Fruits of the carnal mind

I saw the movie Philomena tonight. It is a provocative movie about an older Irish woman who spent 50 years desiring to reconnect with her son who was taken from her when the son was just a few years old. Philomena was abandoned as a teen by her family when she became pregnant after following her flesh passion. She was sent to a convent to have her child and was required to stay at convent and work to pay the convent the expenses she incurred with birthing her child. The convent was actually selling the children to wealthy Americans who were seeking adoption of Irish children. One day Philomena saw her son being sent away with another family. Her heart broke for she loved the child so much.

She kept this a secret for 50 years out of shame. One day she decided the secret was worse than the shame she felt from her "sin". A down and out journalist agrees to help her find her son to rejuvenate his career. His magazine wanted the story to boost their ratings.
(BTW, see the exchange imperative everywhere???)
Together, they follow leads to ultimately find out he had died and was buried back at the convent where he was born. He had sought his mother, but the nuns told him she had abandoned him and they didn't know where she was. The nuns had profound disdain for the "sinful" teen mothers they were "helping".

The movie is full of various perspectives toward God and sin. While the world elevated the guilt of sin committed by Philomena as a young girl, the Church perpetuated judgmentalism and fraud, all in the name of taking care of Jesus' business to punish sinners (duty). The nun who sold the son and then lied to him about his mother claimed Philomena deserved it because of her sin. In response to being confronted by Philomena as to why the nun would keep Philomena from her son, the nun was resentful and cynical because she took vows of chastity and had to refrain from sexual pleasure while Philomena had enjoyed sex as a fornicator. The nun believed Philomena DESERVED eternal punishment.
(There's that equity imperative).

I was reminded in that scene how Graceless duty and obligation of the nun had contaminated her heart. She lived a joyless life, all in the name of doing God's work as He demanded of her. The message of this movie is quite exemplary of the point of my book, "stuck in stinkin thinkin." When we approach God from a carnal mind of the equilibrium imperative, the life of joy, significance, freedom and hope escapes us and others are judged, not BLESSE$D. Philomena, the outcast "sinner", saw her sin as an offense to God, but knew that forgiveness (Grace) is the heart of God.

Great movie, I recommend it highly - lots to ponder :-)

The book is here

I have finally worked through all the editing and suggestions from reviewers and pulled the trigger. Its the first edition so I can enhance it with feedback from readers.

Currently a printed copy of the book can be ordered at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Stuck-Stinkin-Thinkin-Divine-Alternative/dp/1494266237/ref=sr_1_12/187-2560403-6864727?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387647018&sr=1-12&keywords=stinkin+thinkin


It is written to help anyone learn about why people do what they do and the "invisible" force working against people experiencing joy, significance, freedom, and hope.

Just like Columbus

There was a time when everyone believed the earth was flat. This knowledge was the prescription for how things worked without people ever realizing it. The cultural imperative that the earth was the center of the universe and the sun revolved around it influenced minds that could not imagine it any other way. The desire to be legitimate restricted the discovery of new possibilities. Eventually the discovery that exposed the futility of this stinkin’ thinkin’ transformed the ages and removed constraints on the provisions and privileges that became available to society from the New World. 

In many ways people today are also stuck in a stinkin' thinkin'  that constrains their well-being. While I am sure there are still discoveries in science that can make a big difference in our lives, I am referring to our nature. There are imperatives of your human nature controlling your mind in ways you cannot even imagine.

Would you have ever thought that your obsession with fairness, your discomfort with receiving from others, and your tendency to do what’s necessary to be accepted by others is the spiritual equivalent of believing the earth is flat?

You need a journey of discovery. Just like Columbus unlocked endless possibilities for his world because he believed beyond what was visible, you can unlock a whole new world in your life with endless possibilities when you explore the vast frontier of your Faith. 

An example of how Grace transforms our stinkin' thinkin'

The Gospel of Grace produces a heart that is broken and weeps over what sin has done to someone we love rather than a wounded heart that judges the hurt our loved one has done to us.