Today I had the joy of spending time with a friend who is working hard to prepare for a hard conversation she needs to have with someone she loves. My friend is praying. She is seeking wise counsel. And as our conversation developed, I encouraged her to remember the Peacemaker Ministries’ PAUSE Principle of Negotiation because it is so on-point to her efforts to listen well, communicate care and respect, and also effectively communicate her thoughts and concerns. One nuance I did suggest that she might want to consider was the idea of waiting a bit, allowing some time to pass, taking a step back BEFORE communicating her response to…

I am mulling and praying over content for a new women’s retreat and as a part of my studying, I’m reading old (really old!) speaker notes from events in my past. I came across this little excerpt and thought it might be a blessing to any of you who are currently struggling with bitterness: Sometimes the waves of grief and sorrow (that used to come upon my every day, but now happen only rarely) come over me again … and they sometimes give way to anger, resentment, bitterness, and even hatred. Just last month, I was again struggling with bitterness. It was awful and I was miserable! Fred said “I’m…

Ken Sande has a great blog post over at Route 5:9 that I encourage you to read—especially if you’re struggling a bit right now because someone is mad at you for something you honestly can’t recall: Apologize? For Something That’s Not True? (I Think) He gives lots of sage advice in the post, but let me tempt you to read the entire article by quoting a brief excerpt: “To put this another way, when dealing with other people’s negative recollections of the past (even if they are somewhat distorted or exaggerated), I’ve found it is rarely profitable to try to persuade them that their recollections are false. That’s like pounding…