The Five Levels of Intimacy

Written by Barbara Wilson

Does God care about your love life?

First comes love…or sex?

“First comes love, then comes marriage, then here they come with a baby carriage.” You may recognize this little rhythm my generation used to sing to embarrass each other.  Based on today’s culture the rhythm could go: “First comes sex, then comes living together, and the baby carriage could happen anytime or with anybody, as does the sex.”

Casual sex has changed the landscape of relationships and marriage.  Before 1960 most people saved sex for marriage, but now according to a recent survey, most people have sex before marriage. So how has this new trend impacted today’s marriages? First, the divorce rate: prior to 1960 the divorce rate was less than 25%, today it’s closer to 50%. As the rate of promiscuity has risen, so has the divorce rate. But secondly, and what this article will discuss is how casual sex has inhibited our ability to build emotional intimacy into our relationships, and how this emotional deficit is impacting marriages today.

Which Parts of the Bible Does Your Doctrine Make Invisible?

Written by Tony Cooke
I was recently pondering all of the conflicting views that Christians have about a wide variety of doctrinal issues. While I believe that unity regarding the essentials of faith is...well, essential, it never ceases to amaze me how many become hyper-rigid over doctrinal positions that the Bible doesn’t really seem to be all that rigid about. 

Since the first time I heard Blaise Pascal quoted, I have appreciated his statement, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. And in all things, charity.” Of course, such wisdom is quite different than the attitude I had following a wonderful encounter with the Lord back in 1977. Possessing more zeal than wisdom, I was eager to not only defend my new-found beliefs, but also to correct anyone who disagreed with me and to convince them just how right I was.

Superstitions Aren’t Silly; They’re Evolutionary.

Break a mirror and you’re stuck with bad luck. Walk under a ladder and you’re tempting fate. Sound ridiculous?Scientists believe such beliefs may be genetic, part of adaptive behaviors passed on to create an evolutionary advantage to surviving impeding danger.

Boiled down, a superstition is the belief that one event caused another event, without any evidence of the link. “All animals will display behaviors that imply a causal relationship that isn’t there,” says Kevin Foster, evolutionary biologist at Harvard University. Foster uses a pigeon as an example: The pigeon will take flight if it hears a hand clap, the same way it would react if it heard a gun shot.

Are you only as young as you feel?

In her book Counterclockwise, Harvard professor Ellen Langer recounts a groundbreaking study she did in 1979 that has since become the stuff of legend.

We Are Already Blessed. Three mighty steps to abundance that Peter followed.

Luke 5:1-11 (KJV) And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him

Listen to the Word.

"And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship."

Let Jesus teach you how to live, how to act. How to run your life and your business.

Listen to Jesus.

"nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net"

No matter what you have tried in life, no matter what you have in life, no matter what you are facing in life, do as the Lord leads and your life will be blessed.

Ridiculous Religions: Discordianism

Discordianism is something of a parody religion that was written while two men suffered from hallucinations at a bowling alley. Discordianism is full of paradoxes like the fact that these believers think that absolutely everything is true, even if it is false.
http://www.chacha.com/topic/cthulhu/gallery/2057/beyond-belief-ridiculous-religions/16402

Ridiculous Religions: Breatharianism

Breatharianism

This Indian concept has people believing that they don't need food or water to survive. A true Breatharian can survive purely on "prana" (the Hindu life force) and sunlight. '60 Minutes' once documented a woman who almost starved to death trying to follow this belief.

http://www.chacha.com/topic/cthulhu/gallery/2057/beyond-belief-ridiculous-religions/16400

Ridiculous Religions: Kibology

Kibology

Kibology is a parody religion created by James "Kibo" Parry and a group of friends in 1990. The fake religion makes no attempt at being believable but instead just focuses on discussing humorous and nerdy topics. Essentially these guys were the original Internet trolls.

http://www.chacha.com/topic/cthulhu/gallery/2057/beyond-belief-ridiculous-religions/16398

Ridiculous Religions: Cult of Cthulhu

If you're not familiar, Cthulhu is a fictional character created by H.P. Lovecraft in 1928. A number of people actually believe that this monstrous creature really exists because they take Lovecraft's writings as pure truth.
http://www.chacha.com/topic/cthulhu/gallery/2057/beyond-belief-ridiculous-religions/16388

Ridiculous Religions: Apatheism

Apatheism

If you really just don't care about religion, Apatheism is for you. The followers of this belief are completely uninterested in anything to do with religion. They also state that their views and attitudes would not change even if it were proven that a holy deity exists.

http://www.chacha.com/topic/cthulhu/gallery/2057/beyond-belief-ridiculous-religions/16349