Category: The Adventures of JB

Marathon Training, The Adventures of JB

Why I Put The Donut Down…Again

This week I made a drastic change that will not only affect my ministry, put personal life, and help the return to Australia. It’s something that’s needed to be done for a long time but I kept putting it off.  This week that finally came to a stop.

What is this huge decision?

No more buying snacks

Over the years I’ve developed a habit of buying cheap snacks during the day costing one or two dollars. It began with 59-cent donuts at Walmart, but has since grown to include fruit pies, potato chips, and goldfish among other things

Most people stop buying these kinds of snacks because they are unhealthy but that isn’t necessarily my problem. You would be amazed at how much junk food a person can eat while training for a marathon [1].

The change came as I looked at my expenses for the month of October and was shocked how many fit into the “junk food” category. Those transactions showed just how much power snacks had over me.

The problem with cheap junk food is you don’t really think about buying it because they are only a few dollars. However it’s surprising how quickly those two-dollar expenses can add up

Please don’t think I’m against junk food (trust me I am a huge fan). However more than ever before it’s important for us to be careful with our money [2].

And though most of us do a great job of evaluating larger expenses, it’s easy to overlook that sixty-cent donut (or how many of them we buy in a month).

In the end I want my money to be invested in things that really matter

  1. Like sharing the Gospel of Christ with others
  2. Ministering the needs of families who are financially struggling
  3. Offering services for free that people would normally pay for
  4. And helping those in foreign Countries who don’t have what we enjoy

In order to do this things like junk food have to go

  1. The cherry pies
  2. The Pepsi
  3. The Chips
  4. The Crackers
  5. And yes even the donuts

It will be a sacrifice but I think that I’ll live.

  1. the marathon diet goes like this…run twenty-two miles, and then eat whatever you want  ↩
  2. this is particularly true for Christians who are comanded to glorify God wtih finances  ↩
John Wilburn Missionary to Melbourne, The Adventures of JB

Why I Don’t Fall Asleep Watching Netflix Anymore

My day usually ends with me lying in bed watching Netflix at around 9:30.  Now there’s nothing wrong with watching some television after a long day, however starting tonight I’m going to start doing things much differently.

Instead of lying in bed and just watching a show I will watch it actively sitting in a chair or on the couch trying to discover the worldview it is teaching

This change in philosophy came from reading a book called “Meaning At The Movies” by Grant Horner.

What makes this book interesting is Mr. Horner doesn’t spend time focusing on the kind of movies we shouldn’t watch, but instead challenges individuals to discern what they are watching [1].

The point is that while half-asleep in my bed I’m definitey not actively discerning anything [2] instead I am just a passive consumer.

Mr. Horner points out that instead of being consumers Christians should be the best cultural critics…sadly most of (myself included) just crash in front of the tv.

”Christians should be the very best film viewers—the very best cultural critics, in fact—because we have the potential capability to discern truth from error and also to understand the real purpose of enjoyment of human creativity, which is to glorify God by practicing discernment [3]”

Okay so how can we become discerning viewers of television or movies? Here are a few ideas.

  1. Watch it in a place where you will not fall asleep [4]
  2. If possible watch it on a mobile device like a phone or tablet, since this allows you to focus directly on the program
  3. If you are watching it on a tv make sure mobile devices aren’t used during the program [5]
  4. Watching something that can be paused is useful because it allows you to stop and ask yourself questions.
  5. Watching a tv season from beginning to end helps because you see the complete storyline (the directors view of what the world should be like)
  6. And of course if something is teaching a wrong worldview then don’t watch it

It can be confusing trying to find a worldview in programs so let me share Horner’s definition of one.

“Who believes what about what and why?[6]”

**Put another way; what do they believe about the world, and what is their reason for it?

*Of course this may not be incredibly clear, however the important thing is the we become a generation of people who think seriously about what the worldviews our minds consume.

  1. the subtitle is “becoming a discerning viewer”  ↩
  2. asking what the media teaches me and why  ↩
  3. Horner, Grant (2010–06–15). Meaning at the Movies: Becoming a Discerning Viewer (p. 64). Crossway. Kindle Edition.  ↩
  4. sitting in a chair or around others  ↩
  5. I’m very guilty of playing games on the iPad while the tv is on  ↩
  6. Horner, Grant (2010–06–15). Meaning at the Movies: Becoming a Discerning Viewer (p. 61). Crossway. Kindle Edition.  ↩