Tuesday, August 23, 2005

the vision to transform my body (pt. 2)

Let's look at some of the characteristics of what self-worship looks like in a carnally focused life.

1. My Way
This is the natural human repsonse to life. As Frank Sinatra reminded us, "My Way." I want what I want when I want it. We are all two year olds who never grow up left to ourselves. We just get more sophisticated in hiding that we are on the throne of our own lives as we get older. If you want to see this attribute in action, watch how people drive in busy traffic. Cutting off, switching lanes, driving too close, don't think of coming into my lane--- That's just the first five minutes of an LA commute!

2. My Body, My Choice
In order to get what I want, the body is my weapon of choice. The obvious results are a life of physical gratification of some sort. Booze and pills continue to dominate many lives. Serial sexual activity for the young and not so young, pornography for all, modern life is not much different than the fertility religions of ancient times.

The less obvious choices have to do with the "pleasure" of being angry even to the point of rage, or anger turned inward, depression. So often the physical effects of anger and depression are not taken into consideration. My anger feels good because I can blame everyone else for my problems, and depression, while devastating, in some cases may be a strangely comforting choice as a means of not taking personal responsibility.

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Pastor from LIFEhouse Church in Northridge CA, focusing on the theme, "How To Be A Christian Without Being A Jerk."