Convenience

• Microwave versus oven
• Ready made meals rather than homemade
• Television over books
• E-mail/Phone/Text instead of talking in person
• Using the snowblower instead of shoveling
• Driving two blocks instead of walking
• Relationships with “safe”, easy, already in your life people rather than taking risks

The list goes on…convenience can sometimes be a wonderful, wonderful thing.  Honestly, I’m glad snowblowers were invented and that we don’t have to use fireplaces to heat our homes!  I like being warm!

At the same time, I wonder if sometimes taking the convenient way or choosing something for its convenience hinders us from seeing, utilizing, or enjoying something else.  I find myself lacking patience.  I don’t want to wait 30 minutes to cook something in the oven…but let’s be honest, some things need to be cooked in the oven!  As such, sometimes we need to put aside convenience and embrace other choices.

Sexually Charged Culture

I listened to a sermon entitled “Sexual Sin” by Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, today from his “Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions” series.  This series came out of the “Ask Anything” challenge.  Basically, people were allowed to write in answers and then vote for their favorites.  The top nine questions make up the sermon series.

Now that you have a little background…I’ll get to a few of the thoughts that stood out from the sermon I listened to tonight.

1. Don’t try to manage or tolerate or suppress your sin.  Put it to death!  Legitimizing, justifying, and judging sin hinders us.  Sin leads to death.  Sin separates us from God.  Jesus died so that we could put sin to death.  (See Colossians 3:5-8)

2. Driscoll suggested fasting from television, your ipod, the computer, the radio, ect. for a few days and then returning to see just how “sexually charged” our culture is.  For me, the hardest part would be the internet…I use it FAR too much.  I waste time looking at things that are really not worth it in the long run such as Steep and Cheap, REI, Facebook, and my e-mail for the hundredth time.   I’m pondering doing a variation of this challenge.  I’ll keep you posted.

3. Number 3 of “How to Resist Sexual Temptation” consisted of living as a new person with a new mind.  This included not viewing men or women as potential sexual partners but as brothers and sisters in Christ.  I think you could rephrase this to not seeing men or women as potential boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, cuddling buddies, friends with benefits, ect.  Personally, I’ve found myself with a little crush that turns into a downward cycle of temptation that does not honor that person as a brother in Christ but sees him rather as someone who I could date, kiss, cuddle, befriend ect.   I could add a lot of disclaimers to this and further the thought, but I think for now I’ll leave it at that.

4. Who or what do you worship other than God? Sex? Television? Sports? Relationships? Success? Money? Good looks? Weight? Books? Authors? Pets?
Worship the Creator not Creation

p.s. I’m impressed with my newfound skill of in-text links! 🙂