One

Deidra Riggs

Description

Jesus didn't say that the world would know we are his followers by our biting rhetoric, our political leanings, our charity work, or even by our knowledge of Scripture. He said the world would know us by our love for one another. Yet it's so easy to put others at arm's length, to lash out, to put up walls. Deidra Riggs wants us to put our focus on self-preservation aside and, like Jesus, make the first move toward reconciliation.In One, Riggs shows readers that when Jesus offered himself up in our place, he was not only purchasing our salvation but also setting an example for us to follow. She helps readers understand that they are secure in God's inexhaustible love, making them free to love others lavishly--not just in what they do but in what they say, what they don't say, what they will endure, and what they will forgive.Anyone who longs for unity in the church, in their family, and in their community will find in this book both inspiring examples of loving done well and encouragement to begin the often unnoticed hard work of building bridges with those around them.

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 04 avril 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493406524
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2017 by Deidra Riggs
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-0652-4
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled Message are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled Weymouth are taken from the 1912 Weymouth New Testament, no copyright information—public domain.
Some names and details have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.
Endorsements
“When Deidra first told me about this book, I heard in her voice the heart and hope behind her work. I heard the struggle inherent in writing, researching, and attempting to live the core principles you’ll find in these pages. I also heard steady hope and faith. One: Unity in a Divided World is a moving and thoughtful critique of the status of oneness, restoration, reconciliation, and grace in America. This book will challenge, excite, transform, and inspire everyone who dreams of an end to division and polarization—in the Church, in our communities, in the workplace, in our homes, and in our very own souls.”
— John Perkins , cofounder, Christian Community Development Association; founder, John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation, Justice and Christian Community Development; author of Dream with Me
“ One: Unity in a Divided World is not only a timely book for today’s Church, but it’s also desperately needed. We emerge from the wreckage of ‘culture wars’ and church splits broken and scarred. Prejudice and privilege have damaged us, relational dysfunction and division have seared our souls. We stand separated, alone. Yet Deidra dares to walk among the wreckage, uncovering truths, rediscovering words like reconciliation , forgiveness , oneness , unity . Tenaciously and tenderly she reminds us of an identity and calling lost and forgotten. If you’re searching for tools to help you rebuild unity in today’s divided world, learn from Deidra. She’s a wise, humble, and hope-filled guide.”
— Jo Saxton , speaker and author; board chair of 3D Movements
“In One: Unity in a Divided World , Deidra points us toward change in our hearts. Unity must begin with each one of us before we can transform the Church. We the people must change! This is a timely book that will break through the ethnocentrism we have allowed to dictate our hearts and churches. The process toward reconciliation will begin in our hearts and communities first. One brings hope and healing to a divided and broken people. I highly recommend it to those seeking to understand the first and next steps toward racial unity.”
— Tasha Morrison , founder of Be the Bridge
Dedication
For Mom and Dad
So Much Love
Epigraph
A Great Need
Out
Of a great need
We are all holding hands
And climbing.
Not loving is a letting go.
Listen,
The terrain around here
Is
Far too
Dangerous
For
That.
By Hafiz
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Dedication 7
Epigraph 9
Introduction 13
1. A Soul that Hears Well 23
2. Integrated Experiences 43
3. What Do We Do about Evil and Injustice? 61
4. Let It Go 79
5. The Power to Unite 95
6. Awake in the Dark 111
7. Our Breaking Point 131
8. Beyond Our Wildest Imagination 143
9. One with Ourselves 153
10. Return to Home 167
Conclusion 177
A Note from the Author 185
For One . . . or More: A Study Guide 191
Acknowledgments 197
Notes 199
About the Author 203
Back Ads 205
Back Cover 206
Introduction
The only reason I knew I’d hurt Steven’s feelings is because he told me so. One afternoon, in a room at the church we both attended, Steven and I sat face-to-face, a table between us. I remember it like it was yesterday. He had asked if we could talk.
“Something you said to me really hurt my feelings,” he’d said to me during a phone call. “Can we talk about it?”
I was completely caught off guard. I racked my brain trying to remember everything I’d ever said to this man I’d known for just a few weeks. My husband, Harry, was the new pastor of this church and I, the new pastor’s wife, had already stumbled into my first altercation. Steven had become a fast friend to my husband and me. He greeted us warmly each Sunday in a comfortable way that made us feel welcomed. He did not put on airs. He did not try too hard. He liked cigarettes and beer and was doing his best as a single dad to raise his son. We liked Steven and were grateful for his friendship.
So when Steven told me I’d offended him, my heart sank. “Of course we can meet,” I told him. We checked our calendars and found a day that worked well for both of us. The fixer in me was frustrated that we couldn’t just go ahead and get it over with right there on the phone, but I knew it would be best to meet face-to-face. That was important to Steven, and to me too.
Confrontation is a sticking point for many of us. Upon reaching an impasse with someone in our family, workplace, neighborhood, or church, we’d much rather avoid the situation than confront it. It feels easier to sweep the event under the rug or press it down inside of us. At face value, these seem like the less painful options. In some cases, we truly are able to release our hurt or disappointment without holding a grudge or letting it drive a wedge between us and the other person. Sometimes we really can work it out between us and God. From time to time we do find healing without ever needing to mention the discord to the other person.
More often than not, however, the thing just won’t let us go. Each time we see that person or think of them, the impasse rises up to meet us. My body often tells me when I’ve let a situation get the best of me. I feel a tightness in my chest and a flush comes over my body. A pit opens up in my gut. My mind seems to ramp up a notch, as if it’s preparing for a war of wits. Here’s how I used to deal with people who got on my bad side: I put them on a mental list and made them work really hard to get off it. That was my go-to reaction. It was the wrong reaction.
Long before I spoke the words that offended Steven, God had begun to show me a new way of responding to people whose words or actions caused me pain. Using the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 18, God began showing me how to respond when my feelings get hurt. What I learned is that when someone offends another person, God’s way of responding is counterintuitive. God tells us to go directly to that person and let them know. “Work it out between the two of you,” Jesus says to us (Matt. 18:15 Message). This passage is dealing specifically with sin in the body of Christ, but God has shown me the same principle applies when dealing with misunderstandings too. Jesus raises two important points in one short verse. First, he instructs us to go to that person and tell them what they’ve done. Second, we are admonished to keep it just between the two of us. Don’t broadcast the disagreement. Don’t shine a spotlight on the situation for all to see. Go quietly, with humility and respect, and face the offense together.
As I began to understand what God was showing me in Matthew 18, I slowly started to see confrontation as a gift God extends to us. God desires oneness and unity for us. When we hold grudges and add people to our unappealing short lists, we invite division and disunity. One way to stop discord in its tracks is to bring it out into the open, set it down on the table between you and the other person, and talk about it face-to-face. After all, the word confront means to “bring face-to-face.” 1 We can take courses, read books, and listen to podcasts, which give us specific techniques for dealing with confrontation, but I’ve found the very best instruction right in the pages of God’s Word. When we come to the table to talk face-to-face with someone who has offended us, or someone we have offended, these are the two very best things we can do: (1) be filled with the Holy Spirit, and (2) embrace the truth of the famous love chapter, which tells us love “is full of trust, full of hope” (1 Cor. 13:7 Weymouth).
Love Hopes the Best
Some would say we’ve gotten too generous with love. They say too much talk about love waters down the gospel. I would caution us to reconsider. The good news of Jesus Christ is deeply rooted in love. However, the love we’re talking about here is not weak or scripted. When we try to minimize the love-to-gospel ratio, we are treading on dangerous turf. I would argue that what we’ve watered down is not the gospel, but our understanding of love in the kingdom of God. This love transcends patriotism, ethnocentricity, language, belief, and even reciprocity. Consider the example of Christ who, in a supreme demonstration of God’s lo