The Answer to Arguments

From the book Let the Journey Begin by Max Lucado.

Sometime ago my wife bought a monkey. I didn't want a monkey in our house, so i objected.

"Where is he going to eat?" I asked.
"At our table."
"Where is he going to sleep?" I inquired.
"In our bed."
"What about the odor?" I demanded.
"I got used to you; I guess the monkey can too."

Unity doesn't begin in examining others but in examining self. Unity begins not in demanding that others change, but in admitting that we aren't so perfect ourselves...

The answer to arguments? Acceptance. The first step to unity? Acceptance. Not agreement, acceptance. Not unanimity, acceptance. Not negotiation, arbitration, or elaboration. Those might come later but only after the first step, acceptance.

Do You Have a Hole in Your Heart?

Continuing with the book, Let the Journey Begin by Max Lucado, I enjoyed this entry:

Perhaps the wound is old. A parent abused you. A teacher slighted you.

And you are angry.

Or perhaps the wound is fresh. the friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name. your circle of friends escaped on a weekend get-away, and you weren't invited...

And you are hurt.

Part of you is broken, and the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, and part of you wants to fight. The tears you cry are hot because they come from your heart, where there is a fire burning. It's the fire of anger. It's blazing. It's consuming. Its flames leap up under a streaming pot of revenge.

And you are left with a decision. "Do I put the fire out or heat it up? Do I get over it or get even? Do I release it or resent it? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate?"... Resentment is the deliberate decision to nurse the offense until it becomes a black, furry, growling grudge...

Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is bad. But the worst part of all is that, without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left.

New Books

I, like many, have gone to Borders to raid the graveyard of unsold books at discount prices. I don't know whether to feel bad for scavenging the misfortune of our town's best bookstore, or feel good for helping their poor bottom line. Nonetheless, I bought 10 books and have finished one and started on the second. In my usual form, I will pick a few highlights here and there and share them.

Today's selection (and probably a couple more) come from the book Let the Journey Begin by Max Lucado. It is a devotional-style book. It's titled Revenge Is a Raging Fire.

Resentment is the cocaine of the emotions. It causes our blood to pump and our energy level to rise.

but, also like cocaine, it demands increasingly larger and more frequent dosages. There is a dangerous point at which anger ceases to be an emotion and becomes a driving force. A person bent on revenge moves unknowingly further and further away from being able to forgive, for to be without the anger is to be without a source of energy.

That explains why the bitter complain to anyone who will listen. They want-they need-to have their fire fanned...Resentment is like cocaine in another way too. Cocaine can kill the addict. And anger can kill the angry...

And it can be spiritually fatal too. It shrivels the soul.

Hatred is the rabid dog that turns on its owner. Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist. Bitterness is the trap that snares the hunter.

And mercy is the choice that can set them all free.

Light Speed

Life is passing by at an incredible speed. Each week I tell Greg, "It's youth group day already! It was just Thursday last week! It was just Sunday!" Where do the days go? I guess it means I'm enjoying life more now than I ever have. I love directing Sunday School. I love working a couple of hours and coming home to do church stuff. I love seeing the kids from church twice a week. I love teaching them on Sunday and deciding what they'll be learning. I love having the college group here on Friday nights. I love leadership meetings. I love retreats. It's all fun!

I'm exciting to see our backyard taking form. I got an iPhone a couple of weeks ago and have told everyone that I didn't think I could love an inanimate object this much! It's amazing what that thing will do.

So I have to ask myself, what is different now than what was going on a few years ago? One thing is that I'm not landscaping, which caused my body great pain. I'm not reading as much, which I would like to be doing, but I just don't seem to have the time, and when I have the time, my brain doesn't have the concentrating power because it is wiped out. I think the main reason that everything is amazing right now is because I have a focused purpose in ministry. Being an administrator is great and easy, but coordinating children's ministry is even better. I recently learned that the main reason people are depressed is that they lack purpose in their life. I've never had to deal with depression and hope I never do, but I can see that. I also learned that one of the major causes of healed depression is having a purpose in your life.

Time to get ready for work. It's youth group day! Again!

Have a blessed sunny, beautiful day.

Yes!

I love to see God working in people's lives. It's more exciting than a Super Bowl game. Whether I'm spectating from a distance or God allows me to help encourage someone in His will, it's an absolute blast! I guess it's God's way of encouraging all of us.

Have you ever been around a new believer? Their enthusiasm is catchy. It continues to fan the flame in all of us on this amazing journey.

The only way we miss this joy is to keep our faith to ourselves and not get involved in other people's lives. Discipleship is on way to get up close to where the action is. If you're not a Paul or a Timothy in someone's life, I encourage you to do so. Find someone to mentor you or find someone to mentor. Sure, there will be bumps, but it's like the real estate market . . . it always goes up eventually.

Have a blessed, foggy day!