Sweet's discourse on growing new is refreshingly lifegiving and entirely counter-cultural. "Third Agers tell the stories of Jesus in ways that synthesize all and resonate with all, give voice to the oppressed, ventriloquize those who are suffering, and build for the future."

A academic reflection of Dallas Willard's "Renovation of the Heart"

Styles of Relating

Emily F.

Emotions are like messengers from the front lines of the battle zone. Our tendency is to kill the messenger.

The issue of truth in relationships is never a matter of trying to figure out who is right and who is wrong. It is an issue of whether troth (pledge of loyalty, commitment) grows as both people seek the truth together. Truth is measured not only by how accurate the words are but also by how the words bind the hearts of those who seek the truth together. The more we seek truth together, arm in arm and heart to heart, the more we will gain a greater understanding of what is true. When we ask, seek, and knock, the promise of God is that our deepest hunger will be satisfied. So if my wife accuses me of being angry and I defend myself or deny what she is saying, I have not only broken troth, but I am at the same time running from the truth. I don't have to agree with a person's perception to keep troth, but the more bonded we are, the more likely it is that we will see things in concordance with each other. Honesty is not just saying what we feel or think; it is seeking to be laid bare before the eyes of truth to see as we are seen.

A godly response in the face of abuse is to grieve -- for the perpetrator's sin and for the damage done to our soul; but the natural response is to cower in shame, condemning our own soul for being so foolish as to hope, want, or risk... We ignore the issue of depravity and feel shame about our longing for what God intended for us to enjoy.