The Offended Identity

Wonderful Mercy Church

The Offended Identity

March 19, 2017

March 19, 2017 • Graeme Sellers

Secondhand offense does first order damage to relationships. Once you’ve taken on another’s offense, it becomes the organizing principle for the relationship. A subtle shift takes place wherein the relationship becomes a partnership of being offended together, and to stay together you must remain offended together.

Offense is a black hole that sucks everything into its darkness. When we’re caught in this trap and remain there too long we develop an identity around being offended, and we will defend that identity (and the offense) vigorously.

Spinning Plates

June 11, 2017 • David Hammerslag

Our lives can become a frantic rushing from spinning plate to spinning plate. We give each enough attention to prevent a disastrous crash, then we rush off to the next plate that is in danger of falling. We make our lives more and more frantic, hoping that with this one last plate spinning in its place, we’ll be happy and satisfied. Do you ever feel like a plate spinner? We think if we can just manage to keep all the plates spinning -- make sure none of them come crashing down -- then we will be happy and contented. Yet, even when we do manage it, usually for only a very short while, we end up feeling exhausted and unfulfilled. Soon some of the plates will start to slow down and wobble, demanding our attention again. The plates become our masters. We become imprisoned by the need to keep the plates spinning. They command our attention. There's a better way. And Jesus shows it to us.

Hope and Dreams

May 7, 2017 • Graeme Sellers

What happens in a time of drought is that as hope declines, dreams contract. They get smaller and smaller and smaller until we only allow ourselves to dream things we believe are doable But when hope takes up residence in us, then hope is a dream factory. Hope is coming upon us, hope that fuels transformation and releases dreams. Even in a time of drought, Father is inviting us to dream again!

5th Sunday Testimonies: The Drought Is Coming to An End

April 30, 2017 • Leslie Doss & Pete Wahlheim

Today we share in the stories of two in our faith community -- Leslie Doss and Pete Wahlheim -- and how they are navigating the drought conditions in their own lives.