Sunday, January 15, 2017

The Peacemaker's Tool Kit - Part 1

What is a meaningful life? Peacemaking is the framework for a meaningful life. Peacemakers ask, "Where I spend my time and talent to do good?" 

There is a peacemaker's toolkit and faith is the tool we will talk about today. Atheists view faith as a cop-out and we cannot let this stand. Faith is not a denial of evidence. Neither is faith based on proven evidence - that's not how Paul described it. We need to challenge these definitions. 

Hebrews 11 is all about faith. Hebrews 11:6 talks about the centrality of faith. Bad news for me :(

Faith is knowledge plus belief plus lifestyle. When we live into what we believe, we live by faith. 

We can have either a closed mindset (fixed) or a growth mindset. Fixed limits and growth inspires. Fixed are defined by failures - growth learns from and builds on failures. Fixed blames others - growth takes responsibility. Good news for me - I'm definitely on growth mindset side.

You can adopt a growth mindset and your mind will change. Viewing challenges as opportunities gives you energy. 

The kind of faith the Bible calls us to encourages a growth mindset. 

Steps to a growth mindset:

1. Learn to hear your fixed mindset voice. 

2. Recognize that you have a choice. 

3. Talk back with a growth mindset. (Prayer is, for the pastor, the most beneficial tool for this.)

4. Take the growth mindset action. 

Baby boomers picked up a fixed mindset from punishment. Today's generation has picked it up by not being allowed to fail. 




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