What’s your reaction?
Like or Dislike?
February marks a month of surprises. But here’s a little surprise to whet your appetite. MEEP MEEP MEEP!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hczaiM3LH0M]
Please NOTE: Beaker sings phonetically. English is not his native tongue, as you recall. More important information here.
Self-test: Is the Holy Spirit like a York Peppermint Patty?
Some of you won’t remember the goofy York Peppermint Patty commercials of long ago, but thanks to the marvel of technology, you can view a couple retro ad pieces right now to either refresh your memory, or thank God you were not routinely subjected to such silliness.
After you watch the short video, have some fun and take this self-test to see how you score.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaVTrIjoqo4&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Self-test:
Answer true or false, and add up your scores.
1. When you hear the word “Holy Ghost” you get “shivers.” (You prefer the less weird term “Holy Spirit.”)
2. Spiritual things are sometimes what you would call “spine-tingling”.
3. When eating minty candy, sometimes you feel a cool draft, or get a bit of a chill.
4. Watching shows like Ghost Hunters is fairly tempting.
5. You like to say “God bless you” when others sneeze–and now that you think of it, a dry and powerful sneeze seems practically other-worldly. (A wet one is just plain gross.)
6. If chocolate was served instead of bread at Communion, you would look forward to going to church more often.
7. The idea of dressing up as the Holy Ghost has never crossed your mind, yet you realize drinking some milk when eating chocolate makes sense.
8. If it were not sacrilegious, or highly odd, you could imagine the Holy Ghost (or Spirit) as a good choice for the pitchman for York Peppermint Patty and saying, “Get the (cool) sensation,” in a dry humor sort of way.
9. You can imagine Jesus eating and enjoying a York Peppermint Patty.
(Perhaps you can relate to this scenario: If you had two, and if he was physically there, you would give him one. If you had one, you would split it, but maybe you would have a brief conflict of conscience thinking of hiding it, or not mentioning it. After realizing that he would know anyways you would hope he wouldn’t mind if you kept the whole thing. Maybe you’d look at him in the eyes to check for a “knowing look,” after you averted eye contact for a little bit, first.)
10. You are finding that something simple like a York Peppermint Patty can somehow remind you of God, and yet make you a bit hungry for candy at the same time.
Scoring:
If you got more than 5 True answers you have made an irrevocable connection between a minty chocolate treat and one, or more, of the three persons of God. Use this connection wisely. It may help integrate your spirituality and draw you into a more intimate relationship with God, in everyday ways. On the other hand, you could get terribly fat filling a huge spiritual void with empty calories, and go to hell in the process.
Okay, I’m not really sure about that last part, but I do think something could go wrong in this whole setup, I’m just not completely sure what. And also, the test really isn’t scientific, in case you were wondering.
If you had fun, got a laugh, were the least bit amused, or even got mad, please tell a few people to drop by and visit to take the self-test for themselves. Then, they’ll get their own sensation.
Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.
-Lisa, peppermint patty lover, God lover, and putting on the pounds with various chocolates.
(Was the cat joke too obtuse?)
Has a bit of Hoodoo, folk magic, superstition, and general hooey nuzzled its way into your theology? Probably. We all fall prey to cultural influences that don’t have a solid base in the nature of Reality, (i.e. our Creator and Redeemer) Take this self-test to know if you’re mostly hoodoo-free, or if you could use an excorcism, a bath, a dose of Reality, or just a good swift kick in the pants. Oh, and please, enjoy yourself. It’s all supposed to be fun, good-natured, and thought-provoking in a helpful sort of way.
Answer true or false, and add up your answers as you go.
1. Once in a while you straddle a broomstick, and hope it will magically fly. (Or you think about doing it.)
2. Hogwarts seems like the ideal boarding school, even if there does tend to be a lack of supervision.
3. Sometimes you make plans, and then think to ask God to bless what you are doing, with a sign, if possible, to see if it’s “his will.”
4. You’ve gotten hurt or sick and thought it could be a punishment from God, (however, you go so far as to call it “bad juju.”)
5. You’ve fairly certain you’ve been hexed or cursed by someone at some point in your lifetime, maybe by someone who hated you, or a band of gypsies.
6. If you don’t pray in Jesus’ name, you think your prayer could be a dud.
7. When you need to, you put out a (proverbial) fleece, much in the style of Gideon, to get confirmation from God.
8. If God seems silent on a decision you need to make, you check for “closed and open doors,” and pray more zealously about it.
9. Not getting in private devotional/Bible reading time with God can correspond to a bad day, (or an odd string of bad luck, or even a loss of mojo.)
10. You suspect demonic activity is responsible for a lot of your temptations, mistakes, and influences.
*Scoring: Add up all your true scores.
1-3 True answers means that like many people you have been somewhat influenced by hoodoo folk magic and folk theology. The upcoming series will be of great benefit to you. Hold off on the exorcism-for now. But, don’t get too cocky.
3-6 True answers means that you have a bit of a problem area with hoodoo. (See my other post to learn more about hoodoo vs. voodoo. It’s oh so real.) You probably don’t realize the extent you are being witchy with God. Don’t freak out, he won’t put a bad spell on you, but I’m sure he yearns for you to get to know him, more for who he is. It could be more complicated than the voodoo doll slippery slope approach that can creep up unawares. It could be very comforting for you too, to hear a few fresh ideas. Check back soon for posts in this series.
6-10 True answers mean you have a hoodoo issue. Return any capes, magic wands, voodoo dolls, potions, or caldrons you may have purchased. They will not serve you well. It’s quite likely that you are incorporating some superstitions into your worldview, theological foundation, and everyday life.
But there is always hope! God wants your liberation, and the journey to freedom, with him. It will be so restful at the end. You won’t have to keep looking over your shoulder, so that will be nice too! Check back soon for many helpful ways to rid your perspective of faulty notions of God’s nature, character, and actions; and learn of his redemptive agency in his created world.
If you are ready to grow, be open, and BRAVE, leave your score in the comment section. If not, please post something you’ve been thinking about throughout this time. Thank you!
*(This test is mildly amusing, but not real, in any scientific way, so please don’t be upset however your score may come out. The idea behind it is to prompt thought about your beliefs and spiritual actions against the gracious, loving, true nature of our Creator and Redeemer.)
A few thoughts about needing signs, from my Savior and mentor:
“Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” John 4:48 (Said despairingly of the Jews who rejected Jesus in Nazareth.)
Matt. 12:38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” 39He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
This is the greatest sign and revelation that God is God, he came in the flesh, died, was buried for 3 days, and was brought to life again, which was witnessed by many. He is trustworthy.
photo from failblog.com
I thought this picture was a great example of trying to figure out a problem (glare from the sun) on-the-fly. The easy answer is, simply, “shield your eyes.” With the help of a friend, though, this guy could realize he’s already wearing a hat perfectly suited as sun gear.
The better answer: “Turn your hat around.”
We most often learn best in community (through others) and we grow as people this way. Our individual perspective throws us off, and cuts us off from seeing solutions, and places to improve.
Spiritual direction works in the same sort of way. A person seeks spiritual direction, or guidance, not because they can’t see well at all, but because they are wise enough to realize they have blind spots.
Everybody has blind spots, and many are still trying to figure out what those blind spots really are. That’s were community can help too, for the same reason. Whether it’s for productivity; personal growth; becoming better at a particular skill; or in a particular area in your career or your character, outside perspective gives the benefits of revealing our blind spots. That is, if we can be brave enough to hear and learn what they are, and how to overcome some of those obstacles.
The challenge really lies in risking with people, we grow to trust, to be honest with us, and journey with us, for our best interest. And-we mustn’t fail at starting, and nurturing relationships purposefully moving to this level of familiarity.
I encourage you to invest in one or two relationships that will reveal your blind spots. Do it right away.
Have you done this already?
Encourage us, and share a bit of your story here.
Thanks for reading.
