Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Making a “Peace Place” (Pt II)

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Our “Peace Place” file is finally made up, although I think it will be added to and changed around as needed. The only problem I have now came from one son who asked, “What are we supposed to do if more than one of us needs it at the same time?”

These are the charts and sheets I have included:

  • The Hope for Life chart showing the results of choosing to respond with either anger or love. It includes positive responses such as confession, repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation and the resulting fruit of love, joy, peace, patience and so forth. It also shows the negative reactions of fighting, rage, revenge, self-pity and bitterness and the fruit of this anger including rebellion, stubbornness, misery, despair, fear and more. In a side column it also shows how anger is a choice based on foolishness and a focus on self, whereas reconciliation glorifies God’s desire and design.
  • A summary of Dr. S. M. Davis sermon “Anger the Destroyer” which we recently watched together as a family. I found some great visual images for the five ways anger is described in the Bible: a city without walls, an unbearable load, a flood, a poisonous snake and a fire-breathing dragon! Dr Davis also has seven points about how to defeat anger.
  • “Is it Love?” poster which is taken from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7. I found this in a Facets magazine by Heather McEwan. It has a list which the offender can fill in mentally, i.e. Is ………… being patient?
  • The five A’s of Confession, the Four Promises of Forgiveness and a sample prayer which details exactly what it means and how you can confess sin and forgive others. I found these here.
  • A “Problem Solving Think Sheet” from the same Facets magazine by Heather McEwan. This is to help our older children work through a problem they have with each other, together. I am going to spend some time with the older two this week explaining the questions and probably help them out the first time they need to use it. I’m hoping though it will help them take responsibility for solving their problems together in a biblical manner.
  • “Reflective Sit Time Think Sheet” from the same Facets magazine by Heather McEwan. This will mainly be used for offences that are repeated often. I am hoping that by having to take the time to write out the answers to these questions they will really work through the issue, especially the questions “What is the evidence of heart change?” and “Am I really sorry for my actions or just regretful of having been busted?

I also plan to have a jar of simple actions that the offender can select from as a way of making restitution for offences, but that’s a post for another time!

Patrice

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