Conversations with Cinthia

Stop Playing It Safe, Part 1

When you think of taking risks, do you picture yourself taking them with God?  Risks (responsible ones, anyway) are part of life, and making mistakes sometimes is an inevitable part of the process.  But sometimes we get so afraid of this that we hide our talents and play it way too safe.  Cinthia discusses God as having taken risks in creating and redeeming and as the One Who accompanies us as we embark on the adventures of responsible risk.  Is He calling you to come discover who you are with Him?  Do you believe that He will help you, even when you mess up the process?  

Do You Trust Me?, Part 5: Trust in the Real World

Learning to trust is a difficult task.  This week, we have discussed transferring our trust to God as the perfect Parent we all needed and that no human parent has ever fully been.  The next step is to begin learning how to become trustworthy so you can trust yourself, and to approach the world with boundaries and a willingness to take healthy risks.  Cinthia discusses what this looks like.  For example, she explains that our child-like, complete trust should be reserved only for God, that we differentiate with humans between perfection and trustworthiness, and that we learn how to manage earning the trust of others and giving others appropriate chances to earn, or re-earn, our trust.

Do You Trust Me?, Part 4: Relearning Trust

Some people find trust so foreign that they don't really even know what it would look like to trust another person.  Others may trust too easily and tend toward denial about the warning signs that trust may not be appropriate in a given situation.  Yesterday, Cinthia discussed the process of learning trust or mistrust in early childhood.  What if we didn't learn to trust appropriately in those early years?  Where do we start?  In this episode, Cinthia discusses what it means to start over with God as our perfect Parent and relearn healthy trust as a new skill.

Do You Trust Me?, Part 3: Childhood Development of Trust and Hope

The first thing we humans try to figure out after birth is whether our world is safe, whether we can trust our caregivers.  The conclusions we reach can follow us through life until resolved and can shape our feelings, perceptions, assumptions, behaviors, relationship patterns, and views of God, self, and others.  Parents on earth are never perfect, and self-diagnosing emotional wounds from infancy has significant risks and pitfalls.  However, for those who suspect we have some unresolved trust issues, Cinthia asserts that God is more than able to heal these wounds as we transfer our trust to Him, the only perfect Parent.  

Do You Trust Me?, Part 2: Breaking the Cycle of Bitterness Toward God

Life hurts so badly sometimes.  It can seem that God, if He were truly all-good and all-powerful and really cared about us, could simply prevent so much of our pain.  Unable to reconcile the details of the world with the character of God, we can cycle through attempts to trust God and retreats into bitterness toward Him.  Cinthia discusses God's response to our pain-inspired assumptions about Him and about ourselves, as well as what this response means for us as we struggle with the cycle.

Do You Trust Me?, Part 1: The Deepest Trust Issue

Trust sounds so much easier than it is, but we can't survive without it.  Cinthia asserts that, while we have to have some trust in other people to get through the day, human beings are far too fallible to be trusted as a foundation for our lives.  Learning to trust God can get complicated by the hurts we come to associate with religious people and organizations, or by disillusionment with God because He does not prevent all the damage we experience in a fallen world.  Still, beyond the disappointment, distraction, pain, and confusion, we hear Him asking, "Do you trust Me?"

Your Guaranteed Value

We've been talking this week about value systems.  Today, Cinthia asks how much you value yourself and looks at the value God sees in you.  In the world around us, the value of a human being is often seen as rising and falling with their actions, accomplishments, appearance, etc.  But God does not put us in this position.  Consider how it might change you to know that you don't have to change or maintain your worth; it's already established in Heaven.

God's Value System: Galatians 5&6

How do we know if our value systems reflect what is truly valuable?  Some people work better with generalities while some deal better with specifics.  Cinthia looks at both in the book of Galatians and examines how to measure our values against God's values for us.  

How To Develop A Personal Value System

Yesterday, Cinthia gave some specific ideas for examining and developing our own value systems.  Today she explores other exercises, such as a method from "Notorious Living" that involves creating a value system circle with sections for different areas of life.  This exercise offers clarity so we can more effectively apply our value system when making decisions.  Note-takers, grab a pen!

A Personal Value System (The World's and God's), Part 2

Today, Cinthia continues discussing the "nuts and bolts" of values and developing a personal value system. If you're not sure where to start, Cinthia suggests places to start, including the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians and a values clarification exercise she has used with groups.