Jamey's Newsletter: Sunday, December 31, 2023
Are you a spewer or a stewer?
A stewer is someone who bottles up anger and keeps it inside, turning it around and around until it morphs into hatred. This internal turmoil ruins relationships and distorts our view of the world, demonstrating the destructive power of unexpressed anger.
A spewer, characterized by a hot temper, directs their anger towards the person who triggered it. If that person is not around, the spewer's anger is unleashed onto others, illustrating the indiscriminate nature of uncontrolled anger.
Do you identify as a spewer or a stewer? Do you express your anger openly or suppress it within? Is your anger visible to those around you, or does it silently simmer inside you? Regardless of your approach, it's crucial to remember that anger, if not appropriately managed, can have significant implications for our spiritual health.
"Be angry without sinning. Don't let the sun set on your anger. Don't provide an opportunity for the Devil," the apostle Paul says to the Church in Ephesus (Ephesians 4:26).
Eugene Peterson in The Message translates it as saying, "Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry - but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life."
We are going to feel anger. It is a human emotion. People are going to upset us. Situations are going to affect us. Feeling anger in situations that cause pain or hurt is not unhealthy.
When conflict-averse, we let anger turn us into spewers or stewers. By not dealing with whatever has made us angry, we create unhealthy ways to function.
One thing we do is guess at motives. We take all our made-up stories about a situation and turn them into a story full of judgment. Our need to understand without taking the steps to resolve the hurt forces us to hold anger in unhealthy ways.
The second thing we do is get stuck in the version of the story we hold on to. The false story gets ahold of us and fuels our anger.
And thirdly, because we get stuck in our version of the story, we cease to know the difference between what really happened and our own made-up story.
Ultimately, we express anger out of hate instead of out of love. Anger is to be a visitor, not a resident, in the heart. The longer we let it remain a resident, the more toxic it becomes. It will make us rotten.
As we go into 2024, make it a point to address anger and speak the truth out of a place of love.
Jamey
(Music performed by the Modern Worship Team of Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia)
Weekly Prayer
Lord, we acknowledge that anger can cloud our judgment, lead us astray from Your path, and harm our relationships with others.
We ask for Your calming presence in our hearts when we feel overwhelmed by anger. Grant us the serenity to pause, reflect, and respond with love and patience rather than react in haste or hurt. Help us understand the root of our anger, address it with wisdom, and seek a resolution that honors You.
Lord, teach us to be forgiving, as You are forgiving. Remind us that harboring anger only distances us from Your love and peace. Guide us to express our feelings constructively, bringing healing rather than harm.
May Your love be our anchor and Your wisdom our guide in moments of frustration and misunderstanding. Amen.
Meme of the Week
Dad Jokes
Where can you go to practice math on New Year’s Eve? Times Square!
What did Adam say to Eve on Dec. 31? It’s New Year’s, Eve!
Wisdom Nugget: Don’t neglect the bucket list by an overwhelmed to-do list.
A Question to Consider: What lessons did I learn this year? (write them down)
Photo Taken By Me
Book I am Reading
The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board by Keith J. Cunningham
Videos I watched
Michael Caine on "Using the Difficulty" (2002)
No Energy Vampires Allowed by Jon Gordon
Podcast I listened to:
Drew Brees | Confidence, Visualization, and Preparation
Articles I found interesting:
NICU nurse adopts 14-year-old patient who delivered triplets alone
These Are the 10 Best Places to Live in the World
12 Retro Wedding Trends That Are Making a Comeback, According to Event Planners
The Nine Breakthroughs of the Year
81 Things That Blew Our Minds in 2023
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Drop by Gainesville First United Methodist Church, pick up a reusable grocery bag, and fill it with nonperishable food items for the Community Food Bank.
Let’s start 2024 off right by helping others. Thank you for your willingness to give!
Weekly Blessing and/or Quotes
"Where there is no vision, the people perish” - Proverbs 29:18