The Peacemaker: August Reading List “Net Out” and A GIVEAWAY!

In case you forgot, I love to read.  Stacks of books seem to pile up all over the house — most of them half read.  Other women buy shoes; I buy books.  For 2012,  I am purposing to be a bit more intentional about my reading plan.  I hope to read 12 books and post a “Net Out” here on the blog using a  format similar to Michael Hyatt’s.

The Peacemaker by Ken Sande provides Biblical principles for resolving our differences.  This practical and challenging book examines how we interact with each other in light of the Scriptural mandates to prefer one another and live peaceably with our brothers.  Each chapter outlines how to restore, be reconciled, and examine the plank in our own eye with clarity and conviction.

Here are some “take away” truths that captured my attention:

God has a purpose for our conflicts: “…every conflict that comes into our lives has somehow been ordained by God.  Knowing that He has personally tailored the events of our lives and is looking out for us at every moment should dramatically affect the way we respond to conflict” (p. 62).

We must remember how much God has forgiven us in order to resolve conflicts:  “When we admit that our own sins are so serious that Jesus had to die for us, and remember that He has forgiven us for all our wrongs, we can let go of our illusion of self-righteousness and freely admit our failures” (p. 78).

Resolving conflict requires dying to self:  “Just as seed must be sacrificed to produce a crop, our personal rights and material assets must sometimes be surrendered to sow the Gospel and produce a spiritual harvest…” (p. 96).

We must examine our motives during a conflict:  “As James 4:1-3 teaches, inflicting pain on others is one of the surest signs that an idol is ruling our hearts.  When we catch ourselves punishing others in any way, whether deliberately or overtly or unconsciously and subtly, it is a warning that something other than God is ruling our hearts” (p.109).

Up next will be Boundaries:  When to Say Yes, How to Say No – To Take Control of Your Life, a book written to explain how to develop physical, emotional, and spiritual limits that foster personal freedom and peace.   Want to read it with me?  I will be posting about it on September 28.

I would love to hear about what you are reading.  Feel free to share in the comment section below to be entered in a Giveaway — I will be giving away a copy of each of these 2 great books.

One additional entry can be earned for each of these:

• Follow @3dLessons4Life on Twitter. Leave a comment indicating that you did.
• Tweet or Retweet about this contest giveaway.   Leave a comment indicating that you did.
• “Like” 3dLessons4Life’s Facebook page.  Leave a comment indicating that you did.
• Use the box on the top of the sidebar on this page to subscribe to this blog. Leave a comment indicating that you did.
• Grab the 3dLessons4Life button from the sidebar and add it to your blog. Leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can connect!

Just make sure to enter on or before September 7th to participate.  Thanks for stopping by!

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Keep Climbing: “Into the Word” Week 34

Have you ever felt too tired to keep climbing?  My phone just rang, and the voice on the other end of the line shared very difficult news.  After a week of battling for every step, I wonder how I will carry on.  My heart aches.  My spirit is defeated and weary.  I am struggling on so many levels — physically, emotionally, and psychologically.  I need a touch from God.  I need His healing hand.  I long for His intervention.  Can you relate?

This week as I pushed through and tried to dig “Into the Word”  I discovered a fellow weary sojourner.  In I Kings 19, I empathized with tired Elijah, hiding under a tree in defeat.  But you know what I discovered?  God met him there.   God spoke to him in his defeat.  God provided for him and nourished him.  God encouraged him to stand:

 Then He said, “Go out,

and stand on the mountain before the Lord.”

And behold, the Lord passed by,

and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains

and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord,

but the Lord was not in the wind;

and after the wind an earthquake,

but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

and after the earthquake a fire,

but the Lord was not in the fire;

and after the fire a still small voice.

(vv. 11-12, NKJV)

God will speak gently to you if you go stand before Him on the mountain.  You must keep climbing.  His glory lies ahead.

Q4U:  Have you heard His still small voice on the mountaintop?  How has God encouraged you through a weary season? How do you keep climbing?

Every Monday we will be working our way through Anne Graham Lotz’s 52-week study “Into the Word.”    Hop on over to the 3dLessons4Life Blog Facebook Page to join us as we dig into God’s Word together.

Linking up with a like-minded sisters at Faith Filled Friday,  Life in Bloom, Thought Provoking Thursdays, God -Bumps and God-Incidences, On Your Heart Tuesdays, Soli Deo Gloria @ Finding Heaven,Playdates with God and “Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday!

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The Path

You make known to me the path of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence,

    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalms 16:11, NIV

Joining Sandra and Deidra this weekend in celebration of the simple and sacred:

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Due Season: “Into the Word” Week 33

This week has been tough.  Every day has been a battle to survive.  Have you had a week like that recently?  I pray that you have not.  Daily, I cry out to the Lord and ask for His favor, His healing, His mercy.  In the midst of it all, I attempted to “do the normal.”  I put one foot in front of the other and kept walking — a wobbly walk, but I asked Him to carry me forward.  Most importantly, I attempted to dig  “Into the Word”.  And do you know what verse jumped off the page and smacked me right in the gut?

 And let us not grow weary

while doing good,

for in due season

we shall reap

if we do not lose heart.

Galatians 6:9, NKJV

Guzik’s commentary on Galatians explains that losing heart here implies being like a woman in painful labor who has not yet delivered — the journey is unfinished and unrewarded, but we must patiently persevere and manage our resources for His glory.  The harvest lingers ahead.  It will not come so easily.  Oh, how I pray that God fills me with His Spirit and helps me stay the course.

Q4U:  What harvest are you waiting to reap?  How do you keep from losing heart?

Every Monday we will be working our way through Anne Graham Lotz’s 52-week study “Into the Word.”    Hop on over to the 3dLessons4Life Blog Facebook Page to join us as we dig into God’s Word together.

Linking up with a like-minded sisters at Faith Filled Friday, Life in Bloom, Thought Provoking Thursdays, God -Bumps and God-Incidences, On Your Heart Tuesdays, Soli Deo Gloria @ Finding Heaven, Playdates with God and “Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday!

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Verse 14: Hiding 20 in 2012 Scripture Memory Challenge

This past April, I had surgery.  The surgeon I worked with was a confident fellow.  He had superior knowledge and skill that was commendable and provided peace of mind to this patient.  He used the tools of his trade effectively, and I am thankful for the outcome.

In his book Scripture by Heart: Devotional Practices for Memorizing God’s Word, Joshua Choonmin Kang compares the disciple seeking to memorize Scripture to a skilled surgeon: 

“A trustworthy surgeon has access

to a variety of surgical instruments

and knows the function of each.

The Word of God operates in much the same way;

it has the power to remove corruption

and treat the sickness” (p.77).

How about you?  Are you ready to effectively wield the tools God has provided in Scripture?  Let’s hold each other accountable by Hiding 20 in 2012.  In the comment section below, write out the verse you will be working on for the next two weeks. Make sure to include your first name, your home state, the verse’s address/location, and the Bible translation:

Lyli from Florida

“He  did not waver

at the promise of God through unbelief,

but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.”

Romans 4:20, NKJV

Here’s a little play on words for all you Pinterest Fans. Rather than ‘Pin it,” let’s purpose to “Hide it.” I will end each post with a “Hide it” Suggested Verse.

“Hide it”:

 For I consider that the sufferings

of this present time

are not worthy to be compared with the glory

which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18, NKJV

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