The other night after work I came home and watched 'The Exchange' on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is a business program.
Gretchen Rubin, that was a new writer to me, was interviewed and she discussed human nature and habits. Her website offers a tendencies test, which I took and it seems somewhat insightful in regard to me.
I will post and then discuss briefly on audio. My comments in bold.
Upholders respond readily to outer and inner expectations
Questioners question all expectations; they’ll meet an expectation if they think it makes sense
Rebels resist all expectations, outer and inner alike
Obligers meet outer expectations, but struggle to meet expectations they impose on themselves'
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According to your answers, your dominant Tendency is Questioner.
Questioners question all expectations, and will meet an expectation only if they believe it’s justified, so in effect, they meet only inner expectations.
This is does not mean a questioner only cares about her/his own needs, I reason. The needs of others can still be met but it is more of a focus on meeting those needs through meeting inner expectations as opposed to meeting outer expectations. In other words, I do not reason that a questioner is necessarily more selfish than an upholder.
Once Questioners believe that a particular habit is worthwhile, they’ll stick to it—but only if they’re satisfied about the habit’s soundness and usefulness.
They resist anything arbitrary or ineffective; they accept direction only from people they respect.
Reasonable.
Questioners may exhaust themselves (and other people) with their relentless questioning, and they sometimes find it hard to act without perfect information.
I have had to learn to accept very good/excellent as opposed to near perfect.
If you’re thinking, “Well, right now I question the validity of the Four Tendencies framework,” yep, you’re probably a Questioner!
I noticed that my most recent Facebook posts and status updates on my main page do not appear to a non-friend. I changed my main Facebook page settings because I want to publish 'Public', it had been changed for some reason.
But I intend to place more posts on my Facebook Blog that I use to promote my two Blogger blogs.
Ridiculous stereotypes often make people very ignorant towards other nationalities. For example, I’m in good shape, intelligent, and I don’t have sex with my cousins, and yet still people assume I’m American. Canadian, Stewart Francis
I’m an Atheist… thank God.
Dave Allen
(1936 – 2005) Irish comedian
My church accepts all denominations – fivers, tenners, twenties.
Dave Allen
(1936 – 2005) Irish comedian
My friend Phil was brought up Orthodox Jewish… he actually thought the New Testament was the paperback version of the Old Testament.
Lizz Winstead
(1961 – ) comedian, writer, radio & television personality & blogger
I definitely want Brooklyn [his daughter] to be Christened, but I don't know into what religion yet.
David Beckham
professional football player
Genius. He was an excellent player though. I saw him play live for Manchester United when I lived in Manchester.
Profound satire.
Two Mormons are going door to door. They knock on the door of one woman who tells them, in no uncertain terms, that she does not want to hear their message. She slams the door in their faces but to her surprise, it bounces back open. She tries slamming the door again, and again, and again but it won’t shut. ‘Get your dammed foot out of my door,’ shouts the woman. ‘My foot isn’t in the door,’ says one of the Mormons. ‘But you might want to move your cat.’
A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. They came to the story of Lot’s wife: ‘The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.’ His son asked: ‘What happened to the flea?
The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. - Abraham Lincoln
English Standard Version: Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Criticism is easy: achievement is more difficult. - Winston Churchill.
God formed us, sin deformed us, Christ transforms us.
If truth stands in your way, you are headed in the wrong direction.
'A prism bends light. Prism in glasses can kind of fool your eyes into thinking they are working together without strain. Prism can also help with double vision by aligning the two images into one.'
End Citation
I picked up the first of three new pairs of glasses with an invisible prism in one lens. The older pair (expensive German glasses) of just a few years ago had a stick on prism with adhesive which I always thought was weird.
The prism although not invisible is not obvious at all to people or is it obvious in photos.
Therefore, this was not obvious like having my one eye patched in kindergarten. This was obviously not a fun experience.
The store staff were amazed negatively that was the pair of glasses I received, the prism technology being through from the University of British Columbia and associated.
The first new pair are sunglasses and I notice improvement even with them in regard to clarity of vision. Perhaps the old glasses contributed to recent eye strain?
Dubai: Lamborghini
Dubai: So how much damage does a tennis ball do falling from that distance?
Chuck and I viewed Rush at the R40 tour for our tenth Rush show each. Perhaps the last Rush concert for us as the band is ceasing major tours due to family and health concerns according to media reports.
We both agreed that overall this was our favourite tour for setlist and performance.
Chuck, once again (2013) did not stay in his assigned seat, but this time did not face Rogers Arena security, justice and seat reassignment.
However, a 'dancing biker' type was in front of me in the next row, separated by metal railing and was removed twice by the Vancouver Police Department and Rogers Arena security.
A woman in the next row below 'dancing biker', that appeared with a man and children, really did not appreciate the special attention from the 'dancing biker'.
This may have had an impact on events.
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A very fine pastor I listen to online that is very knowledgeable with the Scriptures, has some rather, what I would consider fundamentalist views on music.
Therefore, this is one point of cumulative points and reasons why that although I listen to him much for his Biblical teaching, I do not listen to him so much for his theological or philosophical teaching.
The pastor was stating in his most recent online sermon that Christians should basically (paraphrased) be careful with or avoid secular music and listen only to Christian music because secular music likely has a negative effect on the human spirit.
But of course the effects are such that Christians are often unaware.
My philosophical side states:
How convenient....
Philippians 4: 8 would often be used in context from a fundamentalist position
Philippians 4:8
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is [a]lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, [b]dwell on these things.
Footnotes:
Philippians 4:8 Or lovable and gracious
Philippians 4:8 Lit ponder these things
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Strictly speaking if I was to take this verse legalistically, with my educational background, no theological or Biblical teacher could pass the test.
For example, in this case I view this pastor as speaking the truth and being right most of the time in regard to Biblical Studies, but is not always speaking the truth and is right in terms of theological and philosophical issues.
In regard to music, I question seriously whether he is speaking the truth and is right.
Should I therefore not listen to him?
Should I not dwell on his ministry?
No, further the verse states if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise dwell on these these things.
In a fallen world one has to parse through and divide up truth from non-truth, what is right from what is not right.
This is the case with all preaching, secular music and all things where there is learning involved.
Is the case of Rush, for example, it is performance based music that one can listen to primarily for the musicality and while hearing the lyrics, they need not be the focus.
I would agree with some of the lyrics and not agree with others, if I focused on them, which I rarely do and I also rarely read them.
But I am aware the lyricist is writing from a definitive non-Christian worldview.
For any pastor or person in ministry (or Christian) to assume that the music based on the lyrics would have a negative impact of my spirit is theological and philosophical assumption and unsubstantiated.
It is very difficult to prove.
However, I can state that the music relaxes me and also has taught me about the need for innovation and complexity in how I approach my own work, such as this blog.
I also have seen ten very good performances, especially last evening.
Therefore, the positives outweigh the negatives, including spiritually in my case. As we are spiritual, intellectual and physical beings.
It also needs to be stated that much of modern Christian music, not all, is worship and not performance focused.
Some classical music, for example, that is performance orientated is relating to Christian culture I realize.
I admit that I am not expert on all genres of performance orientated Christian music.
However, much of modern Christian worship music is rather on the simplistic side in order for people in a church congregation to sing along and 'worship'.
Some persons like myself, generally do not relate to this kind of music, artistically, although there can be agreement on much of the lyrics.
The pastor implied there may be a spiritual problem with those that do not like Christian music, basically worship music, but he intellectually, theologically and philosophically completely avoided the issue of worship music versus performance music and personal taste.
This is not a robust enough theology or philosophy.
Again I acknowledge the intellectual limitations of a blog post as I have in the past.
He tied the listening of secular music to possible spiritual problems.
This is possible in some cases where the lyrics and culture of a secular artist have too much influence on the listener.
Reasonable.
However to without significant substantiation suggest that secular music has a negative influence typically on the willing Christian listener cannot be reasonably proven.
It also can operate as a type of evangelical cop-out theologically as in blaming secular music for spiritual problems when the problem is most often something more direct and obvious.
For example, depression is caused by lack of employment and is not caused by listening to secular music.
A pastor, Christian in ministry (Christian) would be wiser to focus on the actual true solution to a problem, and I am acknowledging there is always a spiritual aspect.
Problem A is often solved by
Solution A
God willing
If God does not provide a solution at least a reasonable Biblical, theological and spiritual approach was taken.
