EQ and Faith in the 21st Century

What has become of the Church over these 2000 years? Has it been replaced by more important values from the post-modern era? Have we built our own bridge from belief to capitalism? Is there still any real, reasonable belief? What does this faith look like? What characteristics would you give it?

Perhaps you, dear reader, were able to read the previously published blogs on EQ. For new readers I would like to recommend the following links:

EQ-Definition - EQ-AreasOfLife - EQ1-MarriageAndFamily -

EQ2-Job - EQ3-Health - EQ4-EveryDayLife

As a reminder: The five areas of social life:

1. MARRIAGE u FAMILY (mutual understanding based on self-image)

2. PROFESSION (dealing with colleagues, subordinates, with the boss, motivation)

3. HEALTH (healthy lifestyle promotes frontal lobe development)

4. ENVIRONMENT (privacy, public and society can see added value)

5. SPIRITUALITY (understanding and dealing with belief in a postmodern context)

Spirituality has taken root in our society. Different churches, institutions and religions ensure that our 'search for truth' is partially satisfied. But our social maturity does not testify to a good quality of our spirituality. There's a lot more to it. Luther discovered this 500 years ago and took action. Where do we stand today with the Reformation?

5. Last topic: Spirituality in our Time

Those who do not deal with faith at all and rely on the basis of evolutionist theory have some fewer challenges, but also some loss of quality of life. To do this, he will have to do without life after life entirely.

However, those who deal with biblical spirituality, possibly on a daily basis, sometimes have to endure some spiritual and spiritual battles. Not easy, but rewarding.

Man in Postmodernism

It seems important to me that we understand ourselves better. Important questions can be:

• Why am I the way I am?

• Why do I think this way and not differently?

• Where do my inner and outer values ​​come from?

Anyone who is close to the subject of 'education' as parents or at work knows that most things can be 'programmed' in us. We all go through a post-modern development system from which we cannot or can hardly protect ourselves. Most of it we are not even aware of. Unfortunately, otherwise we could defend ourselves if necessary.

Our children, as diverse as their talents and gifts may be, are geared towards one goal: to serve the economy. This defines their needs. The teaching objective is based on this. They must be able to meet postmodern demands. Our society demands it.

The question arises to me:

1. What are the Characteristics of Postmodernism?

My summary looks like this:

• Consumption (We are geared towards consumption. Shopping, media, sex, pleasure, holidays, )

• Individualism (Today's motivational question is often limited to: "What's in it for me?" We are thus designed for profit. There is no loss. Helping someone out of sheer altruism is unlikely for postmodern people.)

• Extrinsic motivation (We have given up our intrinsic motivation, practiced from birth, and have it replaced with an external one. We are motivated from the outside. The economic monopolies and politics determine our purchases, our behavior, our freedom, our values ​​... Intrinsic thinkers quickly become labeled as lateral thinkers, extremists and as 'Persona non grata', because society and tradition cannot dissuade them from their path of happiness.) (BLOG)

• Break with traditions (At the moment, this tendency is particularly noticeable in the family area. Our new gender generation is given so-called 'freedoms', from which our tradition and moral understanding had recently protected us.

• Relativity (The question of what truth is can no longer be asked today, since there is no longer any absolute truth. This question is irritating and repulsive. Everyone has their own style, their own version. Whether something is fake news or not is a matter of fact almost no role anymore. Nobody gets upset or would advocate true transparency with moral motives.)

• Living in the NOW (we have forgotten to learn from the past. Aligning ourselves to a stable future is not an issue. If we were, it would have an impact on our educational system. We would want to build a better future. But no. It works the other direction.)

• Appearance before authenticity (Postmodern people attach great importance to their appearance. The clothes, demeanor, certificates, the car as a status symbol are extremely important. Authenticity is neglected. Everything is made up, artificially brought up to scratch. Where are the values ​​how Naturalness, integrity, willingness to forgive and, last but not least, emotional intelligence that can genuinely connect people with each other?)

• Knowledge before application (We are satisfied when we have read something interesting. Applying it, integrating it into life - be it on the occasion of a serious presentation in the church - that hardly comes to mind. Knowledge is queried, not the Application of it. Is that biblical?)

The elderly among us have seen firsthand how our society has changed in recent decades. It seems to me that the speed of change has increased. The new generation is very neglected when it comes to developing the frontal lobe (BLOG). We are all challenged!

2. What are the Characteristics of Healthy Spirituality?

Postmodern then means that we are human beings who tend not to opt for absolute values, who do not see any great sense in serving basic attitudes, and if so, then we find it at most interesting. Put into practice, it usually doesn't happen. We needed help with that.

Now that we understand each other a little better and have positioned ourselves in the contemporary context, we want to consider what faith, the Christian faith, is actually about.

a) Basic Biblical Values ​​and Statements

Bible quotes are not for everyone. Personally, I did my homework and looked at this topic carefully. My conclusion: the basic text of the Bible is reliable. The translations are of varying quality. Recommend Schlachter 2000, Elberfelder and Luther.

Here is an attempt to make a statement about the Christian faith with two scriptures:

1. John 3:16> God so loved this created world of his own that He sent his own Son so that, if we accept His offer, we may be redeemed from our misery and be rewarded with a timeless, eternal life.

Isn't that a sensational offer? The possibility for everyone to get a life after this life is unique! The postmodern question of 'what's in it for me?' is answered generously.

What it means for God, however, to sacrifice his own son for us, for you and me, so that this gift becomes possible, is probably a little too difficult to understand for our thoughts and feelings. Understanding this better and better leads to a better understanding of the term LOVE. Whoever dares to do this will meet God.

2. Galatians 5: 22-23> Since God knows that we could not choose our parents, our country, our culture or the religious context, He offers us the following qualities of life because of his grace and our willingness:

• Love (Many people grow up subjectively unloved and deficient. All of us have the opportunity to fill up our love tank through close contact with HIM.)

• Joy (Paul writes: “Rejoice at all times, and again I say to you: Rejoice.” Our vertical connection helps us to do this, because it teaches us to become independent of circumstances and to respect eternal values ​​more and more.)

• Peace (To find inner peace, what a gift. Many people would or spend large sums of money on it. HE promises that whoever seeks HIM will find HIM. There all of us can be picked up.

• Patience (Would you like to be even more patient? This secondary virtue changes our relationships as well as the others. Those who have the patience have the right attitude. This is conveyed to us more and more by the Holy Spirit, for example by not following the circumstances in a human way, but in a divine way.)

• Friendliness (by considering the circumstances just mentioned, it is possible to be friendly even in difficult moments. Even loving enemies is possible!)

• Kindness (He who has understood and experienced God's goodness and grace cannot help but be kind. Such kind people will not be exploited, as they will also increase in wisdom. This is connected with emotional intelligence, especially active empathy and social competence. )

• Faith / loyalty (So we can also come to God in disbelief and pray for faith. If we are serious, then anything is possible. Loyalty indicates a constant ability to have relationships. You don't just throw relationships away.)

• Meekness (gentle courage, courage to act, to improve, gentle, controlled, benevolent, considered, constant and far-sighted. Wonderful.)

• Self-control / self-discipline (Anyone who gets to know God's values, i.e. laws, who deals with his creation as an act of love and recognizes the natural laws laid in us humans, wants to treat all of this with respect and not destroy himself. A healthy lifestyle is the result. The frontal lobe becomes strengthened and with that God can give us this discipline that will help us prepare for His soon coming.)

There is of course a lot more to mention. The four Gospels contain such profound wisdom and advice. Do not miss that.

All these good qualities can be picked up HERE, at the CROSS, at JESUS. Isn't that sensational?

b) The biblical image of God helps

God is love

• What do you mean by love? We talked about it on two blogs: Conditional and Unconditional Love

• If you were to commit your own life for that of one of your relatives, for example a blood transfusion for one of your children with the loss of your own life, that would go way beyond the postmodern understanding of love, wouldn't it? What if someone did this for you?

• Jesus, and what HE did for mankind 2000 years ago, is historically relevant and therefore shows much deeper dimensions of love. The knowledge of this love is our potential for eternity.

• In order to open oneself to this world of love, it is recommended to read the last chapters of the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, if possible with a pleading attitude.

  God is our Redeemer

• Scripture speaks of a universal struggle. It's about the angel Lucifer, who with a third of the angels has made himself an opponent of God. This is how the term 'sin' came about. This sin leads to death. Sin is a basic attitude that wants to be independent of the life-giving God and therefore strives for autonomy. This leads away from God and therefore into death.

• This fact moved God to offer us a solution, a salvation. As described above, he dies this death for us, for you and me and thus enables us to offer us the gift of eternal life. With this we can be redeemed thanks to the love of God.
  

  God is threefold - Father, Son, Holy Spirit

• Many theologians quarrel on this matter. For me it is biblically obvious that Jesus as 'Son of God' - whatever that means universally - has taken on this most difficult task of the act of redemption. With this HE has redefined the depth of God's love.

• The function of the Holy Spirit is described in many biblical passages. He seems to be concerned about direct communication with us humans. He speaks to our frontal lobe when it is still intact. He likes to help us practically when we ask for His support.

• Jesus himself calls God his Father. Why shouldn't we do that too? Many people have difficulty doing this, however, because their human father image has suffered so much that they are unable to think of a loving Heavenly Father. But that can change.

It takes humility to personally accept such an act of love. Not all people are ready for it. Unfortunately. Otherwise it would look different in this world. Because this universally galactically relevant act has consequences, effects, consequences. This is where the spirits part about eternal life or death.

C) my contribution to faith

The Bible clearly speaks against righteousness based on our works. We cannot be saved by our works. Nevertheless, they play an important role. How does the process of salvation actually work?

1. What should we NOT do?

• Do not despair with this question.

• Do not use any literature to investigate this question. Take the Bible, please.

• Don't think that you have to be 'good' before you can get in touch with Jesus. The biblical stories show very clearly that HE showed interest especially in those who did not see themselves as 'good'.

• Never let anyone discourage you on this path. It is clear that the enemy of men (Satan) has no joy when someone chooses the friend of men (Jesus).

2. What should we do?

• Micah 6:8 "You have been told, man, what is good and what the Lord asks of you. That is, to keep God's word and practice love and be humble before your God."

• Isaiah 45:22: "Look at me and you will be saved."

• The final chapters of the four gospels help us to see HIM and what HE has done for you.

• If the love of God in Jesus has spoken to us, then HE is happy and waits until we acknowledge HIM and become a team. Many people testify to this process in baptism, just as Jesus himself did.

• Jacob 2:22 says that the works make the faith perfect. Works are important. But they should be a consequence of love. Our motivation counts for God. (Prov 16: 2)

• In order to know the truth, we must seek it with all our hearts and be ready to follow it.

• God has given us the power of decision (free will). We should practice this ability by adjusting our decisions to God's Word every day. When we do that, He will direct our will and our deeds according to His pleasure.

Following Jesus is sometimes associated with great challenges. It is HIS interest that through this our character can prepare for his return. After all, HE has already prepared an apartment for us!

1. Where are the limits crossed?

• A life with Christ will sooner or later lead to the realization that we cannot rely on ourselves. So the process of giving up on yourself and giving the place to Christ within us is the only solution. Whoever does not come to this insight and is not ready for it, for whatever reason, will ultimately not be 'recognized' by Christ. This process is a big challenge.

• God has given us free will. Constantly using this against God can lead to the fact that one is programmed in such a way that a change is no longer possible. However, this depends less on age than on conscious or unconscious involvement with the occult side.
  

  2. How do we keep the balance?

• As long as Jesus lives in the heart, His presence can be felt. This creates good and pleasant words. Anger and attachment go away.

• Developing awareness that thoughts produce action. This can lead to habits that ultimately affect character. This daily reflection on our thoughts and actions and their focus on Jesus allows us to keep our balance.

• When we make mistakes, the best place is the cross where we can unload everything. HE helps us to stop making these mistakes sooner or later.

• The awareness that we are God's children and therefore even have bodyguards promotes our daily decisions.

• "Rejoice, and again I say to you: Rejoice!" That's how excited Paul is about Jesus. All the circumstances can no longer make him sad. He has learned to deepen his relationship with Jesus so that all circumstances are measured by divine standards.

• Live the healthy lifestyle that has been spoken of many times. Living healthy promotes the frontal lobe. With it God can communicate better with us.
  

  EQ and spirituality

• You have probably noticed that when it comes to living a Christian life, it is actually about active empathy and social skills.

• Those who have a high EQ have the potential for a mature living out of Christianity and are wonderfully suited to be a missionary of God.

• Charity is the foundation of emotional intelligence as well as Christianity. Egoism disturbs EQ in the same way as it makes life more difficult.

Those who want to live charity have some important decisions to make. No trophy can be achieved with this. Maybe even rejection. But standing up for others makes you happy inside. Selflessness is a virtue that is divine. The reward will follow later.

Congratulations on making it to the end. God bless you, dear reader.

Typically Toxic Topics 6-10

Working successfully on toxic issues is like seeing nature with new eyes!

There are ways that lead out of all the toxic areas of life into a better future! Do not miss that !

Break the Cycle of Toxic Thinking

As a reminder: as soon as a thought is conscious, it can work down to the level of the genes. During a conscious thought process, thoughts become unstable and directed in a positive or negative direction. They always change. Even if the content of a thought does not change, it will still be overwritten. New proteins solidify the thought. The thoughts either get better or worse, no one remains neutral.

Hope you have been able to check out the previous blogs on the subject. If not, here they are:

TOX1 (Introduction)  TOX2 (Stress)  TOX3 (Brain)  TOX4 (Conversion) TOX5 (Typical Issues 1-5)

Let’s continue with __

6. When faith is destroyed

We are all spiritual beings. Scientific studies also show that a healthy spiritual life promotes frontal lobe activity, emotional intelligence, and general health.

Quite a few believers turn away from their churches because they have found aversion instead of appreciation. What a tragedy! Such people often transfer the disappointments they have made to their image of God, which keeps them away from the potential of becoming acquainted with God.

The reasonable belief in a loving God brings highly positive vibrations into our everyday life that none of his confidants would want to miss. Becoming free from fear, worries, guilt and self-doubt, being filled with unconditional love, hope and confidence, with a belief in a sensational future after death - no human philosophy or religion can compete with this on the scale.

Questions That Help You Have Healthy Faith

• What went well and wrong in your personal path of faith? Are you - still / again / no more / never - among believers? How far does your experience with God go? How much does it depend on people?

• How far has the vertical connection developed? Do you pray daily? Do you take time to communicate with God through nature and the scriptures?

• Are there any toxic areas in this context that require cleaning? How could this be done?

• Are there any patterns or other characteristics in your behavior that could be positively influenced? What would that look like?

• How about if you put all these worries and good ideas before God and ask HIM to help them put them into practice?

Faith has become spurious for many believers. The distractions and temptations of our time are too great. Those who want to grow in the quality of love can read the last chapters of the four Gospels. There an encounter with the highest, deepest, broadest and longest kind of love is possible.

7. Transforming Toxic Love

Just as many people would confirm that love is probably the greatest of all human values, so too will many people confirm that their painful experiences with love have hurt them deeply. Sad but true.

How come How is it that so many people have not found the key to true love, have not even looked for it? Are we blind, drunk or so distracted that it doesn't matter or has become too implausible? Are there no longer any good role models?

If we are 'lucky' to experience appreciation, love, care and compassion, then the neurologically totally positive effects on the autonomic nervous system and the immune and endocrine systems. This explains better health and a longer lifespan.

In contrast to this, lovesickness, let's say the love deficit, gives people a greater willingness to take risks, emotional stress and substitute behavior that reduces their own ability to love. Children who grow up like this have a much harder time accessing the sunlight of life.

We've talked about conditional and unconditional love on blogs. They show what the dimensions of love are and how we can grow in them.

Neurologically speaking, love is arguably the best that can happen. The whole organism is geared towards love. Many cells sacrifice themselves for the organism's survival.

Increase Love Potential

• What positive and negative love experiences have you had?

• What made you positive and what made you negative? How far is it up to the others, how much up to you?

• Can i really love Where does my love end Can I be loved by someone How far do I allow it? Where do my love limits come from?

• Do you give more love or accept more love? How do you fill your love tank so that you can give away?

• Can you distinguish between conditional and unconditional love? How far can you use both of them in everyday life? How far have you had experience with it?

It's nice to watch older couples walk hand in hand and be happy together. They have a secret in common. Love works for them. Coincidence ? or perhaps an interest in clearing truth and maturing wisdom.

8. Missing love language: body contact

We all started our lives with a strong need for physical contact. After all, we got used to it in the womb. What has become of it ? It's sobering to read statistics on body abuse. No contact is experienced as toxic either. The lack of or withdrawal from touch causes emotional problems. Our intellect, body growth and immune system are negatively affected. The brain also suffers from it and the tendency to aggression and violence increases as a result.

In infancy, this is considered to be the crucial component of natural development and healing. Babies can die from being touch deprived. The skin is a large 'nerve organ'.

From my teaching practice I have seen many children who are hungry for physical appreciation. Since their parents did not find out, they cannot pass it on either. What a tragedy.

Forms of physical friendliness can be:

• an encouraging pat on the back - works well among men too

• a friendly handshake accompanied by loving eye contact

• a warm hug to greet you

• a kiss on the cheek, lip and hand (only intended for special people !!)

• being competent empathic leads to the same neurological results!

Touching and being touched changes our mental processes. We thrive on positive touch. This is, so to speak, an essential nutrient to get out of the toxic world.

Optimization questions

• How many times have I been touched today? How many times have I touched others? Have I Hugged My Spouse Today? Is there anyone around me who depends on my touch?

• How about a positive feedback on a received touch? Find out for whom your touch is important because of their reaction, words and moments.

• Where are there still physical and emotional deficits that disturb and hinder? Where do they come from and where is the truth behind them so that being free of them becomes possible?

• Begin to enjoy physical contact so that you can share in the benefits and others become partakers too.

• How about offering a massage to your spouse? In a romantic context it will be a special experience for everyone.

Love as content shows itself in forms. Inevitably, that's in the nature of things. Loving someone doesn't always have to mean hugging and kissing. It can also mean listening, interested in the partner, how he thinks, feels and acts. After all, you want to be able to understand and love him / her even better.

9. How about more zest for life?

Healthy fun detoxifies, increases health and is supposed to make you smart. The best remedy for stress. Fun is free and spices up our relationships. By sick fun, I understand fun at the expense of others by dragging them into the mud in front of an audience.

Laughter alone is healthy. A hearty laugh causes the cortisol level to drop by around 40% and adrenaline by up to 70%, while the happiness hormone endorphin increases by up to 30%. The immune system is also boosted.

Humor makes both sides of the brain work together. If you laugh 100-200 times a day, you get an effect like rowing or jogging for 10 minutes. Laughter can dissolve toxic feelings and thus also protects the heart. It rejuvenates the body, mind and spirit.

How can a friendly smile also connect strangers with one another. "I like you, I like you ...". Joy of life pays off.

Exercise is an excellent way to support this effect, because it provides the brain with enough oxygen and helps to think more clearly. The frontal lobe (reason) is strengthened and endorphins are released. Do you know a jogger who is depressed?

In addition, the body is flushed and detoxified through sweating and the additional water absorption. The willpower is also retained or can be developed in this way.

Questions about strengthening the laughing and other muscles

• Which of your five senses is most related to fun?

• Which people put you in a laughing mood? Any why is this the case ?

• ? How important is active exercise in your weekly calendar?

• What funny events in the past create a pleasant mood?

• Do you manage to laugh at yourself too?

We can learn a lot from children: joy of playing, light-heartedness, authenticity, eagerness to learn, joy of life, loyalty. Let's take an example from them!

10. Handle time well

Do you know acceleration syndrome? The ever faster pace of life no longer allows us to find inner peace. Stressed out, we submit to the cruise controls in our society. Increasing productivity is the order of the day. Do more for less earnings; this makes the product easier to sell. - How can we break out of this agitation for life?

Time is money, some say. Others say: "Time is all I have. I won't let it be taken away from me!" Time management is the challenge. Set priorities. Healthy priorities of course.

You will be punished if you ignore the most important factors that are responsible for health, happiness and joie de vivre in all the work. The sympathetic (heartbeat accelerator) and the parasympathetic (heartbeat slower) should be brought to a balanced heart rhythm. This requires relaxation, not as a luxury but as a necessity.

Recovery is never a waste of time. We actually need a quarter of an hour break every two hours to switch off, actually it's time for some fun element.

Time management questions

• How far has your performance thinking, perhaps even perfectionism, developed? Is it still in balance or does it need a correction?

• How far do you succeed in promoting the most important relationships, regardless of social pressure to perform?

• How big would the list of all the fun topics that could significantly improve the quality of life be?

• There are so many ways to relax: massage, walk, contemplation of nature, all kinds of sports, games, short sleep, interesting literature, and naturally exciting blogs !!!

• Don't let such topics remain theoretical, find ways to put them into practice for the blessing of your entire family.

If you don't honor the minute, you are not worth the hour! Quality wins. What is your quality? Relationship, life, or love quality?

Theological thoughts

For each of the steps that you have decided to take, I recommend seeking God's help and support. Understandably, as our creator, he would like us to enjoy the life he has given us and to be able to be light in this dark world.

There are depths of love to which we may not yet have opened up. Whoever comes closest to Jesus appears the strongest. Is that what?

There are many Bible verses that underpin each of these topics. I find it interesting that only in the last few years we have slowly but surely come on the tracks of organic laws scientifically thanks to neurology.

I am pleased to see how trustworthy the biblical word is. Those who orient themselves accordingly are usually ahead of science. Simply strong!

This closes this 'toxic' topic. Hope you could benefit from it.

Reference book: "Who turned my brain off" by Dr. Caroline Leaf