23 posts tagged “qotd”

What's your "deal breaker" when it comes to relationships?

This may shock you, but I have actually written about this before. I suppose I should get a date first...

Last Sunday at All Saints Church Bill gave the first sermon in a series about relationships titles "Finding the Love of Your Life" - provocative, eh? The foundation of the sermon was Proverbs 3.6: "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Seems like a good foundation. I am actually not going to talk about the bulk of the sermon (but feel free to listen to it, it was quite good), but I wanted to take a brief look at one of his points. He noted that going into marriage there need to be two nonnegotiables (and one strong recommendation) in finding "the one" (which is a load of crap by the way, if you disagree about that, feel free to argue!). Nonnegotiable #1: Spiritual Compatibility. Where are we in our walk with God? If we are in vastly different places, that could cause problems. The extreme of this is being in a relationship with a non-believer; this is a touch subject and is bound to piss people off, but it really is crucial. If you are going to be devout in your faith, how would being married to an unbeliever work? These are problems that would never go away. Being able to walk with God together is a foundational aspect of a healthy relationship. Nonnegotiable #2: Life Purpose Compatibility. Where are our lives heading? Amos 3.3 says "Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?" Or in the the paraphrase of The Message: "Do two people walk hand in hand if they aren't going to the same place?"  How could two people walk together if they were not going in the same direction? This is not to say that the couple cannot or should not have separate interests, but it does mean that two people heading for marriage should actually sit down and discuss where they want to go in life and see if those visions are compatible. If it is pushed away to be dealt with inside the marriage, it will just cause problems. If you can't agree now, you probably won't then. Strong Recommendation: Personal Compatibility. This isn't a nonnegotiable, but it is still pretty important. How did you grow up? What is your family like? What is their background? These are important questions that really do need to be asked. Of course a person's history does not completely determine who they are and how they act, but it can still play a big role. Understanding a person's context will help to understand them. Are the ways that you relate compatible or are there always misunderstandings? Personal compatibility is a big issue that should most definitely be explored. The reality is that our choices, and they are our choices ("decisions determine destiny"), should be made within appropriate boundaries. There are a number of ways that God guides/teaches/communicates with us in a number of way (which Bill expounds on in the sermon). It is up to us to use those resources to make the best choices we can; when we do that, God will bless our decisions. That doesn't mean thing will always be easy, in fact things will always get difficult at times (obviously), but it means that there can always be forward progress (Gary Thomas' book Sacred Marriage is a great read on this topic as well). There is freedom in the choices we make within the boundaries God has provided for us. And he truly has provided them; without boundaries things would be chaos and problems within the relationship would abound. Enjoy the freedom! Now if only I could get a date...

Al Gore was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work raising awareness on global warming.  Who would you award a Nobel Peace Prize to?

Not Al Gore... or Yasser Arafat.

Are you a registered organ donor?  Why or why not? 
Submitted by jacolily.

Yes, I am.  Because if someone can use what I've got, then they should take advantage, I don't need them any more.  My dad was an organ donor and we got letters for the families (well indirectly of course) of the people that (sorry if this is too gross for Vox, feel free to skip the next line) made use of his eyes and skin.  And that doesn't freak me out that they used his organs, I think it is awesome that science can use the generosity of others to help people in need.  EVERYONE should be a donor!

What fictional creature character do you wish were real?

Jenna - Pam Beesly

Why do you live where you live?
Submitted by memtony.

Who is your Alert In Case Of Emergency person?  

"Just put 'The. Hospital.'"

What are your deal breakers in a relationship?

Christian: This is primary.  And I want to be able to actually talk about God, faith, theology, etc at some level some of the time.

Is comfortable just hanging out/relaxing/reading/watching a movie or going out for a hike or to a baseball game.  (I don't know if this would actually be a deal breaker though...)

Sense of humor: I like to have fun with my friends and laugh.  Arrested Development, Firefly, and The Office are three examples of the humor that I oh so adore.  Be able to laugh and understand a joke! :)  And I do appreciate sarcasm and wit!

Kind, caring, honest, confident, etc...

Leans to the right on the political spectrum.  Again, I don't actually know if this is a deal breaker as I suppose it could work if they leaned left... although not really sure how as I could see lots of arguments happening... which isn't necessarily bad... but it would be tiring... so I suppose it might be important.  Don't get me wrong I have lots of friends that lean that way and we get along wonderfully, but I think in the context of a relationship it might not work.  I used a lot of ellipses in this paragraph...

Ummmm, I am sure there might be more, but not really sure if they would be deal breakers.  I suppose if I think of more I could add them.  Axe murderers and cheaters need not apply.  (Like how I grouped those two together?  I thought that was clever of me.)

Tell us two truths and a lie about yourself.

1) I worked at Office Depot for 4 years.

2) I can read and write Greek and Hebrew.

3) I have been married twice and have three children.

Ok... I never said I was very creative...

What are your plans for the weekend?

Moving back to Seattle baby!

In 5 words or less, who are you? 
Submitted by dejablu503.

Broken and redeemed.