“We live in an environment in which political animosities, technological dehumanization, and social breakdown undermine connection, strain friendships, erase intimacy, and foster distrust. We’re living in the middle of some sort of vast emotional, relational, and spiritual crisis. It is as if people across society have lost the ability to see and understand one another, thus producing a culture that can be brutalizing and isolating.” —David Brooks
Most of us have the desire to
friendships but have never acquired the tool belt necessary to
friendships.
Jesus was a
Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
The practice of peacemaking is doing the hard work of
our past,
new patterns, and
our pain in order to
our purpose of loving God and others.
Genesis 12:10-20; Genesis 26:1, 7-11
- A pattern of
- Brothers experiencing a
You are a
of your
.
If generational sin doesn’t
Exodus 34:6-7
“God does not punish a new generation for the sins of a former generation. But God does hold children who don’t learn from their parents’ mistakes accountable… For Israel (and for us too), remembering the sins of our parents is the key to doing things differently.” —BibleProject
Genogram
- Your genogram should generate
- Your genogram should generate
“To blame our reactivity on the devil or on our parents or on anyone or anything else is to doom ourselves to relational failure with God and others.” —Plass & Cofield
Matthew 18:21-22; Matthew 6:14-15
If you don’t forgive your past, you will
it and
it.
“Can you identify in some way with [this] inner turmoil? You work hard, try to set boundaries with others, and then wonder why you still struggle with anger, fear, and guilt. You may even hurt the people you love the most as a result of these unwanted feelings—petty jealousies you can’t rein in, fear-based workaholism, or an out-of-control temper that you know isn’t you.” —Alison Cook & Kimberly Miller
2 key ideas on peacemaking
1. We use
2. God uses