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cultural atheist

~ Rejecting the gods of our culture since 1998.

cultural atheist

Monthly Archives: April 2017

Put Shame to Shame

28 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration, Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

eating disorder, Love, recovery, Rescue, Shame, Sheep

If you can, check out this link and listen to the audio message. It’s a young person sharing their story about eating disorder recovery, redemption and seeing shame put to shame. It’s very powerful. Click the text below to get to the page.

“Is there anything you feel ashamed of? Your appearance, performance, or past mistakes? Discover how Jesus feels about you in your most embarrassing moments.”

 

The Stench — BeautyBeyondBones

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

filthy, God, Good News, Gospel of John, Jesus, Lazarus, Restoration, Righteousness, stench

Here’s another powerful insight from BeautyBeyondBones. Please check it out. Just in case it interests you, I’ve included my comment that I left with the post.

You know what I love? I love when you’re watching or reading something for the 100th time, and then all of a sudden something “clicks” and it’s as though you’re seeing it brand new, with fresh eyes. That happened to me today. At church. We were reading the Lazaraus story, where Jesus raises Lauzarus from […]

via The Stench — BeautyBeyondBones

When the apostle John wrote that, he wanted to make sure everyone got it – Lazarus was dead. Anyway, I want to embrace your epiphany and raise you one more. I hope you don’t mind…

I would like to suggest that one doesn’t have to have an ED or have a bad temper and so on to have a stench. Paul says that all our RIGHTEOUSNESS is filthy rags (very nasty smelling).

In Zechariah 3, the prophet is given a vision of the high priest. There are several clues this is on the day of atonement. The cleansing – physically and spiritually – that the high priest would do was far beyond what any of us might do. And yet, he stands before God with “filthy clothes.” The words there indicate excrement and/or vomit.

But the Good News is, God, unlike us, seems to have smell blindness. He comes near the wretched, the filthy, the smelly and even the dead; not just near but touches them and by that touch says, “I accept you, you are my beloved.” It’s hard to resist a God who loves like that.

5 Easy Ways to Pace Yourself — MakeItUltra™

24 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ Leave a comment

Written by Talasi G. (CAN) Founder of Braver Than Before I made a few specific changes to my routine last week in order to improve my mental health and overall productivity. While I noticed some progress almost immediately, I also noticed a negative side-effect that I didn’t expect. In scheduling my days, I didn’t really set aside […]

via 5 Easy Ways to Pace Yourself — MakeItUltra™

Hating Easter

23 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ 3 Comments

JJ Whitehead says he really hates Easter because he’s circumcised.

See, when he was little, he figured out he was circumcised and his mom told him that the rabbi did it.

Because he has an overactive imagination, and he’s not Jewish, he thought rabbi meant multiple rabbits.

Which is why he really hates easter.

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Shocking But True

22 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ 3 Comments

I just found out this week that cucumbers are fruit.

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That is all.

Magic Beans

21 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in health, Observations, Rants, recovery

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Advertising, Alex Hutchinson, deception, health, ineffective, Supplements

Do you ingest supplements – vitamins, amino acids, etc? I have. I’ve tried all sorts of supplements for all sorts of reasons – muscle building, fat losing, more energy, and so on. I believe none of them have ever made a difference or manifested the results promised on the bottle.

I recently shared an article by Alex Hutchinson on water and exercise. I also found this article on supplements called, “The Pills We Pop.” I encourage you to read the whole article but here are a few quotes that stood out to me.

“In 2002, a high-quality randomized trial published in the journal JAMA assessed the supposed memory enhancement powers of ginkgo biloba, and found no benefits.
Similarly, a large trial in 2006 tested the effects of glucosamine and chondroitin against painful knee osteoarthritis; the results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found no benefits.

…the supplement industry has mushroomed since a 1994 law that effectively hobbled Food and Drug Administration oversight of the industry…

There were an estimated 4,000 supplements on the market in 1994, he notes, compared to 55,000 in 2012.

…the National Institutes of Health was investing $250 million to $300 million per year in supplement research, the vast majority of which found no benefits (or, in a few cases, increased risk).

…advertising claims don’t have to be vetted by the FDA, and you can choose whatever flimsy evidence you want, even if it’s contradicted by a mountain of evidence.”

Alex Hutchinson also wrote the book, “Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights? Fitness Myths, Training Truths and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise.” Hutchinson takes 111 common (and uncommon) questions about fitness and digs up the current state of peer-reviewed knowledge. If you’re into exercise, I recommend the book because it cuts through a lot of junk.

(Just in case you are wondering, that’s not me in the picture.)

 

Hurling

19 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations, recovery

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Abuse, accusations, diversion, healing, help, hope, recovery, relationships, toxic

When I experience my full on toxic person encounter, there were a barrage of accusations. While some were absurd – outrageous even – I confess some cut deep. It wasn’t so much as I thought they were true but they made me question who I am. It’s taken a while to process past that and reground myself. If this has happened to you, I hope you have found yourself again and have experienced healing.

For more, check out Shannon Thomas’ book, “Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey Through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse.”

Fair Fighting Rules — MakeItUltra™

17 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ Leave a comment

Another great post from MakeItUltra. If you’re not subscribed to their blog I suggest you do so immediately!

Written by Eric C., MA., PhD Candidate (USA) Founder of: MakeItUltra™ “An eye for an eye will only make the world blind” ~Mahatma Gandhi Arguments and relationships go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. Unfortunately, arguments are not as sweet as jelly and don’t go over as smooth as peanut butter. When we argue […]

via Fair Fighting Rules — MakeItUltra™

Hydration and Dehydration

14 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in health, Observations, recovery

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

exercise, Fact, health, Myth, Running, water

One of the things that I’ve heard concerning self-care is, drink lots of water. The same goes for exercise. While it’s still good to drink water (especially instead of sugar drinks) the idea of “lots” of water is being called into question. Basically, you don’t need to drink buckets of water each day. In fact, drinking buckets of water each day may be detrimental (besides having to pee every 15 minutes). Anyway, I just stumbled across this article on water intake and exercise: Do You Need to Drink During a One-Hour Run?

The article was written by Alex Hutchinson who also wrote the book, “Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights? Fitness Myths, Training Truths and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise.” Hutchinson takes 111 common (and uncommon) questions about fitness and digs up the current state of peer-reviewed knowledge. If you’re into exercise, I recommend the book because it cuts through a lot of junk.

So what about the water question? If you don’t have time to read the article, here’s the bottom line:

“The shift in thinking about hydration over the past few years has involved a greater recognition of perceptual variables—how you feel—in addition to physiological variables; a realization that the body can adjust and cope with surprisingly high levels of temporary dehydration; and a move away from the idea that you should always aspire to replace every drop you sweat as soon as possible.”

 

Diversion Tactics – Shame

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by braddahr in Discovery, health, Observations, recovery

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Abuse, healing, help, hope, narcissist, recovery, relationships, Shame

Lately, I’ve been discovering common behaviours of Narcissists, Sociopaths And Psychopaths. Keep in mind that those are personality disorders and it’s not a good idea to go around labelling people just because they’re jerks. While I’ve been learning, I found an article by  Shahida Arabi at http://thoughtcatalog.com/shahida-arabi/2016/06/20-diversion-tactics-highly-manipulative-narcissists-sociopaths-and-psychopaths-use-to-silence-you/. Shahida the author of the book She Who Destroys the Light: Fairy Tales Gone Wrong.

I want to highlight a few of the tactics Shadida Arabi includes in her article. Please read the whole article so you can get the full picture.

Toxic people tend to use diversion tactics to escape accountability for their actions and silence you, the target of their abuse. If this is happening to you, I hope you are able to get help and establish healthy boundaries so you may experience hope and healing.

Shame

Shame all on it’s own is destructive. It attacks the very part of us that’s capable of change. While guilt can be helpful, leading us to be responsible for our actions, shame tears down who we are as a person. Now take shame and out it in the hands of a toxic person and it is used  to whittle away at a victim’s self-esteem; diminishing their sense of self and stifle any pride they may have.

Worst case scenario, a toxic person will shame you for abuse or injustice you’ve suffered in the past. Perhaps they will claim that you must have done something to deserve – you were reaping what you’ve sown. They might hold up their wonderful life to make you feel deficient and unworthy. “As surgeons of madness, they seek to exacerbate wounds, not help heal them.”

“If you suspect you’re dealing with a toxic person, avoid revealing any of your vulnerabilities or past traumas. Until they’ve proven their character to you, there is no point disclosing information that could be potentially used against you.”

 

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