November

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Week 1 – Worldly Week 2 – Mundane Week 3 – Faith Week 4 – Carnal

worldly.110413.Monday

This word has a stigma attached to it whether it deserves it or not. A worldly person is one that is or has a certain sophistication. Worldly carries with it the insinuation that one who is — has experienced many things in life both good and bad. There also seems to be a sense that the “worldly one” does not have or does not care about good moral character or any positive spiritual influence. Take care in what you do and where you go. Be wise, not worldly!

worldly.110513.Tuesday

Self-centered might be one way in which we could associate worldly with its definitions. It is an adjective that has three definitions. 1. Of or limited to this world; temporal or secular; 2. Devoted to or concerned with the affairs, pleasures, etc. of this world; 3. Worldly-wise; sophisticated. Worldly is descriptive of one who has indulged in many of the world’s more sensual affairs. Ambassadors and statesmen are two groups where worldly experiences can be an asset. Otherwise, worldly could be considered as lacking spirituality or idealism. Be careful with your worldly experiences, they could bite back!

worldly.110613.Wednesday

“She is an experienced and worldly person who is well traveled.” Social, cosmopolitan and earthly are some synonyms that could also be substituted in our example sentence. Some other negative signs of worldly could be money-grubbing, power-loving or unprincipled. The worldly person is concerned with temporal priorities and not spiritual, religious or idealistic. The worldly person will immerse themselves in material things and matters that are immediately relevant. This one may lack any idealistic or spiritual sensitivity!

worldly.110713.Thursday

To be steeped in the temporal or secular worldliness hinders the idealism that is the driving force for man’s advancement. Without such idealism, most worldly-minded people become immersed in earthly pleasures. The impact is that the worldly-wise focus upon maintaining the constant experience of what is pleasurable and profane. The drive to advance becomes weaker and weaker until the idealism of advancement is snuffed out. The death of idealism produces a self-centered, matter-of-fact attitude of earthly activity bordering on the mundane. Guard your idealism from the void of the secularly profane!

worldly.110813.Friday

In relationships, being devoted to or concerned with the affairs and pleasures of this world can be hazardous. For example, if you look at the lives of many actors and actresses of stage and screen, they reflect instability. Drugs, alcohol and affairs do not add stability to any relationship. In many cases, self-centered immorality becomes the dominating mindset. The worldly-wise and sophisticated external appearance will mask an inner insecurity. It is best to build your relationships upon sound principles that will last a lifetime. To be worldly does not secure lifetime happiness!

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Mundane.111113.Monday

“Mondays are rarely mundane.” Since Monday is the start of a new work week, rarely does it start with ordinary activity. Our word this week is one that does not bring much excitement. It brings hints of the commonplace and is bathed with boring inaction. Mundane is associated with repetitive and recurring actions that will soon lose their newness and we become conditioned to the repetition. Often we take mundane activities for granted and they become habitual. Put on your rose colored glasses this week and look at the mundane in a new way!

Mundane.111213.Tuesday

Before we look at the definitions of mundane, let’s take a peek at what it is not. It is not heavenly or spiritual nor does it generate excitement. This adjective “mundane” rather describes ordinary. It has two basic definitions: 1 of the world; especially as distinguished from heavenly or spiritual; 2 commonplace, everyday, ordinary as in uninteresting. “If you want to escape from the mundane, get out of this place.” In this example, mundane hints at living with the ordinary as if you are trapped. It means doing the same thing over and over again. So break the cycle and get out of town!

Mundane.111313.Wednesday

Viewing life as “mundane” can be a symptom of stagnation. Picture this: a swamp with motionless water, buzzing insects and rotting vegetation that can hide snakes, spiders and lurking alligators. When you view your life as mundane, you are showing signs of lost creativity and impaired motivation. It is an acceptance of an existence that lacks any excitement or sense of progress. A person with a mundane lifestyle is subject to external forces (snakes and alligators??) that may eventually produce chaos. To accept a mundane lifestyle is to lose any sense of intelligent advancement. Get off the couch and chase your dreams!

Mundane.111413.Thursday

“She led a mundane existence as a librarian.” If one is to settle for a mundane lifestyle it will not likely improve your ambition. The impact of mundane is for one to accept life as ordinary and commonplace. There is little motivation to better one’s living environment or to learn new things. Accepting the mundane is to accept everyday events as unchangeable and uneventful. To view the mundane as the norm is to accept a life of boredom. Break your routine and do something exciting!

Mundane.111513.Friday

A mundane relationship is the prototype for a joyless union. It is banal and uninteresting and will set the stage for a listless life. A good relationship should be more than just a common and ordinary existence with someone. There should be a mutual bond and agreement to experience the best that life has to offer. The mundane requires no effort; but a good relationship requires a willingness and interest to experience life at its best. Put out the effort and have more than a mundane relationship!

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faith Monday 111813
Faith is confidence in actions that we do daily. We get in our car and have faith that it will get us to our destination. We take a plane trip to a distant city and we have faith that we will arrive safely. Faith is one of those actions that we do frequently without thinking much about what it really means. So often we hear faith used in conjunction with religion that we overlook its other meanings. Faith is a vital part of one’s religious belief, but its use covers more than that. Faith is also complete confidence in things that we do and use daily. Hey Jude (or Judy), have faith and trust your instincts!

faith Tuesday 111913
Every politician wants to keep faith with his supporters. In this case, the politician and his supporters have a common set of principles or beliefs. This is one of the six definitions for “faith” as a noun. Complete trust, confidence or reliance in someone or something is a second definition. A third definition, anything believed or a religion, or a system of religious beliefs is yet another. Perhaps the most common is unquestioning belief in God or a set of religious tenets. Faith is also an unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence. One must have faith even in daily activities. Walk in faith today!

faith Wednesday 112013
When we have complete trust, confidence or reliance upon someone or in something, that is truly what faith means. What sometimes people have happen is an episode or experience that upsets their belief or faith. To “break faith” is a rough circumstance because it shakes our belief. On the other hand, we have “good faith” when we keep on believing in someone or something in spite of a bad incident. It might be said that we “keep faith” despite negative experiences. That is positive when we “in faith” keep on believing!

faith Thursday 112113
The Christian faith is an unquestioning belief in God. With many religions, faith is a system of religious beliefs. What kind of impact does this produce? The primary definition of faith says that faith is an unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence. The impact of this puts someone in the position of living by a system that may or may not be true. Since we have no scientific proof that the spiritual arena does or does not exist, it falls upon the individual person to trust what they believe. Know what you believe and stand on it!

faith Friday 112213
Relationships and faith go hand-in-hand. On the negative side, some relationships undergo a break-in-faith or bad faith. Positively, others will keep walking in faith despite an occasional “bad faith” experience. In those cases, it requires that one keep walking in faith through trust in the other party. Sometimes, we must suffer these experiences for our relationship to grown stronger. Relationships are built upon trust. Without trust, a relationship will not have enduring strength. Keep faith and walk with confidence!

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Carnal.112513.Monday

Being carnal is when one focuses all activities completely upon the sensual or physical life. A lack of any spiritual thought or action is a true marker of carnal knowledge. It is a concentration upon bodily or sensual pleasures to the exclusion of any spiritual or intellectual thoughts. Many addictions have their beginnings in trying to satisfy the carnal urgings of one’s body. It is an imbalance within one’s thinking because it is driven by physical appetites. Humans were not created to be just material beings. We have a spiritual side that also needs attention. Life is a balance of needs fulfilled!

Carnal.112613.Tuesday

As we examine our word this week and its definitions, we will begin with a synonym or two. Fleshly, sensual and animal natures are related words. However, carnal implies relation to the body or flesh as the seat of basic physical appetites. In the first definition of carnal we see it to mean “in or of the flesh; bodily; material or worldly, not spiritual. Its second definition is “having to do with or preoccupied with bodily or sexual pleasures.” From these meanings, we see a focus upon the physical realm and not upon the spiritual. As intelligent humans, we should be more than just physical beings. Our nature requires that both our carnal and spiritual beings should work together in harmony!

Carnal.112713.Wednesday

The carnal appetite usually will stress the fleshly desires and as an indicator, it will exhibit symptoms such as a lack of intellectual or moral influence. This symptom is normally called carnal lust. This lust is satisfied by fulfilling emotionally driven desires of our human nature. Satisfying these fleshly appetites will be exhibited by beastly and shameful actions. Carnal lust is a focus upon those things of the material world and whatever it takes to satisfy that base desire. Beware! Don’t let emotional appetites drive your actions!

Carnal.112813.Thursday

The impact of a life filled with only satisfying one’s carnal desires:

Carnal Arnold had no fear, He did, he did, he loved his beer,

Carnal Arnold had no tear, He did, he did, his lust for women was his career,

Carnal Arnold had no shame, He did, He did, he made hunting gold his game,

Carnal Arnold had no blame, He did, He did, he was immoral as his claim to fame!

Carnal.112913.Friday

Being carnal (or sensual) is part of any good marriage relationship. As humans, it is part of our nature. However, it must be kept in balance. When the carnal nature becomes the primary driving force in a relationship it becomes a negative motion. It becomes an overpowering factor that smothers other important emotions and actions. Being sensual has its place when it provides the intimacy a relationship needs!

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