Who likes to argue? Who enjoys conflicts and being offended? I have met a few people in my lifetime who found perverse pleasure from getting under other people’s skin, but the vast majority of rational humans would rather avoid conflicts. Did you know that in Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus lays out His solution for resolving conflicts? This is what He prescribes:
“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” In case you missed it, this is Jesus’ three step plan for conflict resolution:
Stop and think about this: With whom did Jesus hang out with much of the time while He walked the earth? Heathens and tax collectors. What He was trying to tell us from His example was that we need to show love and compassion for those who offend us as lost sheep who need to come to repentance. I know this may be a hard thing to do, but if we resolve issues Jesus’ way, we may find that we have way more friends and a better understanding of one another. Lisa Nordell-Detres with her pastor husband of over 32 years recently answered the call to help plant churches in Oregon. They have four grown children, four grandsons and are not even thinking about slowing down anytime soon! Lisa works at a university and enjoys gardening, swimming, and bicycling when she is not writing.
0 Comments
It seems like every time I go on social media, there is another post encouraging us to be mindful of those who are battling depression during this holiday season. As a person who struggled with depression for many years, I know how debilitating the blues can be, especially during the most wonderful time of the year. I came up with some tactics to help put my emotions onto a more positive plane and I pray they may be helpful for you when those dark clouds of depression threaten your joy. Before I get to the list, we need to deal with two biggies:
First of all, make sure the problem is not chemical. If you have trouble getting out of bed because you are so depressed, go to your doctor right away! No amount of positive thinking in the world will balance your brain chemicals. Secondly, if you are having thoughts of suicide, get help now! The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255, with help available 24 hours a day. This is not something to put off until later. Now, for those of us who would rather crawl inside a cave than face our own personal Pinterest Christmas fail, here are some tips from my favorite depressed prophet of God, Elijah.
Lisa Detres keeps busy as a pastor’s wife, Sunday School teacher, empty nest mom, grandma, entrepreneur, author, and college business instructor. Her passion is helping individuals grow spiritually and organizations achieve their goals. Lisadetres.com ...God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1, the first verse of the Bible, answers one of the basic questions of human existence, “Where did we come from?” Of course, many people choose not to believe this. They have the right not to believe, which will be explained in the “God is Love” blog. The curious thing about believing that God created the universe and every good thing in it is that in this post-Christian era, we who have faith in the loving creator God are sometimes viewed by evolutionists as simple, unintelligent and unenlightened.
What the debate over origin really boils down to is whether one wants to have faith in a gaseous ball of dust that exploded mysteriously billions of years ago, creating a chain of events that eventually led to your accidental existence; or faith in a loving, all-powerful creator God who created everything and everyone with purpose, including you. To avoid an ontological debate over our existence in this and all the articles to come, feel free to substitute “gaseous ball of dust” any time God is mentioned. The truth here is that the origins of the universe cannot be duplicated scientifically, so faith is required to believe in any explanation of our existence. I believe in an intelligent, loving creator God who spoke the universe into existence. Not just because the Bible says so, but because the intricacies of nature bear the fingerprint of an Intelligent Designer. That is one powerful being. What is really cool to consider is that since God’s words actually create reality, His promises were also created to take shape at some time in the future. God has made many promises, some which have come to pass throughout the ages and some which have yet to materialize. Because of the creative power of His words, we can trust that what He says in His Word, the Bible, is also true. To start learning about God and His words of promise, I encourage you to read the Bible in Chronological order. Linked below are three web sites that provide a daily Bible reading schedule in chronological order that you can start today. Happy reading! Bible Study Tools http://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/chronological.html Blue Letter Bible (PDF) https://www.blueletterbible.org/dailyreading/PDF/1Yr_ChronologicalPlan.pdf Bible Gateway https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/chronological/next Lisa Nordell-Detres wears many hats as a pastor’s wife, College Business Instructor, Sunday school teacher, entrepreneurial visionary, mother of four, and grandma to four boys. Lisa was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, studied Christian Apologetics at Simon Greenleaf University, holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Woodbury University and an MBA from California State University at Northridge. Lisa, her husband and their youngest child live in central Oregon. Lisadetres.com |
about Lisa:My passion is to come along side people searching for meaning in life. Together, we will come to understand more about who the God of the Bible is, while finding inner peace, purpose, and fulfillment in Christ Jesus. Archives
January 2020
Categories |