Relationships & Peacemaking
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When My Dad Loved Me At My Worst
When My Dad Loved Me At My Worst Great story here from Justin Holcomb: Many of us think (whether we admit it or not) there must be some breaking point where our Father God gives up on us. Even if we successfully avoid believing this fallacy, others’ overzealous cries still reach our ears: certainly there must be some sin or amount of sin that is just too much. The flood My understanding of unconditional love and its implications deepened when I was 10 years old. Our neighbors had moved and they were trying to sell their house. One day I broke in through the back door and closed…
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Instead of judging others critically, God commands us to judge charitably …
I was surprised to find myself taking a walk with Ken Sande this morning. OK. Not really—but his voice did accompany me on my walk as Pilgrim Radio provided me with the wonderful opportunity to listen to his teaching on charitable judgments. I wish I could share the audio with you, but all I was able to find was this printed article. It may be a transcription of the talk, however, so if you can just hear Ken’s soothing, intelligent voice reading this article to you, I’m sure you will be just as blessed as I was. Thanks, Ken!
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Forgiveness
One of Fred’s favorite quotes on forgiveness comes from World Magazine’s Andree Seu: “I asked a few people if they’d ever forgiven anyone, and what it felt like. They gave me answers so pious I knew they’d never done it.” Does this describe you? I know it has described me at times. But then I think about the people who have actually forgiven me. What that felt like. How it healed our relationship and ministered the truth of the gospel to me. And I think about the times that I have forgiven—really forgiven—someone who has deeply wronged me. Sometimes, that forgiveness came only after I kicked and screamed and was pretty…
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The Person May be Doing their Part Behind the Scenes
I very much appreciated this recent article by Pastor Kevin DeYoung: Say Something Right Now Or Else In it, he talks about the pressure that people in public positions sometimes have to comment on, well, everything—doctrine, politics, biblical manhood/womanhood, education choices, organic food, recycling, cats versus dogs, tea versus coffee, whether The West Wing was a terrible show or a great show. (OK. OK. I’m making 99% of those examples up—Pastor DeYoung’s were only the serious ones. But hopefully you get the point.) This is actually a topic that I have tried to come to a prayerful, principled position on—especially as regards my opinions on certain Christian authors and speakers.…
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Apologies Should be a Part of a Leaders Life
Cap’n Dave has finished his seven-part series on Preserving Your Pastor (based on a survey Dr. Thom Ranier did of pastors) and I encourage you to check it out if you haven’t already done so. Dave has helped a lot of pastors over the decades and he has a lot of wisdom to share. Dr. Ranier had another excellent article today that I also urge you to read: Real Leaders Apologize The only thing I would change in his article is to add one more line to his close. He wrote: Real leaders apologize. Real Christian leaders apologize. I would add: Real leaders apologize. Real Christian leaders apologize. Real Christians apologize. Because truly, we…
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What Do I Owe The Person Who Differs From Me?
My all-time favorite article on the Peacemaker website: Polemic Theology: What Do I Owe The Person Who Differs From Me?
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Helping “Difficult People” in Your Church
It’s been a few months. Time to re-read this CCEF classic. If only I could staple it to my forehead until I have internalized all of its important (and helpful) truths: Helping “Difficult People” in Your Church
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The Church as a Peacemaking Forum
This is a meaty read, but worth digesting if you are interested in the topic: Can the Church be a Peacemaking Forum?
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Boldness to Declare the Gospel in the Midst of Much Conflict
Last night, Fred shared this wonderful translation of 1 Thessalonians 2:2 with me: “But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.” (ESV) Sounds like a perfect peacemaking verse! Definitely going in the pack o’ memory verses for regular review …
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Redemptive Confrontation: “God wants us to adjust the intensity of our communication to fit the other person’s position and the urgency of the situation.”
From Ken Sande’s The Peacemaker: “Talking to other people about a conflict is usually an unpleasant experience. We often let tensions build to the exploding point and then confront people with a list of their wrongs. They become defensive and react with a list of our wrongs, which leads to a painful battle of words. Those who are more verbally skilled may win a few arguments this way, but in the process they lose many important relationships. The gospel opens the door for an entirely different approach to talking to others about their role in a conflict. Remembering God’s mercy towards us, we can approach others in a spirit of…