Pursuing God with Dave and Gene

The apostle James reminds us to restrain our remarks by being slow to speak. Popular psychology tells us to vent our anger. But the problem with venting is that it can lead to being out of control the next time we get angry. It is also not very effective to vent to another person. Anger creates more anger. Gene reminds us to go directly to the person who has made us angry and process our anger in a more healthy way.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

In today’s episode, Gene challenges us to take time to reflect and think through our responses when we get angry. Anger is like having a smoke detector - it indicates there is a problem. Anger exists to tell us something is wrong and needs our attention. The underlying emotion is hurt, frustration, or fear.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Anger can take a toll on our physical and emotional health. We live in an angry world. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. In today’s episode, Gene reminds us that being angry isn’t a sin. It is letting the anger control us where we fall into sin. James 1:19 reminds us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Psalm 77 begins with a man who is on the brink of total collapse of his faith. But when we see his perspective change from focusing on himself to focusing on God, the story becomes powerful. Will you choose to trust in your disappointment, or will you trust in the God who is working upstream? Gene reminds us that God is greater than our pain and our disappointment. We need to trust that He is working and that He cares deeply for us in the midst of our pain.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

In today’s episode, Gene explains why telling someone to pray might not be the first thing to do in our grief. Meditating first on God puts our life in perspective by focusing on God rather than ourselves. The starting place is to focus not on your disappointment but on God and his track record in your life. Focus on the God who is working ‘upstream’ from your life.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

When we tell someone to ‘just pray about it,’ it may not be the first thing to tell people to do when their life is on the rocks. The author of Psalm 77 cried out to God and felt like God wasn’t there. In the Psalm, Asaph asked some hard questions that we can ask today when we experience devastation. Why is God silent? Can he be greater than our disappointment? In today’s episode, Gene explains how to talk to God and ask the hard questions.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

There are no textbook answers on how to deal with our disappointments and grief. In today’s episode, Gene unpacks Psalm 77 where the writer is experiencing deep lament and doesn’t feel like God is near. This Psalm and other psalms of lament show that it is okay to be honest and unedited with God in our prayers during a time of devastation and grief.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Each of us has something in our lives we love to do. Whether it’s a hobby or a vacation, it is life-giving. Do you have a dream you have not yet fulfilled? Where have your dreams been disappointing? How do you talk to God when life interrupts your plans? This week, Gene walks through Psalm 77, a psalm of lament.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

You can experience a much greater sense of meaning and purpose at work by showing Jesus to others through love, acceptance, encouragement, and forgiveness. Gene reminds us in today’s episode to look past others’ behavior and see their hurt. When we show Jesus in our place of work, others will be drawn to us.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

How do you talk at work? Many Christians diminish their spiritual impact by the way they talk. Negativity, gossip, and dishonesty all create a lack of credibility and integrity. Gene reminds us that we are an example of Jesus in our workplace through our words and actions. Does your character align with someone who professes to follow Christ?

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.