Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Jentezen Franklin from his book, Love Like You've Never Been Hurt: Hope, Healing and the Power of an Open Heart (p. 139). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Right before this thought Jentezen says, “Think about the garments you put on every day as you go about your business. What do you wear? What kind of garment are you passing down to the next generation? Are you passing down a garment of peace or a garment of contention? A garment of prayer or a garment of bickering? A garment of needing to be right or a garment of striving toward reconciliation? A garment of forgiveness or a garment of bitterness? A garment of kindness or a garment of frustration? A garment of faith or a garment of worry? A garment of loving like you’ve never been hurt or a garment of resentment for all the pain you’ve endured?” Good questions.   He goes on, “We will pass on to our kids only what we wear, not what...

A thought by Jentezen Franklin from his book, Love Like You've Never Been Hurt: Hope, Healing and the Power of an Open Heart (p. 98). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Anger can be a real problem especially if you are ruled by it. Jentezen says, “We have all been there to some degree. It is normal to get angry and to want to do something about it. But we cannot position ourselves to love like we’ve never been hurt if we are ruled by our tempers. “Ephesians 4:26 tells us, ‘And “‘don’t sin by letting anger control you.’” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.’ Anger is not a sin. Mismanaging it is.” He goes on, “The next verse warns, ‘For anger gives a foothold to the devil.’ When we hold on to anger, when we nurture it, when we harp on it, when we think about it and dream about it, we give a place to the devil. The Greek word translated ‘place’ or ‘foothold’ is topos , which means...

A thought by Jentezen Franklin from his book, Love Like You've Never Been Hurt: Hope, Healing and the Power of an Open Heart (p. 91). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Right before this thought Jentezen says, “We are not called to be kind only when we experience the blessings of our relationships. God has called us to buy the field. In other words, when life gets tough and the one you love is not in a great place, you need to dig through the rubbish, the broken bottles, the piles of dirt, the manure, the rats and the beat-up, rusty cars that don’t work, because buried in that messy field is a treasure.” He says, “You find the treasure in relationships when you choose to be kind. When you choose to believe in what is possible, not in your current reality. When you choose to reconcile instead of fight to be right. When you choose not to snap at your husband for no reason. When you choose to stop what yo...