I am starting a new book in which to push myself, and to continue my growth and faith in Jesus Christ by pushing myself further and further. In these coming posts concerning this book “Buck-Naked Faith” by Eric Sandras I encourage you to question yourself as well with me. Please feel free to comment on the questions or my thoughts on those questions. I am always open for healthy conversation.
Chapter 1: Brutally Honest
Growth Points:
1. List three specific things in your life that would change if you were cultivating your friendship with God.
a. It says to be brutally honest. I don’t know what conditions are considered brutal to our friend Eric here, but as usual I will try and be honest about what I see. If I was cultivating my friendship with God, I would be more open about the issues I have with other people, how I respond to them. I would not WITH HOLD INFORMATION from God. (This means not only how I treat them in person but also when I am reflecting on our interactions and mentally. Not only is God present in both those area’s, but really so is my subconscious, and even if I am just working through something with them, it still effects my negative response to them in further issues.) If I was cultivating my relationship with God I would not be so afraid to share both my failures and victories with HIM. ( Currently I am more apt to share my victories with HIM, and not come to HIM in my times of need. I reflect and find that funny, because there was a time in which I would only make contact when things were wrong. The goal is to find an abundant mix of both. Also with a mix of pure praise and worship with a dash or two of repentance for good measure 
And further still, if I was cultivating that relationship, I would be much more trust of things I have no control of in the first place. Whether it be health, money, relationships, church, work. There is responsibility to be taken on my part. But it is ultimately Gods will for things that causes course. Learning Learning Learning.
2. Write down four things that you tend to binge or purge on. Are they “God” things, or “sin” things? How are they related? When do they occur?
a. Binge. Food, laziness, family, pain. Purge. Productivity, family, things, time.
Binging subsequently comes mostly from sinful things. I am too self, therefor I hold onto pain, in hope that others will notice. I let the pain effect me so I begin to “purge” that pain with “comforts” such as eating and laziness. I hope that I can soemtimes say that I binge on my family. My relatively new wife is a joy and a blessing in my life. And I try, when not being lazy, to assist her in her daily life such as a husband should do.
Purging comes relatively from similar places. I replace productivity with laziness when I can’t pick myself back up from the fallen places. I am at times very selfish with time, and am not always good with giving my family everything they deserve. My complete attention, my love, and my time. I both satisfy that selfishness with things, and in turn spend much time trying to figure out how to rid myself of those things, and concentrate on the things that matter. I purge myself of time by both giving it away to things of laziness, and useless productivity. I say purge as opposed to binge because most of those pursuits are not of value, therefore I am purging myself of important things instead of taking time for those important things.
I link most of those things to the fact that I am selfish, and in many ways can not yet see how to come out of the darkness that is myself, and visit the light that is Jesus. Giving of myself and those things I consider mine for love and others. If I was really engaging in that relationship with God, that friendship, I would be more astute in providing for others in my life those blessings placed upon me.
