At last he had his chance. Clutching his prepared statement in his hand, Mark sat down in the front pew, ready to get even with the elders (all names have been changed). Six months earlier they had refused to support his promotion to senior pastor. They had stood...
As pastor Kent drove home from our peacemaking training, he had no idea how quickly his new skills would be put to the test. He had barely walked through the door when his wife informed him about a conflict that was dividing their small town. Three high school...
It’s not often that an attorney loses a lawsuit, along with her two million dollar contingency fee, and yet walks away satisfied. I’ve seen similar satisfaction with employees who didn’t get a promotion. With church members who disagreed with their pastors. And with...
Rich, a dear friend of mine, had a horrible conflict with his neighbor, Cynthia. A property line dispute that began with debates in the back yard had evolved into heated arguments. Eventually Cynthia filed a lawsuit. As an attorney and trained conciliator, Rich felt...
When my wife was an elementary school counselor, students were often sent to her office because of conflict. As they told her their stories, many children would go to great lengths to paint themselves as victims and others as being to blame for the problem. Corlette...
A PDF version of this post is available at www.rw360.org/$200M-pdf It's not often that pastoral counseling sets the stage for a kidnapping, a $200 million lawsuit and crying attorneys. But that is exactly what happened when Cindy and Clark went to their pastor for...
A while ago, I received a complaint from a woman who I will call Ruth (not her real name) regarding a video clip I used in one of my blog posts. The video is called "It’s Not about the Nail." It features a graphic metaphor built around a woman with a nail in her...
A few weeks ago, I once again had the privilege of being interviewed by Kirk Cameron on his Takeaways show. As always, Kirk was highly energized as we explored "wisdom in relationships and taming the tongue." If you'd like to see a one-minute segment of our exchange,...
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Kirk Cameron on his Takeaways show. It was one of the most stimulating interviews I've ever done, largely because Kirk himself became so energized as we explored the power of biblical peacemaking. If you'd...
Moses made a major mistake that many church leaders are still making today. He tried to single-handedly resolve all of the relational tensions and conflicts among the people God had placed under his care. When his father-in-law saw what Moses was doing, he admonished...