Questionnaire

I recently gave a talk at church on how to draw closer to God in this toxic culture of ours. Included in that was this questionnaire - an examination of our lives, our personal culture (more on "personal culture" in another entry) and how we are making choices that either draw us closer to God or push us away from God.

There is no right or wrong answer - just a "This is where I am" reflection. Then you can ask yourself if where you are is where you want to be.

The questions are divided into four categories - Faith, Home, Personal, and Health.

FAITH
1. Do you attend Mass every Sunday?
2. Have you considered, or do you already, attend at least one weekday Mass?
3. Have you gone to Reconciliation in the past week? Month? Year?
4. Have you attended a bible study at St. Therese or the Christ Renews His Parish Weekend Retreat at Resurrection?
5. Do you know your preist's last name? 
6. Do you set aside a certain amount of time each day for prayer and scripture?

HOME
1. How many televisions are in your home?
2. On average, do you watch more than 2 hours of television a day?
3. Do you have Internet access in your home?
4. Do you spend more than one hour a day online? (Facebook )
5. Do you watch TV during meals?
6. Do you have dinner with your family at least 4 times a week?
7. What kind of music do you listen to? Would Jesus approve?

PERSONAL
1. When someone angers you, do you replay that moment in your mind again and again?
2. When it snows and the roads are slick, do you think, “Oh, good! I can stay home and read my bible!” (Are you an optimist?)
3. When a child misbehaves, do you think to yourself…”Poor thing. Those parents are just so inexperienced.” or “I remember behaving that way” or “My kids never/will never do that!”
4. Do you comfort negative feelings with: food, shopping, watching television, retreating to bed, or with substances?
5. Do you gossip?

HEALTH
1. Do you eat foods in their natural forms? For example: water, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat. Examples of foods not in their nature form would include: candy, white bread, pasta, soda…you know, the fun stuff.
2. Do you exercise at least 3 times a week?
3. Do you have a good friend that will/does encourage a healthy life-style?
4. Do you trust your doctor?
5. Do you know how to search for information to answer your questions about your health concerns?
6. Can you not eat sugary foods for five days? (An inability to go even one day without sugar, alcohol, or other “unhealthy” sources indicates an addiction.)