The Christian Vision of the World

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The Christian Vision of the World

• We Must Learn to Enjoy the Good Things of Life

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Goals

• To understand that God wants us to enjoy the good
  things of life
• To investigate and consider what inhibitors
  undermine our capacity to enjoy Gods good world
• To consider effective counterlogics and practices
  that will help us instill the mindset of enjoyment

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Possession Dispossession

• We must integrate these two spirits into our
  lives enjoyment detachment
• Once we have discovered what keeps us from
  enjoying the world, we will look at ways that we
  can instill the mindset of enjoyment
• Enjoyment is more a mindset than a set of
  circumstances

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Enjoyment is a Mindset

• It doesnt matter what circumstances we are in
• What matters is how we interpret and perceive
  those circumstances
• Enjoyment is an inside job

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Source of Our Mindset

• We inherited an attitude about the world from our
  parents and the significant adults in our life
• We come to expect life as being enjoyable or
  difficult

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Role-models of Enjoyment

• A Woman named Betty
• A Man named Frank

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Discussion

• The Talmud states that everyone will be called
  to account for the legitimate pleasures they have
  failed to enjoy. What is the difference between
  legitimate and excessive sensual pleasures?
• If you received news that you you were to die
  within the next few months, how would you live
  your life differently in order to get the most
  enjoyment out of life?

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Remember You will someday be called to account
for all the legitimate pleasures you failed to
enjoy!
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Our Vision

• We all have a unique and highly personalized
  vision of the world
• The obstacles that keep one person from enjoying
  the world might be similar or different than
  another persons
• In order to eradicate (exorcise) these obstacles
  (demons), we must first identify them

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Childhood Messages

• We tend to keep playing messages we received from
  our parents when we were children
• If you have enjoyment-denying messages, they will
  undermine your capacity to enjoy

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Parent Tapes (Childhood Messages)

• Specifically, what are these messages?
• E.g., Work dont play.

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Self-Punishing Guilt

• We dont forgive ourselves, even though God has
  forgiven us
• We carry guilt within us, and it keeps us from
  enjoying the good things of life

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Guilt-Complex

• Do you think you are self-punishing?
• Do you hate yourself for your mistakes?
• Do you rehash your regrets?
• Do the sins youve committed agonize you now?

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Perfectionism

• We remember all of our mistakes
• Wanting to be perfect leads to disappointment and
  discouragement

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Perfectionism

• Do you attach your value to your productivity?
• Do you believe that you ought to be perfect?
• Is it important for you to impress and please
  others?
• Do you easily get discouraged by failure?

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Inferiority Complex

• We all have areas of insecurity
• Inferiority is rooted in comparing ourselves to
  others
• It is impossible to enjoy life if you are always
  comparing yourself to others, because somebody
  will always be smarter, funnier, and so on

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Inferiority Complex

• Do you feel inferior to many others to whom you
  compare yourself?
• How do you measure your worth?
• Do you believe that you are who you are suppose
  to be, and fully equipped to do what you are
  supposed to do?

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All or nothing Thinking

• Inability to accept imperfection
• If I dont get all good grades, then I have
  failed
• Everything has to go completely well

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All-or-Nothing Thinking

• Do you believe in slow growth and process?
• Are there gray areas for you, or just black and
  white?
• If you tell a truth a hundred times and lie once,
  what would you call yourself a truth teller or a
  liar?

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Irrational Assumptions

• Examples
• The person who assumes there is no happiness in
  solitude will never be happy alone
• The person who assumes that Im this way and
  thats it lives with a false assumption

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Irrational Assumptions

• Are there any enjoyment-denying assumptions from
  which you proceed?
• Do you really believe that you are supposed to be
  happy?

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Small Group Sharing

• Which of the Inhibitors (Demons) undermine your
  capacity to enjoy Gods good world? Share how it
  undermines enjoyment.
• Discuss alternative healthy attitudes that might
  exorcise (eradicate) such inhibitors.

• Parent Tapes
• Guilt Complex
• Perfectionism
• Inferiority Complex
• All-or-Nothing Thinking
• Irrational Assumptions

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Counterlogics

• Each inhibitor can be eradicated through vision
  therapy
• There is an effective counterlogic for each
  inhibitor

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Messages

• Everyone will be called to account for all the
  legitimate pleasures that he or she has failed to
  enjoy
• Enjoyment is an essential part of the fullness of
  life
• As long as I am not escaping my responsibilities,
  I am called to enjoy all the legitimate pleasures
  of life

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Guilt Complex

• God isnt finished with me yet
• Saints are repentant sinners
• We are creatures in process

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Perfectionism

• Seek growth, not perfection
• The only real failure is the one from which we
  learn nothing
• We must admit that we are not perfect

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Inferiority Complex

• I will enjoy the talents, gifts, and virtues of
  others
• I will collaborate, not compete
• I will celebrate the success of others, rather
  than eat my heart out with envy

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All-or-Nothing Thinking

• Much of life is not black and white, but rather
  gray
• Part of me is good, while the other is not so
  good
• No matter what happens, Im determined to enjoy
  the journey anyway

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Irrational Assumptions

• If I have an otherwise very pleasant evening but
  allow one small incident to ruin everything, I
  should try to get in touch with why I do this
• I should ask myself the question, Whats in me?