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What kinds of morning routines do you have in place? Do you have any at all? Today we talk about how we wish our mornings were better spent in an effort to seize the day and how you can help make it happen for you.Hello Mornings

“Shema” VideoGwen’s first year journal  Every winter break, Lauren has taken the time to look back on the previous year and answer ten questions as part of her reflection process. Today we are answering these questions together. Listen to a candid conversation between Scott and Lauren as they review their year of 2018. The list of questions can be found below, so you can go through your own year-end review and share your favorite moments with us!Rate your yearWhat was your most memorable day?What would you do differently?Three lessons learned?How are you different this year than last?What are your BIG 2019 goals?What did you love about 2018?What do you want to keep in 2019?What do you want to let go of in 2019?What will your One Word be?

DisclaimerWe are our own people. We have opinions on things that you may disagree with. This is ok.If you disagree with what we say- Fantastic! Tell us about it in the commentsOur opinions do not reflect or represent the opinions of ANYBODY else.You’ve got a big sexy brain. Use it.Do your own research, assemble your own facts.1 Thess. 5:21- prove all things, hold fast that which is goodDon’t take our word for itPolitics is downstream from culture. The issue is a cultural battle which affects the not only us, but our future generations. The tenor of the environment for growing children is one that is distinctly heading down the path of hedonism and nihilism. Kids rely on our example to sift through whatever garbage culture is being spoon fed to them in the world.The world teaches them that christianity is outdated, and that onlyWhether we want to admit it or not, Christians have been an intrinsic foundation of the modern world. Yes, we claim allegiance to God, first above all else, but I also feel the duty to protect the country that was founded on the principles of the bible.So then you think, well Scott, the bible clearly says you can’t serve two masters, and that we are in the world, and not of it. Yes, of course that’s true. I disagree with the idea that we have to totally abstain from participating in the political process. It seems contradictory for us to be so adamant about God’s hand in the forming of this country while saying that we have no responsibility as Christians to help ensure its survival.Well what about Daniel 2:21- God establishes or removes rulers. God decides who gets to be in charge.Well how does He do that? Who are the agents of change God uses to establish His will? People! He uses people working for or against each other to get things done.Well, what if God wants the country to do poorly? What if our time’s up?Well, then God is surely going to make that happen, whether or not I voice my opinion. For some people, that’s enough of a reason to walk away and wait in the corner for Christ to return. I, however, feel more than ever the need to stand up for what I know to be right.When God says the meek will inherit the earth, He’s not talking about wimpy people who avoid conflict because it makes them feel icky. Meekness is better translated “he who knows how to use weapons, but chooses to keep them sheathed.” or as Gary Antion used to say, “meekness is not weakness”.So then why aren’t you sheathing them now, Scott?Well, because I don’t believe that this is a blanket scripture for how you should act at all times. What are you going to do when someone threatens your family? What happens if you catch some skeezebag taking advantage of your children? Sit on your hands so you can pontificate about how we’re supposed to turn the other cheek? There are obviously times we need to accept the call to action. God even says so in Ecclesiastes- A time for war a time for peace, a time to speak, a time to be silent. Right now is the time to SPEAK UP for what we believe in. Right now there is a cultural war, and the prime targets are our kids.We have a very sanitary view of history- it’s what we were taught in school. America has been so blessed by God from it’s conception, and we take it for granted sooo often. First world problems are a real thing, and I ‘ll tell ya, we all have them. People I know, who have been to and served in Africa are constantly amazed at how much they take for granted back home. We’re so sheltered here. And we forget that for most of human history we’ve been plagued by war and slavery and barbarism, and PLAGUES and wild animals and the whole world itself sometimes. And we sit back and pretend like we get to abstain from history itself, like we’re not physically here, and that’s an insane idea. Joseph was second to Pharaoh, Daniel worked under Nebuchadnezzar. How do we justify their actions and simultaneously say that God wants us to abstain from entering the political ring, if even only to elect people. The apostles were all charged with speaking out against tyranny and lies and evil. Why should we feel like speaking up is sinful?And then you think, well, yeah but the better part of the apostles were murdered by the state and you ask, well, scott are you ready to do that?And I think, no! But that’s the kind of thing i’m trying to prevent by acting up now. At least while I still have time. I’m not rebelling against any form of government, but using the unique ability we have in this country to stand up and draw attention to issues that are going to have an impact on us. All evil needs to prevail is for good men to do nothing. I’m done believing that Christianity is all about turning the other cheek and waiting on God.And then you think, well where’s the line? Are you ok with military service? Are you ok with running for office?I don’t know. These are things I’ve been thinking about lately.I haven’t thought about military service since high school and defending my conscientious objector status to the recruiters. I think to be intellectually honest, I have to at least explore those areas more in depth. Why was it ok so many millions of people to die for me and for the kind of life I have now, but I’m not willing to accept the same responsibility? We certainly honor and stand for our military servicemen,Scott’s thoughtsJohn 18:36 “Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world1 john 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father d is not in them. 16For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives foreverLaurens Thoughts:Politics cause division - I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 1 Cor 1:10I am of Paul and I am from Apollos - same as saying I am of Trump and I am of Hilary.Politics cause us to worry - do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phil 4:6Being involved in politics leaves little room for faith - God has the ability to put who he wants in power. Is it up to us to try and usurp his authority?John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. - Proverbs 14:12Isaiah 55:9 My thoughts are not your thoughts.In the 1930s, Hitler was looked at as a hero for bring Germany out of a great recession. It wasn’t until later that the world realized his plans were unsavory.1 Chronicles 29:15 For we, as all our fathers were, are like men from a strange country before you, who have got a place for a time in the land; our days on the earth are like a shade, and there is no hope of going on.1 Peter 2:13-17 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man.Romans 13:1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.Related topics include taxes, jury duty, voting, serving in the government ...Joseph was a member of a non-Godly political organization when he worked with pharaoh.Daniel worked for the worlds major empire at the time, he was second in command.The bible DOES NOT talk about voting, jury duty etc. specificallyIf it troubles your conscience, don’t do it!And don’t cause your brother to stumble …Resources:https://www.ucg.org/sermons/politics-whats-your-involvement-need-to-behttps://www.ucg.org/sermons/whats-wrong-with-politicshttp://streaming.ucg.org/files/papers/UCG-papers-Voting-and-Involvement-in-Politics.pdfhttp://streaming.ucg.org/files/papers/UCG-papers-Jury-Duty.pdf

The long-awaited sequel to last season's cliffhanger finale!

Sexual purityToday’s episode is a strong PG-13 rating. Just a heads upMEATThe Kavenaugh hearings were an incredibly important recent event in history.I really hope you were paying attention.The founders of this country worked very hard to create Due process, and we almost witnessed it take a severe beating.Thankfully there were enough smart people in the room with common sense to prevent itThere are two sides to the argument- the political and the culturalBoth aspects are important to talk about, and it’s important that we’re able to have discussions like this, as they are difficult conversations to pursue.So What happened?Basically, the political left have lost their mind.They have been trolled so hard in the presidency of Donald Trump, that they turned their volume up to 11 and haven’t backed down yet.There’s evidence for this everywhereMaxine Waters calls for open harassment of political opponentsHillary Clinton said civility will return once they get back in powerThe new york times is publishing openly their deepest desire, which is that somebody assassinates the president!Leftism in this country very simply could be summed up as the antithesis to Western Culture.They really don’t like:ChristianityGodYou liking GodCapitalismThe ConstitutionThe rights you get from the constitutionRecently there was an upset with the Left because, you see they had been riding this great title wave of “change” for the last 8 years with the coolest half black person on the planet, President ObamaHe had a merry old time the last 8 years, enforcing his socialist doctrines, chastising us “bitter clingers” and forcing everyone to go on his medi-welfare scam, while lying through his teeth about keeping doctors.Democrats surely had their socialist utopia on the way, and all they needed to do was hand the office over to a great big toad in a power suit, Hillary Clinton.Here, we a have a woman who champions women’s rights so hard, yet refuses to believe the her husband’s alleged rape victimsA woman so brash and hubristic she openly lied about landing in Bosnia as the first lady, under sniper fire, despite their being actual film proof of the contraryA woman so politically and ethically repulsive she lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump, despite being projected to win the election by 90/10This is when the Left seriously began to lose it.They suffered two huge blows here:Their patron saint was defeatedTheir worst nightmare was put in powerIt has now become mission critical to remove him and his associates from power by any meansThis is exemplified by the Nazi Punch Argument- Here’s the mind bending logic to thisNazi’s are evilI get to punch NazisEveryone who disagrees with me is a NaziOr how about the microaggression argument?Microaggressions (words) cause me to feel attackedI get to respond like I’m being attackedWhich is why I get to punch NazisAntifa are especially fond of these arguments, and have been rioting in the streets in leftist run cities, where they are given free reign.The idiot mayor of Portland is rightly getting heat for letting these troglodytes run rampant in the city.The newest form of political doublethink is that we should believe all women who claim sexual assault or rape, despite knowing cases where the victim is proven to be lying :mattress girl, Nikki Yovino,The #metoo movement was born out of the hook-up culture sold to the country by hollywood. Funny how it only took a century to figure out how dumb an idea that wasIt was a fairly functional movement- until it got hijacked by politicsIt went from, get all the skeezebags out in the daylight, to disregard truth and due process for political gainI want to be very clear: I think rapists should face the fullest punishment of the law. I think sexual abusers are absolute scum.Why do I say for political gain?The radical left have already showed their hand. They are willing to regain power, or maintain what shreds they have by any means possible.Why is the supreme court so important?The supreme court famously decided in Roe v Wade that abortion was protected under a right to privacy as given by the 14th amendmentThis case set precedent, but there’s nothing that says precedent needs to be followed, or that it can’t be undone by similar supreme court vote.Ben shapiro famously refers to abortion being a sacrament of the leftIt’s a fundamental cornerstone of their faith.To have an abortion is the ultimate sign of total personal autonomy and authority, and also a giant middle finger to the idea of God and Christian values.Trump has had the rare opportunity to appoint 2 supreme court justices in his first two years in office. This rarely happensThe radical left is terrified that Roe v Wade will come back under revision of the court, and with two Trump appointees, it will be undoneKeep in mind, this would then make it a states issue, meaning the states get to decide for themselves about abortion lawsOregon, California and Washington- almost definitely would still have legal abortionsThis still is completely unacceptable to the Left.This terror has led them to use all their weapons against Brett Kavenaugh aaaaand we’ve finally come full circle.Sexual assault claims are the favorite trump card of the Left.When you have a man with a record and reputation like Brett Kavenaugh, you need something serious enough to destroy him, yet ambiguous enough to stay in debate for months.They tried this before with Justice Thomas in the 90’s- he called the whole process a high-tech lynchingWe’ve already established in the #metoo culture that all women must be believed, no matter whatWe’ve already vilified men anyway, and he’s white, and wealthy, and conservative, so there’s nothing in his favor, culturally speaking.The Left and the mainstream media used their unholy alliance to push the narrative, and double down on accusations.A key consideration in all of this is timing.Midterm elections are next week.The political Left has been trying to gain support and rally around victim culture so they can oust Trump.They waited until the last minute to reveal these allegations in an attempt to stall the confirmation process of a conservative judge so that when their blue wave drowned out the conservative vote, a leftist judge would have the seat, thus protecting their sacraments.Dr. Ford and her team used every excuse they could including a fear of flying to delay hearings.She regularly flies to the caribbeanThe hearings were full of emotional testimony from both parties, Dr. Ford’s however was not corroborated, nor could she provide any evidence whatsoever of her claims.None of her witnesses backed up her story, none of her friends even remotely corroborated her claimsShe also perjured herself by stating she had never coached people on how to take a polygraph test, which her ex-boyfriend came out and said she was lying explicitly about.At the end of the hearings, Rachel Mitchell, an actual sexual abuse prosecutor, said Dr. Ford’s claims were less credible than a standard “he said, she said” case.Even when confronted about how the story leaked to begin with after Dr. Ford’s request for discretion, Dianne Feinstein, accused Dr. Ford herself of leaking the story.This is important because apparently Sen. Feinstein sat on these allegations for two whole months before “not” leaking them to the press.If she thought this was an actual credible allegation, why not raise the issue immediately?This was a political move from the start. There is absolutely no question about it. Dr. Ford is as much a victim of the Left as Justice KavenaughSo why is this so important?The Left has shown how debased they are. Power is their drug, and they’ve been dry for too longThey were willing to throw out due process [innocent until proven guilty] because in their eyes, they are the righteous social justice warriors who will usher in the socialist utopia.They are willing to lie, cheat, falsely accuse, and browbeat anyone who disagrees with them to bring about their own rule of lawAny form of political warfare is appropriate, because after all, these are Nazis we’re talking about. Nothing is off limits when fighting NazisThis is emotional warfareThey are seeking to hold the country emotionally hostage with their histrionicsOnly evil people refuse to condemn rapists!SIDENOTE I’ll gladly condemn rapists and sexual assaultersAll I ask for is evidenceNeeding evidence is sexist!News pundits and commentators were quick to point out that Dr. Ford’s emotional testimony was all that was needed to prove her righteous victimhoodWhen you accuse someone of something, the burden of proof is on you.There was all this talk of “if Kavenaugh is proved innocent”You can’t be proven innocent. It’s innocent until proven guiltyLeftists played their hand. They got too greedy and weren’t patient enough to let the system work.Not that they play a straight game to begin with.They know their self-serving legislation isn’t popular enough to win through a democratic process, so they force it by judicial power.Decisions like Roe v Wade and Obergefell v Hodges were made by the supreme courtIf they’ll try to break the rule of law for him, they’ll do it for you too.It’s more important than ever to uphold a standard of sexual purity and to have an outstanding reputation of integrityDon’t get me wrong, to live above reproach should ALWAYS be a priority for usThe reason such conversations about sexual purity are taking place right now is specifically due to cases like this, where the man must prove innocence rather than be proven guilty.The reality is, even though Dr. Ford’s narrative was recognized as uncredible, the same might not happen should similar circumstances befall you or me.For those of you in college, or about to enter college, this should be a giant waving red flag for you.Men and women both, do not allow yourself to be in socially compromising situations.Do n

Scott gives an update!

Welcome to the show everyone! Today we’re going to be talking about the greatest ship of all time...friendship!TOPICMEATBefore we start I just want to throw out a personal disclaimer… My name is Lauren Buchanan and I am a bad friend. Ok not a “bad friend” but not always a good friend. I have said before on this podcast that I am terrible at long distance relationships and have plenty of other flaws that would define me as something other than “good friend”. My name is Scott Buchanan, and I am a bad friend. I want to make it clear, we are not writing this podcast because we think we are “good friends” but because we have learned some hard lessons about friendship and hope to share them with you.It was a bit agonizing to write this podcast for a few reasons. The topic of friendship has so many facets and all of us are ever changing and growing which means our friendships are too.  The concepts we talk about today are just generalizations and will hopefully help us all build better relationships together.Why Have Friends?Duh...silly questionTo socialize youPeople need to know what types of behaviour are acceptable across different peer groups.Kiddos need friends to be properly introduced into social structures so that when they’re adults they can avoid anti-social behaviors, including the kind that get you sent to prison. I’m nice to you and share my toys, we can get along and share the playground. Translates into functional adulthood relationshipsYou need people in your life who can call you out on your crap without getting defensiveYou need to know when your behaviour is out of line, if you can’t figure it out by yourself, then it’s up to the people closest to you to let you knowA lie of omission is still a lieBy not speaking up, you’re an enablerIt’s easier to slug through life with the right kind of support groupEccls. 4:9 Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their labor:10 If either of them falls down,one can help the other up.But pity anyone who fallsand has no one to help them up.11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.But how can one keep warm alone?12 Though one may be overpowered,two can defend themselves.A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.That’s why superheroes make groups like the avengers...speaking of… THIS WEEKEND’S GONNA BE LIT, YO!Kinds of friends:We only have so much time on this earth. It is important to use that time wisely and It is just impossible to constantly maintain all the relationships we have in our lifetime. Some of us may have over 1000 friends on facebook. You simply can’t do it. So let’s define a few different types of friendships and then decide how many of these friendships we should invest our time in.Good friendsJim Rohn once said that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You would want most of those people to be better than you so that you likewise improve. You shouldn’t just try to go out and find better people to cling on and be a nuisanceYou should first expect positive behaviors from yourself and then look for the people who reflect those actions back at youAs we’ve discussed before, having a forward moving life plan is the best tool for growth. Why sabotage yourself by hanging out with miserable people?Look at your current friend group? Do you want to be like those people? Do they have the qualities that you hope to see in yourself? Not all your friends will look like this. But I have always tried to fill my life with people I want to be like. My closest friends have qualities and characteristics that I admire and want to emulate in my own life.“charity friends”Now, if you put this theory in reverse… There might be some people who want to be your friend because they want to be more like you. But they aren’t quite there yet. So in your eyes, these friends might “bring you down”. I try to find a good balance with these people. These friendships can be a bit draining to maintain and if you have too many they can start to have a negative impact on both of you. But they are also really important and might be just what you need to mature or perhaps just what they need to grow. As long as you set good boundaries, a few friends like this is good to have. For lack of a better term, I am going to call this type of relationship “charity friends”. This type of friend is a someone who has a lot of needs in a friendship, and once they leave, you feel drained. It is important to be available for these people but not to let them walk all over you.I know someone who has such an empathetic soul. They are a great listener and a great friend. However, they aren’t good at setting boundaries in their relationships and now, they have too many “charity friends”. Their days are full of other people's drama and they can’t seem to get away from it.Often times, they get so overwhelmed by everyone else's junk, they don’t have any brainspace left for themselves and their family. This is an example of what happens if you allow too many charity friends to take priority in your life.For me - I look at these relationships as an unofficial mentorship opportunity. A way you can shine your light and encourage someone by pushing them to improve themselves.These people aren’t “bad friends”. They mean well, they are doing the best they can and they aren’t someone you want to turn away. You just need to set clear boundaries so you don’t get overwhelmed and end up become a “charity friend” yourself in your other relationships.Bad FriendsProverbs 22:24-25 NIV Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnaredDon’t let your friends get you into trouble/guilty by associationMy dad always used to warn against me hanging out with the wrong group of kids in highschool. He would always talk about being guilty by association. Even if you didn't do the thing that got your friend in trouble, being there is enough to cast a poor light on you as well. Misery loves companySometimes people are hell-bent on dragging them and everyone else around them down until they all have their own little corner of hell to play inIt can be innocuous at first, a little whining here, a little self destructive behavior there. Soon you’re both on a downward spiral There are toxic people we interact with every day. The best thing you can do is try to be a good exampleDon’t confuse that with creating excuses for misbehavior.Sometimes it’s best to wean yourself off from toxic friendships While I was dating Lauren long distance, I had a co-worker in a similar relationship- we would hang out after our closing shifts togetherIt soon became obvious that she was using me as an emotional proxy for her boyfriend. She became possessive of my time and got offended if I didn’t hang out with her.I dropped that relationship like a bad habit- yes I suffered a little drama at work, but I was absolutely not going to put up with where I saw the relationship going.She was a nice person, but obviously had issues with boundaries. If I had complacently gone along just to spare her feelings we both would have suffered for it.Best FriendsProverbs 18:24 A man that has friends must show himself friendlyIt's difficult to find a best friend, especially one who feels the same way toward youI've had many friendships where it became painfully obvious that I was more into the relationship than the other person. My best friends through life have tended to be relationships that were in alignment with my current age, or cycle of life.I don’t have the same circle of close friends from the last five, ten, fifteen years-I’ve changed and so have the people I’ve let past my friendship firewallBest friends are the kind of people who will put up with you despite how big of a pain in the butt you are. I’ve had very few people who fit into that position comfortably...I’m fairly obnoxious..not that that’s news to anybody.Speaking of people who can put up with me at my worst, Lauren is the current best friend reigning championYou should marry your best friend. By that I mean, get to know the person you’re courting well enough so that you have a underlying foundation of friendship to build the romantic house of love upon.We all see people jump into superficial relationships and what happens down the line? They fizzle out and die tragically. The relationship...not the peopleYou're going to be stuck together for life, so you should choose a person you enjoy having around to do stuff with. Scott and I were friends before we started dating. We weren’t romantically interested until at least six months after we met.Then once we started dating, we made a point to make sure we didn’t exclude our other friends. It can be tricky to balance that just right. Sometimes people get so wrapped up in the excitement of a romantic endeavor that the rest of the friendships are left untended. Think of relationships like houseplants. You can go a few days without watering them, but not too many.I am so thankful I married my best friend. I think it is important for your spouse to know they are the most important person in your life. I see some marriages where one person (usually the wife) has a BFF who she shares everything with. I pity the husband in those marriages because the wife has someone else in her life besides her husband who knows EVERYTHING about her. It is important to have friends after you are married of course! It is actually very important to keep your marriage healthy. But as we have said already, every relationship needs boundaries. How Friendships DieFriendships have a lifespan just like anything else. I believe the average is about 7 years or so.. I struggle with the thought of all my “dead friendships”. I feel this huge sense of guilt. Like it is my fault the relationship died and the other person is holdi

CultureEpisode 20 SHOW DATEINTROThis week we are going to rant a bit about culture in our society today and talk about ways to make sure our family culture is influenced by God’s way and not the world. And then how we can share our positive culture with the rest of society!OPEN20 episodes! That is kind of a big deal in my eyes! I know we have taken a few weeks off lately…. Because you know. Life happens… But we are thrilled to be able to provide this podcast for you to enjoy and look forward to another 20 to come and beyond! TOPICMEATVideoThere is a video circulating the internet right now of Governor Bevin responding to a question on his stance on gun control. Now, gun control is its own loaded topic and we are not going to get in to that in this episode. But the video talks about what we really need to be focusing on instead of gun control, and that is culture.Now we are going to play the audio of this video because it is just too good to simply summarize. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6XTVuUP0Ho(7 minutes long)Rant about today's cultureWelcome to Scott’s oversimplified history of the last 100 yearsThe 20th century was characterized by many ideals clashing against each otherOur culture- western culture is predicated off Judeo-Christian ethics and individualism- you are responsible for yourself and you succeed or fail by your own hands. People have equal opportunity for prosperityThis is in direct contrast to philosophical doctrines like communism, socialism or marxism- equality of outcome is enforced by government officials, who historically use their power to subjugate, impoverish and mass murder their citizensDespite the amount of pain and suffering seen in the last century, people are still drawn to the ideologies that have proven to be terrible things to implement,This is important today because our schools and higher learning platforms have indoctrinated millions of students into socialist ideologies This brainwashing process is how enemies of western culture have ensured they can grow new crops of voters who will grow up to vote in such a way to keep them in power.The sexual revolution of the 60’s Sought to violate as many taboo’s as possible- we’re still seeing consequences of this now- incest and pedophilia are slowly entering the mainstream. “Free love” and “birth control” absolved you of guilt and responsibility. You shouldn’t deny yourself pleasurable acts You shouldn’t cling to such uptight structures that dictate you have boring sex the rest of your lifeFamily structure dissolvedYou aren’t allowed to say that any one style of parenting is beneficial anymoreI see this at work every daySalem is unfortunately riddled with terrible parents.Many of these kids have dad’s in one of the city’s jails Which means many are being raised by single mothersSingle motherhood has gone up radically since the 60’s Also, AbortionSince Roe v Wade in 1973 there have been over 60 million abortions in the the US.- usabortionclock.orgThe abortion arguments come from a place of willful ignorancePeople know that babies are still babies when they live inside of you, and to state otherwise is a clear refusal of science.Life begins at conception. There isn’t a magical time frame where they suddenly transition from clump of cells to human with rights. The abortion argument is an example of a movement to absolve oneself of personal accountability or responsibility.You play with fire and you’re going to get burned.sex is not a toy.It carries mature consequences for those who abuse it. To absolve ourselves of the guilt usually associated with murder, we’ve had to re-establish our moral philosophy. We refer to this methodology as postmodernism Postmodern philosophy“Postmodernism is difficult to define, because to define it would violate the postmodernist's premise that no definite terms, boundaries, or absolute truths exist...According to the Postmodern Worldview, the Western world society is an outdated lifestyle disguised under impersonal and faceless bureaucracies. The postmodernist endlessly debates the modernist about the Western society needing to move beyond their primitiveness of ancient traditional thought and practices.Postmodernists believe that the West’s claims of freedom and prosperity continue to be nothing more than empty promises and have not met the needs of humanity. They believe that truth is relative and truth is up to each individual to determine for himself. Most believe nationalism builds walls, makes enemies, and destroys “Mother Earth," while capitalism creates a “have and have not” society, and religion causes moral friction and division among people.Postmodernists do not attempt to refine their thoughts about what is right or wrong, true or false, good or evil. They believe that there isn’t such a thing as absolute truth. A postmodernist views the world outside of themselves as being in error, that is, other people’s truth becomes indistinguishable from error. Therefore, no one has the authority to define truth or impose upon others his idea of moral right and wrong.”- allaboutphilosophy.orgThis is where we find ourselves today- nothing is taboo, and if it is; just wait.The riots and protests are really motivated by people who want to have a governmental redo, except this time they want it built on their own philosophies and valuesPostmodernism has no values. No idea is any better than any other ideaTaken to its logical conclusion, you can justify absolutely anything under those parametersYour value of human life is no better than my value of convenience and limitless personal autonomy We dismantle the framework of our nation and we aren’t left with a better frame, we’re left with nothing!The ideals and principles this country was founded on are some of the highest standards a country has ever had to maintain.We would know that if it were taught to us in the public education realm.Instead of reading the philosophy and influential authors that the founders read, we pepper social justice sprinkles onto the curriculum and everybody’s reading books about lesbian theory.Read Marcus Aurelius sometime. Read about George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt. Read the book Roosevelt wrote about WashingtonWhat can we do to fight back against this kind of thing?What can we do about it? It starts with YOUI think we should start at the foundation of the issue. Family culture is where we have our first crack at interacting with other people. Parents have the duty of socializing their children, kids have to learn how to be respectful and to act in such a way that people like having them around. These aren’t things that happen randomly- it takes concerted effort for years Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go,And when he is old he will not depart from it.We don’t have a whole lot of room to talk in this regard. I know that parents get all up in arms over having other, younger people tell them how to raise their kids. So we’re not going to go into any hard and fast child raising stuff here, We would like to share with you however some ideas we had about getting a proper family culture up and runningTake it away, Lauren! Family CultureFamily culture, is defined as an aggregate of attitudes, ideas and ideals, values, interests, hobbies and environment, which a person inherits from his/her parents and ancestors.In order to assess your current family culture, here are a few questions to ask yourself:What is most important in your life?Where do you invest your time and money? What is the “feel” of your household?The answers to these questions might not be what you want, but that means there is opportunity for growth! And you all know how much I love personal growth, right Scott?RIGHTIt’s kind of my MOOne way to encourage positive growth in your family's culture is by creating a family manifesto and/or mission statement.We have brought up Brene Brown before in a previous podcast and she actually has an example of a parenting manifesto (not quite a family manifesto but you will at least get a good understanding of what I mean by manifesto). I will include a link in the description so you can read it on your own time.Basically a manifesto is a declaration of your core values and beliefs, what you stand for, and how you intend to live your life.A mission statement is basically a compact version of your manifestoI created a personal mission statement for myself back in 2015. The way I did this was I made a list of a bunch of words that spoke to me, that described me, or at least that I WANTED to describe me. Then I put the words together to form one jam packed sentence full of what I wanted to represent and accomplish.So without judging me to harshly - because I know this sentence doesn’t seem to make sense to anyone else… I will share my personal mission statement with you as an example.Seek his purpose, with willing hands, while cultivating a captivating lifeIt may sound a bit jumbled, but every word was carefully chosen.Scott and I haven’t created a family mission statement or manifesto - So I assign all of us homework! Create a mission statement and/or a manifesto (either personal or for your family if you have one) and If you feel comfortable, share them on our facebook page. It would make a great opportunity for our listeners to get to know each other and share what each of you value most. The dissolution of the family unit is due in large part to all the things we covered in the history lesson earlier.Raising a family properly is one of the greatest responsibilities you can foist upon yourself. When we take it lightly, or do the steps out of order, or refuse to accept the responsibility of our poor choices, not only do we manifest our own little island of hell, but we strand our families there too.We are selfish creatures, really. It presumably isn’t a natural action to put ourselves on the back burner, or else we wouldn’t h

Today we'll talk about grappling with God, and we'll take a close look at the life of Jacob. LET'S GOOOOOOOO

We're joined today by Ben Light to talk about all things Passover related, except Charlton Heston oddly enough. Let's go!

Today we'll talk about the steps we take to get ready for the passover season every year. Don't forget to leave us feedback! :DBen Light Sermon and Spiritual Spring Conference Consideration Worksheet^ The document is under the 'Downloads' tab on the right hand side of the screen

Today I’ll head this episode up on qualities of what I think a proverbs 31 man should look like The past 3 parts are available to listen to on the website voxrobora.comThis is heavily influenced by the bible, as well as excerpts from church notebooks of the past.I also refer a lot to concepts laid out by the writings and lectures of Jordan Peterson.I have to say, that his work has done a lot of good for me.As passover looms, I’ve been doing a lot of introspection and the concepts laid out by him have allowed me to widen my sense of perspective and scope of vision.I’ve been reading his book “an antidote to chaos” and listening to his biblical series lectures on youtube simultaneously and they play off each other very well, he often expands on the concept from the book in the lectures and fleshes them out with his soothing kermit the frog voice. I’ll link the youtube page below. They’re quite long, but if you’re more prone to podcasts, like I think you are...you can look him up on your favorite podcast app and listen to them for free as well. He’s got a lot of other stuff up there for free as well.  TOPICMGTOWThere is an increasing trend of young men swearing off women foreverThey’ve been told they’re evil for their genderThey’re swearing off women foreverWe need to remember why women are worth having around  Why are they worth it?God made marriage a partnershipEccl 4:9- 9Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?12And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. The bad days are better with a spouse, and the bad days are comingSometimes, people’s default is to aim low when they doIf you both aim low, then there’s no hope, you might as well roll over and dieBut if one aims up, then it’s easier to get through itYou might even get the other person to aim up too, and then what’s going to stop you? Not much. Knowing what not to look forThis podcast will talk about what to look for in a mate, which infers that with things to look for you like, you should also discern traits you dislike in a person.This is useful- you need to know what kind of behaviours don’t mesh well with your personalityIf you see warning signs, PAY ATTENTION to them. We tend to blind ourselves when we talk about love and mushy feelings.Proverbs 21:9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.21:19 Better to dwell in the wilderness,Than with a contentious and angry womanWords written by solomonI used to envy Solomon…700 wives 300 concubines what more could you want?Now that I’m older and wiser, he gets only pityEven if he’s only describing 10% of his total wives, that’s still 100 women making him miserable and long for a night in the rain.So what can we extract from that?Know the type of person you want to be tethered to for life. Get to know someone before you bind yourself to them in the eyes of God. So many marriages end in divorce now- don’t look for ways to add yourself to that group.If not for yourself, then the potential future children you would have with them, who don’t deserve to watch the both of you split the family down the seams Your other halfYour wife is not your slave or your inferior. Ephesians 5:25-  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her have the love of christ for your wife. Be willing to give up everything unto death5:28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes itSince we are the same flesh, when you show love to your spouse, you are showing love to yourself. And when you mistreat them, you are mistreating yourself. Your spouse cannot experience any emotion with out it somehow affecting you. So treat your spouse with the same love you would treat yourself with. Nourish and cherishTreat your wife like a thoroughbred and she won’t act like a nag- notes from 2010 sermonHow does Christ view the church? We were worth his physical sacrifice5:29- 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.This is a reference from Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.We are two parts of the same flesh. The relationship isn’t tyrant and slave, or perpetual martyrdom “Naked and not ashamed”- they had no sense of self-consciousness around each otherWhat does that mean? They had no reason to feel intimidated or unworthy in the presence of the other. No cause for contempt or distrust.They saw each other as a natural extension of their own body.Their eyes were opened and what the first thing they did? Put up walls. Don’t look at me- i’m indecent.We should strive to get back to the pre fall relationship  Give your wife the ability to reach her full potential  31:23 Her husband is known in the gates,   When he sits among the elders of the landThis is a well known guy, he’s respected and has a good reputation. Let’s put that in modern context- he is not a 30 year old toddler.He is accomplished enough and competent to the point that people take his opinion seriouslyHe has seen to his own affairs and made wise decisions financially.He has positioned his family so they are able to have nice things, and share those things with the communitySome guys have what I would call poor spending habits- and I am their king. Learning how to use your cash properly is a useful skillFinances are tricky- but important.Dave Ramsey talks a little about this in his program-Couples usually have a spender and a saver- we fit that bill.Lauren’s better at the budget and a great influence on me. Set your wife up for successGive her the materials she needsTake on more tasks for yourself to lighten her loadGive her the trust and respect she deservesRelationship like a director and a producer- I had no idea what a producer did until I went to college. The director has this large vision of how he feels the product of everyone’s time and money should look and feel by the end of the processThey have a plan to accomplish a great feat which is making a hollywood movie- you have absolutely no idea how many wheels have to be spinning all at the same time- That’s how we broke Joss Whedon- we made him in charge of two of the biggest movies of the last decade consecutively and without rest. Of course he broke down.As big as the director’s plan is, it has to be put together with an infrastructure it has to be planned and logistically mapped out for consecutive months on a rigid schedule and on time and under budget. I took a class on producing for my degree and it was the most stressful semester of my life.Without the producer, nothing would get made. That’s why Jerry Bruckheimer gets his own logo at the beginning of every film he’s worked on. Johnny Depp doesn’t get thatYour wife is your producer especially if you work full time and have children.If you don’t believe me, just try functioning without her for a few days.  The point is, she’s the one making sure all your silly ideas have the ability to take shape. She’s the reason you get to putter about and play with your toys and eat dinner every night and stay up later than healthy people so you can write your podcast. <3She is the reason that functioning order has crept back into your life, and you don’t get to lord over her the fact that you brought the money into the house when she’s the one making sure you don’t blow it all on video games and taco bell so that you don’t have to worry about paying the bills next month...and the month after that because one of the things you still haven’t figured out how to do is be smart with your money. Maybe you should regard that person as someone who clearly managed to get things better than you in some areas, and there’s something you could learn from her. This isn’t all to say women can’t work and have to stay home. I worked under Lauren very happily for two years. She’s a pretty cool boss.   Be able to master calamityWhat do you do when calamity and chaos show up We talked about dragons being metaphors for chaos a couple weeks ago- Back in episode one I talked about my love of the Hercules myth One of the monsters he fought was of course the deadly HydraSome of our chaos problems are hydras- Take care of one problem, seven more come at youSo what do you do?Well you can fall apart and sit in the corner and weepYou could also be bitter about your lot in life and curse God and shake your fist at the skyWhat good do either of those do?Make things worse!Regardless of scale, when trouble in the family unit occurs, somebody needs to step up and take charge of the situation, and that someone may as well be you Hard choices require a serious nature. Resolve to stoically handle the hard timesSometimes this will make you the bad guy. That is ok. Funerals are not fun. They are substantially less fun when everyone is fighting.Someone has to step up and take charge of the situationIf you don’t prepare yourself for calamity, you’ll be a victim when it rears its head. We walk around with this blissful sense of ignorance about the world and our eyes are half glazed over so whenever the first minor inconvenience strays in front of us, we fall to pieces Be ready to step in and fill the gaps created by chaosPart of your job as a husband is to protect your family

Today we will hear mostly from the lovely lady on the vox robora team as she shares her interpretation of the Proverbs 31 woman.We are also going to include our show notes, for those of you who rather read instead of listen.INTROWe’re back after our mini-break and our interview with the kubiksPicking back up on our four part miniseries talking about proverbs 31 peopleThe first episode we talked about learning to be the best versions of ourselves by integrating our weaknesses into strengths,The second episode dealt with our dating origin story and our own personal dating and courtship adviceThis third episode is going to be woman centric and focusing more on the ladies today and who better than to share in her wisdom than an actual ladyOf course I mean my lovely wife, so without further ado.Lauren Buchanan yaaaaay!TOPICSToday we are going to talk about:The purpose of womenFear of GodDiligenceAnd our physical appearanceAND SO MUCH MOREMEATPurpose of WomenBefore we dive into Proverbs 31 and how we can learn to be virtuous women in today's society, we thought it would be a good idea to go back to the beginning and see what role women were created for.We all know the verse well. Genesis 2:18 says “it is not good that man be alone. I will create a helper suitable for him. The word for Helper in hebrew is Ezer Kenegdo. It isn’t easy to translate. Some bibles use Help meet which never made much sense to me. Other ways this could be interpreted are sustainer beside him and desperately needed counterpart.The word Ezer is used used twenty other places in the old testament and in every other instance it is referring to God himself, when he is desperately needed. Here are some examples:Blessed are you o israel, who is like you, a people saved by the Lord. He is your shield and EZER and your glorious swordMy EZER comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earthMay the lord answer you when you are in distress, may the name of the God of jacob protect you. May he send you EZERYou can begin to see the magnitude of this word EZER. A better translation might be life saver.Now kenegdo means alongside, opposite to or a counterpart.So, if we are to be helpers, we are to be the lifesaver beside our husbands. Peers and equals, standing side by side, braving life's trials together as a team.Sounds like a tough job, but that is the role we were created for. It would take a virtuous woman to fulfill such a role in the way God intended. Which brings us to Proverbs 31.I think it’s also important to consider that all the traits that comprise the proverbs 31 woman should also be present in and complemented by her husband. Marriage is a partnership and we should avoid the mentality that either person has a higher intrinsic value over the other.SHE FEARS THE LORDThe first time I ever did a study of the proverbs 31 woman, I wanted to find a list of exactly what I needed to do to be successful (in the eyes of God and man). What job should I have, should I even have a job, how many children do I need, what capacity should I serve at church etc. While having a cut and dry list would be great, I quickly realized that list does not exist, nor should it because although this describes perhaps a specific woman, it is meant to be an outline for any woman to use. Meaning it can be interpreted and applied in as many ways as there are woman who read it.So today I am not going to be able to give you a list of what exactly you should or should not be doing. Instead, we are going to break down the verses and talk about what really matters. And that is the qualities and characteristics of a woman who fears the Lord.The conclusion of this chapter in with “but a woman who fears the lord is to be praised. Why should we fear the God? We shouldn’t fear him because of who he is but because it pleases him that we do so. We also need to understand that fear here doesn’t mean a tremble in your boots kind of fear. But more of a reverence or awe of him. We shouldn’t be afraid of God as if he were to boogie man, fear is understanding your relationship to God and comprehending all the reasons He should snuff you out, but doesn’t. We are also promised blessings if we fear him. Psalm 112 describes a person that fears god. A great study would be to look into psalm 112 and see how these characteristics tie into the proverbs 31 woman. We will go into more detail next week on Psalm 112.The practical manifestation of fearing God is obedience. If we fear god and do not sin, we will be blessed.So to be a virtuous woman, we must fear and obey GodHoliness - SHE DOES GOOD(verse 12 - She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.)To do good and not harm is within the context of a marriage relationship but this can be said regardless of if you are in a marriage. We should always strive for goodness, holiness and a life free of sin.There are so many ways we can avoid evil but one way I want to focus on today is rationalizing.Rationalizing is a slippery slope towards sin. Here is the thought process: 1. It is wrong I won't do it. 2. It isn't wrong but I won't do it. 3. Since it isn't wrong, I'll do it.The steps of a good person should not slide but stay steadfast in the direction of godliness. If you devote your life to the straight and narrow, you will bring everyone around you good and not harm, all the days of your life.Trust - SHE SPEAKS WITH WISDOM AND KINDNESS(verse 11 - Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.)Trustworthiness is KEY in any relationship, in order for it to grow and develop in a healthy way.A trustworthy woman should be discreet. When someone comes to me with their personal trials, they are telling me in confidence. They have given me their trust, and it is my responsibility to to respect their confidence in me and not spread what they share in private around as gossip.We all have a reputation. Some are good, some are bad. Ask yourself, what reputation precedes you? Are you known for being a gossip? Or are you known for your active listening skills and sound judgment in discretion?It is a tough question to ask, and I know I didn’t like the answer I came up with when I took a real honest look. Gossip is such a hard thing to overcome. I don’t know what it is but knowing stuff is just so addictive. I personally continue to strive for this character trait.Speaking of gossip - lets move to verse 26(verse 26 - She speaks with wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue.)It is incredibly difficult to control the tongue. It can be used to do good but it can easily be used to do evil. It is our greatest weapon.I recently read this analogy where we should imagine there is a law at the gate of your mouth which says “no unkind word shall pass through.” Because that is what it means to have the law of kindness on your tongue.One thing I have been working on for a few years now is to avoid these two statements “I love her to pieces BUT” and “Bless her heart”. Starting a sentence with I love her BUT is simply a justification for bashing them. And adding Bless her heart at the end of a sentence is essentially the same. Oops, I just said something harsh about someone else and I need to backtrack so I’ll just tack on “bless her heart” and it’s all good. It isn’t all good. I am absolutely guilty of saying both these things on many occasions so I am not pointing fingers at anyone but myself here. If you see these traits in yourself, I have a challenge for you that I am going to strive for. I dare you to replace the BUT with a BECAUSE. Everything you have a negative thought about someone you want to share out loud. Bring that person up but replace the negative statement with a positive one.Humility - HER WORKS BRING HER PRAISE Verse 31 - Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.Isn’t it interesting that there is only one reference for her doing something for herself. Everything else she does for the betterment of others. She uses her talents to bless those around her, without complaint, but with joy, and doesn’t have to parade her accomplishments because they speak for themselves.If we are so blessed to be able use our gifts to serve others. We must be extra diligent to make sure we keep our pride in check and stay humbleAlthough she is involved in many activities, it is her husband who is known in the gates. She is the perfect compliment to him and does not call attention to herself.This also suggests she creates and sells her own wares- she is an industrious workerPeace of Mind - SHE IS NOT AFRAIDThis is easier said than done. We have talked about it before and we'll talk about it again. We have to learn to trust God and give our cares to him. He promises to provide for us if we diligently seek himThis is much easier said than done. It’s something we are still working on. I still get in my own way and feel like I need to micromanage every aspect of life.Diligence - HER CANDLE DOES NOT GO OUTSpeaking of diligence, the biggest take away I get everytime I read through this chapter is how busy this lady is! All the time! She is up before the sun and never seems to quit.Diligence is only one of about 20 descriptive verbs used in Proverbs 31, most of which have to do with physical activity.A woman's work is never done, especially if she has a full time job on top of our household duties. The drudgeries of life can be overwhelming at times, so it is important to keep tabs on your mindset. I have heard it said, and it is a habit I enjoy doing, that if you ever find yourself complaining about having to clean the dishes for the hundredth time or do ANOTHER load of laundry, to instead fill your head with words of thanks. Thankful for the warm water to clean your dishes with and the fact that you have clothes to wash and a washer and dryer available to you to wash them in.Gratitude dissolves contemptPart of the husband’s task is to make sure he pr

This week we had the opportunity to interview the President and First Lady ;) of the United Church of God. We had a nice chat about their recent trip to South America, future projects at the home office and even talked about their relationship origin story. All this and more on this week's episode! LETS GO!

Today we'll discuss our romantic origin story, and have a casual chat about dating!WARNING!!!Today's episode contains discussions containing adult topics- parents may want to pre-screen episode for age-appropriateness.   

KNOW THYSELFEPISODE 0122/9/18  INTROWelcome back! Today we’ll talk abouuuuutEvil men!Angry women!Psychology!Dragons!Shadow boxing! OPENTOPIC We must first understand ourselves before we burden someone else with our livesIntroTease 4 partsMen are vilifiedWomen can’t stay at homeWhat’s the answerPsychology disclaimerMetaphors and storiesMeek is not weakIn filth it will be foundThe shadowconclusionMEATIntro  Tease four partsWe’re starting our four part series on proverbs 31 people today. Part 1- figure yourself out firstPart 2- how to date/court Part 3- how to be a good lady/wifePart 4- how to be a good man/husbandEvil menWe are going to focus more on the guys for just a bit. We all want our own proverbs 31 woman, but in order to maximize success and optimal relationship framework, YOU have to be a proverbs 31 man.Unfortunately, society has made all you guys out there the villain to their fantasy disney film lifeMen are vilified, we are part of the “toxic masculinity” that is endemic to western culture.We are categorized as rapists, or rapists in waiting, and the discussions that were once focused on equal rights for all have now been replaced with a new animal farm style where all are equal, but some are more equal than others.You just happen to be born on the bottom of the new social structure because of your genitalsI feel that before we delve into how to be a proverbs 31 man, we need to restore our young men to the base level of just being told it’s ok to be a man. You wouldn’t think that would be a divisive and radical statement, yet...here we are.Woman have to do it allOf course there are two sides to this coin and nobody winsSince the feminist movement, women are encouraged to pursue careers (which is great and I fully support that) but someone still has to take care of the house and feed the mouths and be an incubator for the fetuses that then turn into children who take an infinite number of hours to raise. We know are expected to do it all and still be pleasant human beings. For those of us who are doing it all right now (and many of us are),  I wanted to share a friendly reminder that doing your best doesn’t mean working yourself down to a nervous breakdown. - I saw this quote on facebook, author unknownIt seems physically impossible to do it all and yet we are expected to. Now lets say you are one of the blessed women who are able to stay home and raise their children. I am blessed to be one of those ladies, at least for the present moment. We, as stay at home moms, can be judged for JUST raising our children. Like somehow, that job is not important enough to waste our time on. Now all of these are observations are are not intended as blanket generalizations. There are many women who work full time and are AMAZING women who are fulfilling the purpose God set before them. We all have individual talents and strengths that God has given us to make this world a better place and to prepare us to be leaders in his kingdom What’s the answer?So what’s the answer?Well, you fight ideas with ideas. Where do we get pure cultural ideas from?Judeo-christian values are even by objective standards the best examples.The western world was created with such values in place. We’re supposed to look to Jesus as the ultimate standard for human behavior. What does Christ preach? Love God and your neighbor. Who’s your neighbor? Everyone. When you find you are lacking in a certain area, you need to self examine and address the issue.Serious, deliberate introspection and self correction is the process by which we realize our full potential.The bible is full of wisdom and examples to follow but it’s also full of archetypes and storylines that connect with us on a metaphysical level.  Psychology disclaimerDISCLAIMER- We’re going to be talking about a little bit of psychology- I know people have mixed views on this sort of thing.I have been watching a great deal of Professor Peterson’s videos this week. They are easy to binge watch. He presents information in such a clear manner- he bases a lot of his proposals off the works of famous writers and psychologists like Freud, Nietzsche, and most notably, Carl Jung.I don’t agree with everything he says or believes, but I’m able to use my handy discernment tool to filter out what’s beneficial. He’s been discussing a trend he’s seen in his work as a clinical psychologist and his university lectures and public speaking forumsMen and women are craving being told to fulfill a purposePeterson teaches responsibility is the key to achieving self fulfilling purpose.Along with this disclaimer, I am going to just mention that I am taking a back seat for the rest of this podcast. Scott has been super passionate about this topic and sort of ran with some ideas that I just couldn’t keep up with. I might pipe in here and there but this is Scotts time to shine! Metaphors and StoriesLet me ask you something- what do you picture when you hear a story about a man fighting a dragon?Just think over in your head how many books or movies you’ve seen with something like this happening. Dragons are terrifying- they’re the ultimate predator. Giant flying firebreathing snakegators that can eat you wholeMany cultures have depictions of dragonsPeterson talks a lot about the St. George myth- Man fights and kills dragon, gets virgin.Dragons are powerful metaphors for that which terrifies us.My math teacher in high school made a whole project out of us drawing and explaining our “geometry dragons”- or the thing that scared us most about his class. We need to reign in chaos. We want to bend it to our willSnakes and creeping lizards and giant monsters hidden by the night have been chasing us for thousands of years. They are an unknown entity. They create chaos.When you see dragons or large snakes in literature, they represent the chaos that exists below the surface structure of the world.Now think about biblical structure. What are some names for Satan? SerpentGreat dragonAuthor of confusion (chaos)How is he defeated? Christ endures his temptations.Christ defeats him in death. Reclaims the world Peterson talks about how many cultures have this sort of aggregate hero archetype who embodies the purest form of moral behavior. He who speaks the truth and has vision.Western culture rewards this kind of behaviour. These are leadership qualities. People naturally flock to this kind of personality which leads them to ascend their dominance hierarchy- another thing Peterson talks about a lotPeterson memes- he has so many catchphrases. If you watch him enough you’ll begin to see the patterns emerge This person recognizes that there is a need for such a hero and therefore steps forward to claim that title.Meek is not weakSo why doesn’t everybody do this? Why is society falling to crap?Isn’t this a desirable position? To assert yourself enough to attain another step up the dominance hierarchy has all sorts of benefits. It’s a path to success to repeatedly manifest what you want out of life.ANSWER Because slaying dragons is hard!If it were easy, everyone would be doing it! Slaying dragons requires FortitudeDiscomfort BraveryBravery is not the lack of fear- that’s a sign of either naivety or stupidityBravery is characterized as existing despite fearMeekness is not the lack of threat. That’s weakness As Mr. Antion used to say, “meekness is not weakness”Matt. 5:5- “the meek shall inherit the earth” This is more often attributed to being humble.How are you humble? You have to require the ability to be braggadociousChristianity has adopted some more neutered practices in the last few centuriesJesus is depicted as some anorexic beta male in many famous works of art.Have you ever seen a frail carpenter?Some christians try to embody this by becoming doormats.The best description of meekness I’ve heard through the grapevine is “those who have weapons and the ability to use them, but determine to keep them sheathed.Bravery and virtue are desirable because they exist despite the circumstances.The same thing applies to you and me in terms of morality.We’re not good people just because we’re afraid to do bad stuff. It’s easy to have false notions and preconceptions about ourselves because the other option is uncomfortablePeterson makes the case repeatedly that in order to go out and create a life for ourselves out of chaos we must first turn our attention inward and straighten ourselves out.How do I do that?You need to be ready to be brutally honest with yourself first.What qualities do you lack?Where should you drop bad habits?What exactly is wrong with you? You need to work on sorting yourself out because at the moment you’re not fulfilling your greatest potential- that goes for all of us. The process is uncomfortable, nobody likes reconciling their faults with themselves In Filth It Will Be FoundIdiom used by Carl Jung- The path to enlightenment and what most want to know is in the place where you most fear to search.The only way to defeat your fears is to confront them. Head on.Peterson’s a clinical psychologist and he advocates immersion therapy in his lectures.Repeated exposure to discomfort will allow you to overcome your fearHeights and spidersWindow cleaningIf you have a fear of heights or spiders it will cure you or kill you. You deal with both frequently, often at the same time.Spiders are climbers and they love them some windowsI eventually got over my discomfort. I can squish a tarantula on a 40 foot ladder and be ok.Please nobody test that theory. The ShadowJungian psychology deals a lot with the concept of the shadow- Peterson advocates this idea quite extensively in his lectures.Your shadow consists of all the negative aspects of your personality that you either repress or ignore, which allows them to linger just under the surface in your subconscious. “The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for

Today, Scott uses an older recording in placement of real work!

Don’t Worry [or] Be HappyEPISODE 010SHOW DATE 1/26/18  INTRO:We’re going to talk about :Failure and worryJoyThe law of undulationHappiness Annnnnnnd Screwtape!LETS GOOPEN:Welcome back everyoneYou may have noticed we stepped our social media game up a few notches- Lauren got another promotion to SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERI am moving up in the ranks!We’ve been plotting a social media swarm to get all up in ya bizz. One day we’ll look back at our lives and this will have been the first step on our path to world domination.Amazon affiliate links TOPIC:JOY  MEAT:Failure :Last week we talked about failure and the importance of getting back up to the fight.That’s good, but for some people, the act of getting back up can seem impossible. It seemed like an easy transition to go from talking about failure into worry. The two go hand in hand. What we worry about can often be described as failing. “I worry we won’t be able to pay our bills” could be reworded as “I worry we are going to FAIL at paying our bills. “I worry our kid is turning into a brat” could be “I worry we have FAILED at parenting”.Failure is the action, worry is the state of mindWorry paralyzes usIt keeps us trapped in the moment, the future seems bleak We need to not give in to fear - no one likes being told to put their problems into perspective. But it is a good habit to get into to look objectively at your life and see if maybe you're overreacting. Jordan Peterson Video- It’s worth going back and fighting the dragonPause us and go listen to his clip on youtube (linked below and on facebook) and then come backMINI SEGMENT- Scott’s man crush of the week- Jordan peterson is my new favorite youtube obsession and thankfully he’s got HUNDREDS of hours of content. I’m going to link his youtube channel down below you should go watch him and digest all his material. He’s very smartOr listen to it later, I’m not your momANYWAYS Some of you know the stress of processing your past and rectifying it so you can make sense of the whole thing, but doing that while also addressing the current issues of rent and loan payments and grocery bills and doctors appointments is adding on so much more unnecessary stressGod says- You focus on figuring this junk out so you can be a better example of how I want mentally healthy people to live and I’ll take care of the rest. I have trouble with this- always have.My childhood and adolescence was one long anxiety attack. Dealing with school before age ten was enough to give me a complex and then factoring in all the death and trauma in my immediate sphere of influence following that has made faith in stability difficult. Faith in divine protection and blessings is something I am constantly re-addressing in my personal life. I’m super analytical but the amount of data processed tends to cause my internal CPU to seize up.It’s part of some programming that I’ve yet been completely unsuccessful from removing from my hard drive. It’s malware that sends a thousand pop-up windows up at once“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT”“THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU WEREN’T SO STUPID”“YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER”“YOU SHOULD BE BETTER AT DEALING WITH THIS BY NOW!”“WHY ARE YOU LETTING THIS AFFECT YOU SO MUCH?WHY CAN’T YOU HAVE MORE FAITH?”All these ideas are self detrimental and contradictory mind garbage.Of course I’m not better at dealing with this because my first reaction when things go wrong is to blame myself and knock myself down. This eventually become a deafening negative feedback loop.So what should be the first thing we do when we trying to get ourselves back in alignment?  1Pet 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.Or as Expositor's bible commentary says:Verse 7 “Cast all your anxiety on him.” Here the verb “cast” and means “to throw upon,” indicating a decisive act on our part. Peter does not say what the anxiety is; perhaps he had persecution in mind. The application of his exhortation embraces all the difficulty a believer who wants to live godly in a fallen world must face. The “casting” entails an act of the will and would be done prayerfully and in obedience to Jesus’ teaching about anxiety .Matt 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.JFB- for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on—In Luke (Lu 12:29) our Lord adds, “neither be ye unsettled”—not “of doubtful mind,” as in our version. When “careful (or ‘full of care’) about nothing,” but committing all in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving unto God, the apostle assures us that “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Php 4:6, 7); that is, shall guard both our feelings and our thoughts from undue agitation, and keep them in a holy calm. But when we commit our whole temporal condition to the wit of our own minds, we get into that “unsettled” state against which our Lord exhorts His disciples. Expositors “He cares for you” means that God is not indifferent to our sufferings. This conception of God’s concern for human affliction is one of the peculiar treasures of the Judeo-Christian faith; though Greek philosophy at its highest could formulate a doctrine of God’s perfect goodness, it could not even imagine his active concern for mankind.Worry pretty much comes with the territory of becoming a mom. Is my baby eating enough? Is she still breathing? Is her poop supposed to be that color? Why is she crying? Why isn’t she crying? It is a never ending series of worrisome thoughts. It is difficult to push those worries aside and give it all to God.Speaking of giving it all to God, I recently made a connection with worry and sin. When we sin and ask God for forgiveness, we are to absolutely forget and move on. I like to think of my worries in the same way, When I have a worry, I go to God with it and give it up to Him. Once I give it to Him, i do my very best to forget about it (or atleast not dwell on it) ever again. This is easier said than done. But the paralel made a lot of sense to me.  HappinessWe are told so often that we should focus on being happy. Happiness often relies on circumstances being in our favor. The promotion, the car, the girl, the boy, the new toys...all of it is marketed to us as life enhancements.We’ll never be satisfied by what we have, and we’ll never reach a point of fulfillment if our measuring stick is based off physical issues.Here is a quote from a speech i gave last year on replacing discontent with JoyIn conclusion, I want to express what true joy is and is not. Joy is not happiness. I love self improvement books and have read a great many. But one thing I noticed while reading these books is a trend in our current society for happiness. Think about how many books and documentaries are out there right now? The happiness Project, 10% happier, happy people, uncovering happiness, the list goes on. While these are interesting reads, they all made me realize how big of a gap there is between man's definition of happiness and what I think of when I say true Joy. True joy to me is spiritually guided, God centered joy. True joy is an underlying feeling deep in your soul that keeps you grounded. It is knowing God is in control and that he loves you so very much! He is putting you through this trial for a reason and there is comfort in knowing that He has a plan for you. There is more to life than stuff and things and junk and mushy feelings.Immature people need things to be perfect all the time. Life realistically isn’t always going to be marshmallows and tickle fights. Your state of mind being determined by outside stimuli alone is just you functioning at the most superficial level Gwen does this. Her happiness often correlates with how recently she had a boob in her mouth. Now, she hasn’t woken up enough mentally to achieve more than this, but theoretically we all have. At base level, our human animal is reactive to stimuli, but engaging with the spiritual creature within us is to acknowledge that God gives us a purpose beyond just being roving poop factories.Things aren’t always going to go your way.UndulationLike Lewis talks about in Screwtape, undulation is a thing. There will always be high and low pointsThe high points are really good, but realistically, we’re not being challenged and pushed towards growth in those environments.The low points, as depressing as they may be, are what fuels us towards change. Misery is a good motivator sometimes, as long as we’re willing to ac

Today, we'll discuss failure and all the fun emotions it makes us feel! PLUS, more dating advice, and as always- Screwtape! Come on vamanos! 7 Powerful Ways to Fail Better (and Succeed Sooner)

Today we'll cover proper planning procedures, straightforward systems structures- introduce a BRAND NEW COHOST and as always, I'll banter on about the Screwtape Letters ad nauseum. Get on in here! Learning the Hard WayJames Clear: Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead.