Conversation Peace was one of the last of LifeWay’s resources to be released in VHS. It’s amazing how quickly technology has changed! Over the past couple of years, many of us have ditched our VHS players in favor of DVD.

Starting in September, the Conversation Peace videos will be available on DVD and VHS! Customers who purchased the VHS version will be able to upgrade their current kits by contacting LifeWay Church Resources. LifeWay will provide them with a DVD folder of the teaching sessions (called a Z set) to add to their kit. 

Customers who purchase Conversation Peace kits over the next few months will receive a dual version kit with both VHS and DVD included. Once the inventory of the dual-version kits is depleted, LifeWay will release the DVD only version in a smaller DVD only kit format.

The Conversation Peace Bible Study has been extremely popular. The DVD version will make it possible for groups to use this Bible Study more conveniently using DVD systems in their own homes or LCD projectors in their churches. In the near future, we also expect that the Conversation Peace sessions will be available on-line on a pay-per-view basis, to allow individuals to benefit from the teaching without the need to purchase a group leader’s kit.    

God knows your name.  Do you know HIS?

God is too big, too magnificent for a single name.  Consider this:  the God whose many names include Creator, Provider, Ruler, and Redeemer wants you to know Him more intimately. Mary Kassian’s new study Knowing God by Name examines dozens and dozens of names of God.  This is much more than a Bible study - it’s a personal encounter with an awesome God. 

Do you want to know God better?  You will, when you get to know him by name!

Click Here. 

All of us get angry from time to time.  The Bible has valuable instruction about how to manage this volatile emotion.  This is the first of two articles outlining what the Apostle Paul taught his friends in Ephesus about anger. 

“For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.” James 1:20

One thanksgiving, Kent Schnable planned to celebrate the holiday with his wife and loved ones.  Instead, his family and friends kept vigil at his side in the hospital, praying for his life.  Schnable was a victim of road rage.  He was on his way home from an evening out with friends when a man in a blue pickup truck drove up behind his white Ford 150 and impatiently flashed his brights – demanding that Schnable either speed up or pull out of the way.  Schnable didn’t comply to the driver’s satisfaction.  The blue pickup then veered onto the gravel shoulder and spit up rocks as it attempted to pass several vehicles on the right.  Further down the road, the two pickups crossed paths again. By this time, the driver of the blue pickup was irate.  He cut in front of Schnable and forced him to screech to a halt.  The confrontation between the two men ended with Schnable lying unconscious on the pavement with a life-threatening brain injury, and people of the community shaking their heads over the senselessness of the tragedy. 

Experts report that one out of five Americans has an anger management problem.  They maintain that failure to manage anger is the major cause of conflict in our personal and professional relationships.  The apostle Paul probably would have agreed.  Though we don’t know if the people of Ephesus had to put up with the road rage of impatient chariot drivers, we do know that Paul considered the topic of anger an important one to address with the believers who lived there.  This is what he said:

“Be angry and do not sin…Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Eph. 4:26, 31 (ESV)

Paul knew that in order to properly manage their lives and relationships, the believers in Ephesus needed to recognize a few things about anger.

Recognize that anger is a normal human emotion  

Paul introduced the discussion by saying; “Be angry…” In other words, he wanted his friends to recognize that like joy or disappointment, anger is a normal human emotion. All of us get angry.  And the emotion is not sinful in and of itself. Jesus got angry when the religious leaders self-righteously opposed the healing of the man with the shriveled hand (Mk. 3:5). He also got angry when people set up shop in the temple and used it as a place to feed their greed (Matt. 21:12).  On that occasion he was so enraged that he cleared the place by kicking over tables and benches, sending both the merchandise and the merchants flying.  Jesus was furious – and he let everyone in the place know it!Anger is an emotion.  And it can be entirely legitimate.  If anger were sin, then God would be a sinner, because the Bible speaks extensively about the anger of God.  The answer to this, of course, is that God gets angry about the right things, and that he exhibits his anger in the right way.  His anger is felt and expressed correctly because of the holiness of his character. But it’s difficult for us to practice a truly holy anger.  That’s because we’re tainted with sin and do not have the same knowledge that God has in all matters.  We end up being sinfully angry rather than angry with sin.  When Christ was angry, he did what was right, but when we are angry, we often do what is wrong. As James observed, “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.” (James 1:20)  

Recognize that anger is often accompanied by sin

Paul wanted his friends to recognize that human anger is often accompanied by sin.  That’s why he coupled his acknowledgement that they would feel angry with a warning against sin (“Be angry and do not sin.”). Because anger is a normal human emotion, we don’t need to beat ourselves up about feeling angry.  However, we do need to carefully evaluate the source of our anger (“Why do I feel the way I do?”) as well as our response to the anger (“How will I choose to deal with this feeling?”).  This is where the sin usually shows up.  It doesn’t occur in the emotion as much as it occurs in the attitudes and actions surrounding it.  The problem is not so much that you feel agitated, but that in pride you have judged and condemned your brother, and that you are now belittling, berating, and slandering him. The next time you’re angry, try to take a step back and evaluate your own attitudes and actions instead of just reacting to other people’s failures.  Remember Paul’s words, “Be angry and do not sin.” 

Bringing the Word to Life  

Read Ephesians 4:26, 31 in your Bible.    Is your anger holy?  In verse 31, Paul outlines some sins that commonly go hand-in-hand with anger. Think back to a time when you felt angry.  Did you sin in any of the ways listed below? 

Grab a pen and put a check beside the sins you committed.

[ ]  Bitterness (Gr. pikria) – feelings of animosity, hatred and gall.

[ ]  Wrath (Gr. thymos) – rashly exploding or bursting.

[ ]  Anger (Gr. orge) – handing out judgment and punishment. 

[ ]  Clamor (Gr. krauge) – harshly crying out and demanding.

[ ]  Slander (Gr. blasphemia) – speaking negatively and hurtfully. 

[ ]  Malice (Gr. kakia) – harboring ill will and the desire to injure.

Can you think of any other sins that accompanied your anger?  Jot them down on a piece of paper or in your personal journal.

Take a moment to repent.  Remember, sin sticks to anger like Velcro.  The next time you’re angry take care to examine your own attitudes and actions for sin. Watch for the next part in this two part series on anger.

Do You Fly Off the Handle? 

“Fly off the handle” is a term used to describe what happens when someone erupts in sudden and uncontrolled anger.  The phrase dates back to the time of the settlers, who relied on hand tools for their survival. The handles of the tools were made of wood – which inevitably dries and shrinks with time.  Thus, after having hung in a shed for months, the handle of a hoe or rake would often become loose.  Using an ax with a dry and shrunken handle was positively dangerous.  When swung, the sharp metal head could fly off the handle with such force that it severely endangered the user and everyone standing nearby.

Uncontrolled anger is like that.  According to the Bible, it wounds relationships (Prov. 15:18), and eventually “slays” the fool who wields it (Job 5:2).  Flying off the handle is extremely dangerous – it leads to all sorts of destruction.  That’s why the Psalmist advised his friends: “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! …it tends only to evil.” (Ps. 37:8)

We’re happy to announce the official opening of our new online store. We’ve increased ease of use and security and streamlined the checkout process. Come on in and have a look around. Prices are in Canadian dollars, but can be converted into US dollars or Euro during checkout. Future plans include offering select online resources for electronic pdf or flash download.

The conference is full to capacity, so registration for the October True Woman ‘08 pre-conference and conference has been closed. The conference has sold out much earlier than expected. More than 6,000 women are registered and the facility cannot accomodate more. God is definitely at work! Although we can’t squeeze any more women into the convention center, we don’t want you to miss out.

A MOVEMENT

The True Woman ‘08 conference is just the beginning! What we’re after is a widespread movement of revival in the hearts of Christian women around the world. Here’s the good news for those who can’t attend the conference:

“LIVE” VIDEO FEED AVAILABLE

If you can’t be in Chicago for the conference, no problem. We will bring the event to you via a “LIVE” video and audio feed.* Put the date on your calendar now, and invite your friends to enjoy the experience with you!

Click here to find out how you can still be a part of this incredible event.