As we move through this season of highly charged emotional disagreements over who should be our next president, we find ourselves involved in exchanges of opinions that can drive a wedge of beliefs that will divide, loosely translated from Luke 12:53 “father from son and mother from daughter.” Engaging in debates can be helpful if the discussions remain calm and the different ideas and disagreements are treated with respect. The sad truth, is that we as Christians have been arrogant and sometimes condescending towards those with whom we disagree.

Today we present a short recap of the entire series (Oneness, Identity, Flesh Patterns, About Women, About Men, Communication, Forgiveness). How do we put it all together when an argument begins?

In the last podcast we talked about different, more accurate ways to define forgiveness. Today we are going to go a bit deeper. Let’s explore some things we may believe about forgiveness that aren’t true, and reasons we can find it difficult to choose to forgive. Understanding the truth about forgiveness helps us to make that healthy decision that is a fruit of our new nature in Christ.

It is normal in human interactions to experience anger – even in marriage (maybe especially in marriage)! The main cause of anger is blocked or unmet expectations. A natural fruit of oneness is learning to give up our expectations and rights to God, and therefore prevent inappropriate expressions of anger. Acknowledging that it is God who promises to meet all our needs allows us to give up expecting our spouse to meet them.

While communicating it is important to look for what you or your spouse is really trying to get out of the other. For example, during one conversation a husband was trying to figure out whether or not his spouse valued his opinion and his decisions. During the same conversation the wife was wanting to know if he heard her and cared for her. Can you see why communication could be so difficult? Each individual was trying to get something from the other that differed significantly and therefore their communication missed.

Communicating with someone of the opposite sex can be quite perplexing. You see, men think that women think like men, and women think that men think like women. Of course, this is not true, and it would be almost comical if the differences didn’t cause so much misunderstanding and hurt.

The more we understand the way men think and process information, the better women can support and love them in the way we need to be loved. Also the reverse is true. The more we understand the importance of how women think and process the more we can hear them and love them the way they need as well.

Lori shares her recipe for a summertime cheesecake using strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and a little lemon.