Genuine Motivation: Young Christian Man April 2011

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Y O U N G C H R I S T I A N M APR 2011

GENUINE MOTIV TIONV


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Art + CreAtive DireCtor/MIKE MURO & DANIELA BERMDEZ

Editor in ChiEf/ROB BEAMEs

a publication of on My own now Ministries

APRIL

2011
http://www.genmo.wordpress.com/


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BY

DONNA LEE SCHILLINGER


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1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

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Where 10-talent peoplerank compared to theworlds population

Where I feel I rankcompared to the10-talent segment

TAKE A QUICK

ASSESSMENT:


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A birthday is a great time to step way back, look at thebig picture and see that as 10-talent people, we aretruly blessed. Recognizing and then really letting it sinkin are just the rst steps. The bigger issue is this: Whatare we going to do with those talents? This might be agood time for a short story:


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WHAT MORE

COULD YOU

BE DOING

WITH YOURTALENTS?


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by Randy Kosloski

The Dark NiNja WiThiN

on

thecouch


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BUT eaCh PerSON iS TeMPTeD WheN TheY are DraGGeD aWaY

BY Their OWN eViL DeSire aND eNTiCeD.jaMeS 1:14


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by

Thom Mollohan

HYPOCRISYSide-stepping the snare oF

Can You Relate

The world is full of dan-gersmany that lurk within our own hearts. Thesestealthy creatures subtly show themselves in our

attitudes, speech and actions, seeking to increasetheir inuence over all areas of our lives. Pride isone such foe, as are bitterness, discouragement,envy and the devious end of hypocrisy. Thebane of real spiritual growth and fruitfulness, thiscousin of pride covers our cankered hearts withpretense and seeks to thwart the cleansing effectof Gods forgiveness and the healing power of Hisgrace.

Hypocrisy can set up a stronghold within us. Itswalls are mortared with satisfaction over our ac-complishmentsevidence of our worth. Its roof isan overarching sense of having achieved our own

righteousness, as if we can somehow placate Godwith our own goodness. Yet far too many gooddeeds we have done end up as headdresses ofshame rather than the crowns of glory we desire,because we do not acknowledge the hidden agen-das and false motives of our actions.


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MAY GOD BLESS THE HELL OUT OF YOU

BY THE MERRY MONK

spiritualexperimentation


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Did you know that on cold nights indigenous Australiansused to sleep in a hole in the ground all curled up andsnugly with a dingo? If it was a bit colder, theyd sleepwith two dogs. If it was really cold, it was a threedog night. Incidentally, thats where the band ThreeDog Night got its name. Apparently their music was

supposed to conjure up the experience of being in adark hole with wild dogsnot that theres anythingwrong with that. But I digress.

You know, nobody has ever heard of a three theologybook night or a three philosophy book night, unlessmaybe youre burning the books to stay warm. Now, Ilike to read theology and philosophy, but when it comesto my religion, I need way more than ideas about God.I need experience. I need to eat and drink and breatheGodto know Him in the Biblical sense. I want to bea monk the way Anthony Bourdain is a chef. Thats mykind of spiritualityraw, real and sensual. I want to divenaked into the divine and live to tell about it.

And yet, as Kierkegaard said, If I am capable ofgrasping God objectively, I do not believe, but preciselybecause I cannot do this I must believe. However,through belief there is experience.

Heres an example thats foundational for what I callspiritual experimentation. Im not a dualist. I dontbelieve that humans are spirits trapped in bodies. Ibelieve that we are spiritual physical beings, or a unied

whole. Were essentially living dirt. Were the nexus ofheaven and earth. As a result, when I fast, my spiritfasts. By denition, what I do with my body affects myspirit. As a Christian Existentialist, I also believe that thepower of my spirit being united with Gods Spirit affectsmy body. So, during a fast I can have a real, emotional,physical experience with the divine through belief.

From what Ive read, the digestive systemstomach,intestines, etc. contains what amounts to a secondnervous system that matches the spinal cord and brainin the amount of nerve endings. This second nervoussystem apparently affects our feelings and sense ofwell being at the seat of our emotions. Kind of makessense when you think about the circumstance youre inwhen you feel what you feel. Stress and nervousnessare certainly gut feelings, and the feeling of love isexperienced in the same place we get heartburn. Thekinds of things we feed this system affect our moodsand emotions, and the occasional ush or pure dietoptimizes the system. That could be the sum total ofthe experience of fasting, but I choose to believe theresa spiritual reality involved as well.

The same thing goes for any of the classic spiritualdisciplines: meditation, contemplation, solitude,prayer, silence, service, celebration, etc. All involve thewhole person, and through belief they can provide anexperience of union with God.

But mention spiritual disciplines and people usuallythink of monks ogging themselves. Thats why Iminto spiritual experimentation. Experimenting is justmore fun than spiritual discipline or spiritual formation.How many people would have experimented withdrugs or lesbianism in college if their friends were like,We hope you will join us for our weekly marijuanadiscipline group on Saturday and our lesbian formationgroup on Wednesday. Experimentation lacks any realcommitment. The pressures off. With it youre notsigning up for a way of life; but if you dont try it, youllnever know if you like it or not.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH SPIRITUALEXPERIMENTATION, AND THE EXPERIENCEOF THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITHME, HAS BEEN LIKE MAKING A LITTLE TEARIN THE FABRIC OF REALITY. ONCE YOUTAKE A PEEK THROUGH THAT LITTLEHOLE, YOU INEVITABLY MAKE THE TEARA LITTLE BIGGER SO YOU CAN SEE

MORE.

So why not give it a shot? Try meditating for 30 minutesevery day for a week. Just sit with the awarenessthat God is all around you and in you. Ill bet yourperception during the other 23.5 hours will start tochange appreciably. Then dabble with solitude or silenceor my favorite spiritual discipline, celebration. Shareyour results with me at [email protected],or share them with other experimenters and learn frommore experienced dabblers.

Maybe that tear in the fabric of reality will get so bigand so much light will come through that youll realizeyou are living and breathing in the very words of God.Maybe youll see Him speaking to you through crapemyrtles and dinner parties. And maybe when life getscold and dark, the embrace of your heavenly Fatherwill keep you warm through the night. Maybe...thenagain, maybe its all nerve endings and an overactiveimagination. In that case you might want to try somedingoes.


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CORNERED BY GRACE

by Rob Beames


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JESUS WEPT

BECAUSE HIS HEART BROKE


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Danger, warning, corrosive, ammable, irritant,

hazardous, poison, explosive, harmful, and yet, right

under your sink, or in your garage. Youd be surprised

how many household items have those words on them.

From leftover paint to used cooking oil, and all kindsof batteries in between, there is just a whole lot of

trash you cant throw in the can. Okay, you can, but its

neither legal, ethical or moral to do so if you know to

do otherwise. You dont have to be a tree-hugger to do

right by your garbage. Here are some common sense

tips that can keep the harmful impact of our modern

chemistry at a minimum.

Think twice before you buy.

Maybe you dont really need a high-powered chemical;

can you get the job done with a little more elbowgrease? Or maybe a less powerful product, like soap

or laundry detergent? If the answer is no, purchase the

smallest amount of product that will do the job. Heres

one time when paying for 12 ounces and getting 16 is

not a great idea if you only need two ounces. Also

check to see if there is a formula that is less toxic. Lots

of companies are becoming environmentally responsible

and cutting down or out all together on their use of the

worst of the worst still-legal pollutants.

Make it good to the last drop.

If you do buy, making sure you use all the productbefore throwing it away helps keep harmful ingredients

away from the environment. Give it some thought, its

not the packaging thats a hazmat, its whats inside. The

residue of harmful chemicals wont do as much harm

as a partial or full bottle would. If you nd yourself stuck

with a product you really only needed for one occasion,

try taking it to church to give away, offering it to a

neighbor, or if its not prohibited by law in your state,

selling it at a garage sale for a quarter.

Get ready to hurl.

There are some things we can do to prepare chemicals

for disposal. For example certain glues and paintsbecome safe if you let them dry out rst. Examine labels

for how to properly dispose of the product. Its a boring

read, but its the responsible thing to do. Some items

can be returned to the store when you are done. For

example, when you buy a new car battery, they normally

recycle the old one for you. And did you know that you

can take old rechargeable batteries to Radio Shack, or

old printer cartridges to Staples? Find a recycling center

and inquire if they have a household hazardous waste

(HHW) disposal day. A student organization Im in hosts

an electronic waste disposal day twice a year on our

campus. Your area may have similar events. Log on to

Earth911.com, type in what youd like to recycle andyour ZIP code to nd a nearby location. For batteries

and cell phones check out www.call2recycle.org. Justenter your ZIP code to nd a nearby recycling location.

The City of Phoenix has an excellent guide onhow to properly dispose of various householdproducts, explanations of why they are dangerous andrecommendations of nontoxic alternatives. And what

about alternatives? Grandparents can serve as an

excellent resource for this sort of thing. Ask them what

they used before modern cleaning products. You can

clean a lot with simple solutions using cheap and readilyavailable ingredients like baking soda, salt, vinegar and

borax (yes, you can buy borax at the grocery store!).

The Sierra Club has a downloadable pamphlet withsome simple recipes and uses.
http://www.earth911.com/http://www.call2recycle.org/http://phoenix.gov/PUBLICWORKS/hazprods.pdfhttp://phoenix.gov/PUBLICWORKS/hazprods.pdfhttp://phoenix.gov/PUBLICWORKS/hazprods.pdfhttp://www.sierraclub.ca/national/programs/health-environment/pesticides/alternative-household-prod.pdfhttp://www.sierraclub.ca/national/programs/health-environment/pesticides/alternative-household-prod.pdfhttp://phoenix.gov/PUBLICWORKS/hazprods.pdfhttp://phoenix.gov/PUBLICWORKS/hazprods.pdfhttp://phoenix.gov/PUBLICWORKS/hazprods.pdfhttp://www.call2recycle.org/http://www.earth911.com/

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Genuine Motivation: Young Christian Man April 2011