GaryMo Monday - How I Handle Negative People

How do I handle negative people? The short answer is...not well.

The truth about me is that deep down...really deep down...I am a negative person. I don't think most people would say that about me, but I believe that those closest to me would say that I can definitely be negative at times. A grouch.

I hate that about me.

I've worked really hard to change that...to be more positive. To look on the bright side. To take pleasure in the little things. To not sweat the small stuff.

And to remember to turn things over to God because as Paul says in Philippians 4:7, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I know that peace. I've felt that peace.


It's glorious.

Our pastor at The Crossing has been doing a series on Philippians since January. Last weekend his message hit me right between the eyes. It was about anxiety...worry. One of my biggest weaknesses. I sometimes worry to the point of paralysis. I let myself get so overwhelmed with anxiety that I don't know what to do next.

So...I often do nothing.


Except worry.

Paul tells us that we should not be anxious...we should pray...giving thanks to God and turn over our requests to Him. I realized last weekend that I haven't been doing that. Sure, I've been praying, but not the real, raw, from-the-gut prayers where I tell God what's really weighing on me...what I need help with.

Those are the prayers that bring wisdom, discernment, comfort...peace.

When I'm in that place of peace with God, I'm not negative...I'm not worried. I know God's got my back. I know He'll lead me and use me.

When I'm in that place, I handle negative people well. I don't let them pull me down into the hole...I instead lift them up out of it. I'm a light in a dark place.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Paul's reminding us to be positive...to think excellent thoughts. To find joy in every situation...'cause it's there. Always.

Our attitude is a choice that we make. We can choose to see the crap in the world and let it pull us down or we can choose to see the glory of God in everything and allow Him to raise us up above the crap.

Which will you choose today? I'm going to choose to pray hard, think excellent thoughts and let the peace of God guard my heart and mind.


I hope you do too.

This is the 7th of 20 posts that I'm calling GaryMo Mondays.

For more background on this series, read this post.

GaryMo Monday - Let Me Introduce You to My Hero

he·ro

 noun \ˈhir-(ˌ)ō\

plural he·roes

Definition of HERO

1

a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or abilityb : an illustrious warriorc : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualitiesd : one who shows great courage

2

a : the principal male character in a literary or dramatic workb : the central figure in an event, period, or movement

3

plural usually he·ros : submarine 2

4

: an object of extreme admiration and devotion : idol

It's week #4 of GaryMo Monday's and I've been thinking about this topic ever since Gary posted his list. I actually started writing this post about 3 weeks ago and have really been struggling with what I think a hero is...to me.

Then this morning as I was reading through my Facebook news feed, I saw this:

"Heroes don't leap tall buildings or run around in capes. They bleed, they bruise, they listen, they love, they reach out their hand. Heroes are ordinary people who even if their own lives are impossibly knotted, take the time and care enough to help untangle yours."

Wow! That's it.

COMMUNITY!

Last week, I wrote that church = community.

I guess this week what I'm saying is community = heroes.

There are so many different people that I could single out that have been personal heroes to me...people who have picked me up when I was down or celebrated with me when things were good or cried with me when I was suffering. My heroes.

But these heroes don't do what they do to be singled out. They do it to be part of the community and to build and preserve relationship. They do it because they just can't NOT do it.

I only pray that I can be a hero to someone in my community...daily. Not because I want someone to think of me as a hero, but because I just can't NOT step into that story and have a positive impact. Because the Spirit won't let me not be a hero.

Who are your heroes? Who are you a hero to?

GaryMo Monday - Why Church Is Relevant for ME

rel·e·vant

 adj \ˈre-lə-vənt\

1

a : having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at handb : affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion <relevant testimony>c : having social relevance

This is the third installment of GaryMo Monday's where I take on the list of 20 topics that Gary wishes people would write about.

Relevant is one of those words that gets thrown around A LOT in today's churches. It's usually teamed up with authentic and humble. I feel a real butt-scrunch whenever I hear a church announce that they are relevant.

What relevant should mean when coming from a church is showing how the message of the gospel applies in our everyday lives. How we can live it out and spread the message of Jesus to the un-churched, the de-churched, or the over-churched...the lost.

What relevant increasingly means is providing a product that people will consume...something that is "hip" or "cool" or different than what people perceive church to be. There's nothing wrong with providing a different offering in church services, but when the gospel takes second place to the production value then the message of Jesus gets lost in my opinion.

I think authentic has become equally distorted and should mean staying true to the clear message of Jesus, but unfortunately too often means staying true to the what's-in-it-for-me mentality of today's society.

And humble? Well, that could be a whole post in itself, but suffice it to say, if someone is telling you they are humble...they aren't. Jus' sayin'.

So, why is "church" relevant to me?

I have a t-shirt that on the front says "Don't go to church." And on the back it says "Be the church."

Church is not a building. It's not a worship style. It's not a liturgy.

It's community.

A community of broken people doing life together. With all their brokenness. In all their messes. Through the good times and the bad. In celebration and in sorrow. It's people who aren't afraid to have someone else's mess splash on them a little. Who aren't afraid to speak truth, to love, to encourage, to support and who aren't afraid to have truth spoken to them, to be loved, to receive encouragement, to ask for support. It's people who gather together and humble themselves to worship authentically the God of the Universe.

It's what He made us for and it's what He calls us to.

And I am blessed to live in a community like that.

Yeah, it's messy and yeah, sometimes it splashes around. But somehow God moves through us and in us and He always gets the last word. And there's a peace in knowing that He's not finished with any of us and there's a joy in knowing that we are doing this together humbly and authentically...and that's relevant to me.

"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

Romans 12:2 (The Message)