This friday my sister-in-law is getting married. I am extremely happy for her, but in light of all the preparations, I began to think about marriage more strongly.
One question that seems to keep coming into my mind over and over, and that I've shared with my wife, is, "Why get married if you're not a Christian?" This question may come off as ignorant or elitist but it's not intended. I have truly been tossing this question around for days.
In Christianity there are many reasons and purposes for marriage. The one most profound to me is how marriage is a reflection of the Gospel. It astounds me time and time again to see the way God uses us to reflect himself!
Please take a second and read Ephesians 5:22-33.
In this passage, Paul is comparing the rolls of the husband and wife in marriage to the rolls of Christ and the Church in the Gospel. He tells wives to submit to their husbands as the Church submits to Christ. Submit?! I know, that's a word that doesn't come up in our society too often, and when it does, it isn't very welcome. But let's step back and realize what he is saying for a second. How does the Church submit to Christ? Are we victim to Christ's malevolent, selfish dictations? No! We are led by a benevolent, holy, loving, just, wise, perfect Lord who has our best interest in mind. "Submit" doesn't sound quite so harsh in that context now, does it?
I think I'll pick up with the husband's roll tomorrow. Exhaustion is beginning to set in. Good night.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Creating Money Makers: Part 3
If you haven't yet, please read the first parts of this post: Creating Money Makers: Part 1 and Creating Money Makers: Part 2.
Now lets see if I can tame this rabid beast of a blog that I seem to have created!
So where did I get the title for this blog series? Well, as I mentioned my grade school experience, what was the one thing that I could do with what I had been taught? Make money! Therefore it is drilled into my head that my only purpose on this earth is to work and make money. Is it then not surprising that we, in the US, suffer so strongly from depression, anxiety and exhaustion?
Where do those who refuse to turn to psychiatrists, counselors, the Church and the Bible go?! They must latch on to whatever is around them. I find that my first place to turn is those around me. This is actually something I would suggest to one with a trustworthy peer group and good sense of discretion. But where else? How about advertising? Thirty second ads in the Super Bowl cost almost $3 million! If ads had no affect on our decision process, I highly doubt any company would drop that much money in a half minute. Many just mask life with drugs, alcohol or other addictions. I know I did for a period in my life. Even video games can be our answer to problems. I know when I have a rough day, sometimes I just like to hop on some Call of Duty and zone out of life. BOOM! Headshot! But seriously, if not controlled, this is also something that too may become out of hand.
You're probably thinking right now, "Where the frick is he going with all this?!"
We're born, put into school where we learn what's necessary to get a job, maybe go to college and continue, get a job, maybe a family and die. This isn't our purpose! Even those of us who are Christians fight through this. The Bible tells us that we don't fight a battle of flesh and blood. One of the hardest battles we fight on a day to day basis is against ourselves, our subconscious. It is what drives us to make decisions on the fly, what we weigh pros and cons on, what gives us that funny feeling about something or makes us understand something in a completely different light than someone else. The amazing thing is, we have no clue that it's happening! Every second of every day we experience our subconscious without even knowing it.
In this blog I want to document my experience with the subconscious and how I can use it to glorify God. Yes, it is possible to take control of your subconscious. No, it's not always easy.
I recall a story in the Bible where Jesus is answering questions from the Pharisees (aka: haters). So they were being jerks and trying to trip Jesus up. One asked Him what the greatest commandment of all is. Now this guy probably thought he was a genius! If there's 10 commandments, how can one be greater than the other?! Jesus responds by telling him that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. If you think about it, that commandment encompasses all the commandments. WHAT A SLAP IN THE FACE!!! Jesus' wit amazes me!
"Chris, you were just talking about your blog and then you jumped into a Bible story. What's going on here?!"
To finally kind of wrap up this 3 part series I started, Jesus tells us to not only love God with our hearts and souls but with our mind! Many people think that that just means to think thoughts that aren't sinful. But that's just using the conscious part of our mind. We need to learn the love God with our conscious and subconscious mind and I'm gonna bring you with me as I learn to do so.
Now lets see if I can tame this rabid beast of a blog that I seem to have created!
So where did I get the title for this blog series? Well, as I mentioned my grade school experience, what was the one thing that I could do with what I had been taught? Make money! Therefore it is drilled into my head that my only purpose on this earth is to work and make money. Is it then not surprising that we, in the US, suffer so strongly from depression, anxiety and exhaustion?
Where do those who refuse to turn to psychiatrists, counselors, the Church and the Bible go?! They must latch on to whatever is around them. I find that my first place to turn is those around me. This is actually something I would suggest to one with a trustworthy peer group and good sense of discretion. But where else? How about advertising? Thirty second ads in the Super Bowl cost almost $3 million! If ads had no affect on our decision process, I highly doubt any company would drop that much money in a half minute. Many just mask life with drugs, alcohol or other addictions. I know I did for a period in my life. Even video games can be our answer to problems. I know when I have a rough day, sometimes I just like to hop on some Call of Duty and zone out of life. BOOM! Headshot! But seriously, if not controlled, this is also something that too may become out of hand.
You're probably thinking right now, "Where the frick is he going with all this?!"
We're born, put into school where we learn what's necessary to get a job, maybe go to college and continue, get a job, maybe a family and die. This isn't our purpose! Even those of us who are Christians fight through this. The Bible tells us that we don't fight a battle of flesh and blood. One of the hardest battles we fight on a day to day basis is against ourselves, our subconscious. It is what drives us to make decisions on the fly, what we weigh pros and cons on, what gives us that funny feeling about something or makes us understand something in a completely different light than someone else. The amazing thing is, we have no clue that it's happening! Every second of every day we experience our subconscious without even knowing it.
In this blog I want to document my experience with the subconscious and how I can use it to glorify God. Yes, it is possible to take control of your subconscious. No, it's not always easy.
I recall a story in the Bible where Jesus is answering questions from the Pharisees (aka: haters). So they were being jerks and trying to trip Jesus up. One asked Him what the greatest commandment of all is. Now this guy probably thought he was a genius! If there's 10 commandments, how can one be greater than the other?! Jesus responds by telling him that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. If you think about it, that commandment encompasses all the commandments. WHAT A SLAP IN THE FACE!!! Jesus' wit amazes me!
"Chris, you were just talking about your blog and then you jumped into a Bible story. What's going on here?!"
To finally kind of wrap up this 3 part series I started, Jesus tells us to not only love God with our hearts and souls but with our mind! Many people think that that just means to think thoughts that aren't sinful. But that's just using the conscious part of our mind. We need to learn the love God with our conscious and subconscious mind and I'm gonna bring you with me as I learn to do so.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Creating Money Makers: Part 2
If you haven't yet, please read the first part of this post: Creating Money Makers: Part 1.
Now that leaves us with 2 aforementioned topics: the Bible and the church.
I find that when I don't turn to the Bible in times of need it means one of two things, either I don't trust that God has the answer to my problem or I don't know my Bible well enough to know where to turn. These are both rather common and understandable issues with Christians. Would I say that you're a "bad Christian" because you doubt? Absolutely not. Doubting gives us the opportunity to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, driving us back into the Bible.
I find that sometimes I will even have difficulty bringing up the Bible among other Christians. Why is this? I have come to realize that I fear being seen as one of those uber-Christian friends that can't talk about the weather without going into some hyper trendy Christian babble (ya you know who I'm talking about). This is a result of two separate extremes, two separate abuses. On one hand, Christianity is seemingly suppressed as to not offend others, being real and relatable and still in the world but not of the world. On the other hand, Christianity is turned into a trend that can easily evolve into the self-righteous regurgitating of feel-good Christian lingo. I understand both of these very well as I have struggled with both. We need to find the middle ground, being passionate about the Gospel without making our Christianity just another trendy obsession.
And now for a topic in which I will have difficulty keeping concise: the Church.
I can't tell you how disgusted I am with the way people treat the Church these days. They walk into a building that they understand as being "the church", sit in a pew (or flip down stadium seat), and see what the church has prepared for them this week. NO NO NO NO NO! The Church is NOT and building, it is NOT a source of entertainment, it is NOT made to make you feel good and it is NOT made FOR you it is made BY you!
Please take a minute and read 1st Corinthians 12:12-31.
I can't tell you how sick I am of seeing church turned into a franchise. It's like McDonalds, it's appealing, it'll fill you up and they're freaking everywhere. You roll in Saturday night (cause who wants to wake up Sunday morning?! I mean its my freaking day off!), start off with I nice performance, then you get a few laughs and a Bible verse peppered in here and there, and then one more rockin' song to make you feel good on the way out. Makes me sick.
The Church is a community and with the way people understand the church these days, it's no wonder that it is so difficult for people to humble themselves and seek guidance from the church. I've been friends with my pastor's family since I was 5. I used to eat dinner with them on a weekly basis. I would play video games with one son almost every day and I've played music with the other for years. Their daughter used to babysit me. One time I went into anaphylactic shock and she had to call 911. Do I feel a sense of community with my pastor? Of course! When I need assistance that I know the church can offer and/or was intended to offer, do I have any difficulty turning to my pastor? Absolutely not!
Well once again this is going longer than I intended. See you again at Creating Money Makers: Part 3
Now that leaves us with 2 aforementioned topics: the Bible and the church.
I find that when I don't turn to the Bible in times of need it means one of two things, either I don't trust that God has the answer to my problem or I don't know my Bible well enough to know where to turn. These are both rather common and understandable issues with Christians. Would I say that you're a "bad Christian" because you doubt? Absolutely not. Doubting gives us the opportunity to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, driving us back into the Bible.
I find that sometimes I will even have difficulty bringing up the Bible among other Christians. Why is this? I have come to realize that I fear being seen as one of those uber-Christian friends that can't talk about the weather without going into some hyper trendy Christian babble (ya you know who I'm talking about). This is a result of two separate extremes, two separate abuses. On one hand, Christianity is seemingly suppressed as to not offend others, being real and relatable and still in the world but not of the world. On the other hand, Christianity is turned into a trend that can easily evolve into the self-righteous regurgitating of feel-good Christian lingo. I understand both of these very well as I have struggled with both. We need to find the middle ground, being passionate about the Gospel without making our Christianity just another trendy obsession.
And now for a topic in which I will have difficulty keeping concise: the Church.
I can't tell you how disgusted I am with the way people treat the Church these days. They walk into a building that they understand as being "the church", sit in a pew (or flip down stadium seat), and see what the church has prepared for them this week. NO NO NO NO NO! The Church is NOT and building, it is NOT a source of entertainment, it is NOT made to make you feel good and it is NOT made FOR you it is made BY you!
Please take a minute and read 1st Corinthians 12:12-31.
I can't tell you how sick I am of seeing church turned into a franchise. It's like McDonalds, it's appealing, it'll fill you up and they're freaking everywhere. You roll in Saturday night (cause who wants to wake up Sunday morning?! I mean its my freaking day off!), start off with I nice performance, then you get a few laughs and a Bible verse peppered in here and there, and then one more rockin' song to make you feel good on the way out. Makes me sick.
The Church is a community and with the way people understand the church these days, it's no wonder that it is so difficult for people to humble themselves and seek guidance from the church. I've been friends with my pastor's family since I was 5. I used to eat dinner with them on a weekly basis. I would play video games with one son almost every day and I've played music with the other for years. Their daughter used to babysit me. One time I went into anaphylactic shock and she had to call 911. Do I feel a sense of community with my pastor? Of course! When I need assistance that I know the church can offer and/or was intended to offer, do I have any difficulty turning to my pastor? Absolutely not!
Well once again this is going longer than I intended. See you again at Creating Money Makers: Part 3
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Creating Money Makers: Part 1
When I was in grade school, they taught me math, science, english, history, art, etc. What they failed to teach me (and what all schools in the US fail to teach) was how to deal with life. When I had an emergency appendectomy leaving me out of work for 2 weeks and a $64,000 hospital bill with no insurance, what do I do? How do I support my wife after losing a paycheck? Where do I get more than 2 1/2 years wages to pay this bill? When I find myself in a pit of despair without a hope in the world, how did I get there? How do I get out? I didn't learn how to deal with these things, neither did I learn any practical tools to aid me in the situations.
So where do we turn to learn such things? Did I hear someone say "Jesus!"? Shut up and stop being a know-it-all. Many people find different places to go when dealing with life. Some people go to psychiatrists, counselors, the Bible, the church... these are all great places to turn. But the problem is, these facets are largely looked down upon in our society and greatly misunderstood.
When my wife and I tell people that we are going to counseling, many will seem to be struck with a look of, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" That's a terrible response! We should be met with joy and admiration when telling people such news. We acknowledge that there are means by which we can improve our marriage and glorify God better in it, AND WE'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEM!!!
Now my beef with the stigma of going to a psychiatrist. We go to the doctor for our physical health, why not go do a doctor for our mental health?! I'm not gonna post all the statistics here, but please go a Google how common mental illnesses such as bipolar, depression, anxiety, etc. are. Many people are apposed to mental health medications due to bad experiences or bad stories they've heard. What many don't understand is treating chemical imbalances isn't like treating strep throat. There's no exact formula that works for everyone. Some have terrible reactions to certain meds and some will perform amazingly on the same. I have experienced this personally and with people around me.
I'm going to take a break here because this post is getting rather lengthy. I will pick up with Creating Money Makers: Part 2 at a later time.
So where do we turn to learn such things? Did I hear someone say "Jesus!"? Shut up and stop being a know-it-all. Many people find different places to go when dealing with life. Some people go to psychiatrists, counselors, the Bible, the church... these are all great places to turn. But the problem is, these facets are largely looked down upon in our society and greatly misunderstood.
When my wife and I tell people that we are going to counseling, many will seem to be struck with a look of, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" That's a terrible response! We should be met with joy and admiration when telling people such news. We acknowledge that there are means by which we can improve our marriage and glorify God better in it, AND WE'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEM!!!
Now my beef with the stigma of going to a psychiatrist. We go to the doctor for our physical health, why not go do a doctor for our mental health?! I'm not gonna post all the statistics here, but please go a Google how common mental illnesses such as bipolar, depression, anxiety, etc. are. Many people are apposed to mental health medications due to bad experiences or bad stories they've heard. What many don't understand is treating chemical imbalances isn't like treating strep throat. There's no exact formula that works for everyone. Some have terrible reactions to certain meds and some will perform amazingly on the same. I have experienced this personally and with people around me.
I'm going to take a break here because this post is getting rather lengthy. I will pick up with Creating Money Makers: Part 2 at a later time.
Intro
Every day I come to realize the impact our psyche has on our life. Why is it that 2 people can share similar experiences and yet have complete different responses to them? Many people will brush that idea aside with a simple answer like, "Jesus," or, "money doesn't buy happiness." Although these are both valid points, I want to dig deeper.
In this blog I'm going to share those deeper ideas. I will share with you my journey in understanding how these glorious minds that God blessed us with work and how the slightest thoughts can make the largest impacts. I'm going to be honest and open with you in the hopes that you can benefit and be blessed through this. Not only is this for you but it is also for myself, to keep a record of my findings and give myself an opportunity to truly mull over my thoughts. I apologize ahead of time if my thoughts become scattered or if I fail to be diplomatic in my writing. I want to share my true thoughts openly and candidly.
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