Emotions can be a sticky topic for Christians. While most of us know having a healthy range of emotions is good for us and those we love, we are often dissuaded from leaning too much into our emotions or feelings for the fear of becoming swept away by them, and distracted from our calling. But Jesus shows us a true picture of how emotions can give us perspective and language for relating to ourselves and others. He shows the gamut of emotions from anger to those who are exploiting the things of God for their own gain, to compassion for the Samaritan woman at the well who had been discarded by her people (John 4 NIV). Jesus exemplified how our emotions can inform us as to how we show up in the world, and having a healthy balance of emotions keeps us in touch with ourselves and others.

Today's guests discuss emotions from two different perspectives. Dr. Gary Chapman looks at his seminal work, The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, not only as it relates to human relationships but also in our relationship with God. His discussion comes as the book celebrates its 30th anniversary, having sold over twenty million copies world-wide and being translated into fifty languages. Jason Wilson is a writer and non-profit CEO who advocates emotional intelligence among men. He shows the example of Jesus as the “comprehensive man,” in the fact that He was not only bold, strong, and aggressive, but compassionate, nurturing, and caring.

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling

Jesus Always

Jesus Listens

Past interview: Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. Daniel Amen

Upcoming interview: Todd Hoffman

John 4 NIV

Dr. Gary Chapman

The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts

www.5lovelanguages.com

Jason Wilson

Yunion

Obama administration 

This Is Us

Cry Like A Man 

Laurence Fishburne

Battle Cry

Romans 12:2 NIV

Matthew 5:16 NIV

Matthew 6:25-34 NIV

www.mrjasonwilson.com

Interview Quotes:

“There's an ancient Hebrew proverb that says life and death is in the tongue. We can kill people by the way we talk to them or we can give a light. And for some people, affirming words really communicates a love to them or an emotional level.” - Dr. Gary Chapman

“Each of us has a primary love language. And if you don't speak [your loved one's] primary language, they will not feel loved, even though you're speaking some of the other languages.” - Dr. Gary Chapman

“One of our deepest emotional needs as humans is the need to feel loved by the significant people in your life.” - Dr. Gary Chapman

“My life has never been the same, it was almost like God was saying, ‘I have something for you to do, but I don't know if you're ready for it yet.’” - Jason Wilson

“Like Moses, when his desire was to free the Israelites, he did it his way at first and it almost cost him his life. That's the majority of us. When I became a follower of Christ, I had the t-shirt, hat, bumper stickers, you know, everything Jesus, okay? But it was really my way, not His way.” - Jason Wilson