Title: Anger & Patience

Scripture: James 1:19-27

Speaker: Reid Kapple, ReidK@ChristCommunityKC.org

There's something to be said for adjusting the rage to fit the provocation. If every offensive, unjust or insulting incident turns into a jolt of high-fructose fury mainlined straight to the brain's amygdala, what's left when there's a truly right and righteous reason to rise up in anger? And those important moments do occur. -Jeffrey Kluger, TIME Magazine

Conversation Starters – Olathe Campus

Date: May 28, 2017

Text: James 1:19-21

Title: Anger and Patience

1) Angrier than we Realize: Reid argues that we are all angrier than we realize. Do you agree or disagree? Where do you see anger in your life?

2) Get to know your anger: We see that anger is usually a secondary emotion to either “fear” or “pain/sadness.” With that in mind are you able to notice what emotion (fear/sadness) is often underneath your anger? Practice right now by sharing with the group a time when you were angry but your anger was a result of fear/sadness.

3) Using anger to respond in love and compassion: After discovering that anger can be a good thing and that anger is a gift God gives us to motivate us to positive action then what are some things worth “being angry about” and what are you going to do about it?”

-Financial corruption

-Bad schools

-Racism and bigotry

-Bullying

-Domestic abuse

-Human trafficking

-Religious liberty for all

4) Being angry about the “right things:” Reid says patience is often the “proper wielding of your anger.” Discuss some things in your personal life that you notice your anger being unleashed in harmful ways and how you might turn that anger into patience or positive action? (yelling at your kids, sarcastic with you husband, dismissive of your co-worker, etc). Be as specific as possible. (example - when my wife corrects me - rather than responding with sarcasm or being passive aggressive, I will wield my anger as patience by having the courage to tell her I am embarrassed to be wrong).

5) Scripture: Consider memorizing one of the verses about anger from Scripture and reciting it for the group next week. Possibly the one of the ones Reid suggests from Proverbs (17:27, 15:18, 3:30, 11:23, 14:29, 19:11)My personal favorite is Proverbs 19:11, “The patience (discretion) of a man makes him slow to anger and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.”

6) Trust that God’s Got it: Reid says, “For some of us we need to know that God is in control of our life in order to grow in patience. But some of us need to know that God is in control of the lives of others. Sometimes we are angry about things we want changed in our life. And sometimes we are angry about things we want changed in other people’s lives.” Talk about how knowing God’s in control can help with your anger. (Perhaps fear is the underlying emotion to your anger?)

7) Prayer: list a specific area you would like prayer for in turning your anger into patience. Pray for these areas together.