1. As you were growing up, were you allowed to express your emotions freely, or were you taught to suppress them? I believe that I was programmed to believe that my feelings didn’t matter whether I showed them or not. Whether I expressed or suppressed, nothing changed. So I learned to suppress them until I exploded. Very healthy.
2. Why do you think it’s awkward for Christians when we encounter someone who’s down or sad? I think it is awkward because we don’t know what to do. Is it enough to just hold someone? Is more expected? What if we cannot fix the problem? What if we make it worse?
3. What should you do if you suspect someone is trying to get attention by creating his or her own emotional turmoil? Is the question, “What is the right way to handle it?” I think it is important to listen, but not encourage. You might be able to pull them aside and point it out, but it has the potential to backfire especially with people who enjoy drama. It may fuel the drama fire.
4. How do you feel when you’re around someone who’s constantly critical? I feel devastated, alone, unworthy. I certainly don’t want to be around them. I don’t feel good enough. I am sad. I get a sense that there is nothing I can do to please them, so why bother.
5. How can one person’s negativity affect the church? Negativity, like gossip is contagious. One person is unsatisfied or unhappy, and others will join them – mass mentality and strength in numbers. Instead of dealing with one person, you quickly find that you’re dealing with many.
6. Why is it important to try to dwell on the truth? What kinds of things force us to dwell on God’s truth? Dwelling on God’s truth keeps us from getting carried away with our emotions. More importantly, we don’t dwell on the negative. Even more importantly, we don’t dwell upon ourselves. Reading the Bible forces me to dwell on God’s truth. Being receptive to His Holy Spirit also keeps me in the truth.
7. What kind of effect does worshiping God have on us emotionally? I can be overwhelmed with both joy and sorrow when worshiping God. But it can only happen when I am receptive to God during worship. Rarely can worship move me out of my self-obsession. It must be amazing. Sometimes, it just feels forced. And that might be my fault. What moves me might not move others.
8. What does our concept of God have to do with how we look at life? My devotional email this morning said that when we are successful and living well and are happy or content, we think we feel God and God’s love, but when things are not going our way and we feel depression and failure, we think God has left us or is mad at us. If we think God is like this, it is very hard to live cheerfully, joyfully, contentedly. We have to recognize that God loves us and never leaves us and may withdraw to test or stretch us. It is also possible that He seems far away because we are far away.
9. Do you agree that every artist should read the Psalms regularly? Why or why not? Laughing riotously! I’d say no. Primarily because I don’t much care for them. I like prose and action. BUT, I do like to sing them. So rather, we should sing them regularly!
10. How would it affect the church if we were all more content and filled with gratitude? Wow, if we were all content enough to give and give generously, the church could do amazing things. Ask not what your church can do for you, but what you can do for your church. Ask not what Jesus can do for you, but what you can do for Jesus. We could stop bickering and one-upping each other and focus on what’s important.
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs (ESV )
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs (ESV )
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