Corey Rosenke's Exploration of the Soul's Cravings and the Quest for Spiritual Enlightenment

In this weeks episode Chris talks with Cory Rosenke. Have you ever met someone whose story grips you from the first word? Corey Rosenke is that person, with a life tale that commands attention—a journey from poverty to spiritual mentorship that exemplifies the resilience of the human spirit. As a pastor and an author, Corey joins us to offer a fresh interpretation of what fuels our souls and how we navigate the complexities of our existence. His book and teachings delve not only into the philosophical but also the psychological, intertwining with neuroscience and faith to provide a holistic understanding of our innermost desires.

This conversation with Corey transcends beyond the mere act of living; it's an expedition into the core of what it means to be human and how we connect with the divine. We cover the soul's five fundamental cravings—security, identity, independence, significance, and innocence—and how these shape our actions and historical events. Listen as we dissect the paradox of sin and forgiveness, and how our longing for purity can both hinder and facilitate our journey towards spiritual fulfillment. It's a dialogue that challenges us to look deep within and explore our relationship with our Creator, offering profound insights into our innate cravings for a higher purpose.

As we near the end of our time with Corey, the topic inevitably turns toward the enigmatic concepts of death and what possibly lies beyond. In a discussion that melds scripture with the humility of not-knowing, we seek to offer a form of solace in the face of the great unknown. Wrapping up, we express our profound thanks to the community around "Glass Half Full", a gathering place for wisdom and encouragement. This episode isn't just another listen; it's an invitation to reflect, discover, and perhaps find a piece of enlightenment within Corey Rosenke's shared experiences and spiritual insights.

https://coryrosenke.com/
https://twitter.com/CRosenke
https://www.facebook.com/coryrosenkeministries
https://coryrosenke.com/book/

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Transcript

Chris Levens: 0:18

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. Wherever you are in the world. Welcome to another episode of Glass Half Full, a podcast and a safe platform where we talk with a variety of teachers, entrepreneurs, spiritualists, uplifters, givers, shakers and serenaders. Everyone has a lesson to learn and a lesson to share. Let's use our life experiences to enrich someone's heart, mind, spirit and soul. Through sharing our experiences, we can be a learning inspiration for one another. I'm your host, chris Levens. Let's welcome today's guest. Today's guest is Corey Rosenke. Corey Rosenke is an author, pastor, presenter and tenacious pursuer of truth. Corey is both the concept pioneer and foremost authority on the cravings of the soul. Through sermon session, workshop and manuscript, he is dedicated to the pivotal work of connecting hungry souls to the joy of their maker. In a world where truth and reality have become shrouded in debilitating ambiguity, corey specializes in reasserting the clarity of divine design and definition. Let's give a warm welcome to Corey Rosenke.

Cory Rosenke: 1:51

Chris, thank you so much for having me. I very much appreciate it.

Chris Levens: 1:54

Oh, thank you. Thank you for taking some time out to be a guest here. On Glass Half Full, we're happy to have you today.

Cory Rosenke: 2:02

I'm so delighted to be here.

Chris Levens: 2:04

Oh, thank you Thank you. Can you tell everyone where you are in the world and what time it is, please?

Cory Rosenke: 2:10

Yes, I am at this moment in Sunnyvale, california, which is right between San Jose and San Francisco, and it is 10.34 pm. All right, it's the evening.

Chris Levens: 2:21

I'm sorry.

Cory Rosenke: 2:22

I misspoke. It is 8.34 pm.

Chris Levens: 2:25

Oh, okay, you added on a couple hours.

Cory Rosenke: 2:30

I'm getting older, so it feels like 10.34 pm. It felt like it was a 10, right. It felt like it was a 10. I love it. I love it. Well, thank you for taking some time out.

Chris Levens: 2:35

I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it, I appreciate it, and if you're coming sometime out, we're going to jump right on in. I like to ask all my guests this first question I believe that our lives are in spiritual design. Can you share your life layout or blueprint with everyone?

Cory Rosenke: 2:53

This is how you grew up, where your family lifestyle yeah, sure, I grew up in, I guess, what a lot of people would call poverty for a significant season of my life. I grew up in Alberta and British Columbia, canada. Those are two provinces of Western Canada, and we were quite poor for a season. We were homeless, living in a tent by various lakes in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, grew up in poverty for many, many years and I was that young boy wandering the mountainside asking the question of why. I was wondering why things were the way they were, why people made the decisions they made, why my family was different than other families. Actually, specifically remember sitting with my dad when the first Iraq war happened and sitting around the radio and just listening to what was taking place and, inside my young mind, asking the question of why. And so my growing up years were really spent asking that question.

Cory Rosenke: 3:58

And I have to say, as I grew up in search of that answer, I delved into philosophy at a very young age. Plato, aristotle, confucius, the great philosophers and trying to find that question of why Ended up evolving towards psychology. For a while I was really into Sigmund Freud and his whole thesis on the development of personality and the ego and the super ego and all things Freudian and didn't find my answer there, and then really got excited about neuroscience and the neuroplasticity of the brain and how in our brain will literally change shape due to trauma or self-discipline it's just a fascinating concept and the effects of brain chemicals and dopamine and serotonin, and then ultimately ended up in faith. So when I often talk about my faith journey, or the blueprint as you have put it, I would say that philosophy led me to psychology, psychology led me to neuroscience, neuroscience led me to faith, or I believe we find the true answer to our deepest why? Questions.

Chris Levens: 5:09

I love it. And so, now that you are in today's time, how has that brought you up into today's time? What is it that you are doing with the faith in today's time?

Cory Rosenke: 5:22

Yeah, well, as you mentioned, I'm currently a pastor and I've written a book called the Magnific Heart of God Understanding the Five Cravings of your Soul, which really has been, as I kind of just mentioned, a lifetime in the process of exploring who we are and why we are and what we are.

Cory Rosenke: 5:42

And in fact, I would say that the questions of why we are and what we are are linked together. There's a whole world out there asking, looking for purpose, and yet not certain what it means to be human, and we have to answer that question of humanity first before we can find our true purpose. And so, yeah, I'm on a mission right now, to be frank, chris, to remind people of all different backgrounds that, more than a brain or a body, they are a soul. And that has kind of been my, that is my mission right now to I speak to. I've been blessed to speak to tens of thousands, and into millions In fact, over the past year on this very topic, just reminding people, more than a brain or a body, you are a soul, something that all of us, for the most part most of us, I should say intuitively know, but very few of us have been living that way.

Chris Levens: 6:34

I love that. Can you explain to everybody what is a soul or what is the purpose of a soul?

Cory Rosenke: 6:42

I know that's probably a deep question, but yeah, I know Well to start with your first one and then move on to the second one there. Yeah, so what are? The soul is one of the some of the phrasing, because I speak to a vast array of audiences Christian audiences, audiences of different faiths, atheists, psychologists, many different people with many different backgrounds and many different worldviews. I often find the simplest way and the most, the way that most people are willing to accept the verbiage of the soul is to say our non-biological selves, that is to say the part of us that exists beyond biology. And so, as I mentioned, I remind people we are three-part beings body, mind and soul. And we live in a world that is obsessed and catering over the needs of the body and the brain. It's our cultural obsessions the body and the brain, the body and the brain. Meanwhile, our souls are starving to death, the core of who we are, our non-biological selves. And so that's what the soul is, it's that part of us that is non-biological, that exists beyond biology.

Cory Rosenke: 7:48

And as far as what its purpose is is, I ultimately believe that, you know, when you think of our biological selves, our body, for a moment, we think of the different cravings that we have. You know, we crave food, we will get hungry, our tummies will gravel and that craving propels us towards actually consuming nutrient. I would think of the craving for thirst a biological craving. The intent of that craving is to propel us towards actually drinking water. And just think of this if I didn't have the craving known as thirst, I would probably forget to drink water, I would get busy doing whatever and I'd be dead in four days Because we can only get four or five days without water, so that these cravings within us are for the purpose of driving us towards sustenance.

Cory Rosenke: 8:40

And I believe that our souls also have cravings, and that that is one of the purposes of the soul is inside us. Our soul has these cravings, and these cravings send us out in search of what we really need to be happy and whole, to be human, as we were intended to be human. And so not only do we have souls, but these souls within us are not mutant, passive. They are not just sitting there waiting to somehow jump out and do some sort of dance after we die. Our souls are the core of who we are right now. The biggest decisions we make in life, those decisions do not come from neurons firing in our brain. They come from a deeper source. The neurons in our brain help get this biological form known as my body to start acting out behaviors, but the actual source call that says this is what you need. That comes from the soul.

Chris Levens: 9:39

All right now break it down for us. Break it down Good, good, good, good. So we talked about faith a little bit. Well, you spoke about it earlier. Can you break down what is faith and how has it worked for you?

Cory Rosenke: 9:53

Yeah, well, that is a great question, because I believe that when you kind of introduced me, you talked about my passion to bring clarity of both design and definition, and I believe that definition is something that is sorely lost today to us, for example, words like peace. The whole world is looking for peace and yet for the most part, it has been left ambiguous. We're looking for peace, but at the end of the day, we don't really know what it is, so we don't really know what we're looking for. I think the same is true of happiness, even love sometimes, and I would say even the word faith that you just mentioned. At the end of the day, I always, will often say this, as I'll let the pastor part of me come out Faith is trust plus surrender.

Chris Levens: 10:44

Yes for the surrender.

Cory Rosenke: 10:46

Yeah, and that surrender is often that missing ingredient that many people forget.

Cory Rosenke: 10:51

We'll think of faith as simply trust, but it is actually beyond trust. It is trust plus surrender, and that is something that's very hard for us. Surrender is what I call the nine letter dirty word, but many of us have been. You know, when we think of surrender, we almost think of it exclusively in a negative sense, right, like as if surrendering is something to do with loss. You know, if I surrender, it means I lost when I think, when it comes to issues of faith, when we surrender we actually win, we actually gain.

Cory Rosenke: 11:22

And of course, the whole point about faith is faith is only as wise and as good as the object upon which our faith is placed, and so faith is often, in that sense, a transitive verb, and that is that its value is based on its attached noun. So faith in a bridge may be wise or maybe unwise, right, faith in the pilot of the airplane maybe wise or maybe unwise, and ultimately, from my belief, the faith that stands, the faith that lasts, is the faith that is in the only unshakable force, and that is God himself.

Chris Levens: 12:02

All, right now, corey, give it to us. I'm ready to take out my church fan. Yes, yes indeed, yes indeed. Oh, I like it, I like it.

Cory Rosenke: 12:12

I would just say one more thing about that, because faith oftentimes again is kind of a word that is associated with religion or like what we call people of faith. But the truth of the matter is everybody who has ever lived walks by faith. But again the question is faith in what? Yes, exactly.

Cory Rosenke: 12:32

And the value of that faith and the power of that faith is really, as I said, it's a transitive verb, it's based on its attached noun. So what is your faith based in? That will ultimately determine whether your faith is good and wise.

Chris Levens: 12:45

Yes, you gave us the map just now. You gave us the back to get there. I love it. Oh, that was a good breakdown. That was good. That was good, yes, so can you give an example of how your faith has been tested?

Cory Rosenke: 13:00

Oh, wow, yeah, Well, I would say my faith has been tested. Our faith, I think, is tested every day.

Chris Levens: 13:09

Yes indeed.

Cory Rosenke: 13:10

I think that we live in a world that has well, as I mentioned, we live in a world that has forgotten who we are. Just think of this, how we live in a world that has never been this prosperous, has never been this educated, and yet we are more confused than ever. Surely, every study shows that we are more depressed than ever. There is prevalent anxiety. I would say even that under the surface of most cultures, there is a building rage, and the reason for that is because we have forgotten what it means to be human, which means, by default, we are living in delusion. We are living as if the biological is all there is, and living in delusion is a tough place to be. The soul inside of us knows there's a problem and it's starving and it's raging and it's crying for attention, and we just keep feeding the biological. And so, because the world is in this kind of state of naivety and delusion, there is this great state of confusion and contradiction with reality. And so I would say that all of us have a temptation to disassociate with the reality, the reality of the spiritual, the reality of there being a God of love and a God of purpose and a God of design, and yet our disillusionment that causes us to live disconnected with that reality. And so, as an example, I'll use this my maker, your maker, all our maker for that matter, says I love you with an everlasting love. I place this significance upon you, and so I have a choice. Do I find my significance in that love and in that message, or do I find my significance in my paycheck and in the diploma on my wall? And I think, every day, in a million scenarios like that, my faith is tested. Will I live in connection with the reality that I know to be true or with the reality that appeals to just simply my biological nature? And I think there are so many areas in which we could dissect that. But ultimately, I believe we are all tested on our faith by that regard, I think if I could go back to the Garden of Eden again, speak to your faith audience a little bit and tell the story there.

Cory Rosenke: 15:43

When the serpent approached Eve, he said to her did God really say not to eat from the tree in the garden? And Eve gave the right answer. She said yeah. God said don't eat it or you will surely die. And the serpent's response was you will not certainly die. See the serpent.

Cory Rosenke: 16:02

Or, in this case we could also say this the part within us, within humanity, that seeks to rebel, or in the psychology they call it, the fatal, fantastic element. There's a part within humanity that just seeks to you, give us something beautiful and we will wreck it. It's just inherent within humanity to do so. But that messaging that says, like the serpent said, did God really say he caused Eve to question whether she had heard God correctly? And then, when she answers and she gave the right answer, then the serpent said you shall not. He contradicted the voice that she knew to be true. And I think that my faith has been tested in that way, because it's the same messaging that we hear throughout the world. Did God really say? And then, when we answer, yes or no, the serpent contradicts what our maker has told us. And that is where our faith is constantly tested. It's tested in the areas of pride, in the areas well, you name the area it is tested.

Chris Levens: 17:14

Nice. Thank you for sharing that, and I ask you how can we discover meaning and purpose in our lives?

Cory Rosenke: 17:25

Yeah, I get that ask that question a lot, chris, and I often give an answer that kind of surprises a lot of people and because it's different than most and I'm gonna go back to what I said earlier we cannot find purpose if we don't know who and what we are. Before we can understand what our purpose is, we have to understand who we are, why we are and what we are. And, as an example, imagine that a hammer suddenly come into consciousness and wondering what am I? Well, someone could explain to it you were designed and you were made to hammer nails and to pull nails and, through those acts, to build something beautiful.

Cory Rosenke: 18:10

Now, if that hammer decides, well, I don't want to do that, I want to be a notebook, well, it's gonna be hard for the hammer to be a notebook, because it was made for a very specific purpose and I think that is also something because we have forgotten who and what we are. We've forgotten that. It's also true about ourselves. We have been designed for a great and beautiful purpose and it's only in coming to awareness of what we are and which I would say, we are more than brains or bodies, but, yes, also brains and bodies, but more than that we are souls created to live in connection with our maker and to find our joy and our strength and our purpose for matter therein. And so I generally will say, when I'm asked that question of purpose, I will go back one step further and first try to help people understand who and what they are, because once we understand who and what we are, the question of purpose becomes more obvious.

Chris Levens: 19:11

Nice, I like that breakdown of it. That makes sense. You've been saying a few times what does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be human?

Cory Rosenke: 19:22

And that is the most, isn't it interesting? That is the most basic question that we all ought to be asking. And just think of this. We live in a world, a beautiful world, and we can look at all of the other creatures on Earth and that has kind of cognizant people with a prefrontal cortex. We can look around the world and say, oh, you know what? I can see, that the purpose of a draft, why that long neck? Well, it has that long neck so we can reach the leaves at the top of the tree. Isn't that a beautiful thing?

Cory Rosenke: 19:55

Meanwhile, the deer, they eat the leaves at the lower part of the tree and then we can say well, the purpose of a predator is to thin out the weak and the ill from the herd so that the herd stays strong and it doesn't die from disease. And all the purpose of the ants and the beetle is then to break down this composing flesh and kind of help bring it back into the soil so that rich grass can grow once again. We can look at all of creation and say I know the purpose for all this, I know what this stuff is. And then we ask the question of what it means to be human and we're at a loss. Isn't that fascinating.

Chris Levens: 20:32

How would it come?

Cory Rosenke: 20:33

We are, so we have such a lack of self-awareness on the most basic level. So I would say again what it means to be human, and in this particular case, chris, I will try to suppress my Canadian impulse to constantly say sorry, but once again, I will once again say the same thing, and that, more than a brain or a body, you are a soul, and you are a soul that has been created in the image of God. And what does that mean? Once again, we come to an ambiguous term, and so I can say, as a person of faith, using the phrase we are created in the image of God is a phrase that we would say all the time, but once again, very few people know what it means.

Cory Rosenke: 21:21

I can tell you what it doesn't mean. It doesn't mean that God has 10 fingers and 10 toes. It doesn't mean that God pants heavy and loses his breath when he runs up a hill. What it means is that we have been designed to live and to exist and to find our being in connection with our maker. That is not true of the antelope, that is not true of the eagle.

Chris Levens: 21:47

Yeah, there's no transcending of that.

Cory Rosenke: 21:51

We are called to live in connection with our maker. So what it means to be human is to be this glorious three-part being yes, intelligent, like I said, a prefrontal cortex well-developed. We are called to walk in creativity and authority and freedom, not just in the biological but in our souls, because our souls, or the core of who we are and humanity, is also designed to live in connection with their maker. Now, if you were to ask people in the world today what it means to be human, that is not the answer you would get. You would probably get the answer what it means to be human is just to be another animal, only we happen to be the smartest of the animals, and so that is a myth that I am constantly trying to dispel. You are not just another animal, and that is not to degrade animals. Animals are great and wonderful, but you are not just another animal.

Chris Levens: 22:53

You're just giving the facts.

Cory Rosenke: 22:55

Yeah, but we in the world today, in this modern world, the so-called educated world, have somehow convinced ourselves that we are just animals, which of course it comes as no surprise then that we start acting like animals. And so, just to kind of bring it back to clarify the question you asked, what it means to be human is to be a three-part being living in synchronicity with itself body, mind and soul, connected with the sovereign of the universe.

Chris Levens: 23:27

Hmm, well, that's a lovely definition. Nice, nice, nice, nice. Thank you for that. We wanted that breakdown, Excellent. So let me ask you how do we begin to turn our lives over to Christ? What do you say? What are the first steps that you would recommend for somebody who has no idea about any of this? They don't go to church, they don't know anything about it, but they do feel spiritual. So, you know, sometimes people get the concept of religion and spirituality mixed up but and feel that there are certain things they have to be doing. But you can be spiritual and you know, not rolling up at the church. So can you tell us how do we begin to turn our lives over to Christ?

Cory Rosenke: 24:16

Yeah, well, I would say that we can't help but be spiritual, because the core of who we are is spiritual, you know, and I think that. So I would again, maybe I would give a. As I mentioned, I speak to a wide variety of audiences, christian and non-Christian, and when I wrote this book, the Magnetic Heart of God Understanding the Five Cravings of your Soul, I started off writing it with the intent to help Christians understand the depth and the glory of our connection with God, that it wasn't simply a center-savior relationship, but that in fact, our relationship is a creation-creator relationship. And so if I'm talking to an audience, let's say, some of your listeners out there aren't familiar with the spiritual, aren't familiar with the concept of Christianity.

Cory Rosenke: 25:16

I would go back for a moment and I would say this thing again you are a soul made in the image of God. Your soul has cravings, five cravings in particular, as I dissect in the book. Every human who has ever lived has been driven and propelled through life and time by these five cravings of the soul. They are the root of all human behavior and all human activity. If you want to understand what took place in Rome under the time of the emperors, or what took place, you know, in China, you know during the time of all their emperors, or, if you want to understand the modern-day scenario, it all comes back to the same five cravings of the soul that transcend all gender and generation and World view. And so you're gonna give us the five.

Chris Levens: 26:10

I'm over here like are we gonna get it or you're gonna be like, yeah, I was on the tippy toes over here.

Cory Rosenke: 26:16

Yes, so these five cravings and of course they go in great deal detail in the book these are the five cravings security and it's number one, and I don't mean these and by way of importance, I just they're just. This is just the order I'm gonna give them to you, but, honestly, each one is second to none and I break down the craving for security into two, two parts. There is the craving for physical security, or what we would call scientifically, simply the survival instinct. Okay, but the other half of security is relational security, and that is that all of us need to know that our hearts are safe in the hands of those who hold them. Mmm and all of us are looking for this security and we can have everything else that the world has to offer, but if we don't know our hearts are safe in the hands of those who hold them, we are not at peace.

Cory Rosenke: 27:04

In fact, we can be driven to a point of madness and there have been plenty of examples Throughout human history of observing that madness that comes when we do not feel relationally secure. So, security, number one. Number two identity. Every human being on earth has the craving for identity, and I often say that the craving for identity Asks for symbiotic questions who am I, why am I? Do I have value, do I have purpose? Again, there's no other creature on earth that is asking these questions about humanity. We need to know who we are, why we are, whether we have value and whether we have purpose. And and again, that is true of every gender and every generation. Third, craving a security, identity, independence. And again, I break independence down into two, two Sections, the first one being freedom. We all need to know that we have some sense of autonomy, that we have some sense of self-governance. That's why prison itself is a punishment to be confined, to have that, that physical freedom taken away. And anytime we have physical freedom taken away, intellectual freedom taken away or freedom of speech taken away, revolt quickly births within us. We have this craving for independence, but then the other half of independence is is not just freedom, but we have this desire to realize that we are distinct, we are individuals, we are unique and, and as much as as, perhaps, in a social setting, we may find Security in being part of a mass, a group of people that you know. We often say there's security in numbers, right, that cannot come at the expense, you know, of the sense of individuality and and personal freedom. So, security, identity, independence.

Cory Rosenke: 28:58

Third one significance that is every human being on earth. We all need to know that we aren't just distinct, but we are also special, we are significant. There is something about us that sets us apart, that sets us above. For some people, they need to feel like they have the strongest man in the room. For another person, they just need to know they make the best apple pie or the best chocolate chip cookies, right? Or they have the best hair, whatever it is. We will all Come to something that we hang on to, that says this makes me significant and and we can have all the security in the world and we can know who we are, have our identity, we can have freedom. But if we do not feel there is something about us that is special, we will not have peace, we will not enjoy happiness. Hmm, and fifthly, as the craving for innocence, and that is to say we call innocence innocence.

Cory Rosenke: 29:49

That is correct. We all need to know that we are Good, that we are not guilty, and this craving is second to none. Just just think about this for a moment. Basically, every argument you've ever had or any offense you've ever taken Happened because you perceived, correctly or incorrectly, that someone was accusing you of wrongdoing or wrong thinking, and you can't Exist in happiness in a situation like that. You either have to flee, run away, because you can't be around someone who makes you feel guilty, or you you have to fight, and I have. That's where I often say the righteousness wars begin because we don't need need to feel totally Innocent. We just need to believe. I just need to believe that I'm more innocent than you, chris.

Chris Levens: 30:34

No, that's.

Cory Rosenke: 30:36

Right, and so you know. And so for those of you who are married, you you might recognize this scenario, right, you know, your spouse comes in and says you left her socks on the floor again, you know. And what we should do is say yes, you're right, I shouldn't have done that. I apologize, but generally what we say is oh yeah, well, you left the bathroom in a mess.

Chris Levens: 30:53

Yep, there's a reason. Yes, it's a lash back.

Cory Rosenke: 30:56

Yeah, the fight comes in right, because we cannot Bear for any length of time this feeling of guilt. It is absolutely. It just destroys us inside. So these are the five cravings security, identity, independence, significance and innocence of our soul. And so you asked the question about coming to Christ, and I know I'm going about this the law.

Chris Levens: 31:18

No, no, no, no, you do your way, take your time.

Cory Rosenke: 31:21

My point is this Peace and happiness can only be experienced when these five cravings are satisfied simultaneously. They have to be satisfied at the same time. I can't so. For an example, you know, I can have the highest walls built around my house, the biggest locks on my door. I can feel secure. In that way, I can know who I am. But if someone's making me feel guilty, I'm not at peace. Right, or I can feel innocent, I can feel righteous, I can feel special and significant, but if I feel threatened by someone, my security is threatened, I'm not at peace, you. So peace does not happen if you only have four out of the five cravings, or three out of the five cravings. All five cravings have to be satisfied simultaneously. And I will tell you this there is nothing on earth that can, can do, that can satisfy all five cravings for any length of time it may be, for, like I said, we can experience it for moments or seasons, but it'll ultimately fall apart. These are non biological cravings, remember. They are cravings of the soul and they cannot be satisfied in the biological.

Cory Rosenke: 32:36

And so I would say to your people out there we, as humanity, have looked to satisfy these cravings in all the wrong places throughout time, and it's always the same places. It tends to be the same places. We've looked. We look to have the satisfied in money, but the truth is it's never enough. It's never enough and it's as soon as we acquire what we think is enough, we suddenly realize either it's not enough or we begin to stress and lose our peace because we know that it can be taken away from us. So then we have to scheme how to protect it. So we look to satisfy these cravings. And in wealth it doesn't work. We look to satisfy these cravings and control, but once again it's never enough. In power, it's never enough. We we seek to have those momentary thrills through sex right or through mind altering substances. And guess what? It's never enough.

Cory Rosenke: 33:29

Yeah, it's temporary, to never last. We seek to find them in our own righteousness, right in our own Moral conduct, in our own sense of righteousness, and yet we are way too flawed to have that ever. You know exists. For any length of time, it eventually falls apart. We keep, we continue going to these same wells and it's never enough. And there's only one place you can satisfy Nonbiological cravings simultaneously and that is in the nonbiological, that is, in connection with your maker. That's why I called the book the magnetic heart of God, understanding the five cravings of your soul, because I believe that God placed these cravings within us for the purpose of drying us back to himself, and and that is ultimately the only place we can have this satisfied. So for those who aren't currently People who subscribe to, perhaps, the Christian world view or the Christian faith, I would offer this to them as something to consider. The whole world is pursuing, has been pursuing, these cravings apart from God, and it has not worked and it has never worked.

Cory Rosenke: 34:39

We hear rumors sometimes, but they are only rumors. Think about this. I heard it. I heard a interview with Elon Musk a couple of weeks ago and the interviewer asked Elon Musk who is the richest man who ever existed, as far as we know. The interviewer asked him you know what's a, are you happy? And Elon Musk sapped it for a moment. He was processing the question and then he said I don't think many people would want to be me. And we just think, wow, here's a man who can, at any time, enjoy everything the world has to offer. And it's not enough. Not only that. I heard a quote a while ago by Jim Carrey, the Canadian comedian who's made all those silly movies Dumb and Dumb.

Chris Levens: 35:26

and yeah, we love Jim Carrey.

Cory Rosenke: 35:28

Yeah, and Ace Ventura? I heard a quote from him a while ago, or he said I wish that everybody could experience riches in fame, so they would finally realize that that's not the answer. You will not find peace and happiness in biological things. God placed these cravings within you for the purpose of drawing us back to himself. So how do you come to Christ, as you put it? I think the first part is to understand your need, not just the need for forgiveness we'll get to that but a need, an existential need, to be connected with your maker. And then, of course, that would bring us to the traditional, perhaps Christian, answer, to say our whole lives we have fought against this magnetic pull of God and we have sought to satisfy these cravings in other places, which, by the way, is the definition of sin. That's when God says this is where I've called you to find peace and happiness. And we say you know what? I'm going to find it somewhere else.

Cory Rosenke: 36:35

At the end of the day, that's the definition of sin, and that is what the serpent attempted Adam and Eve in the garden. And so we yield to the fact that we need something beyond what this world has to offer to have peace. We come to God and we confess that we have been stubbornly looking for satisfaction in all the wrong places. And then we put our faith and trust in Him to forgive us for our foolish attempts to find satisfaction elsewhere. And then we trust His grace and goodness to wash over us, to then wash us away from that sin so that we can then step into that creation-creator relationship with God. And the sinner-savior relationship is a door through which we enter into the creation-creator relationship.

Chris Levens: 37:25

Hmm, nice, nice, ooh, you broke it down. You broke it down. Wow, that was good. That was like a roundabout deep through. Pinch to the side answer. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff oozing on that one. Nice, nice, nice, nice. There's many layers to that.

Cory Rosenke: 37:47

And I think it's important. We do that because the world, and the church for that matter, has become numb to the pat answer you're a sinner and you need a savior.

Chris Levens: 38:00

Yes.

Cory Rosenke: 38:00

Now, ultimately, that is the truth, but that is the door through which we enter into the real thing, which is relationship and connection with our maker. And I think that the world has become deaf to the pat, that singular pat answer. And so I think, yes, we need to preach the gospel from a Matthew, Mark, Luke and John perspective, but more and more we need to learn to preach the gospel from the Genesis perspective. You are a soul created in the image of God. That's where we need to start the conversation.

Chris Levens: 38:31

Wow, I like that. I like that because the ladder is what we had grown up with was the ladder. So this new approach, a new idea, is nice. It's softer, it's a little bit more like yeah, it makes sense.

Cory Rosenke: 38:47

And you explained it so well. Yeah, I think it is timeless truth that is packaged in a fresh way, and I have discovered that it helps people, it kind of lowers our defenses and it allows us to say, to think about it and mull it over and say, oh yeah, this makes sense to me now, as long as you're just pointing your finger and telling me I'm flawed, you know, I put up my walls. Well, I often talk about craving for innocence, right One of the. The irony of it is the reason a lot of people won't come to Christ is because of this realization that they have to confess that they're sinners. And what does that do? Well, that hurts us in the innocence button. So that are very craving for innocence makes us want to run away from the gospel, makes us want to run away from Christ, and yet the irony is, at the end of the day, it's only in confessing our sins that we can be declared fully innocent.

Chris Levens: 39:44

Yes, yes, this is it. This is it. Wow, I love it. I want to change a little bit and I want to talk a little bit about forgiveness. Yeah, I want you to explain to us why is forgiveness important. What does it mean to us as a people? How does it help our soul? How does it help us?

Cory Rosenke: 40:10

Well, I think forgiveness is for many of us, even though we don't, it is our secret weapon. Oftentimes, what is standing between us, you know, and that fulfillment or that peace or that calm spirit that we're seeking, is, in fact, the ability to let go and forgive. Ultimately, forgiveness in order for us to forgive, we have to let go of our offense, and that is something that is a process for a lot of people, a lot of us, and myself included, to be willing to let go of the offense. Now, the scripture puts this in a very beautiful way that some people may be ready to receive or not receive, and it says this forgive as I have forgiven you is what God says to us. You know, ultimately, we are God's kids and, like kids, we want to do what our dad does. You know, when we're small right, all of my children when they were at a younger age, when you would have, you know, they're at that 6 to 12 age, you know and someone would ask them what they wanted to do when they grew up, they'd say they want to be a preacher. They want to do what their dad does.

Cory Rosenke: 41:27

And I think there's a part of us in the scripture when why does God call us to forgive. Why does God call us to love our enemies? You know tough things like that. Why does he call us to pursue holiness? He calls us to do that because he's calling us to do what he does. He's calling us to imitate our father, and so, at the end, and there's been no one as mistreated and maligned and defamed as God himself, and yet he offers love and forgiveness to each of us, absolutely yes, and so I would say we forgive because we're doing what our dad does when we do it, but we also forgive because it releases us from the pain of offense. Hmm, thank you. And there's a saying out there that has developed, and I don't want to step on any toes, but I'm just going to go out and say it anyway, uh-oh okay, bring it on, bring it on.

Cory Rosenke: 42:22

Well, it's this idea that forgiveness does not mean forgetting, and well, I can.

Chris Levens: 42:28

Oh okay, yes, People do say that.

Cory Rosenke: 42:30

Yeah, when I can understand the concept a little bit. But I think we need to be careful with that, because I think, at the end of the day, forgiveness must mature. Forgiveness forgets, let me put it that way Perhaps oh, that's nicely put imature. Or forgiveness in the developmental stage remembers.

Chris Levens: 42:54

Of course.

Cory Rosenke: 42:56

And sometimes for good reason, to learn or to ensure that someone has in fact asked for forgiveness or has in fact brought restitution. But when forgiveness has reached full maturity, it does forget. It does, and that is very important. That doesn't just benefit the person who you are forgiving, that benefits you, you. Because yeah it's only when you have fully let go of something that you can be fully released from it. Yes, hmm.

Chris Levens: 43:29

So true, so true, so true, core, give it to us, give it to us. Yes, you hit it on the nail. You hit the nail on the like, the hammer. I think the hammer would want to be the hammer.

Cory Rosenke: 43:41

I hope so. That's the only way the hammer is actually going to be happy Look exactly Do what it's supposed to do for sure.

Chris Levens: 43:48

Ooh, nicely put, very nicely put. You have a way with your word. So nice, so nice. I want to ask you I had a question come in. Someone wanted to ask what happens after we die. I felt you touched upon it, but I said that I would ask, so I'm going to. I don't want to be counted as a liar. So what happens after we die and what's your understanding and interpretation of heaven?

Cory Rosenke: 44:14

Yeah.

Chris Levens: 44:15

Thank you.

Cory Rosenke: 44:16

So, as far as the first one goes, so I'm going to, I'm going to share this one and I'm going to say that this is what I believe to be true, based on my understanding of, to be frank, both science and biblical text. Okay, and yet, at the same time, I think there is room for some variation in this, and it's not it's not heretical to to have some variation.

Chris Levens: 44:44

Okay, so it's not locked into play.

Cory Rosenke: 44:46

Right, yeah, but I would say that the that the best way to understand it would be when we die, our non biological self is released from our biological self and and I think this is very true, Actually, if, if, for any of those out there who have ever been around, been with someone they passed away, that passed away, or they came upon an accident, an accident and they were unfortunate enough to witness, you know, a deceased individual, anyone who has been in that circumstance knows that it's what they know didn't happen. Is it wasn't like a biological switch simply flipped and our bodies turned off? We know that something has left. Yes, it is very obvious that what is left is a shell that the soul has left, and so, when we die, our soul, our non biological self, departs from this biological self. Right, and the scripture says, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That's what the Lord, yes, yeah, and so I ultimately believe that that is what takes place when we die. The thief hanging on the cross, right. What did Jesus say to him? He said Today, you will be with me in paradise.

Cory Rosenke: 46:06

Now there are other places and other texts that some people seem to have the idea that there's some sort of waiting period for the soul. Whether it's Catholicism, which we'll talk about a purgatory, or you know, there's different kind of theories about that whole situation. I don't know. I would not say that I feel that that is heretical. However, I think it is less consistent with the biblical text and that I believe to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So when we die, our souls are caught up and we are free from this biological, to a certain degree, shackle that has been holding us back right and we are with the Lord. And then how? Those? What proceeds from there? As far as you know, what is the progression of coming before the Lord and finding our names written in the book, and all those things. Right, I think that there's some room for some interpretation there. I would never be so prideful as to say I have mapped all that out.

Chris Levens: 47:08

But what I do yeah, I do believe.

Cory Rosenke: 47:10

When we die, our souls go to be with our maker.

Chris Levens: 47:14

Go back to the maker Nice, nice, thank you, and thank you for your honesty with that. You know, and this is it. If we don't know, it's all right to say we don't know. In leadership positions, you know, and feeling like I'm not really sure about this or this is open to interpretation. So I really appreciate you being honest about that section of that. Be like this is what I'm sure of and the other can be taken by each individual and worked in its own way. Well, thank you.

Cory Rosenke: 47:39

I appreciate that and I think it's important that we actually do that. I kind of I would kind of question anyone who decided to like take a firm stance on something.

Chris Levens: 47:48

You know I mean, for example, even though there's a lot of them out there.

Cory Rosenke: 47:52

but even when you think of the Old Testament, when you think of the Old Testament prophets who prophesied the coming of the Messiah, you know if you actually go back into the text of Isaiah, or I mean the multiple places, obviously the people who were there at the time would have been shocked to see how it actually turned out.

Chris Levens: 48:12

Right they they.

Cory Rosenke: 48:14

They were like when you look at the biblical texts and then see how it actually unfolded, you know, when Christ came, looking back we can say, oh, that makes sense. But the people who are alive at that time I mean that's why they were shocked, right In the time of Jesus they're like what, who's the Messiah? What's taking place? That's why they crucified him, because it did not match the Old biblical text. So for us, for us now, to take that same stance to me would would be just unnecessary and unfortunate even in that regard. Now, regarding heaven, what is heaven? Well, ultimately, I'll go back to the cravings of the soul.

Cory Rosenke: 48:51

Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you, and the beauty of that statement is listen to this, Chris. I don't believe he was just speaking generically. He was speaking specifically, chris. He is gone to prepare a place for you and the place that he's just that he created you unique to me. The place that he is creating for you is also unique from mine, and while it will be the same place you will have, there will be a Chris twist to it, there will be a Corey twist to it, and the scripture is very, very clear that God will wipe every tear from my eye. There will be no sadness, there will be a place of joy. And why is that? Because our souls are finally without the confines of this biological flesh, are finally in full connection with their maker, and ultimately, that is the ultimate definition and joy of heaven. And that is ultimately also the sadness and the tragedy of hell, and that I often say. The best way to understand hell is our five core humanities, forever unfulfilled Because they cannot be connected with their maker.

Cory Rosenke: 50:10

And so it is never having peace because you never have security, identity, independence, significance or innocence.

Chris Levens: 50:18

Well then, that means we're living in hell. Now we're in hell on earth. Well, to a certain degree. We have the opportunity now to live in connection with him.

Cory Rosenke: 50:29

And not only that, but God, in his goodness and his grace, has given us the reflection of those cravings in one another. So I often say this as an example, and I don't know if you're in a relationship or a marriage with someone, chris, but you oh no, I'm single, happily. Your spouse you know people help in their relationships or your best friend or your boss, whatever it is, cannot be the source of the cravings for your soul.

Cory Rosenke: 50:59

And that is to say like I'll just say for a wife, for a husband to place on their wife or a wife to place on their husband, the burden of giving them security, identity, independence, significance and innocence. It is a burden that we cannot bear. So, however, if you want to have a great relationship, you need to be someone who reflects the source to your spouse, to your significant other in your workplace, and if you want a happy relationship, your spouse needs to see the reflection of security, identity, independence, significance and innocence, and if they don't, they will have a hard time being wanting to stay in that relationship. So true. And the same thing with work.

Cory Rosenke: 51:41

Even if you detach this from like, if some of your listeners are like, okay, I like the concept, but I can't handle this whole religion thing, I would say if you go to your workplace and your workplace sees in your efforts security, identity, independence, significance and innocence, you will thrive, they will promote you, you will climb the corporate ladder. However, if you threaten the company's security, identity, independence, significance or innocence, you will either stay where you are or you will be out the door. And so it has application in absolutely every scenario in our life, because it is the core of who we are and it's what we are all looking for. You know why is there such a thing as Wall Street and the stock trade? Why is there such a thing as the Olympics? You know why is there such a thing as mud wrestling, right, or?

Cory Rosenke: 52:33

even academia right, it's everybody in pursuit of security, identity, independence, significance and innocence. And these are the metrics which we have developed to try to keep score.

Chris Levens: 52:48

Alright Corey, give it to us. Woo, I'm excited to listen to this again. Nice, so good. So good, so fluid. Well, I like to close with this final question to all my guests Is your glass half empty or half full?

Cory Rosenke: 53:09

Oh, you know what, chris, I'm going to push back on you, go ahead and push, go ahead, push, push yeah. I am going to say that my glass is full as long as I allow my maker to pour into it, and then I'm going to also step back on a psychological standpoint and ask you a question. Oh sure, Okay sure. Is it better to have less negative thoughts or more positive thoughts?

Chris Levens: 53:48

Wow, I guess it depends on your view of that question. I would say have less negative thoughts.

Cory Rosenke: 53:56

You absolutely nailed it.

Chris Levens: 53:58

Okay, because if you don't have any negative thoughts, then the rest of them would be positive or something else From a psychological standpoint as a coach.

Cory Rosenke: 54:08

As an example, I'm a transformational coach. If I'm coaching people on moving forward in life, it is vastly more beneficial to develop less negative thoughts than to add more positive ones Now obviously both are good. So, when it comes to the glass, I just kind of thought of that because of the glass half full or half empty scenario.

Cory Rosenke: 54:32

I can kind of see a connection between those two things. But anyway, in that point I would say less negative is more valuable than trying to add more positive, because with less negative we'll come positivity in a more natural way.

Chris Levens: 54:52

Nice Look at you. Yeah, I love this answer. It's such a variety. People take a moment and they really come out with something. It's so great, so great. Thank you so much, so awesome. Do you have any final thoughts for our listeners? My final thoughts you gave us so much, but something to wrap us up, Corey. Wrap us up.

Cory Rosenke: 55:12

My final thoughts would be this To each of your listeners you are more than the reflection in the mirror. You are more than the number on the waist scale. You're more than the balance in your bank account or the diploma on your wall. You are a soul created to live in connection with the sovereign of the universe. And when we truly embrace that fact, that actuality, that reality, it changes everything. And your task is to hold on to that reality with all that you have. And to me, that is the difference between. What I would fear for your listeners is that they may listen to this podcast and they may gain revelation, but not partner that with wisdom. See, knowledge ultimately is revelation. When you gain knowledge, you have a revelation about something.

Cory Rosenke: 56:08

It is revealed to you. I now understand A-ha moment.

Chris Levens: 56:11

Yes.

Cory Rosenke: 56:12

I understand plant life now, I have knowledge, but I understand ocean life or whatever it is.

Cory Rosenke: 56:18

So knowledge is revelation, but wisdom is now applying that knowledge in a practical and beneficial way.

Cory Rosenke: 56:29

So, as an example, a knowledgeable person will look at the sky and say, oh, I understand how clouds will work.

Cory Rosenke: 56:36

I understand, with the color of the clouds and the way the birds are flying, that it's going to be a rainy, windy day tomorrow, but the wise person will then bring in the lawn furniture and prepare for the windy day. And so, my point being this what I would not want your listeners to do is hear this message of the soul, to gain this revelation of what their soul is looking for, but then not do anything about it. So what we can do and, chris, what you can do in your podcast is you can help educate people, help bring them knowledge, but ultimately, what we each need to do is then apply that knowledge, and that is what I hope most for your listeners. So when I say you are more than the reflection in the mirror, you are more than the number on the waist scale, more than the balance in your bank account, more than the diploma on your wall. My hope and my prayer is that your listeners will have that revelation, gain that knowledge and now begin to live differently because of it.

Chris Levens: 57:39

Yes, put it into action.

Cory Rosenke: 57:41

Yeah.

Chris Levens: 57:42

Nice, corey Woo. You set us on fire today in the afternoon here in Tokyo. Yes, I love it. I love it. Thank you so much for all your information, your breakdown about your book, all of this will be listed so people can go and if they want to find out more about you, corey, how do we do it? Tell us what we need to do?

Cory Rosenke: 58:06

The simplest way is to go to my website, coreyrosenkecom. That would be the centralized location where you can learn more about me. You can find some more resources and that's all one word.

Chris Levens: 58:17

Yep, all one word.

Cory Rosenke: 58:18

CoreyRosenkecom. Yeah, all one word, and I have a few links to my book, though, but the truth of the matter is in Tokyo. Probably the best thing to do is just to search the magnetic heart of God, and it'll pop up at a store near you. And, of course, you could be welcome to check out my social media sites CoreyRosenke Ministries on Facebook or just CRosenke on Twitter.

Chris Levens: 58:41

Excellent, and all of this information will be listed when the episode is put out, so people will be able to find that information there as well.

Cory Rosenke: 58:49

Wonderful. It's been a lot of fun, Chris. Yeah, thank you so much.

Chris Levens: 58:52

Yes, thank you as well for taking some time out. We really appreciate you being a guest here on Glass Hat Full. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Well, we want to wish you a good and relaxing evening and we'll be in touch real soon.

Cory Rosenke: 59:08

Thank you, sir.

Chris Levens: 59:09

My pleasure. Thank you, and thank you to all the listeners here at Glass Hat Full. Thank you for tuning into another inspiring episode of our podcast. I'm your host, Chris Levens, and I want to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for being a part of our supportive community. Remember, Glass Hat Full is not just a podcast. It's a safe platform for everyone to share their life experiences. Your stories and voices matter and we appreciate you being here with us. If you enjoyed today's episode and want to stay updated with our future content, please subscribe, follow and rate our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube. Your support means the world to us and it helps us reach even more listeners who can benefit from these valuable life experiences. As we wrap up this episode, always keep in mind you are blessed, no matter the challenges you face. There's a reservoir of strength within you. Until next time, stay positive and remember the Glass is always Hat Full, See ya.