A Taco Bell religion!!

[~Natsumi Lam~]

Sometimes i feel that i have a fastfood relationship with God. I stop by and i only stay as long as it takes to get what i want and leave.. sometimes it is even a drive-thru relationship.. i stop by to get what i want without becoming to personal with God and then i saw bye bye till the next day i feel hungry.

Also the taco bell/ fast food relationship is not nutritious. YOu eat what taste right [you study what is appealing to you] and you dont get a full amount of vitamines. For example, sometimes i only read the happy parts of the bible and i dont read the parts that are convicting because i dont really want to change.

I feel i do this sometimes and it leaves me feeling empty and missing something good. Do you feel the same about yourself sometimes ?

~Natsumi Lam~

[~Natsumi Lam~]

oh the reason i made this thread is because i have been praying a lot of the last 6 days and realized how selfish my relationship with God is... only use him and throw him away when ive eatin what i wanted.

~NL~

[Mr. SmartyPants]

ahhh

one way to counter this, is to listen to christian music... like A LOT

I leave my radio on like 24/7 on the christian radio station in my room, in the car, everywhere. Try it!

[~Natsumi Lam~]

ahhh

one way to counter this, is to listen to christian music... like A LOT

I leave my radio on like 24/7 on the christian radio station in my room, in the car, everywhere. Try it!

yea i agree! It is a great modivator.

~NL~

[Hitokiri]

I don't each much fast food. Sooo....::tries to compare to Christinaity::

[uc pseudonym]

To continue the metaphor perhaps too far, consider also the dangers of binge eating.

I had expected this thread to be random and pointless, earning itself a one way trip to the Goof Off forum, but instead it is a good point. We have a consumer culture today that all too often takes a consumer approach to religion. Which satisfies me more: Taco Bell or Pizza Hut? Christianity or Buddhism? (not to equate certain religions with certain restaurants)

[Scribs]

one way to counter this, is to listen to christian music... like A LOT

while I agree that listening to christian music can be good, I don't think that it is a viable solution to a relationship with God that lacks substance. In my opinion the only thing that would really help in such a situation would be serious prayer, meditation and reading of scripture. I do not think that you are not going to derive too much deep spiritual help by listening to praise and worship. Of course I am not a good authority on this, and God is capable of anything, so he could use any means he wants to bring closer to him; it is just my opinion that praise music is not as likely a method as prayer, meditation and reading of scripture.

[c-girl]

Tacoooo Belllll.. >0_o< *drools* I miss Taco Bell..

>^.^<;; Ahem.. Anyways.. That's an interesting way to put it. It's actually a really good way to put it. Coolies. >^.^< Fast-food religion. Lol.

[starfire]

I've got to agree with you there, Scribs. Whenever I don't meditate on God's word, I feel myself growing spiritually weaker and slipping away from Him. The scary thing is, sometimes you don't notice until you're a thousand miles away.

That's a good metaphor, Natsumi Lam. Food for thought, no pun intended. I've seen myself lean toward a fast-food relationship with God. Sometimes I'll find myself wondering why I can't get closer to him, and then I'm reminded that that's what I ordered. It's refreshing to get a slap in the face, when you read through all those verses that make you squirm inside. I've found that those are the verses that become the most real to me. Even more so than all the pretty Psalms I feel so comfortable with.
There's a verse that says something to the effect of only infants returning to the milk, but grown men need to eat meat. Refering to verses that take you out of your comfort zone, as far as my understanding goes.

Thanks for the thread.

[TurkishMonky]

Yeah, i kind of felt that that's what i do with my devos sometimes too... i keep reading on hte topic i chose until i get bored, then skip around to another topic that looks interesting. However, there's a lot of awesome stuff to be found in all parts of the bible, and if you dig deep enough it's really awesome what you find.

Even moreso, however, i feel that throughout the day i'm just spending time with him when i want to...aka at night doing devos, at church, etc. I need to keep in mind that "eating with God" is somthing htat needs to be done at all times of the day. (just like eating..oh wait.. that's not really a good analogy... just like breathing! that works)

Good thread

[Azier the Swordsman]

I believe most of us are all guilty of this at one time or another.

[Doubleshadow]

One way to counter "fast food religion" is to try to make it more about blessing God. If your focus is more on telling Jesus how awesome He is, you'll spend more time in fellowship with Him because fully expressing how great He is is a lengthy task indeed. Another is to not let it become a chore. Praise helps with this to because when you are worshiping that way, it's easier to remember why you decided to dedicate your life, and consequently your time, to him in this first place.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

[quote="Scribs"]while I agree that listening to christian music can be good, I don't think that it is a viable solution to a relationship with God that lacks substance. In my opinion the only thing that would really help in such a situation would be serious prayer, meditation and reading of scripture. I do not think that you are not going to derive too much deep spiritual help by listening to praise and worship. Of course I am not a good authority on this, and God is capable of anything, so he could use any means he wants to bring closer to him]

well yeah, obviously. But music can kinda... give you that "motivation" to do more things... then again other things could have that "motivating factor"

[~Natsumi Lam~]

[quote="Scribs"]while I agree that listening to christian music can be good, I don't think that it is a viable solution to a relationship with God that lacks substance. In my opinion the only thing that would really help in such a situation would be serious prayer, meditation and reading of scripture. I do not think that you are not going to derive too much deep spiritual help by listening to praise and worship. Of course I am not a good authority on this, and God is capable of anything, so he could use any means he wants to bring closer to him]


yea... it takes dedication... much like making a home made meal... but in the end it is very nutritious and worth it.

~NL~

[Debitt]

I know I'm very guilty of only going to God during my times of need - but He's always been there for me, even when I'm only going to Him for my own selfish reasons. For me, it's motivating to think "If God's so wonderful to you even when you only go to Him in a time of need, then imagine how wonderful He'll be to you if you go to Him all the time."

At any rate, I agree with Scribs when he says that prayer and scripture really help with this - prayer especially in my case. It's very soothing, and I tend to just pray the way I'd talk to my father or a close friend.

[soul alive]

Thanks for the metaphor, Natsumi, really gives you something to think about, especially since everyone is guilty of it at some time or another.

I was talking with friends last week about something similar to this, and have a related metaphor. We were talking about going to a retreat for Campus Crusades, and the spiritual high you get from events like that, and I said that faith isn't all about spiritual highs, it's about other things as well. While spiritual highs are good, all of your faith shouldn't be based on them. It's like eating cheesecake. While one or even two pieces are wonderful, if you eat the whole thing, or if that is the only thing you eat, you'll get sick. You also need to have other parts to your faith - study, witnessing, etc. just like you need to eat meat, fruit, vegetables, etc. Your faith is best when it is well rounded, just like your diet.

[Eriana]

Sometimes i feel that i have a fastfood relationship with God. I stop by and i only stay as long as it takes to get what i want and leave.. sometimes it is even a drive-thru relationship.. i stop by to get what i want without becoming to personal with God and then i saw bye bye till the next day i feel hungry.

Also the taco bell/ fast food relationship is not nutritious. YOu eat what taste right [you study what is appealing to you] and you dont get a full amount of vitamines. For example, sometimes i only read the happy parts of the bible and i dont read the parts that are convicting because i dont really want to change.

I feel i do this sometimes and it leaves me feeling empty and missing something good. Do you feel the same about yourself sometimes ?

~Natsumi Lam~

I agree with what everyone's said.
I side-step once in a while and fall, and I realize that it wasn't God who ran away it was me. I need God like I need food and air, without Him I couldn't live. I was raised with Christian morals and have grown in Christian morals. My dad's a minister so I guess he taught me a lot about Jesus and now when I think about what my life without Him would be like it makes me feel like crying in depression. After you've excepted Yeshua into your heart how can you go against Him?
Don't worry Natsumi. I've been in your situation before where I've only used God and then put Him away like a toy. But I've found that by seeking God my relationship with Him becomes stronger and stronger day by day. And it's very good that you have observed this factor and you admit openly how you've been feeling, I think God really wanted you to see that and improve that. Good for you, and thank you for the thread.

[SP1]

One of the finest things about Christianity is that it focuses on intent, not acts. I think many religions would have not idea what is being talked about here. In them, you just follow the rules, make the sacrifice, attend the temple (or whatever) and you are good to go.

But here we are concerned about our day-to-day mindfulness of God. Are we really totally taking on the mantle of Christ, of just picking two choices from the dollar menu? I am not sure how to solve this, as it is also my struggle. I feel best when I am doing things for God, however. Sort of a "there isn't anything more important that I could possibly be doing right now." I also try to say "thank you" to God a bunch of times each day.

[Maledicte]

That's a very good metaphor, Natsumi.

About prayer, if I notice that I'm only praying for myself...I instead pray for others. For the people I've met to one day get saved, for my pastor, even for my state and country's leaders, whether or not I like or agree with them. A little prayer in those directions can go a long way.

How would that work in a metaphor like that? Exercising? or doing grocery shopping for others

[Eriana]

lol, yeah.
It was a really good idea Natsumi! ^-^~

[~Natsumi Lam~]

thanks you guys.... i am so glad others understand my feelings about this... [not that others fall into the same trouble but we can understand eachother]

Thanks again everyone!!!!


~Natsumi Lam~