” . . . the hardest part of dealing with any stabbing disappointment in life isn’t the pain itself as much as it is the spiritual confusion.”- Wayne Stiles As Dr. Wayne Stiles continues Chapter 2 of Waiting on God, he observes that, between Joseph’s brothers and Jacob, there was a lot of refusing going […]
“We will not wait on God if we don’t love him supremely.”- Wayne Stiles Dr. Wayne Stiles begins Chapter 2 (“When Dreams Turn into Nightmares”) of Waiting on God by noting Joseph’s brothers learned from their parents that “when life gets tough, you take matters into your own hands.” In contrast, when Jacob dispatched Joseph […]
“God selected events to give us hope while we wait.”- Wayne Stiles “Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”- Romans 15:4 As Dr. Wayne Stiles continues Chapter 1 of Waiting on God, he notes that we try […]
“With too many [biblical] details, we’d get lost in the weeds. We would see so much truth that we’d understand little of it. That’s why the Spirit of God selected only certain events to record in the Bible.”- Dr. Wayne Stiles “There are also many other things . . . which if they were written […]
“In the end, if we really knew the big picture, we too would want what God wants for us- and in the exact way and timing he wants it to occur.”- Dr. Wayne Stiles As Wayne Stiles concludes his Introduction to Waiting on God, he notes that our pain often blinds us to the big […]
“We do a lot of waiting. But the most difficult kind of waiting? Waiting on God.”- Wayne Stiles In the Introduction to Waiting on God: What to do when God does nothing, author and pastor Wayne Stiles describes how it feels to wait on God. Usually, Dr. Stiles states, waiting on God involves hanging on […]
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”- James 1:19-20 (NIV) In the final chapter (13) of Anger, Dr. Gary Chapman cautions against two common approaches used to respond to an angry person. In addition, neither approach involves […]
In today’s blog, Dr. Gary Chapman reminds us that “listening paves the pathway to understanding.” Consequently, he illustrates this by presenting steps four through seven of his seven-step process for responding to angry people. 4. Seek to understand the angry person’s plight. Since you have listened, listened, and listened, now put yourself in the angry person’s […]
Dr. Gary Chapman suggests seven steps for responding to angry people in Chapter 13 (“Confronting an Angry Person”) of Anger. Dr. Chapman discusses the first three steps in today’s blog; 1. Listen. You validate an angry person by listening to his story. Once you’ve heard the story, ask him to repeat it. As a result, […]
“At its root, self-forgiveness is a choice.”- Dr. Gary Chapman Gary Chapman concludes Chapter 12 of Anger with steps four and five of a positive approach to processing anger. 4. Choose to forgive yourself. Dr. Chapman states forgiving yourself has much in common with forgiving someone who has sinned against you. You feel pained at […]
“Be at peace with yourself and then you will be able to bring peace to others.”- Thomas A Kempis In Chapter 12 (“I’m Angry at Myself”) of Anger, Dr. Gary Chapman begins by listing reason you may not be at peace with yourself. When we experience anger at ourselves, it is because we: perceive ourselves […]
“Every person who feels anger toward God will follow the example of Cain or Elijah.”- Dr. Gary Chapman Today Dr. Chapman discusses the second and third steps in responsibly handling anger toward God. STEP TWO: Listen to God’s message. Expressing our honest concerns to God puts us in a position to listen to His “quiet […]