It is a false concept to believe that God accepts us just the way we are and that we can then stay just the way we are. This belief doesn’t deal with the reality that we are by nature the children of wrath and the enemies of our Creator. To deal with the dysfunctional conflict […]
There was a time in my life when I thought that dealing with conflict was simply a matter of applying some conflict management techniques and magically problems between human beings are solved. The real issues are much more complex. One of the principles I’ve learned (but sometimes fail to do) seems counter-intuitive, but before we […]
Pornography has become the enemy Christian leaders love to hate. Its pervasiveness is viewed with concern, and the fight against it is presented as a war for the soul of Christian men who endeavor to maintain purity in a world that is ever more sexual. The battle is on. A purity culture has grown out […]
Ben was a Connecticut merchant in the American colonial period. As his business fortunes rose, so did his resentment of British taxation. At the outset of the American Revolution, Ben was elected captain of the local militia. He organized them into an effective fighting force and presented a bold plan for seizing the British forts […]
Why truth as story is a better way to reach today’s world. And what this has to do with the Church of God. Movie scenes can often get to the heart of a point that would otherwise take a blog or sermon to explain. This was the case when I watched the emotional, award-winning movie […]
The natural human reaction to conflict is fight-or-flight. These are normal reactions when we face physical threats, but we also respond with fight-or-flight behavior when confronted with non-physical conflict. We either fight to protect our perceived rights, our self-image, or our emotional security; or we run away so that we can avoid the uncomfortable work […]
The truth is a stubborn thing. It is true whether we believe it or not. It resists consensus; it is not impressed or intimidated by office, rank, or power; it is impervious to feelings. Agreement with others may comfort us, but it has no impact on what is true. It doesn’t matter how strongly we […]
One day a few months back, I got a call from a friend while I was out running errands. This particular friend doesn’t call often and normally texts, so I knew something was up. As we spoke for a few moments, things seem okay – light chit-chat – but I could tell in their voice […]
Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And wondered that […]
This is the second blog in a series reviewing the five major core causes of dysfunctional conflict discussed in The Mercy Effect. In the last blog, we looked at one of the major causes of conflict which is our need to be emotionally healed. A second cause is based in our expectations to have others […]