Werewolves

Ever wonder where the Legend of the Werewolf came from?  Check out this article from History.com and you will read all about it.

Why a post about werewolves?  Well, it is October and in true step with my interest in holidays, I figured I would try something tied into the month.  In October we tend to decorate with scary things, we include harvest related things like scarecrows , hay bales and pumpkins of course, but we also include all kinds of creatures that are known to go bump in the night.  

I was talking to my daughter, who is 8, the other day about Halloween.  She asked how it came about.  Well, I have a post for that here from last Halloween. I explained about the All Hallow's eve and why we dress up today.

So, werewolves.  Are you a person who has a hard time controlling their lust for killing people or animals?  Probably not.  But there are times that our blood gets boiling, right?  You feel the need to lash out, scream and just wanna kill someone(hopefully not for real right?)

Jesus spoke about the 6th commandment. Matthew 5:21-25

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Anger Management

Gary Chapman wrote a book called Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion.  My husband read it a few years ago and he said it really brought to light a lot of things for him.

Gary Chapman also has a nice little quiz that shows you where you are at with some suggestions that point to his book.  In an effort to be transparent this is what my results say:
   

You are doing well, but can improve
Your results are indicative of someone who likely handles your anger well in many situations, but there are still times when your anger is handling you. Recognize the areas where you are doing well in handling your anger, but also be cautious that your anger is not getting out of hand in other ways.

Think about the situations where your anger comes out most often. Is it with loved ones? At work? What happens when you react angrily? Are you a shouter, or do you turn your anger inward? What words do you tend to use? What feelings tend to come out when you’re angry, and how do those feelings find expression, in good ways or bad? Consider the following possibilities for future action:

Action Steps
You would benefit from better understanding the distinction between good anger and bad anger. Definitive (or “good”) anger, as Dr. Chapman describes it, is a normal response to genuine wrongdoing, injustice, or mistreatment. Distorted (or “bad”) anger, on the other hand, is our response to others when we have incorrectly perceived a construed wrongdoing, injustice, or mistreatment. We don’t have all the facts correct in distorted anger. Learn some other key differences between the two responses in chapter four of this book.

Some people look like they have it all together on the outside and rarely appear out of control due to anger, while underneath the façade they tend to simmer with unexamined anger. This “implosive” anger can be characterized by brooding or withdrawal, among other expressions. Dr. Chapman identifies key strategies to deal with implosive anger in chapter six of his book.

Whoops!

Looks like I should read the book huh?  I think we all could use more strategies for anger management in our lives. I'll try to get on that and give you a book review sometime in the next 6 months. No promises though. :)

In the meantime, take stock for yourself here.

Righteous Anger

This article from gotquestions.org talks about righteous anger versus sinful anger. 

The Point?

Take stock the next time your blood gets boiling and before you turn into a werewolf and have blood lust, try managing that anger in an appropriate way.  I know it's hard.  If you look at where you are at in your life and what your triggers are, there are ways to make changes so that you don't get to that boiling point anymore.

Trust that God has a plan for you and that He will come along side you if you ask for his help in this area.

Until next time, try not to howl at the moon too much.

Ephesians 4:26-27

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day

Okay, since I like to write about each holiday I felt like I needed to write a little something about this one and of course learn a little something in the process.  

Did Columbus Really Discover America?

When I was a kid we learned in grade school that "In 1492, Columbus sailed the blue" and discovered America.

Then in Junior High(they didn't have middle school back when I was that age) we had an amazing social studies teacher who really got us all excited about learning about history!  Can you even imagine?  One of the things I remember most about his teaching on Columbus was that he straight out told us "Christopher Columbus was a scumbag!"  Of course being 7th graders , this put us in an uproar of laughter and intrigued us.  He explained that he was a man who was sent to look for gold , ended up in the wrong place and once he landed and found the natives he enslaved them, even cutting their hands and feet off as a typical practice.  I think he got scolded by the principal because one of my classmates told on him.

Well, I've learned a bit more about this since then from various sources.  Ever heard of Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism?  You can check out this article on Khan Academy to understand their meanings.

You see, I have no doubt that what Columbus did was heinous according to today's standards in our culture, but do you know about the culture he was a part of at that time?  How about the culture that he landed into?  His culture were conquerors as most were in those days.  The culture he landed into, natives were at war with each other and one or more of the tribes were cannibals. Let's just say most of us today can not really relate to what it was like to be on either side back then.

Enter in the notion of Indigenous Peoples' Day in some places in this country.  I have no issue with marking a day of remembrance for Indigenous People, but why change Columbus Day, why not just have their own day?   Why keep Columbus Day at all?  Here's an interesting article about Indigenous Peoples' Day.

If you look back at why Columbus Day was instituted in the text of the link at the top of this blog post, you will see that a lot of people originally celebrated it to honor Columbus' achievements and the Italian-American heritage. Then controversy started and other states and countries chose to celebrate it a different way and call it something else.

So, My Point...

Well, I don't really have one.  I do want to say that we as people, not just Americans, have to learn from our past mistakes and those that have come before us.   

When I read the bible it seems very foreign to me, it's violent and the culture is so off.  But when you sit down and research those times and cultures, you understand the context of each book.  Sometimes things make sense and click, other times even when I understand , I can't make sense of what happened.  

But, we learn.  We learn that even with our mistakes God loves.

So, if you have the day off, enjoy it with friends and family.  In the end, it's really just a day off.  Reflect on the past and learn from it.  Find your mistakes and learn from them.  Ask for forgiveness and repent.

Or Maybe I do have a point: There was and is only One who was Perfect-Jesus

Matthew 6:14-15

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.




I love the below song lately:  It has spoken to me a lot these past couple of weeks when I've struggled with some personal issues.  I hope it speaks to you too in whatever way you need it today.

Who says you gotta have it all figured out
Who says you'll never feel alone in the crowd
Who says you gotta be like everyone else
Who says?