As far as brand fidelity, I don’t look at the brands when I grocery shop. I just look at the cheapest products, no matter what the brand name, and purchase them.
Regarding brands, I wrote the following article entitled “The Problem of Brand Conditioning” that looks at the contrast between different religious “brands” and the Lord’s church:
http://mbriley.preachersfiles.com/2009/02/28/the-problem-of-brand-conditioning/
When I have a troubling or difficult problem to face, I want a friend I can confide in; one with whom I can pour out my innermost feelings to; one who understands what I’m going through, and one who can offer wisdom, insight, and if possible, a solution (or solutions) to the problem.
Many things keep me from sleeping at night. For example, night before last, my wife couldn’t go to sleep because she was hungry (being a diabetic), so I cooked breakfast at 4:00 in the morning.
At other times, I lay in bed – my mind thinking of everything in the world, that may or may not happen. After asking God to take care of all those problems that may or may not happen – I finally am able to sleep soundly.
Who taught me the gospel? My grandmother was my primary example of teaching me the value of Bible study – she faithfully read and studied her Bible every day. She told me one day, “Mike, the Bible has the answer to every problem we face in life” – And so it does.
And after reading and studying the Bible for myself all these years, I realize how correct she was in her assessment of how the Bible does indeed provide us with an answer to every problem we face in life. “If” we will only “hear” what God is saying to us through His inspired writings, and then take His prescription which contains the solution to our problems.
PHYSICAN OF NO VALUE
Well meaning people feel like they need to say something, but in the end, after something is said, they say nothing that is helpful for the occasion. I think of Job and his friends (or miserable comforters). Job was devastated, his friends tried to comfort and became more of a problem than a solution. What are we? Are we a solution, or do we think we know more than we actually do?