I Am NOT Just a Number

Rick Warren states that "resolving conflict is always better than dissolving a relationship". Many of us would stand up and say "um, you have not met my neighbor or co-worker or family"... and while you may be right.. Rick Warren has never walked in your shoes.. I took his advice tonight, walked across the street to a neighbor I had ignored for two years and resolved a relationship that I had once chose to dissolve. The blessing I received from that small act proved to me Pastor Rick was absolutely right. I forgot that the easy thing to do is build walls.. but I was challenged today to instead.. build bridges.. face my fears, take the initiative, confess my part of the conflict, listen to the hurt, tell the truth tactfully, and fix the problem. God calls us to not be a bunch of "peace lovers" but "peace makers". I have run away from conflict, God calls us to face it. When it comes to conflict, I'm called to make the first move. Rick call...

How many of us deal on a day to day basic with crazy makers? These are the people who are constantly "pushing our buttons". They are co-workers, neighbors, family, and even friends. These #crazymakers have the power to steal the happiness from our lives almost instantaneously. Studies have shown that the number one predictor of happiness is the relationships in your life. We cannot change the crazy makers in our life, but we CAN change our attitudes. Proverbs 16:32 says "It is better to be patient than powerful; it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city". Proverbs 12:16 says "A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted". We all express anger in 4 different ways. One type are the "machine guns". These people are very expressive, they cuss, are highly controlling, and explode at a moment's notice. The myth to them is that their "eruption" of anger is healthy as they will not keep everything ...

In our modern day, we are seemingly prepared for anything... Missiles, war, economic crisis, riots, flesh-eating zombies, etc.. America has amped up homeland security, tightened our borders, and trained all government and military personnel on preparedness for catastrophes and disasters... We appear very secure and very ready.. We are trained for battle, surrounded with advanced technology, locked, and loaded. But are we prepared for what happens when the first 9-1-1 call is taken that a person just literally disappeared right in front of them...their clothes laying in a neat pile on the ground with their contacts, earrings, and wedding ring on top?.... THe responding officer hears over the radio... that hundreds have also disappeared... the 911 centers slammed with calls of drivers disappearing from their cars.. crashes.. planes with missing pilots.. chaos.. all in seconds... Surveillance cameras will only confirm the allegations.. that people all over the world.. vanished.. in thin...