Reconciling Two Stubborn Scientists
How would you feel if God enabled you to use simple relational skills you learned at church to solve a million dollar problem for your employer? That’s exactly what a woman named Diane did when she stepped in to resolve an employee conflict that had stumped her company’s president and human resources professionals. The joy […]
Asking Parents to Give Up Their Keys
One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was to ask my mother and my mother-in-law to give up their car keys. Doing it with each of them on the same day (since they both lived with us) was especially difficult. Our moms loved running their own errands, going out for lunch and driving to […]
A Wave of Confessions Saves a Church
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 silently by when Mark was slandered in […]
Pastor Resolves a Texas Football Scandal
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 football players had been suspended from the […]
The Three P’s of Satisfaction
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 children who could not escape discipline. The relationship-saving concept in each of […]
If Your Enemy Needs Electricity
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 guilty that he had been unable to resolve the conflict personally. […]
100% Responsible
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 would listen patiently and carefully. After they made their […]
A Stolen Baby, $200M Lawsuit and an Astonishing Reconciliation
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 marriage counseling (names changed but story used by permission). Click here for PDF version of this post After several meetings, the […]
7 Ways to Redeem an Offense
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 forehead […]
Takeaways with Kirk Cameron
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, please click here. The entire interview is scheduled […]