It was well past 1am and we had been packing the truck since early in the day. We finished one last exhausting push to get it done, slammed the truck door and fell into bed.

We had been selling, giving away, throwing away and burning stuff for weeks and got as lean as we could.

After another long move-in day, I asked my son about a couple of outdoor furniture chairs he was supposed to bring in his pickup.

He was sure they were in his truck when he arrived, but they were nowhere to be found.

Two weeks later we drove by our neighbor’s house two doors down and there were two chairs that looked identical to ours sitting in his front yard by his house.

He was reclusive, disheveled and a lonely older man.

The first few times we passed by we laughed thinking how similar those chairs looked but thought little of it.

Our elderly neighbor would not take them out of my son’s truck, right?

Then we recognized a familiar little tear and some handiwork we had done to preserve those chairs.

The guy took our chairs out of my son’s truck, waited a couple weeks to put them out, and never said a word!

Who does that?

He did.

Now what?

We didn’t need the chairs, and they owed us nothing after 25 years. So, we let it go.

One day at the store we ran into Paul. He knew that I was a pastor and wanted to talk about the Bible.

My first thought was to offer a conversation in front of his house on MY chairs!

But instead, I let the chair thing go.

We didn’t need them, he obviously liked them, and it wasn’t worth starting our relationship off on the wrong footing.

What would you have done?

(This guy teaches a great lesson about this and made my family laugh every time we listened to it. It’s a family favorite, Check it out.)

For years I have taught that you don’t have to be offended, you choose to be. No doubt some offenses are hard to handle, but not all of them.

So, I chose not to be offended and instead chose to enjoy how much Paul enjoyed his new chairs.

That was two years ago.

Paul was found dead in his home the other day.

I’m so thankful those two chairs didn’t come between us.

But had I been offended, I would have done this (Matt. 18:15). Yet God’s Spirit and Scripture give us another option. It’s right in Pro. 19:11 and 17:9.

If you can’t chuck those little offenses in the cornfield and forget about them, do this.

But if you can choose to not be offended in the first place, you might enjoy life more.

(Otto’s testimony will make you laugh. It will also make you think. It’s right here.)

Here’s my question for you: What is the offense you’re choosing to hang onto that would make life more enjoyable if you either let it go or handled it God’s way?

I’d love to hear your response. I read them all. Reply and share it with me, or better yet, share your comments about this post with others in our community space.

PS: Forwarding this email regularly is a great way to encourage others and partner with me in growing this ministry. Can you forward it to a few people you know and encourage them to subscribe? Thank you.

New (9/4) Upcoming Book Excerpt:

…We knew next to nothing about what was “biblical” but soon felt uneasy about some things we were hearing from the pulpit and experiencing in that church. Questions were piling up and discouragement was setting in.

It became clear that we needed help making our Bible reading easier. But we also needed guidance on how to figure out which beliefs were the right beliefs. Applying Scripture to our lives wasn't as easy as we thought. Were we supposed to do everything Scripture said? Who could or does? Why do they believe that and where is it taught in the Bible?

Soon, that map and compass I held in my hand felt like it was for a foreign city in an ancient land - not the one I was living in. I felt lost and uncomfortable while wondering "Where am I, who are these people, and how did I get here!?" “Can anyone point me in the right direction?”

I started buying and consuming books and messages about the Bible. My library of commentaries, study Bibles and other aides to understanding Scripture grew. Yet many held different views on important biblical subjects, and I had to start choosing sides. And when I had discussions with others, I was often left with more questions than guidance and some of it landed hard. Thankfully Lorie and I persisted and figured it out.

A journey that started on the carpet of a cape cod has led to this book. I’ve been reading, studying and learning about the Bible every day for over thirty years. I’ve been trained, ordained, a pastor, teacher, preacher, counselor and minister of God’s word for decades. An earned master’s degree in ministry has helped refine my teaching skills.

Yet what you’ll find in this book is not going to be academic or scholarly. It’s not a textbook or how-to manual with technical language. It’s written for the average person who struggles to pick up and enjoy reading and understanding the Bible. It’s written to get you started on the road to reading the Bible the way it was intended to be read; to aligning your beliefs with Scripture instead of what others have taught or told you to believe…

You can read the rest of the excerpt in the community space. Just click on the link below:

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