Do you have strongly held political views? Have you noticed that people who are highly ideologically driven feel justified in name calling and being angry, and perhaps hateful? Have you noticed this is true whether they identify with the left or the right? Do you consider your primary allegiance to be to me? Then you should recognize that those with whom you disagree are brothers under one Father and those whom I am redeeming. You may have strong feelings about proper government policies.

Do you take comfort in the promise of my return? You should. I told you to look for me and love my appearing. How do you do this? You know believers who set dates and try to correlate world events with Biblical prophecy, and to identify the coming Antichrist. Does this make you a better person? People have been setting dates for my return for centuries, and so far none of them have been right, obviously. What is the best way to anticipate my return and prepare yourself for it? You have assignments now and spiritual development work still to complete.

Do you present the gospel message to those you meet? This is your part of the Great Commission. What responses have you received? You will find some who are hostile and belligerent. Are you tempted to respond in like manner? But this will result in an argument rather than a convert. What should your demeanor be? How often have you been persuaded by someone who is angry and confrontational? Be as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove. If you present yourself as a humble seeker then you will have rapport when you find another one, and win a friend and possibly a brother.

Are you familiar with the problem of body image issues? Do you think this only affects adolescent girls? Could it be that everyone has body image issues; that it is so pervasive that you are unaware of it? According to the Genesis account, this was not present at the very beginning, but was the first acquired trait from the Big Mistake. People have worn clothing ever since. Could the underlying shame be a source of self-alienation even for people who are covered? The Big Mistake was a spiritual issue more than a physical one.