KE Week 5 - Blessed are the merciful

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  (Matthew 5:7)

Jesus says we will be blessed if we are merciful.  But being merciful isn't always easy, especially with people who don't deserve it.  I think this week will be the hardest yet for me.  

1) We all know a moocher or someone who owes us.  Forgive their debt, big or small, and forget about it.  

2)  Think about some pet peeves you have based on what others do.  Recognize that you have your own behaviors that drive others crazy.  Because of this, make room for others' quirks by refusing to whine about them.

3)  We've all had waiters or waitresses who forgot our drinks or messed up our order.  Maybe he or she was having a bad day.  Use some of your money to give a bad restaurant server a good tip this week just because you know that mercy is a good thing.

4)  Collect some money and give it to someone to pay their traffic fine.  Christ paid a price for us that we didn't deserve.  Practice this and be grateful.

5)  It's easy to be skeptical of beggars on the street.  Don't think about how they became homeless.  Show mercy by going to a local homeless outreach that feeds those who are hungry.  Smile and look for the stories behind the eyes.

6)  Hurry often short-circuits our ability to be patient.  Lack of patience then leads to a lack of compassion when others force us to slow down.  This week practice do some spiritual training in patience - drive to and from work, or wherever, without passing anyone.

7)  Completely unaware of other people's feelings.  Dominates conversation.  Throws you under the bus.  Can never admit to being wrong.  We all have friends who have tried our patience or has betrayed our trust.  Rise above the frustration. Be the friend you wish he or she could be and don't hold a grudge if that person doesn't seem to change.

KE Week 4 (Holiday Edition) - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Matthew 5:6

Do not depend on the hope of results.  You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps opposite to what you expect.  As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.  - Thomas Merton

The purpose of this week's experiment is to help us focus on the meaning of righteousness, translated to mean 'divine justice'.

1) In order to go after righteousness, some have found it necessary to remove themselves from the mainstream.  Jesus even drew back and isolated himself as a way to gather strength.  Take several hours away from your busy life.  Go to the park, a bench, the church altar, etc and limit the outside distractions like your cell phone.

2) Commit to reading three chapters of the bible this week.  Read them expecting to hear something being taugt from God.

3) Take notes on your pastors sermon.  Even better, try to make what you learned a part of life.

4) Take time to learn what issues are facing your local community council or parent teacher association.

5) Righteousness is being desperate for God and depending on him.  What are some things that you choose to depend on rather than God?  Make a list of those things and ask God for strength and wisdom to depend on Him instead of these things.

6) go to chainstorereaction.com and send an email to one of the stores asking them to do their part to end slavery.

7) When you choose to draw near to God and to hunger and thirst for righteousness, there is a price. That price is a longing to make things right.  Make something right this week.  Ask a friend for forgiveness, get over a grudge - whatever it is, make it right. 

KE Week 3 - Blessed are the meek

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth - Matthew 5:5

In a society constantly in pursuit of success, does meekness get in the way of succeeding?  Can a person be driven and meek at the same time?  Think of some examples of meek people who have been very successful.

This week's experiments:

1) This week, when you want to raise your voice, work to be gentle and soft-spoken instead.

2) Odds are you were pain in the neck of your grade school teachers.  But some of those teachers probably still stand out in your mind as being outstanding.  Write a letter to one, thanking him or her for being significant in your life.

3) Most churches have a maintenance or cleaning person.  This is an important and often overlooked ministry.  Make some cookies, bring a snack, or write a card to show your appreciation for what they do when nobody else is looking.

4)  Wait until they are gone and mow your neighbor's yard.  Don't let them know it was you.

5)  Choose the least likely person to be on your team.  If you have a dodgeball game or kickball game allow a gentle spirit to help you reach out to those who are often overlooked.

6)  Using your social network of choice, publicly praise someone else at least once a day.   Better yet, praise someone toward whom you feel competitive or jealous.

7)  What is your gift?  Are you a guitarist? Do you play piano?  Really good at math?  Whatever it is, offer your talents to help someone else - with no strings attached.