Tag: addiction

Eps 58: Feed Your Good Wolf: Special Guest, Eric Zimmer

EricZimmer

Today, I have a special guest. Eric Zimmer has one of the top podcasts as rated by iTunes. It’s called “The One You Feed” and I have personally gained a lot from listening to it.

(This episode was marked “explicit” because the word other word “rump exit” is used a few times. You can probably handle that, but I can only mark the thing “clean” or “explicit” –ugh!)

TOYF_Light_3-optimized

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SHOWNOTES:

MIN 2:00 Doing podcasting for the love of it.

MIN 4:00 Eric tells the famous wolf parable that he asks each guest on his show (120 guests so far) and answers what it means for himself.

MIN 12:00 Eric’s spiritual and religious influences.

MIN 14:00 His alcoholism and addition and 12 step program.

MIN 15:00 Spirituality is the recognition that the things on the inside matter too as well as the outside.

MIN 16:30 Bill Wilson of AA interacted with Carl Jung who said alcohol is also known as “spirits” and imbibing is a search for transcendence. A “turning on” of life somehow.

MIN 20:30 Eric answers: What replaces the drugs and alcohol?

“Ask why the pain?”

MIN 22:30 On getting better and getting healthier.

MIN 26:30 Gretchen Rubin – Happier 

Moderators or Abstainers

MIN 28:00 On changing behavior

MIN 34:00 Having partial mentors

MIN 36:30 On his Meditation and noticing practices

MIN 42:00 Being where you are

MIN 42:30 The waterfall and the rock metaphor – distance from the chattering thinker.

MIN 44:00 Sound meditation and training to focus

MIN 48:47 Dan Harris

MIN 50:00 Question thoughts and have a recognition of the distortions. We are not objective. We symbolize. Interrupt and generalize and seeing things as all or nothing.

MIN 52:00 Steven Hayes – Cognitive Fusion

MIN 54:00 On assuming others people’s motivations.
The fundamental attribution error: Errors are attributed as character-based problems for OTHERS but only as circumstantial errors for ourselves.

MIN 58:00 Learn people’s stories.

MIN 59:00 Assuming that we don’t know a person’s backstory or reason they have done what they have.

MIN 60:00

We are telling ourselves stories over and over about what things mean. Our brains are meaning making machines.

 

Visit Eric (his co-host Chris) and The One You Feed website

Follow Eric and the podcast on Twitter

Path to Porn..for women (part 1)

(click image for photo source)

Confession: I recently viewed porn. It’s not the first time.

And so have you.

Porn: noun
1 pornography.
2 television programs, books, etc., regarded as catering to a voyeuristic or obsessive interest in a specified subject.

In this case, it was clips from a primetime television show on NBC, not graphic and explicit sexual content. But, porn has much to do with lacking purity, and self-discipline. I wasn’t interested in either at the time. It doesn’t matter how graphic it was or wasn’t, I picked a path.

I know it’s a common path, so I’m starting a post series on porn, to get the topic out in the open. You’ve seen porn. Of course you have. That’s just simple statistics. The only thing in question is for how long, or how often…but far more importantly, why are you, and are you hiding it, and do you feel stuck or trapped? Well, the gig is up.

7 Reasons this porn stuff is a typical situation:
• Television/especially cable/dish/satillite

• Smart phones/phone with internet access or image viewing capabilities

• Internet…duh. It’s got to be reason # 1. (plenitude of images & privacy to do as one pleases=lack of discipline.)

• Over-Sexualized culture/media, especially in advertising

• Plentiful supply normalizes or excuses inappropriate or damaging behavior/habits.

• Video games/books/products

• Cultural Idolization of beauty, youth, virility, and social acceptance.

We’ll get into the heart of the issue, behaviorally, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and find some ways to detour this path that will damage us and our relationships. We’ll help each other out, okay?

I will speak from my purview, as a women. We live in a time that is highly visual, tied to fantasy, that supplies huge amounts of voyeuristic material. It’s not something mostly “men do” (look at or participate in). Women do too.

However, I challenge you men reading to cover this topic in the next two weeks in a post or post series, or at least link to this post to support bringing this topic to light.

And ladies reading today, I challenge you to take on this topic, too, not as something that you wish guys wouldn’t do, etc., but as something that somehow effects your life somehow personally, and convicts you to somehow find a better way.

Often “Literature” and Story/Fantasy are like gateway drugs to this type of porn for women…I wrote a bit about this sort of thing in a past article, 5 Reasons I Don’t Read (Christian) Chick Books. 

Confess what trips you up.

Coming up in the next post…thoughts, feelings, and reasons you and I try the Path to Porn.

In later posts, we’ll work together to discover some resources to help and guide us: detours from the path. 

But, here’s the question for today: What particular vehicle makes porn all too accessible for you or someone in your life? Anonymous comments are always welcomed.

FASTING FAST FACTS. Part Two

Live on bread...alone?

Here is a selection of some of the Fasting points I discussed, today, with the congregation at Bellegrove Church.

This is NOT an exhaustive study on the topic. If you have experiences or thoughts to share, we could all benefit. Please share here.

Definition: “fasting” verb. abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink, esp. as a religious observance.

Who are some people who fasted in the Bible?

There were thousands, but here are a few:

• Hannah, Easter, David, Moses, Elijah… (personal fasts, for various reasons)

• People of Nineveh (national repentance)

• Jesus-spiritual discipline (training) preceding life’s work and mission (Matt 4:1-11) —Cool, huh?

Fasting does what?

  • It questions our appetites (of every kind).
  • It reminds us of Jesus great sacrifice (He give up everything. Leaving out a bit of food IS NOT a big deal, is it?)
  • It helps us seek God’s strength for obedient love and service.
  • It involves our Motives, not technique (Matt 6:16-18)

(Some things) Fasting is needed for…

  • A potent reminder to turn to God.
  • A subjection of a base need (food) to see our greater spiritual needs.
  • A time of scrutiny of our personal sacrifice to the Lord, and his people.

Fasting is Feasting on God. (Yes, you can read that again.)

It helps us…

  • Focus on God, instead of our lack.
  • Makes sacred space (for worship, prayer, praise, repentance to our gracious God.
  • Experience (through self-denial) God’s goodness and sufficiency. (A.k.a. “We live…not by bread alone” Matt 4:1-11)

to be continued…

(Next time: Some dangers of Fasting, and some benefits of Fasting, and some ideas for Fasting effectively.)

5 (Poor) Reasons to Fast

Some of us don’t fast. Some of us fast for the wrong reason. This is the first of a few posts on FASTING. Bring your thoughts to the table, and stick with us until the end. I promise, you’ll see Fasting in a new light.

Here are 5 Poor Reasons to Fast, and the “inner monologue” that may follow one’s rationale. Can you see yourself or someone you know in the following?

1. To lose weight.

(inner monologue) Oh, if I could only lose these last 8 pounds. I know, I’ll kill two birds with stone, and fast. It’ll be like a diet, only it’ll make God happy, and me feel better about myself at the same time.

2. Because other people are fasting.

(inner monologue) I’m going to look like such an pathetic loser if I don’t join in this fast with my group. There’s going to be an awkward silence if or when I don’t have something to say amazing to say about my fast.

3. To prove something to yourself.

(inner monologue) It’s just time for a change. I’m ready for God to do something BIG. Really Big. There’s nothing like fasting to give God the signal that I’m ready to follow his lead. This time I’ll try for 5 days.

4. To attract positive attention.

(inner monologue) I like to tell my friends when I fast…to keep me accountable. But it makes me feel encouraged to just tell them about it, I must admit. Hopefully, it encourages them.

5. To feel more spiritual.

(inner monologue) Sometimes when I’m going through a dry period spiritually, I like to crank it up a notch, and give food the boot for a while. I want it to sort of give me a boost, and start a fire for God in my heart.

Have you ever thought any of these things? What has been your inner monologue, or dubious reasons you’ve heard for fasting?

I’ll be address each one of these, and your comments, in the next post.
Can you think of a bad reason to fast?

TO BE CONTINUED…
So-Don’t miss the important conclusions on this topic in the upcoming post. Sign up to get an update notice as soon as it’s posted.


It's the Jumpsuit: A Daredevil's Life-Evel Knievel

photo by Bill Wolf, 1970s Evel Knievel

Yes, I pretended to be Evel on my bike minus the crashes. A sense of adventure is an enviable quality, although sometimes a compromised frontal brain lobe can complicate the situations with very bad lapses in judgment.

I found this “15 things you didn’t know about Evel Knievel poster design.” Despite the thrills, his life was tragic and sad. That being said, there’s something I love about him. Maybe, in the end, it’s more about the cape and jumpsuit.

Share your thoughts about the man.

15 Things You Never Knew About Evel Knievel
Via: Motorcycle Insurance