“Turning Point” Changing from Atheist to Christian- Part 2

You are reading part 2 of a 4 post series. Care to know how my faith journey began? Divert your eyes to part 1 hyperlinked here.

A side note to consider while you read the journey: I am a visual person. Movies and vivid language trump expository pieces of writing; creativity jitters my nerves and lubricates my cogs to think. This stated, I am also a fact based guy: I need the facts layered to me, but not expositate. I need a topic creativity presented with a little twist at the end.

Enter A Case for Christ, the first milestone in my faith journey that earns the title “Turning Point.” 

Truly, I believe God destined me cross paths with this film. Although the movie isn’t stellar, it finds a way to deliver a message creatively without elaborating and telling facts.

The film begins with an exposition of the characters, a typical family, that is saved by a Christian woman. Inspired, members of the family start attending service, but one “factual based journalist” from the family does not. His heart is stone; he is an atheist.

Desperate to persuade the family that they are wrong, the journalist sets out on his own faith journey– to uncover the truth about God. The journalist hopes to prove –without a doubt– that He does not exist.

The opposite is true, the journalist finds a mountain of evidence that proves the existence of God. From biblical witnesses, to evidence archived throughout the ages, all of it points to a strong possibility that Jesus walked this earth. Jesus did resurrect.

Seeing a movie rooted in this much fact really changed my perspective. I transferred from a skeptic, to a believer. That night, I started saying my first raw prayer to God. That night, I asked Jesus to forgive me for neglecting Him for so long, and please allow me the opportunity to be accepted back into his worship.

God is surprising; he does not just deliver on his prayers, he doubles the ante. While by myself in my lonesome apartment (well minus the two fuzzy cats I have), I felt inspired to surf Netflix and watch another film that altered my perspective on faith. Enter  Son of God, a film that compares to Passion of the Christ.

Watching an actor who plays Jesus get beat, whipped, and crucified started the fountain of tears. It was at this moment in time that I felt pain for neglecting God for 20 years of my life. It was at this time when I felt something in me move, like I was doing a shift inside my heart. It was at this time where I opened my heart back up to God.

And then something crazy happened next.

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Is Starbucks Really Anti-Christian?

 

 

In short, the answer is no. On the surface, it could appear to be so. Before refuting Christianity, lets delve into what the accusations are.

Accusations have been made over cups, and how stores do not value Christmas ideals. Though Christmas is an important part of Christianity, Starbucks has the right to remain as impartial as much as possible. Tailoring business practises to one faith would not make it a culturally acceptable business. In fact, And moreover, if Starbucks did honor Christianity, it would be argued that it was trying to convert people.

Yes, Starbucks encourages same-sex marital couples to work. Although this value could be seen as not Christian, it is too far of a stretch to explicitly state that Starbucks is anti-Christian because it supports homosexuals. If anything, Starbucks is doing what we Christians should do: show love for others, no matter what. If a Christian coffee shop owner refused to hire same sex couples, wouldn’t that make them discriminatory towards another group of God’s people?

Even further, God wishes us to follow the law, in some states and provinces, same sex marriage is legal. Ah.. You can see how this event becomes convoluted, yes?

I think as Christians are best route is always turn to the scriptures for God’s counsel in times of adversity and challenge. This scripture comes to my mind with the Starbucks issue:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

There’s the words of God, in plain English: love them. That’s the solution– love. As Christians, we can do better than condone hate and promote anger towards an organization that is following the law.

 

Book Review: The Five Love Languages the Secret to Love that Lasts

9.5/10

+Reveals and delivers on the “secret” to nurturing love in a marriage.

+Direct and to the point.

+Written from a Christian perspective with cited scripture.

+Slim volume that does not take days to shuffle through.

-Somewhat pigeon holes men.

+Quiz at the end of the novel, with surprising and thought provoking results.

Earning a 9 from me as a reader is difficult; this book almost earned a 10! It is written from the perspective of a professional marriage counselor, who has found a solid relationship with God.

This book is a must have for almost all couples who wish to maintain a healthy relationship. Even if your marriage or relationship is progressing swimmingly, I still recommenced this book with 9.5 fingers. It will change the way you interact with your spouse. The author promises to reveal the secrets to having a loving, long lasting marriage. And he does just that!

Not sure if I ever read a self help book that was not written with filler. Exposition usually gets in the way, or elongated historical references cloud the direct message an author is trying to say. Nope, not in this book!

Filler is in the text, there is some exposition, some personal anecdotes, and direct quotations from marriage sessions from Chapman’s work. Impressively, these sections make the book even more interesting. The filler is just short enough to engage, and not too long where a reader starts to feel like they are waiting for the point to be delivered. Now onto a memorable quotation (which was very difficult to choose):

“We are talking about love, and love is something you do for someone else, not something you do for yourself.” Without revealing too much of Chapman’s succinct message, he definitely affirms that love is a choice; we have the instinct and control to choose to love our spouse or not. This message, for me, is powerful. It flips the “love is not rationale” point upside down, and perhaps even agrees with it, by saying, yes, “you can choose to be irrationally in love if you want!”

Chapman also cites Bible verse to heighten his message: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you” Luke 6:38.

I did not like how Chapman claimed that men were easy to pick the physical love category as their love language.  He then goes onto say that men are more sexually aroused than women, and make the mistake of selecting the wrong love language. In my opinion, this statement pigeon holes men as more sexually aroused beings than woman– I did not enjoy reading that section at all!

Despite the quirk in sexual arousal, Chapman’s quiz created at the end of the book really is thought provoking. I was sold that I was one particular love language, but the quiz revealed a different result. The questions are very specific (which I think is important if the purpose of the assessment is to place the taker into a certain category).

Overall, this book will change your love life (in an amazing, God-idea way). Chapman writes clean, clear, and coherent prose that delivers a powerful message; this message should be read by all couples that are either married or are thinking about embarking on the life-long journey of a lovely marriage.