Breathe Grace
Highly relational people love to breathe grace. They draw continually on the goodness and power of Jesus Christ, and then they breathe his love, kindness and wisdom into all of their relationships. This is what the Apostle Paul had in mind in Ephesians 4:29, where he calls each of us to “give grace” to others. […]
An Exciting New Partnership
I’m pleased to announce the formation of a new ministry partnership with Crossroads Resolution Group LLC. This relationship expands our ability to provide churches, ministries, and businesses with professional, biblically-grounded conflict resolution services. CRG is led by two gifted conciliators with whom I had the privilege to work while leading Peacemaker Ministries, who are now […]
Have You Ever Been This Kind?
When was the last time you did something that was so amazingly kind that others will remember your actions the rest of their lives? If it’s been awhile, I encourage you to take two minutes to watch a video clip of some young men who refused to play basketball against another team … as an […]
Manipulative Double Messages
One of the most effective ways to undermine a relationship is to use double-messages to manipulate other people. This all-too-common process was perfectly illustrated in a recent edition of Baby Blues, one of my favorite cartoon strips. Wanda has clearly mastered the art of “control without coercion.” By saying “It’s fine,” she gives the […]
Redeeming Your Weaknesses
To find your greatest weakness, first identify your greatest strength and then look right behind it. That’s one of the tragic results of sin: it twists our strengths into weaknesses, just as (-1) x 100 becomes -100. Are you highly intelligent and well-studied in the Bible? Look out, because your knowledge can puff you up […]
G’Day Mate!
I had the privilege of spending the last week with some delightful brothers and sisters in Christ “Down Under.” During my time in Australia, I spoke to the student body at Queensland Theological Seminary, taught for two days at the Acts 29 Church Planting Conference on the Gold Coast, and preached at Life Centre Church […]
RW in McFarland, U.S.A.
If you’d like to see some vivid examples of relational wisdom, be sure to see Disney’s latest release, McFarland, U.S.A. The movie is based on the true story of a 1987 cross country team from a predominantly Mexican-American high school in McFarland, California. Kevin Costner stars as coach Jim White, who has lost job after […]
How Did You Experience Me?
One of the hardest and yet most profitable questions you can ever ask another person is … “How did you experience me?” In other words … “Please tell me how I made you feel and what you were thinking about me during our recent interaction. I really want to know … even if you think […]
Embarrassing Sin, Comforting Forgiveness
I recently sent out an impulsive and sin-tainted email to a group of people whom I dearly love. Two brothers quickly and gently confronted me. I then had the humbling experience of emailing a detailed confession to the same group of people. But the embarrassment I felt was worth the blessing of receiving this incredibly […]
Four Elements of Effective Church Planning
Click Here For a Downloadable PDF File Any time we make plans that impact a group of people—whether it’s our church, ministry, business or even our family—we have the opportunity to deepen and enrich our relationships, both with God and the people around us. But this takes discipline and deliberate effort, because every human interaction—including […]