poor.

The qualities of wicked people are deceitful, greedy, plot violence, bloodthirsty, lying, and trouble makers.

The communications of wicked people are charming, lying, perverse, enticing, injuring, violent, and putting up a bold front.

The result of a wicked person are punishment, wrath, thwarting of cravings, destruction, running away, being trapped, shedding of blood, dissention, being overthrown and misfortune.

Foolish People

David Stockwell — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:46:00 +0000

Some descriptions of foolish people in Proverbs.

Attitudes of the Foolish: Complacency, mocking, despises wisdom, entitlement, unfaithfulness, envy, ungratefulness, laziness.

Qualities of the Foolish: Naive, arrogance, runs away from trouble, keeps going into danger, self centered, hasty, loner, stingy, hotheaded, undisciplined, impatient, gluttonous, chases fantasy.

Communications of the Foolish: Wounding, killing, ignoring, not listening, rambling, lying, flattering, chattering, mocking, opinionated, speaks rashly.

Results of the Foolish: Subjugation, poverty, dissipation, wasted effort, lack of understanding, destruction, city destroyed.

Psychology of Proverbs

David Stockwell — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 05:12:00 +0000

One of the things about ancient text is the insights that have stood the test of time. While modern theories of human psychology can be interesting, the book of Proverbs offers a theory of people that is simple and useful.

Proverbs, one of the wisdom books of the Bible, identifies a number of different types of people. The main ones of these are:
the righteous,
the foolish,
the wicked,
the sluggard or slothful.

Proverbs goes into detail about each type. These details fall broadly into four categories:
attitudes,
inherent qualities,
forms of communication, and
results.

I will go into the details for each of the types in future posts. But this is one of the most useful tools for self knowledge yet. Ask yourself, what type of person am I? One who fears the Lord and seeks knowledge and wisdom above all else? Complacent and self-centered? Given to anger and deceit? Or possibly unmotivated and fearful of the outside world?

La Madonna Litta

David Stockwell — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 05:47:00 +0000

What an amazing painting this is! I am a huge fan of Leonardo da Vinci. Completed around 1490, it is the kind of masterpiece that reaches into you. Perhaps it is the gaze of the child attached, or the strange combination of spirituality and earthiness in it. I won't go on like an art critic.

Great painting helps me to break away. The La Madonna Litta is not a subtle feminine work, but a large and dramatic, yet well united piece of work.

Leonardo Da Vinci

David Stockwell — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 05:35:00 +0000

Leonardo da Vinci was born in a Tuscan farmhouse in Anchiano, Italy, near the town of Vinci where he spent most of his childhood. In the 1480s, Leonardo painted Lady With The Ermine. The Lady in the painting is Cecilia Gallerani, the 17-year-old mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. She carries an ermine for three reasons. First, for the Duke of Milan, having been appointed to the Order of the Ermine by Ferdinand I of Naples, the ermine was the symbol of heraldry on his coat of arms. Second, the ermine was considered to be a symbol of virtue and purity. And finally, it was a play on Cecilia Gallerani's name since the Greek name for ermine is "galee".

The Bible and Winning

David Stockwell — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:53:00 +0000

What does it mean to win? In the world, winning is to do such things as pay your debts, make sales, make a profit, have cash and leasure time, achieve your goals and have a happy life.

However, it seems the bible has somewhat different criteria for winning. Those things that bring one closer to God are counted as a win by Paul, and are the opposite of those things above, such as cash and a happy life. Suffering great losses can be counted as wins, according to Paul.

Other biblical wins include gaining understanding and wisdom, doing Gods work and saving others. Noticably these have little to do with the self. In winning the biblical interpretation is so different to the worlds accepted view.