IN AN ANGRY WORLD HOW TO STICK TO YOUR CONVICTIONS WITHOUT ALIENATING PEOPLE RICK BEZET C Rick Bezet, Real Love in an Angry World Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2017. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) © 2017 by Rick Bezet Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, pho- tocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Con- gress, Washington, DC. ISBN 978-0-8010-1454-3 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New Inter- national Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com Scripture quotations labeled AMP are from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publish- ers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011 Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations labeled Message are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eu- gene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lock- man Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations labeled TLB are from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The names and insignificant details of the stories in this book have been changed to protect the identities of the people mentioned. Any resemblance of any person or situation, real or fictional, is entirely coincidental. Rick Bezet is represented by Thomas J. Winters of Winters, King & Associates, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Rick Bezet, Real Love in an Angry World Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2017. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Dedicated to New Life Church, for always looking for the next person to welcome home. Rick Bezet, Real Love in an Angry World Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2017. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Contents Foreword: Chris Hodges 11 1. Truth and Love 15 2. It’s Getting Dark Out There! 31 3. Big, Ugly Bible 51 4. The Heart of God 71 5. Learning How to Agree Again 87 6. Welcome Home 107 7. Vegas, Baby! 129 8. Sometimes You Just Can’t Win 141 9. Love Never Fails (though It Feels Like It Might) 169 Acknowledgments 183 9 Rick Bezet, Real Love in an Angry World Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2017. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Foreword They are out there, but they are few and far between. People who bring joy to any and every situation; the ones who refuse to take life as it comes and instead redefine it based on their faith in God and daily choice to be a life-giving person. These individuals are so much more than the “life of the party” or “fun to be around” or a “peacemaker.” Their words always seem to encourage you somehow, and their actions always speak louder than their words. These God-given friends make you reconsider your own life and how you’re living it; they inspire you with their contagious attitude to be more grateful and more hopeful in every area of your life. They are people like my friend Rick Bezet. Rick is one of those guys with an irrepressible passion for life—someone I simply love being around. He is so genuinely positive that I always feel lighter after talking with him or hearing him speak. In fact, he brings light wherever he goes— both illuminating everything and everyone around him while also lessening the weight they often feel from life’s burdens. 11 Rick Bezet, Real Love in an Angry World Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2017. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Foreword Rick also challenges me to see the truth of God’s Word in dynamic new ways. He is truly a breath of fresh air. That’s why I’m so thankful you’re holding this book. Rick has taught me something we all need to learn and to live by: life isn’t what happens to you; it’s how you respond to what happens to you. This is especially true when it comes to your relation- ships and responding to people—not just your loved ones and other important people in your life, but everyone with whom you come in contact. As followers of Jesus, we’re all called to be life-giving light-bearers, but unfortunately, we sometimes allow the cultural darkness around us to diminish our impact. We want to be positive, hopeful, and encouraging, but the negativism and critical spirit of our age feel overwhelming. You don’t have to go far to experience this friction. You see it in the news, observe it in politics, encounter it on blogs and social media sites, and face it in your community, work- place, and neighborhood. The culture around us has become so toxic, so opinionated, and in many cases, so downright mean that it has polluted our spirits and caused our hearts to be guarded. Many people have resigned themselves to the fact that the only way to survive is to fight back. So we engage in the Facebook comment war, let the political battles ignite our rage, withdraw from people we once called friends, and at the very least, quietly form unhealthy opinions about others in our hearts. And before long, we too become toxic, defensive, resentful, bitter, and vengeful. But this is not who God calls us to be, and it’s definitely not the example we see in the life of Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are all called to respond a different way, a better way, and I believe that God wants to use Rick’s experiences, 12 Rick Bezet, Real Love in an Angry World Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2017. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Foreword story, and wisdom to help us live this life of love. More than ever, if we are to rise above the hatred simmering all around us, we need the life principles Rick teaches in this book. I know that’s a tall order. Few books deliver on their prom- ise to improve your life. Too often, books contain a lot of hype and spin and too little relevant substance and practical application. Many authors know how to tell us what sounds good but fail to share what they’ve tested in the hard trenches of daily life. But that’s not the case here. If you take Rick’s message to heart, reflect on the truth of his teaching, laugh as hard as I know he will make you laugh, and apply the truths of God’s Word, then I guarantee you’ll learn how to be a person who brings light and life wherever you go. You will know how to share Real Love in an Angry World. Chris Hodges Senior pastor, Church of the Highlands 13 Rick Bezet, Real Love in an Angry World Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2017. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) 1 Truth and Love A couple of years ago, my dad was diagnosed with pancre- atitis. He’s healthy now, but for about a year, he was quite ill and I traveled to visit him as often as I could. During one visit, the doctors informed me that Dad wasn’t going to live much longer. Maybe only a few hours. Dad is one of the funniest men I have ever known. You never know what he’s going to say! But this was a serious moment. “When you go in there today,” the doctors told me, “you need to speak to him like this is the last time you’ll ever see him.” My head was spinning when I entered the room. I was thinking about all the important things I wanted to tell him before I said my last good-bye. In that moment, I felt respon- sible to express my love and respect for him, to thank him for leading and loving me. So I did. I did it right! I honored my father in what I believed were the final moments of his life.