The Shack Movie: God and your Tragedy

18 March, 2017 by Leave a Comment

When this book was first published, I heard it was great, but wasn’t in a good place to read it because I had a five-year-old little girl at the time. As soon as I realized what could happen, I put down the book and finally picked it back up when she was ten.

Paul Young has written and incredible story and though it was initially self-published it for his family. Mainstream media caught wind of it and, well, you know the rest.

There has been much controversy over the movie on theology, though not clearly evident. It wasn’t until I looked back and thought about some of the scenes that I questioned whether or not Mr. Young was keeping biblical truths in tact.

One big question asked was “why wouldn’t God save Mack’s little girl?” or in general, (why do bad things happen to good people?”) Here’s my opinion on that one if you’d like to check it out: “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People”

The following is an article written by a co-writer who has published quite a few books and is a good Christian man. I’ve heard him speak and taken several classes from him. He offered this article to be shared with the release of this movie to answer some of those shaky theological questions.

Hope the article sheds some light on the good and the bad in this fictional story. Any conversation starter about God is a good thing in my book.

The Shack movie: God and your tragedy

By Rusty Wright

 

When your personal tragedy strikes – and it will – is God good?

Millions wrestle with that question. The Shack, a bestselling novel and now a movie, uses fanciful fiction to help people process age-old intellectual and emotional struggles about evil, suffering, and divine character.

Did a loved one just die? Maybe your marriage is failing, your boss showed you the door, your lump is malignant, or an earthquake leveled your home.

Perhaps an important business deal collapsed or false gossip torpedoed a treasured friendship.

“God, how could you allow this?” comes the cry. How could God be all loving, all powerful, and all just?

From Office Depot to a theater near you …

Author William Paul Young first self-published fifteen copies of The Shack at Office Depot as Christmas gifts. It’s now sold 19 million copies and been translated into 50 languages. Clearly, the story has hit a nerve. Film stars include Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer (The Help), Sam Worthington (Avatar), and Grammy winner Tim McGraw.

(Spoilers ahead.)

Mack, the protagonist, has submerged much of his childhood pain from his abusive, alcoholic father. He now enjoys life with his wife and family, until a serial killer abducts and murders his young daughter Missy, sending him into deep depression. Through some curious happenings, he revisits the murder scene, a decrepit shack deep in the woods.

There he spends a fascinating weekend with … God. Actually with all three members of the Trinity: God – a large, loving African-American woman named “Papa” (the story explains this); Jesus – an actual Jewish carpenter; and the Holy Spirit – an Asian woman with a Sanskrit name, Sarayu, meaning “wind.”

Processing pain

The four enjoy sumptuous food, starlit nights, and lots of conversation. The three guide Mack through processing the painful “if only” questions related to Missy’s death, and in forgiving his adversaries.

They also help with the intellectual questions: God gave humans free will, hence human evil. Jesus came in love. By his death and resurrection, humans can be reconciled to God and enjoy the relationships – divine and human – for which they were created.

Multiple resonances

Many may find The Shack emotionally/spiritually therapeutic and intellectually satisfying. The story resonated with me on multiple levels.

I agree that God, though sovereign, gave us freedom to follow or disobey him. This does not answer all concerns (because he sometimes does intervene to thwart evil) but suggests that the problem of evil is not as great an intellectual obstacle as some imagine.

Pain’s emotional barrier to belief can be formidable. Jesus understands suffering. He was scorned, beaten, and cruelly executed, carrying the guilt of human rebellion.

When I see God, items on my long list of questions will include a painful and unwanted divorce, betrayal by trusted co-workers, my second wife’s tragic death last year from cancer, and all sorts of disappointing human behavior and natural disasters. Yet in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection I’ve seen enough to trust him when he says he “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.”

Serious conflicts

That said, The Shack book has some serious conflicts with a biblical view of God, and some with simple logic. (The movie avoids some – but not all – of these.) Others have detailed such issues, so I’ll mention just a few.

The book seems to indicate that Jesus’ death and resurrection will bring all humanity back into a relationship with God, regardless of individual decisions. The biblical documents maintain that individuals must personally accept divine pardon for it to be effective in their lives. The film only hints at this issue.

The book’s Sarayu and Papa say rules like the Ten Commandments were given not to make humans good but to reveal their flaws and their need for God. Fair enough. It took me nineteen years to understand that important distinction. But the two also believe rules and expectations harm relationships, which should be our focus. (The movie touches this matter tangentially.)

I would stress the proper emphasis. Biblical expectations (about love, service, forgiving, spousal faithfulness, etc.) can be tracks for healthy living once we’re plugged into divine power for living.

In the book, Sarayu perplexingly claims the word “responsibility” is not found in the Bible. A simple search disputes that. The film omits this mistake.

The book’s Jesus maintains that all mental turmoil and anxiety are related to religious, political or economic institutions. Including concern for tsunami deaths, for instance? “Allness” claims invite rebuttal. Better “much,” or something similar. The movie omits this overstatement.

The Shack film will get people thinking about important issues. If you view it – or read the book – I encourage you to do so with discernment, discuss it with friends, and measure it by the Good Book.

Rated PG-13 (USA) “for thematic material including some violence.”

www.TheShack.movie Opens March 3 (USA) International release dates

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com

Copyright © 2017 Rusty Wright

The Shack movie: God and your tragedy. When your personal tragedy strikes – and it will – is God good? Millions wrestle with that question. The Shack, a bestselling novel and now a movie, uses fanciful fiction to help people process age-old intellectual and emotional struggles about evil, suffering, and divine character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mack (Sam Worthington) and “Papa” (Octavia Spencer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mack and his family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus, Mack, Papa, Sarayu

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Why This Teenage Girl Doesn’t Kiss Her Boyfriend

11 October, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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I couldn’t help but share this post a senior friend of Trevor’s posted on Facebook. We all know how our society has become so sexually promiscuous. When it’s time for my second and third child to get married, I want them to have someone to choose from who has saved themselves for marriage. I’m not belittling those who have already chosen to have sex, and there is a very real concept called “reclaimed virginity.” It’s not to late to change your lifestyle because God is a forgiving and merciful God. By dying on the cross he’s already overcome all of our sins. But if you can know God’s intentions for sex before you are in a serious relationship, it will make life much easier, and you’ll be honoring God above all else.

If you are a teenager, read this. If you have a teenager, have them read this or read it to them. What Ashley is writing here is from her heart…the heart of a 17-year-old girl. I know she has one proud mama! It takes an huge amount of courage to not just hold tight to your beliefs, but to profess them on the world wide webb for all to see. Incredibly brave.

 

“God has really been placing this on my heart to talk about and discuss
lately. As many of my friends know, I have been dating Brandon for over a
year now. Early on in our relationship, we decided that we wanted to set
“guardrails” and “boundaries” in our relationship as far as physical stuff
goes. Now, we had these set, but honestly, neither of us really understood why.

We thought “Well, we aren’t having sex, so what’s the big deal?” I’ve found that this is the mindset that many of my friends have towards their relationship. After Brandon and I had been dating for about 6 months or so we sat down and discussed our relationship. I had been doing a bible student called, “The 7 Lies of Teen Dating”, and through the whole study, the same question kept popping up in my head, “Why am I asking the question ‘how far is too far?’ When I should be asking ‘how far is not honoring God?”

A verse that Brandon and I really looked at and prayed about was 1 Corinthians 6:20 “God owns the whole works.So let people see God in and through your body.” We both decided that we wanted our bodies and physical aspects of our relationship to demonstrate our love for God.”

I’m jumping into the middle of her post here to share the entire passage of scripture from 1 Corinthians:

16-20 There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

Now back to Ashley:

“Originally, we decided that the only physical contact we would have is a peck, and only once on an hour. Now being a teenager in a world where that is the complete opposite of the social norm, we were definitely laughed at. Now a little over 95 days ago me and Brandon decided that we wanted to eliminate kissing all together. As far as physical aspects in our relationship, we wanted to limit ourselves to hugging and kissing on the cheek. We wanted to go 95 days with no distractions, and we spent those 95 days getting closer to God and building our relationship on a God foundation. Obviously, this was not something that was easy to just tell my friends or classmates about at school, and when people found out, it was usually just laughs and side comments.

I want to address some of the questions and statements people say to me in regards to what me and Brandon do. Keep in mind I’m only 17 years old, and Brandon is my first serious relationship, so I am definitely not a relationship expert by any means, and I’m still learning from my mentors how I can better and build my relationship on a God foundation. Hopefully, this will give people some light on the subject or give someone the courage to make changes in their current or future relationship.ashleyavila

1. “Do you really love Brandon if you don’t kiss him? And does he really love you?”
The answer to this question is really simple to me. Yes, I love him, and
yes he loves me. I didn’t wake up one day and say “kissing is gross, I
don’t want to do that anymore.” It took a lot of strength and courage from
God for us to make this decision. But I promise you girls, it’s one thing for a guy to say “I love you” and it’s another for him to say, “I love you, but I love God more so I’m putting him at the center of our relationship, and I will put him before you.”
2. “Are you even in a relationship if you don’t kiss?”
Yes. A relationship isn’t suppose to be about physicality. My dad has told me ever since I was a little girl that dating is just an interview before marriage. Somewhere down the line our society has gotten this social norm that relationships should be based on physical things and that’s just normal and “being a teeanger”, and those who chose other wise are viewed as weird. But honestly building a relationship on physicality is one of the most unsturdy foundations. The only sturdy foundation to build a relationship on is God, so you should honor God in your relationship.
3. “You’re only a teenager once, and you’re wasting it.”
Again, I have a simple response. I may only be a teenager once, but I only get to live my life for God once. Nuff said.

(What an awesome perspective for everyone!)

4. “If you’re gonna marry Brandon, then why does it matter how far you go?”

Well, as much as I love Brandon and hope that I will marry him one day, I don’t know who I will marry. Only God knows who I will end up marrying, and until I am at my wedding saying “I do,” I don’t know who my husband will be. But as a christian, it is my job to stay as pure as possible for my future husband.”

Incredible post Ashley. Thanks for letting me share. Ashley has started her own blog now on Christian Dating and I wanted to share that link with you: https://heleadsifollowweb.wordpress.com/

Please share this with anyone you know who has teenagers…let’s make her post go viral!

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Filed Under: Family Focused, Freedom in Christ, God-Sized Dreams, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Parenting Tips, Real Relationships Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Free Facebook Timeline Cover…A Little Beachy Yumminess!

6 April, 2013 by 2 Comments

 

Couldn’t resist creating a beachy Facebook timeline cover for you as we are enjoying spring break this week.

When I look out at the ocean, I’m in awe of God’s creation. And it’s true…as deep and blue as that ocean, God loves us more. Post this on your FB page and enjoy the reminder! (Click HERE to tweet) Wink Thank you!

beachFBscreensaver

To make this photo your facebook timeline photo:

1. Click on the photo and a menu will come up where you choose “save image as.” (Use a two-finger click on the photo on a mac and right click on the photo on a PC)

2. In the window that comes up you can rename your photo and choose where to save it (I always save to my desktop, then move it later if I want to keep it.)

3. Then click save.

4. Go to your facebook page.

5. Put the cursor on your timeline photo, and you will see the option to “change cover” appear. Click on it.

6. Choose the option to “upload a photo.”

7. When you click on “upload a photo” your files will appear.

8. Choose desktop (or wherever you saved your photo) and highlight your new timeline photo, then go to the bottom of the page and click “choose.”

That’s it! The image is already the correct size for the timeline cover.

Shoot me a comment if something doesn’t work. Wink

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If you like what I’ve created for you would you do me a favor?

Just share this post using the “Share the Love” buttons at the bottom of the page, or subscribe to my blog in your email.

I loved working in the pharmacy because people came to me. Selling myself? Not a fan.

I don’t have a drop of salesman’s blood in my bodyEmbarassed,so I would love some help from you!Kiss

Filed Under: Free FB Timeline Covers, Life Through the Lens Tagged With: , , , ,

Can You Ever Feel Normal After Narcotic Addiction?

20 February, 2013 by 1 Comment

crossRXfinalCome visit me over at Addiction Blog today.

Can you really ever feel normal after narcotic addiction?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Overcoming Addiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

My One Word: Simplify

19 January, 2013 by 5 Comments

 

I love how people pick one word as their word to live by for the year. Last year, my one word was simply “God.” I wanted to make God the center of everything in my life…to the extent that every decision I made each day was centered around my faith in him. Overall, I think the year went pretty well. Obviously, I didn’t consider God with every decision…like Chinese or Pizza for supper…but he was present and accounted for in every area of my life. Even when I screwed up (especially when I screwed up)!

What I have realized over the last year, though, is how the material things in my life interfere with God in my life.

  • When I have to manage my clutter (yes, it actually takes management skills), my focus is taken away from God.
  • When I have to manage a busy schedule, my focus is taken away from God. 
  • When I have to multitask (and we all know that’s counterproductive and bad for your brain), my focus is taken away from God. 

So this year, my one word is SIMPLIFY.

Every word you give me is a miracle word—how could I help but obey?Psalms 119: 129 

I’m confident that my DNA contains codes for hoarding, collecting, preserving, stockpiling,  and saving.

I’ve spent the first 40 years of my life (okay…43 years) accumulating stuff…Stuff that I must wash, fold, put away, organize, repair, or at the very least maintain. I figure it may take me the next 40 years to get rid of everything I spent the first 40 years obtaining. But I hope not. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life dealing with stuff. 

I want the next 40 years to be about Jesus, relationships, marriage, children, and grandchildren. I want to enjoy every little bit of my life, not constantly trying to unclutter my life. 

So this year is the beginning. The beginning to a simpler life. My goal is to post every Saturday (Simple Saturdays) on what I did that week to make life simpler. I may blog about:

  • a book I’m reading about a simpler life
  • a simple recipe
  • before and after pictures of a freshly decluttered closet
  • an old home video that I’m converting to digital (to get rid of the plethora of tapes I have around my house)
  • healthy alternatives to the metamorphasized, chemicalized, and syntheticized, products that we use in our home and on our body.

In the interest of the project, however, forgive me if I miss a week. Part of my goal in simplifying my life is dialing down my perfectionist tendencies.

Won’t you join me?

You will need big black trash bags, a close Goodwill or Salvation Army drop-off point, willpower, the word “no” in your vocabulary ready to be used, and your Bible to read daily to keep reminding you what life is really all about.

Ready, set, SIMPLIFY!

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Filed Under: Simple Saturdays, Simplify Your Life Tagged With: , , , ,

Make-a-change Monday~Marriage Menders

9 July, 2012 by 2 Comments



To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it,
Whenever you’re right, shut up.
~Ogden Nash, Marriage Lines: Notes of a Student Husband

Such a simple poem, but so hard to do! No one can get under our skin quite like the one we live with every day, wake up with every morning, go to bed with every night, pay bills with…you know. And Satan loves to keep us too busy to really communicate, so things we thought we said, we might not have; things we do say may not come across the right way. Yep, that can be marriage sometimes.

Busy has been the state of our household this summer, so communication has suffered. It seems like sometimes it’s easier not to say anything at all than “start” something. We have found ourselves going to bed too late, getting up earlier than we’d like, with too much to do, and not enough time to do it in.

I think as couples we often forget we are a team—two individuals with the same goals in mind. Really! Don’t we forget sometimes that we both want to enjoy some fun; we both want the best for our kids; we both want to get the bills paid with a little money left over; we both want to go on a great summer vacation. Why is it so hard to remember we are working together toward the same goals?

I think it all comes down to the word “love.” 

If you look up the word “love” in the dictionary, here’s what you get:

***

love |ləv|noun1 an intense feeling of deep affection : babies fill parents with intense feelings of love | their love for their country.• a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone : it was love at first sight | they were both in love with her | we were slowly falling in love.• ( Love) a personified figure of love, often represented as Cupid.• a great interest and pleasure in something : his love for football | we share a love of music.• affectionate greetings conveyed to someone on one’s behalf.• a formula for ending an affectionate letter : take care, lots of love, Judy.2 a person or thing that one loves : she was the love of his life 
***

Cupid? Really? 
Now here’s just a little the Bible says about love:

So A)”>we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. B)”>God is love, and C)”>whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
 (1 John 4:16 ESV)


And then there’s the little matter of the greatest commandments: 

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: D)”>‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment E)”>greater than these.”
(Mark 12:30-31 ESV)

Now go back and read today’s prescription verses from what we know as the love chapter of the Bible. If God is love, we can substitute his name every time the word “love” appears: 

[God] is patient and kind; [God] does not envy or boast; [God] is not arrogant or rude; [God] does not insist on his own way; [God] is not irritable or resentful; [God] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. [God] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

Kind of opens your eyes doesn’t it? If God is love, reading these verses in this way makes me realize how much he really must love us—his children. 

Now comes the hard part. If we are to love our neighbors (and our spouse) as ourselves as God commands us, and we are to love God with everything we have, should we not strive to put our own name as a substitution for the word “love?” Get your steel toed boots on people…this one hurts: 

_____________ is patient and kind;
______________does not envy or boast;
_______________is not arrogant or rude; 
_______________does not insist on his or her own way; 
_______________is not irritable or resentful; {OUCH!}
______________does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with truth. 
_____________bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

What easy marriages we would all have if we could fill in those blanks with our name! Unfortunately, we are human. But so was Jesus. I don’t believe God would express such a genuine love for us if we were not capable of it as well. Easy? No. Worth trying? YES!

Maybe for the {make-a-change} Monday, we could just take one blank at a time…

From my heart, 
Celeste

Filed Under: Make-a-change Mondays, Making Changes, Marriage Menders Tagged With: , , , ,

God and Google

30 March, 2012 by 1 Comment

I must admit it. I’ve been sucked into the World Wide Web. I’m fascinated at all of the information on the Internet! Just think about it. 

•   Just on Google Maps alone, actual people have taken the time to put all of that information in so that we can find our way. 
•   Since I’ve been writing, the Internet has become my university of learning. If I have a question, I just type it into my Google search engine and “poof!” 
•   Medical searches
•   Games
•   Science projects
•   Financial information such as daily stock quotes
•   Searches in scripture
•   Recipes, recipes, recipes
•   Kids Crafts
•   Photography
…And the list goes on and on. It’s really so remarkable!
But no matter how riveted I am by the massive information available through Google, people I know nothing about entered it all. With medical and nutritional information, I can tell pretty easily which sites are reputable and which aren’t, because pharmacy school taught me that. But when I look up a subject I know nothing about, it’s hard to tell if what I’m reading is truth.
God, on the other hand, is 100% reliable. He is omniscient. 
In this age of information, we are undergoing some major changes. Therefore, the information on the Internet is changing daily. Especially in the medical world. The miracle drug today will be pulled from the market tomorrow due to some side effect that was not realized during clinical trials (or just not found to be significant enough to keep the drug from FDA approval). Sorry, getting on my soapbox here, let me get back to my point…
Information on the World Wide Web changes daily. God never changes. He always has been and always will be the same.

He is truth. 
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the father except through me. 
(John 14:6 ESV)
So enjoy Google and learn much, just remember to let God have the final say.
Google is good, but God is great. 
From my heart, 
Celeste

Filed Under: Freedom in Christ, Living in Faith, Your Relationship with God Tagged With: , , , , ,

Make-a-change Monday~Post it!

6 February, 2012 by 7 Comments
New Year’s Day 2008~
This is it. This year is going to be the year. 
I’m going to read my Bible more and pray more.
 I want to be a better person. Closer to God. 
New Year’s Day 2009~ 
This is it. This year is going to be the year. 
I’m going to read my Bible more and pray more.
 I want to be a better person. Closer to God. 
New Year’s Day 2010~
This is it. This year is going to be the year. 
I’m going to read my Bible more and pray more.
 I want to be a better person. Closer to God. 
Are you getting the picture? Have you made similar promises to yourself and to God only to fall asleep while you’re praying on January 3rd? And sleeping too late to get up and get your Bible read before getting the kids up for school? 
I did this year after year after year. 
But then, on September 25, 2010, God revealed himself to me in a very real, miraculous way. He reached his loving arms down, gently scooped me up, and saved me from my pit of seizures, addiction, and depression. I now knew and loved Him in a way I never had before. I was smitten. 
From that moment on, I knew I could never live without Him. But I also knew that Satan would do everything he could to make me forget to pray. He would do everything he could to make me the estranged daughter of my Heavenly father. So I put the almighty post-it note to use. Not just the yellow ones, either. NEON colors. 
I placed them on:
•   My bathroom mirror
•   The dash of my car
•   My washer and dryer
•   Above the kitchen sink
•   On the refrigerator 
                         
…And simply wrote “God” on them. 
So, every time I put on makeup, drove my car, did laundry, washed dishes, or ate, I remembered to have a conversation with God. It’s been shown that if you do something for 15 days in a row, it becomes a habit. Once I did this for a few weeks, I no longer needed the post-it notes.
Now, with the post-it note in mind, go back and read the prescription verse for today. “Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house.” Who knew post-it notes were Biblical? 
So this week’s “make a change” is to improve your spiritual walk and your relationship with God—get to know your father as you never have before. And believe me, this one will change every single facet of your life. It has mine. 
From my heart,

Celeste
P.s. Don’t forget to keep doing last week’s change—keep drinking your water!
Filed Under: Beating Depression, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Make-a-change Mondays, Making Changes, Simplify Your Life, The Power of Prayer, Your Relationship with God Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

God’s Pharmacy

27 July, 2011 by 4 Comments

When God created the earth, it was good. So when he created man, we had everything we would ever need. Between the resources he gave us and the brain he equipped us with, mankind was all set. Until…


Sin. 


Everything on this earth was created from, well, this earth. We started out with what God gave us, and that is all we have ever had. All resources we have ever needed were given to us when God created this earth. 


Normally if I hear anyone speak of this verse, it’s in relation to nutrition, food choices, or a vegetarian diet. I’m going a little deeper. In pharmacy school, I learned about the origin of all pharmaceuticals. What  would you imagine it is? If God created everything on this earth, then things on this earth were all we had to work with. Between the use of our brains and the resources God gave us, our “pharmacy” was created. There actually use to be a class in pharmacy school called  “Pharmacognosy,” which is the study of medicines derived from natural resources, but most school have eliminated that class because we have manipulated drugs so much that the “natural” part of the drug is basically obscure. 


In the development of drugs over the years, scientists have discovered amazing chemicals  vital to survival. The problem is, however, the more we learned about what our brain can do and what chemicals can do, the farther we have strayed from the pharmacy God created for us. Sometimes knowledge is power, sometimes it’s dangerous. Depends on what you do with it. Ever been told that you know too much for your own good? 


Take the coca plant for instance. It is a plant that God created that is now used in manufacturing cocaine. Someone, sometime, somewhere, realized the effect the coca plant can have on your brain if altered a certain way. We have many chemicals in our brain God gave us to help us live as he desired, in his image. Seratonin and dopamine are well known from the knowledge of the popular antidepressants so widely dispensed today (Prozac,  Zoloft, Cymbalta, etc…). The manipulation of these chemicals with synthetically altered resources has landed our society in the mess it is today with extremely addictive, dangerous, and illegal drugs.


I have added two links here you should check out…both from reputable sources.


The first is a fact sheet on commonly abused drugs, where they came from and how they work, published by the American Council on Drug Education. You might be surprised by some of this information…Fact Sheets on Drugs.


The second is a video by National Geographic on “meth”, and how it actually works in your brain. I know you will be surprised by some of this info. Here’s the link…The science behind your brain on drugs.


This information is important. This immediate gratification, computer generation we’re in is moving too fast. Kids are hooked on drugs before they can even realize what they are. Drugs are being used more and more casually, and if we don’t educate ourselves and our kids, it will be too late. I thank God every day that when I had a hard time getting off Lortab after  sinus surgery, that I was educated at least enough to recognize it, and do what I needed to break free from it. Someone in the same situation without the knowledge of how it happened and what to do will often turn to the street to get what they need. As parents, it is imperative that we learn. Don’t be the parents that think, “my kid would never do that, he’s too smart,” or “that kind of stuff doesn’t happen in our school around here.” I’m telling you it does. It’s everywhere. And don’t think for a minute that your child is the only one at risk. Adults are at the same risk, if not more. How do you beat drug addiction? 


Education and prevention. Once the addiction has found it’s home, it’s an overwhelming beast to overcome.


I’m going to leave it at this for now. There is so much more to be said, and I will discuss it more in future blog posts. But the main point today is this…


God created us in his image. He gave us everything we should ever need. If we have God working in our hearts, and let our brains function as he created, we will never have the need to seek out “alternative” methods to escape our reality. 


…as I gave you the green plants, I gave you everything. 


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Filed Under: Brain Functions, God's Pharmacy, Managing Prescription Drugs, Overcoming Addiction Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Distractions

18 July, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Housework. Laundry. Dishes. “UUUGGGGHHHH” (as Charlie Brown would say). I go from one task to the next, room to room to room, putting up, washing, repairing, scrubbing, etc. When I have all of these tasks on my mind that I need to accomplish, I think by brain goes into “shutdown” mode. I will be in the kitchen doing dishes, when I suddenly remember my favorite jeans need to be washed for tomorrow. I go to my closet to get my jeans, but instead I remember that I need to take clothes to the consignment shop on Friday. So I begin to gather those items, but I have nothing to put them in. So I go to the laundry room to get a bag, and I see the empty cat food bag on the counter and must make a note to pick it up when I go to the store. When I go to get a piece of paper to write it on, I see the stack of bills that must be paid today or they will be late…I think you get the picture! I run around like a mouse in a maze, and never get anywhere! Distractions are one of the devil’s greatest tools.

I have always said that I wish I could write messages to myself on the back of my eyelids so I get a reminder every time I blink! Maybe I could stay focused. Maybe? 

How often do we say that we are going to spend more time praying? We have the best intentions, but as soon as we let our mind go elsewhere, Satan is armed and ready with distractions to keep our mind so busy we forget to pray.  I need to write “God” on the back of my eyelids. Our busy lives take away our time and attention from God, who deserves and desires it most of all. Since the beginning of this year, I have made a special effort to remind myself constantly that God deserves my attention. God loves my attention. God demands my attention. We should not be in the habit of only talking to Him before each meal and at bedtime. How would you feel in this were the only times you spoke to your children every day? Do you think that you would be very close to them? Would they know the unconditional love that you have for them? Probably not.

Well, I have worked long and hard to find a solution to this problem. Now I am quite sure I should patent this idea, but I suppose I could go ahead and share it…

Neon colored post it notes. 

I really wanted to be able to stay in an attitude of prayer throughout the day, so I simply wrote “God” on a bunch of hot pink post it notes, and scattered them throughout the house where I will see them on a regular basis. 

On my alarm clock.
Above my kitchen sink.
On my washer and dryer.
On the dashboard of my car.
On the bathroom mirror. 

It worked! Every time I saw my hot pink reminder, I prayed. Before long, I didn’t need the notes anymore. When my alarm clock goes off, I pray (although it may be after the first couple of times I hit the snooze button). I pray when I get in my car. I pray when I am getting dressed in the mornings. You get the picture. These daily tasks are “linked” in my mind to those post it notes, and therefore to my prayer time. Habits are formed after repeating them for around 2 weeks, so before long, my direct line to my heavenly father was connected all the time.

What do I pray for? Sometimes I have a specific need or praise, but I often just talk to him about whatever I am thinking. I will tell him all of the tasks I am trying to get accomplished. I ask him to help me remember all the tasks that must be done! Your brain is never still, it’s always running. No matter what is going on in there, God wants to hear it. When you don’t know what to say, just listen. He has plenty to tell to a willing ear.

Your prescription for today says, “You must love him with all your heart, soul, and might. And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today. You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and first thing in the morning. Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house!”

I knew that God wants us to always be in an attitude of prayer, but I didn’t know the post-it notes and eye-lid writing were biblical! God does not want us to be “lukewarm”. God does not want our leftovers. He wants ALL of us!

I challenge you to try the same thing. Begin to make God a priority in your life, bringing him into your every day tasks. I promise he will reveal himself to you more and more, and your relationship with him will grow. So go ahead, go get those post-its!
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Filed Under: Simplify Your Life, The Power of Prayer, Your Relationship with God Tagged With: , , , ,