Paul in Athens
The ancient capital of philosophy where Paul encountered the pleasure-seeking Epicureans and logic-focused Stoics. Acts 17:16–18
What is Athens?
The scientific term for the brain's steady, everyday level of dopamine that acts like your brain's default battery life.
What is the Tonic Baseline? or Baseline
According to Romans 12:2, believers can avoid conforming to the world by being transformed through this specific process.
What is the renewing of your mind?
According to 2 Timothy 1:7, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and what else?
What is a sound mind?
Listed alongside love, joy, and peace in Galatians 5:22–23, this specific fruit of the Spirit acts as a defensive shield to keep our minds from getting overstimulated and toxic.
What is self-control?
The massive rock outcropping in Athens where the smartest thinkers (philosophers) gathered to debate ideas, comparable to a podcast or stage today. Acts 17:19–22
What is the Areopagus?
The chemical phenomenon where helping others releases dopamine and endorphins, literally curing burnout, anxiety, and bad moods. PHM Superintendent referenced this at gradutation.
What is the Helper's High?
Modern science proves that focusing on positive, healthy thoughts physically changes the brain's structure, aligning with this directive in Philippians 4:8 to fix our minds on whatever is pure, lovely, and true.
What is Neuroplasticity (or Rewiring the Brain)?
Our brain's internal "guard dog" responsible for triggering the fight, flight, or freeze alarm when sensing stress or danger is called what?
What is the Amygdala?
In Ecclesiastes 7:29, the Bible states that God made humans upright, but they have sought out many "devices" or schemes; this practice helps reset our focus by stepping away from instant gratification.
What is Fasting?
Quoted by Paul in Acts 17:28, Aratus, pagan poet, wrote "We are His _______," which Paul used to show that humans have inherent value as God's creation.
What are offspring?
Modern neuroscientists recommend a "Dopamine Fast" to reset brain receptors, which aligns directly with these two biblical spiritual disciplines.
What are Fasting and Self-Control?
This brain's internal filtering system (abbreviated RAS) scans your environment to find evidence for whatever repetitive thoughts you feed it. 2 Cor 10:5 instructs us to handle stray or toxic thoughts by taking them ________.
Captive to obey Christ. or Captive
The brain structure that serves as your "Map & Memory Bank," which chronic stress damages but recalling God's word helps strengthen.
What is the Hippocampus?
In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul describes disciplining his physical body and bringing it under control so that he won't be disqualified after preaching to others.
What is keeping his body under control (or disciplining the body)?
In Acts 17:16, Paul's spirit was deeply provoked inside him while waiting in Athens because he saw that the entire city was full of these.
What are idols?
Doing high-stimulation activities simultaneously (like playing video games while scrolling TikTok and eating candy) causes a sharp peak followed by this negative brain state below baseline.
What is a Dopamine Crash (or Deficit/Bankruptcy)?
In the dynamic between your mind and brain, which component acts as the "surgeon or processor" that makes conscious choices, while the other acts as the physical "tissue or hardware".
What is the Mind
The calming hormone released when connecting with safe friends in community, which instantly quiets the amygdala.
What is Oxytocin?
The practical habit of separating high-stimulation inputs—such as putting your phone completely out of sight while studying or playing a game without layering background noise—help protect your brain's what?
Baseline
In Acts 17:23, Paul points out an inscription on an Athenian altar dedicated to this figure, using it as a starting point to reveal the true God who made the world.
Who is "The Unknown God"? A God who is not Knowm or similar.
The practical strategy of the 10-minute buffer allows your internal clock to catch up and let an impulsive dopamine craving _________.
What is pass?
In Philippians 4:8, Paul lists specific categories of things believers should fix their thoughts on, including whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and what else?
What is commendable / praiseworthy / of good report?
In Lamentations 3:21–23, the prophet Jeremiah deliberately shifts his focus away from distress by actively recalling God's steadfast love which transforms our perspective and grounds us in this unshakeable biblical confidence.
What is Hope?
In Psalm 46:10, God commands us to "be still and know that I am God," a practice of self-control that slows our internal clock and resets our minds when we are tempted to give in to this physical state of constant what?
What is Impulsivity (or Restlessness / Overstimulation)?