Quotes (From Our New Book) to Help You Heal in Your Relationships

In moments of unexpected relationship stress and frustration, an uplifting reminder can make all the difference in your mindset. And that’s exactly why I’m sharing the quotes below—tiny excerpts from our NEW BOOK that just hit store shelves today, “1,000 Little Habits of Happy, Successful Relationships”. These quotes collectively serve as a healthy point of reference for life’s inevitable interpersonal disappointments. Truth be told, Marc and I personally reference them on a regular basis to bring perspective, shift our mindset, and cope with the unexpected conflicts we can’t control. And although this practice is indeed a personal one, it’s also been vetted by its extensive use in hundreds of successful one-on-one (and two-on-one) coaching sessions that Marc and I have administered with our course students and coaching clients over the years. Perhaps they will help you too. 1. If you don’t allow yourself to move past what happened, what was said, what was felt, you will look at your present and future through that same dirty lens, and nothing will be able to focus your foggy judgment. Realize this! What you do now matters more than what happened yesterday. 2. Always be kinder than necessary. What goes around comes around. No one has ever made themselves strong by showing how small someone else is. Everyone you meet is learning something, is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something. Live by this! Be extra kind today. 3. Forgive yourself for the bad decisions you made, for the times you lacked clarity, for the choices that hurt others and yourself. Forgive yourself for being young and reckless. These are all vital lessons. And what matters most right now is your willingness to learn and grow from them. 4. Some chapters in our lives have to close without closure. There’s no point in losing yourself by trying to fix what’s meant to stay detached and broken. Take a deep breath. Inner peace begins the moment you challenge your attachments and decide to not let them control your emotions. 5. Be careful not to dehumanize people you disagree with. In our self-righteousness, we can easily become the very things we dislike in others. 6. Being kind to someone you dislike doesn’t mean you’re fake. It means you’re mature enough to control your actions, and strong enough to calm your emotions. 7. People tend to be more thoughtful and kind when they have found a little happiness and peace of mind. And this speaks volumes about the people we meet who aren’t very thoughtful and kind to us. Sad, but true. So let’s just wish them well today, and be on our way. And of course, if you’re struggling with any of these points, know that you are not alone. We are all in this together. Many of us are right there with you, working hard to feel better, think more clearly, and keep our lives and relationships on track. This is precisely why Marc and I wrote our new book, “1,000 Little Habits of Happy, Successful Relationships”. It’s filled with concise guidance on how to do just that. With actionable steps for bouncing back from tough times in your relationships and getting back on the road to happiness and success, “1,000 Little Habits” is a guide to spark sustainable positive change. Sharing never-before-published stories and strategies, the book shows how to harness the power of boundaries, calmness, kindness, and more to shift our perspective—and our actions—as we interact with the people around us. Please order it today on the book’s birthday (this helps us tremendously), reply to this email, copy and paste your receipt information (the finalized order details from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you choose to order the book), and then send it to me. Marc and I have prepared two exclusive bonuses for all first-day orders: a 3-week live streaming book club (via Zoom) and a “daily reminders” book (I guarantee you’ll find immense value in these bonuses). Tap the image below to check it out and pre-order on Amazon:

Loving God More

Luke 14:26 If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. NLT

This is a hard passage to understand. In the NIV it reads this way: Luke 14:26 – If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. Either reading is tough.

I have a wife and three daughters and I never imagined I could love anyone more than these four – that was until my six grandchildren came along. I have a seventh due soon and my love will multiple again. I have a game I play with one granddaughter. I tell her I love her. She tells me she loves me. I say I love her more. She says she loves me 100 times more. I say I love her 1000 times more. And we keep going until she says something like – I love infinity times more and I say – you win. We hug and laugh.

We’re a tight family – and we miss our parents greatly. Family is very important to us. Yet here is the Bible – even the words of Jesus Himself – telling us that our love for family needs to be so much less than our love for Him – that it is almost like we hate them in comparison.

Maybe this is what the church is missing these days. The church seems to put self and even family above Christ at times. If the family has something to do – ball games – picnics – late Saturday nights – etc. – at times we will put our public worship of God on the back burner. I mean – I’m not even dealing with where we put our daily devotions and our prayer life when it comes to sporting events – the news – our favorite TV shows – etc.

Read more: https://raymcdonald.wordpress.com/2021/03/31/lent-2021-loving-god-more/

Love Picked Us So Grace Could Use Us.

Bob Goff: Love Picked Us So Grace Could Use Us. by tindalfamily

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”

ACTS 10:34–35

Here’s a page from Bob Goff’s book of daily reflections, Live in Grace, Walk in Love:

Every year when I was in school, we were required to go to “athletics,” better known as gym class. I always hated it because there was a possibility we’d play kickball or dodgeball or pretty much anything that required a ball. This meant there would be team captains to pick players. It is a time-honored tradition that picking teams in gym class starts with the best and goes to the worst. I often hoped God would make the bell ring forty-eight minutes early because I knew what was about to happen again. I wouldn’t get picked. I was huge. I almost blocked the sun. This was good. But I was clumsy, which was bad.

It was a terrible system, leaving me and all the other uncoordinated guys stranded on the sidelines looking at each other in our gym shorts and T-shirts. It was clear who was cool and got picked and who wasn’t. I’m so glad God doesn’t chose who will be with Him the way the guys in gym class picked who would be on their team.

If I ever teach a gym class, I’m going to draw a big circle in the middle of the group and say, “Everyone is in.” That’s how God chose us. The Bible says God loved the whole world, every person in it. Not just the cool ones or the knowledgeable ones or the ones who believed all the right things or made all the right moves. He doesn’t want anyone to suffer, and He doesn’t want anyone to feel alone. He doesn’t want anyone to go through life without Him, and He doesn’t want us to spend eternity without Him either.

We don’t have to burden ourselves by wondering who’s in and who’s out, because God already told us: He wants us all. If you’re someone who knows about God’s extravagant love, you’ve let grace find you. Once He does, the question is what we’ll do next. Love picked us so grace could use us.

Reflect on God’s unconditional love for you today. What comes to mind?

Loving God More Than Anything

by raymcdonald

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. I remember when I was a little fellow – living in the country – walking up and down […]

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Hospitality

https://larrydixon.wordpress.com/2021/03/03/ruminating-on-romans-some-thoughts-on-pauls-great-epistle-42-critical-imperatives-for-the-christ-follower-a-study-of-romans-12-part-14/

A Passage To Ponder: Luke 9:57-62

Martin Luther is reputed to have once said, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”

Or as Tennessee preacher, Greg Nance expressed it, “We need to ask ourselves, am I just tagging along or truly following Jesus?

The essence of discipleship is following Jesus. It calls for commitment. Requires dedication. Demands loyalty. And is a daily endeavor. Discipleship is not an event. It’s a process

Today’s Bible reading in Luke 9: 57-62 records the short account of three men and their attitudes about following Jesus. Their responses vividly remind us of three roadblocks on the road of discipleship.

# The Uncounted Cost.

The first man approached Jesus and seemingly volunteered “And as they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.”

Jesus responded,”Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Apparently Jesus’ reply discouraged him from joining the band of disciples. This man was unwilling to count the cost, pay the price and make the necessary commitment.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was right when he wrote, “ Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life.”

Continue: https://thepreachersword.com/2021/03/24/a-passage-to-ponder-luke-957-62/

How Can We Love Our Lgbt Neighbors And Be Faithful To The Bible?

Episode 658 | Pastor Adriel Sanchez and Dr. Bill Maier answer questions about feminism, if God is the author of sin, how to love LGBT neighbors, and the office of Elder. Listen here

A Little Understanding – Love Upwards

We, as Christ followers, aren’t so good at loving God fully and completely. If we aren’t so good at it, then the collective of Christ followers must suffer from the same flaw. Did you know that loving God completely is actually part of our nature? God created us that way, and until a piece of fruit and a slithering tempter altered the path of history, that’s the way it was. God created human beings different from other beings. Humans are created in the image of God and are able to think and make choices. Inside this creation was the longing to be tied to God. Outside of it was the sense that…

…humans could be more without being tied to God. The choice was total dependence on God, allowing Him to give direction and set the standards or setting a direction and standards for oneself. God offered to be Adam and Eve’s provider of knowledge. Tied to Him, there would be direction based on God’s infinite knowledge. That was true paradise. That is how God created us to be, totally loving Him and trusting Him with every part of our being, but we don’t always believe God is enough. In Genesis 3, the serpent was able to tempt Eve by telling her that if she ate the fruit, she would be like God, knowing good and evil. We are told that, “when the woman saw the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it” (Verse 6).

The conflict that gave birth to..

…choosing our knowledge over God’s will always be a part of us. We can still choose to tie ourselves to God, loving Him and trusting Him, fully relying on Him for everything. We can still choose to rely on ourselves and our own knowledge to guide us. We long for the first and are tempted by the second, leading us to combine them both. When God was totally in control, He determined the direction, leading Adam and Eve the only way a Holy God can: the way of good. Once good and evil became known and sin entered the world, it was no longer a two-option choice, trust and love God or trust yourself. Now a combination of the two governs our lives and churches.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart is about …

Continue reading: https://live4him.ca/2021/03/04/a-little-understanding-love-upwards/

Jesus Gives an Answer That Changes Everything

by Don Merritt

 

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

One of the great challenges to our understanding of life is found in how we view God’s commands, or to put it another way, “rules”.

Is following Jesus, the same thing as following rules? Is that all there is- checking off rules you’ve followed?

Yet another way of stating the same essential question is this: Should we view the God as being transactional or relational?

Read more: https://lifereference.wordpress.com/2021/02/26/jesus-gives-an-answer-that-changes-everything/

We Don’t Need to Call It ‘Ministry’, Just Call It Tuesday. Love Already Has a Name.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 PETER 4:8

Here’s a page from Bob Goff’s book of daily reflections, Live in Grace, Walk in Love:

I hear a lot of talk about people going into ministry or serving in ministry. I know it’s a term pastors and religious leaders use, but it feels a little weird to hear it thrown around so much. The guy working at the tire store probably won’t know what you’re talking about.

Most people don’t want to feel like someone’s stooping down to serve them. They just want someone to empathize with their situation. Whenever I’ve messed up, the least helpful thing I’ve ever received was a lecture. The most helpful thing I’ve ever received was someone’s agenda-free presence. They might’ve been a little older or even a little younger than me, but they never said they were “ministering” to me—they just thought we were friends.

I’m usually doing a good job serving people, right up until I start telling everyone I’m serving people. Because when I do, I make it all about me—and it’ll never be about Jesus if we make it about us. We all want to feel like we come together as equals, with each of us bringing something unique and vital to the table. That’s how friendship works: we join forces, knowing each of us has something to learn from the other, and both of us benefit from the relationship. You bring the brains, I bring the ice cream, and everyone wins. As soon as someone thinks they’re there to “minister,” we are no longer equals.

What if we all got together and schemed ways to go make more friends? Whether we make soup for people, or sit down and talk with discouraged kids, or do some tutoring—what if we just did it because it was Saturday or Tuesday and these are great days for new friends? It might make people feel like they’re sought after for friendship rather than approached as a project. There’s no need to give what we do a new label. Love already has a name.

What’s a simple act of love you can do this week to build a stronger friendship with someone?