WATER OF LIFE

Just before I opened my heart to the Lord I was trying to write a book on inequality. For many years I HAD DEVELOPED MY OWN PHILOSOPHY THAT MY WIFE EVENTUALLY COINED AS Brentopia. My philosophy had some anti-capitalist, social justice, and socialist similarities but my main thrust was to value other personality types and cultures. I WAS PASSIONATE THAT WE SHOULD VALUE OTHER CULTURE TYPES INSTEAD OF FORCING THEM TO CONFORM TO A WESTERN CULTURAL BEHAVIORS, VALUES, AND CAPITALIST SYSTEMS. My belief was that if we valued all personality types (through equal opportunities, rewards, etc.) and cultures (by preserving the richness of their culture through protection from capitalist exploitation) that the result would not only be a better world but an incredible synergy. Many of my blog entries before July of 2007 (when I rededicated my life to Christ) reflect my self-made philosophy. Here are a couple examples:
Type, culture and inequality.
Inequality Matters.

NOT ONLY HAD I CREATED MY OWN GRAND PHILOSOPHY BUT I had also self-defined my relationship with God. I prayed to God but didn’t believe in the church (and organized religion) and I thought that possibly we were all praying to the same god (hindus, muslims, buddhists, etc.), and that god was just differently expressed in other cultures and parts of the world. (By the way, I’m not into self-flagellation. Part of being transformed into the image of Christ is surrendering those parts of ourselves that He shows us we no longer need and I want share with others what I’m learning along the way.)

My equality concept was really the deception of self-sufficiency. It’s idea that man can create a better society without God or his help. Basically the Tower of BABEL ALL OVER AGAIN. The Book of Revelations also tells of a future time where man will once again attempt this. The European Union is an example of this. It seems great, politically and economically, but is it any coincidence that Europeans are falling away from Christianity, so much so, that now missionaries are being sent to Europe—and ironically some of them are coming from countries that Europeans had sent missionaries to years ago. God stopped the Tower of Babel by making all the people speak different languages. It’s interesting to note that cross-cultural communication (also part of the social sciences) is an effort to bridge the very differences that God had put in place to keep man from finishing the Tower of Babel.

Even if Babylon reaches the sky and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 51:53

In some ways Japan is also like that ideal society. It’s extremely safe and the policemen don’t wear guns. The gap between the rich and the poor is much smaller than the US. Unemployment for many years has been low. Neil Verwey, a missionary in Japan for 50 years, said that ever since consumerism took hold of the culture the numbers turning to Christ decreased. There are less than two percent Christians in Japan. Pastor Paul Suzuki, of Life Chapel (in Japan), said it’s hard to keep your faith in Japan—and that’s not surprising seeing how the Japanese have built for themselves a safe, somewhat egalitarian, comfortable, consumer-satisfying society. But I’ve also seen with my own eyes that in this country there is river of sexual immorality that runs deep and that many families are hollow structures.

The ultimate outcome of the seeds of self-sufficiency is a turning away from God (Europe) or not turning to God (Japan). God’s ultimate plan (according the Bible and the Book of Revelations) isn’t to save the earth or even to perfect human society. GOD’S PURPOSE IS THAT WE ARE TO BE IN A DEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP WITH Him. ANYTHING CONTRARY TO THIS IS THE DECEPTIVE WORKS OF THE ENEMY AND THE ANTI-CHRIST (Revelations).

(Side-note: I’m not yelling with my capitalized text. That’s just the way it comes out of my text editor when I download it to my computer and I believe there is something providential about that.)

One reviewer of my book said I raised more questions than I answered. I suppose there is some truth to that even in this blog entry. One Christian told me when he first came to Christ he saw everything black and white and rejected anything worldly. He gave the example of being offended by a pastor listening to secular music but that now, years later, he doesn’t see that as a problem. On the other hand, it may be that as we mature as Christians we leave behind (for good) things of the world including man’s wisdom and deceptions. Its only been two years since I rededicated my life to Christ and my blog has been an attempt to show people how God is moving in my life and how He is transforming me week by week into His character and image. So what is God showing me? Im not sure. Am I just going to a necessary extreme and as I mature in Christ? Will I come into a greater balance with worldly things such as personality type? Or is it that God’s plan requires me to surrender that, but that maybe his plan for others doesn’t necessarily require that. 

I’m on my second reading of the Bible, and as I go deeper into His Word, He shows even more through the Holy Spirit and I begin wonder why personality type is needed at all. My stand a year ago was that God can use anything, including type, to glorify Himself and work in our lives. And I still believe that. I came to Christ through a mix of psychology and Christianity but maybe I’m finding out that as I mature I NATURALLY SHED THE WORLDLY PARTS AND JUST FOCUS ON His Word and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, counseling, and teaching. Since His wisdom is limitless at what point would I need to turn back to man’s wisdom? Life is so short, especially now that I am forty, so why would I WANT TO SPEND MY TIME ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN EXPLORING AND GROWING THROUGH His unlimited wisdom and teaching? So why study anything at all? No, I’m just talking about psychology, which cross-cultural communication also falls under because its a categorization of behaviors. I still have a strong longing to explore the richness of other cultures but somehow applying categories and Jungian theory doesn’t seem right anymore. I sense a great deception in psychology and its derivatives. 

Recently, my boss sent me to a training and it turned out to be for the mini-DISC (another personality type system popular for leadership training). Even yesterday I was in a meeting with my bosses and everybody was sharing their DISC type. Coincidentally, after that type training class, I negatively stereotyped someone at work based on what I thought was their type and it created a huge conflict. Not everyone is as stupid as me but it makes me wonder what sort of spirit (of God or of the enemy) personality type introduces. I used to think it was a spirit of appreciation (of differences) but now I think its more of one that clouds our eyes under the guise of opening them—and that is exactly how the enemy works!  I may have abused or misused personality type but am I IN THE MINORITY OR THE MAJORITY? If the majority, then thats a confirmation that its a tool of deception used by the enemy. And its not because of a lack of training or understanding. I took the MBTI qualified practitioner course and passed the test with a score in the upper ninety percent. And I’ve read a stack of books and academic research on personality type. 

My friend points out that if I throw out psychology, what about the other sciences? I AM NO EXPERT ON RELIGION. I have never taken religious studies. The closest I got was an eastern religions course at the university. My degree is in social sciences with a concentration in economics and history. At CSU, economics was part of the college of social sciences (economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, etc.). The conflict with God’s truth lies not in the physical, natural, or engineering sciences but in the social sciences, in particular psychology, economics, and political science.

I can honestly say that when I stopped seeing people in those type categories that I truly began to see people for who they really are. I’ve prayed for a clear answer on this but all I HAVE IS MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE> AND MAYBE THAT’S WHAT God really wants is for each of us to individually look to Him for the answer on whether we should mix psychology with our Christian faith. The Bible isn’t a set of personal values to follow—it’s a God’s Living Word, through which He speaks to all parts of our lives—especially the ones that psychology tries to address. I wouldn’t call psychology a science but more like a pseudo-religion. Why? Because it deals in matter of the heart (emotions) and mind, personal and interpersonal problems—and after reading through the Bible anyone can see that these are God’s realm.

Economics is now a world religion. Economists are no more than false prophets all contradicting one another and practicing a sorcery of economic formulas that create more confusion and deception than clarity. The ISRAELITES DRIFTED FROM God, and they wanted a god they could see with their eyes, so they crafted a gold image of a calf to worship. Today, we seek to see a golden bull in the stock market. We have made an idol out of THE BULL MARKET and economic growth. We turn to false prophets, sorcerers, and idols instead of God, so its no wonder that were facing God’s wrath in our world “economies”.

In regards to political science, another friend pointed out that one interpretation of the book of Revelations (chapter 17-18) is a time when man again tries to raise a Tower of Babel. He said the European Union and the move to one currency is an example of this. It is man once again turning to self-sufficiency (through political and economic systems) instead of God.

There truly is something telling about the separation of the social sciences from the physical, natural, and engineering sciences. The deception is lumped under the social sciences. In the hard sciences (with the exception of the evolutionist theories) THERE IS NO ASPECT OF SORCERY OR A PSUEDO-RELIGION BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT REPLACING God’s truth with their own.

My first book, Culture Shock! Hawaii, was a response to feeling I don’t belong in Hawaii. My second book, Where in the World Do I Belong?, was an attempt to answer the question: If I don’t belong any of the places I have been so far, where do I belong in the world? The answer according to my system of culture types was somewhere in northern India or Burma. Of course, I didn’t pack up and go. First, I couldn’t afford it (although that hasn’t stopped me in the past: In my twenties I had no money and went to Japan with a plane ticket and nine hundred dollars in travelers checks—all charged on my credit card). It probably had more to do with having a wife and two kids to support and schooling to consider. Later, I found out it was really about God’s plan to finally bring me back to Him. 

I published Where in the World Do I Belong? in December 2006. A year and a half later my marriage was in shambles. It was at that point, in summer of 2007, I finally found out where I belonged was in a relationship with the Lord. A job or culture that fit my personality type wouldn’t end my wandering or lead to satisfaction and fulfillment. What I had been seeking wasn’t in the world—it was in Him. This is a blog I wrote about my turning point:

http://www.wateroflife.me/?page_id=100
Also, a few comments from others:
http://www.wateroflife.me/?p=101

My third book, Discovering the Water of Life (published November 2008), answered the question posed in my first two books of ‘where do I belong?’ For the last two years, every week I have been going to church, minichurch, and meeting with an accountability partner. This year I am working through my second reading of the Bible. Through all of this I have written many blogs trying to explain God’s transformation of me and what He has shown me along the way. A few months ago, during consideration of a topic for my next book, I felt God had shown me that Jungian psychology was a deception for me. Here is my blog about that:

http://www.wateroflife.me/?p=191

Now I am at the point where I am wondering how to make a living. It may be that God is leading me away from publishing books, but to still continue writing through blogging. I am also a part-time computer teacher at an Army youth center and it may be that God is leading me somewhere in that direction. Recently, someone commented in our minichurch that the Bible doesn’t tell us specific things (like whether we should put our child in a private Christian school or not). Instead we are to take a step of faith—having faith that He will show us along the way whether it’s the right or wrong direction.

A few months ago I set up a website to start offering publisher services to authors. This week I did a revision of the first and only book I have published for someone else. I got to tell you the process did not feel blessed by His power. Yet, at work I was asked to make three marketing flyers using Microsoft Publisher. That process was anointed. I felt the end result was no less than God’s hand upon me, because the end product was more than the sum of my experience and abilities. I felt He led me to do and add things I hadn’t thought of myself. (Additionally, I have never used Microsoft Publisher before but I have been using Adobe InDesign to publish my books for the last three years.)

I guess God’s started to grow a sensitivity in me to know when I’m doing something solely on my self power versus something He has anointed with His power. His anointing is one way we can discover His will for our lives. Once you’ve discovered His will don’t make the mistake of projecting out or second guessing His ultimate plan for your life. Where you’re at may be a season in your life (e.g. a season of preparation) and where He’s got you headed might be a different direction.

Our pastor said he didn’t want to lose his travel benefits when he left an airline job to go into ministry but now he travels more than he would’ve with his airline benefits. When I first applied for jobs on the base I had applied for a driver job because I enjoyed being a pizza delivery driver when I was in college. Of course that’s not where God ended up opening the door, but in my current job I was given responsibility for maintaining our school vans which involves driving several hours a month.

So why do I need a personality type system to guide me when I have the Lord’s perfect plan and wisdom? Sure I don’t have the security of knowing God’s ultimate destination for me but I do have the security of knowing that He will lead me each day if I just trust in Him.