The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States "Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?" for Wednesday, 23 November 2016

[Material in this GPS is mainly drawn, or slightly adapted, from The Wesley Challenge: 21 Days to a More Authentic Faith, by Chris Folmsbee, to be published by Abingdon Press in March, 2017.]
The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States "Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?" for Wednesday, 23 November 2016

2 Corinthians 7: Therefore, my dear friends, since we have these promises, let us purify ourselves from everything that can defile either body or spirit, and strive to be completely holy, out of reverence for God.
Proverbs 14:29 Being slow to anger goes with great understanding,
    being quick-tempered makes folly still worse.
30 A tranquil mind gives health to the body,
    but envy rots the bones.
31 The oppressor of the poor insults his maker,
    but he who is kind to the needy honors him.
32 The wicked are brought down by their wrongdoing,
    but the righteous can be confident even at death.
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The behaviors John Wesley named in this question live inside all of us. We don’t like that we possess these types of behavior, but we do. We work on becoming less of all of the above, because when we express them, they have an adverse impact on our life and the lives of others around us. That’s why God calls us to grow in our capacity to live above and beyond the above characteristics, and ones like them.
• Do you know people who “fly off the handle?” What drives their behavior? Do you have a close relationship with anyone who displays any of these behaviors regularly? What is the impact of that person on you when they behave in these ways? How do you manage your interactions with them?
• Which of the characteristics John Wesley calls out in today’s question do you struggle with most? The next time you find yourself reacting irritably, or feeling jealousy towards another person, take the time to question yourself and understand what is triggering your negative responses. Then identify healthy outlets for your negative feelings—like exercise (even a quick walk around the block), breath prayers, meditation, a gratitude journal, or playing with your dogs.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, breathe in me so that my thoughts may be pure. Move in me so that my
work may be pure. Pull me into your love so that I love only what is pure. Give me strength to guard my heart so that all I do is pure. Amen.
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Insights from Jennifer Creagar

Jennifer Creagar is the Program Director for Financial Care. She is married, has three great kids and three perfect grandchildren whom she loves spending time with, and she enjoys writing and photography.
Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
Wow. There are certainly days when I don’t want to answer THAT question.
One of my all-time favorite movies is Steel Magnolias. It’s always good for either a laugh or a cry. Usually both. In the movie, Ouiser Boudreaux (played by Shirley McClaine) is a perpetually cranky neighbor who actually loves her friends very much. At one point, she says, “I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a very bad mood for 40 years!” There are days when I can feel pretty much like Ouiser.
I wonder if a clue to Quiser’s 40-year bad mood might not, at least partially, be found in the words of her best friend Clarice, who says “If you don’t have anything good to say about someone, come sit by me.” Our moods and our outlook on life are so vulnerable to outside influences.
I know I am very much influenced by my environment and by how I spend my time and energy. What I hear, see, read, and talk about has powerful impact on how I feel and think and act. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul says “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)
What are the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy things that bring out the best in us? What kind of environment encourages us to be jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
There are days when I can feel like “I’ve been in a bad mood for 40 years.” When I reflect on those days, they all have a few things in common. They are usually days that have no quiet space, days when I shorten or avoid spending time alone in God’s presence because I think “I’ll catch up later.” They are also days when the voices I do listen to “don’t have anything good to say about anyone.” A sneaky place where negative voices reach me can be social media. Most of the time, social media sites are just a great place to look at pictures of my grandchildren and other people’s grandchildren, find out what is going on in friends’ lives, and – ok, I confess – look at puppies, kittens, and the occasional panda bear. Sometimes, though, postings on social media can create an environment of contention, narrow thought, criticism and even bullying. That environment leads to anything but thinking about what is excellent and praiseworthy and the best thing I can do is to step away from the computer.
On the other hand, there are things that create an environment where thoughts of the true, the noble, the lovely and admirable thrive. For me, those are found in quiet, in reading, in real conversation with people in person, in helping, in doing something creative and in remembering to be grateful for the gifts God has given me.
What helps you create that environment in your life, so that you don’t find that you’ve been “in a bad mood for 40 years?”
Wishing you all a happy and blessed Thanksgiving,
Jennifer -------
"Am I honest in all my actions and words or do I exaggerate?"
Thursday, 24 November 2016
Colossians 3:9 Never lie to one another; because you have stripped away the old self, with its ways, 10 and have put on the new self, which is continually being renewed in fuller and fuller knowledge, closer and closer to the image of its Creator. 11 The new self allows no room for discriminating between Gentile and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, foreigner, savage, slave, free man; on the contrary, in all, the Messiah is everything.
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On this Thanksgiving Day, Wesley’s question can help you evaluate your level of contentment with life. It can help you be true to your identity in Christ, remembering that Christ loves you for who you are as a child of God, not for what you do or have. And it can challenge you to reflect on your character, to discover how free you are to be content, be grateful, be you—and live 
inspired by your heavenly worth!
• The next time you are tempted to lie or exaggerate, stop to notice what is driving this temptation. Are you intimidated by the group or person you are with? Do you feel “less than” them in some way? Are you trying to impress someone? Tomorrow is “Black Friday.” As you think about your Christmas giving plans, are any of them at least partly meant to implicitly exaggerate your wealth and ability to give to the recipient?
• Is there a truth about yourself that you need to tell someone? Is there something you need to “come clean” about, some exaggeration or falsehood that takes more and more energy
to maintain? Set aside some private time with that person or group, confess your truth
honestly, and set yourself free.
Prayer: Jesus, you modeled honesty—from your birth to your death, burial and resurrection. I pray that honesty may become one of my most valued and tangible virtues. Amen.
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Insights from Chris Abel

Chris Abel is the Young Adult Pastor at The Church of the Resurrection’s Leawood location. Find out more about Chris and 20/30 Young Adults at http://cor.org/leawood/youngadults.
Happy Thanksgiving Day! It’s the time of year again: holiday traditions, families getting together, and the annual consumption of a giant bird. But while the turkey might be the center of the Thanksgiving dinner spread, today I want to invite you to think about a relative of our turkey friend:
The peacock.
I have this memory from childhood of seeing this bird in the wild. My family was driving through a neighborhood in south Florida where we lived and there it was—just a peacock in someone’s yard. I was fascinated. This bird had an absolutely magnificent tail!
As I got older I eventually learned that male peacocks evolved such incredible feathers to compete for female attention. They didn’t focus on becoming smarter or faster, but just…more eye-catching. Their feathers are all about getting attention.
We all peacock in some way. Sure, like the peacock it can be something related to our physical appearance, but we do this in all sorts of ways. We craft how others see us, inside and out. We might want to appear smarter or stronger than we really are. We might seek to be perceived as wealthy or emotionally stable. And don’t get me started on Facebook. We’re all guilty of crafting caricatures of ourselves for the internet to see.
But long before Facebook, John Wesley saw this as an obstacle to spiritual growth for his 18th century community. So he crafted a list of reflection questions, including this one:
“Am I honest in all my actions and words or do I exaggerate?”
Yes, this refers to being factual with the words we say. But what inside of us makes us exaggerate?
Well, simply put, we want to make an impression. And with something as simple as some language or actions, we can make reality more appealing than it is. It’s the same thing as the peacock. Through this lens, the questions might be read “Am I honest in my actions or words or do I peacock?”
Even though the turkey might be the center piece of the meal, you and I know that most family gatherings have some peacocks at the table, too. We want to be seen favorably—even among family—and we’ll bend our words and actions to make it seem that way.
The opposite of this is when we’re real, authentic, and transparent. THIS is when God can work in us fully. See, when we’re exaggerating, it’s hard to actually be thankful. Exaggeration blurs our ability to see things as they are. Be you. Be real. Speak truth.
The peacock has spent so much time and energy becoming a bird based on perceptions that it gave up the thing that makes birds so amazing in the first place: flight. The peacock can’t really fly. It flutters along.
So this Thanksgiving, remember: Stay away from the silly feathers. God created you to fly. Not to flutter. -------
"Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or
disregard?"
Friday, 25 November 2016
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful,
5 not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered,
and it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not gloat over other people’s sins
but takes its delight in the truth.
7 Love always bears up, always trusts,
always hopes, always endures.
8 Love never ends; but prophecies will pass,
tongues will cease, knowledge will pass
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Today’s question covers a lot of ground. Taking into account the people we fear, those we feel disdain or indifference towards, and the people we resent can add up to a few people, or for some of us, many. We cannot fully live the Christian life, as Jesus meant us to, until we are at peace not only with God and our self, but also with others.
• Have you created or kept separation between yourself and another person because you
simply don’t like them? If so, ask yourself what is driving this dislike. More broadly, would you say you are at peace with God, self and others? Why or why not?
• Read Romans 12:9-17[Romans 12:9 Don’t let love be a mere outward show. Recoil from what is evil, and cling to what is good. 10 Love each other devotedly and with brotherly love; and set examples for each other in showing respect. 11 Don’t be lazy when hard work is needed, but serve the Lord with spiritual fervor. 12 Rejoice in your hope, be patient in your troubles, and continue steadfastly in prayer. 13 Share what you have with God’s people, and practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you — bless them, don’t curse them! 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be sensitive to each other’s needs — don’t think yourselves better than others, but make humble people your friends. Don’t be conceited. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but try to do what everyone regards as good.] (aloud if possible). Reflect on how living out those Scriptural principles can produce a positive response to today’s question. As first steps, sometime in the next week, if the occasion presents itself, speak with a person who “rubs you the wrong way.” Find a moment today to say something kind to someone you dislike or have intentionally steered clear of.
Prayer: Lord, change me. Replace comparison with compassion in my heart and mind, and
make me more like Christ is—loving to all. Amen.
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"When did I last speak to someone about my faith?"
Saturday, 26 November 2016
Matthew 28:19 Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.”
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When John Wesley challenges us with the question, “When did I last speak to someone about my faith?” he is directly encouraging us to take up the challenge Jesus gave his disciples in Acts 1:8ff[Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh comes upon you; you will be my witnesses both in Yerushalayim and in all Y’hudah and Shomron, indeed to the ends of the earth!”], to be his witnesses or storytellers. In Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:46-49, and John 20:21-22[Matthew 28:18 Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.”, Mark 16:5 Then he said to them, “As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation. 16 Whoever trusts and is immersed will be saved; whoever does not trust will be condemned., Luke 24:46 telling them, “Here is what it says: the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day; 47 and in his name repentance leading to forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to people from all nations, starting with Yerushalayim. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 Now I am sending forth upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been equipped with power from above.”, and John 20:21 “Shalom aleikhem!” Yeshua repeated. “Just as the Father sent me, I myself am also sending you.” 22 Having said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Ruach HaKodesh!,], we also read that Jesus challenged his followers to continue the mission and message of God’s work. To respond faithfully to Wesley’s question is to live a life of going, obeying and listening to the Holy Spirit, realizing that each one of us is sent into the world to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
• When did you last speak to someone about your faith? Do you show your faith more
through your words or deeds? How can you balance both of those sides of the gospel
“coin” in your day-to-day life? Think through your story of personal transformation. How has your faith in God changed your life and made you a better person, who has a better effect on the lives of others? Spend some time writing your story down.
Prayer: God, you sent Jesus to show us the way. I pray that I would profess my trust in the saving grace of the gospel with courage and direction from the Holy Spirit, helping you draw my family and friends to your transforming love. Amen.
Family Activity: John Wesley’s rule stated, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.” As a family, talk about each of these phrases. What does the word “all” mean? Are there any exceptions? Compare Wesley’s rule to Jesus’ greatest commandments found in Matthew 22:37-40[Matthew 22:37 He told him, “‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’[Matthew 22:37 Deuteronomy 6:5] 38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. 39 And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’[Matthew 22:39 Leviticus 19:18] 40 All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”]. Identify ways your family can grow to follow Jesus’ and John Wesley’s rules more completely. Share and celebrate your stories at the dinner table or at bedtime. Pray and ask God to help you love others as God loves you.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Marsha Monica and family on the death of her father Dale Dixon, 11/5
• John DeVera and family on the death of his mother Kitty Juanita DeVera, 11/3
•Deb Wertin and family on the death of her mother Donna Bracken, 11/3
•Ty Cowan and family on the death of his son Evan Cowan, 11/1
•Victoria Edmondson and family on the death of her ex-husband Mike Edmondson, 11/1
•Friends and family on the death of Lester “Les” Pebley, 10/31
• John Yost and family on the death of his sister Dorothy Plum, 10/31
• Megan O’Neill and family on the death of her grandfather Nelson Ball, 10/30
• Jane Berry and family on the death of her mother Shirley Conway, 10/30

•Randy Weast and family on the death of his father Max Snodgrass, 10/29
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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