Redeeming Church Conflicts
- Hope in Suffering, How to Love a Mentally Ill Addict, Redeeming Church Conflicts, Redemptive Relationships, Relationships & Peacemaking, Surviving a Childhood of Neglect and Abuse
Sticking with People is Frustrating … You Will Suffer Pain if You are Committed to People
What a contrast in articles! The first is what I would charitably characterize as a, well, not very gracious, thoughtful, or helpful article on why every woman should “ditch the guilt” dropping her little baby off with the “professionals” because staying home with young children can “drive you bonkers,” “give you a back problem and a brain ache,” and women “just need more.” (If you’re really interested, you can read it here, but I think there are far better articles “out there” that graciously and intelligently address this important wisdom issue. And I do think it is a wisdom issue—so discernment, humility, and love are required when we talk about…
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How to Be a Difference Maker In Your Church
I have a friend who is, well, just a solid gold gift of wonderfulness. She is! Even Fred said to me last night, “People have no idea what a gift our church has in (well, let’s call her) Mary.” (“Mary” would be quite embarrassed if she read her own name in this blog.) Mary is one of those wise, gentle, funny, insightful, smart, godly, Christ-centered, careful-thinkers and careful-speakers that MAN! We really need in our churches. Mary is also very quiet, single, works an incredibly important and intense job, and doesn’t get too involved in “stuff” at the church. (Even though she is devoted to the church and serves and…
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Megan Hill’s Endorsement of “Redeeming Church Conflicts”
Our family has been profoundly blessed by Megan Hill’s book on prayer: Praying Together – The Priority and Privilege of Prayer It was my joy to write a whole-hearted endorsement of this excellent book. If you would like biblical encouragement and motivation—as well as practical, real-life helps—for your prayer life, look no further! Megan’s book is a treasure. So you can imagine, then, how honored I was to receive her (very supporitve) endorsement of my latest book: Redeeming Church Conflicts. I will copy the entire endorsement below, but first I just wanted to say a personal thank you to Megan. Megan, you have encouraged me in our writer’s group, blessed…
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What could one person possibly do to help in the midst of this terrible church conflict?
Great wisdom from Cap’n Dave over at RedeemingChurchConflicts.com today: Q: I don’t understand what one person could possibly do to help in the midst of this terrible church conflict! A. You can be God’s instrument in redeeming your church’s conflicts by humbly depending on the Holy Spirit and following the biblical principles revealed in Scripture. Every church conflict can be redeemed because every church conflict can be used for genuine spiritual growth, both individually and corporately within the body of Christ. Christ can use you to redeem your church’s conflict—regardless of how other people respond, even if you are only one lay member out of hundreds or even thousands, even if…
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Help (and Biblical Hope!) for Churches in Conflict
Our family is celebrating the release of the second edition of “Redeeming Church Conflicts” by the wonderful Hendrickson Publishers! My sweet and silly daughters even held a little photo shoot in order to re-pose the picture we took when the first edition was released four years ago: Oh, how we pray that you, or someone you know who is facing the heart-breaking pain of church conflict, receives biblical, Christ-centered, imminently practical for real life HELP and HOPE. Sending my love and greetings from Dave, too! Your sister in Christ, Tara B. PS My coauthor on this project, David V. Edling, was the primary author of the PCA Book of Church Order Appendix on Biblical Conflict Resolution.…
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Relational Wisdom – Ken Sande’s Endorsement of “Redeeming Church Conflicts”
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My Arguments Bounced Off of Her Like Tigger on Red Bull
A few years ago, I had the joy of serving a group of pre-teens and teens in a Geography class. Not being a geography expert (understatement of the year and a fact that I made quite clear to the parents and students when they asked me to serve), I was happy to walk with the students through their Geography textbook as they memorized vocabulary words and definitions and took their tests and quizzes. But, as I told them, I was never going to remember the name of every ocean / river / lake or the capital of every country / province / state, etc. because: A) I don’t have the time to memorize all of…
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PCA Women’s Ministry Connection Series – Videos on Key Doctrines and Women’s Ministry Topics
I am so grateful for the entire PCA Discipleship Ministries team (PCA = my denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America)! Their prayerful, sacrificial and wise ministry creates wonderful, biblical, Christ-centered resources and events for our denomination and I thank God for them every day. This year, the PCA women’s ministry is releasing a series videos to help connect women to key doctrines and Women’s Ministry topics. Each video is paired with questions for your own personal reflection and to encourage conversation and connection among your women’s ministry too. I encourage you to check them all out! I was so honored to get to participate: To access the other videos and the discussion questions for the PCA…
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Ministers are Suspicious, Insecure and Jealous People
Or so says, Rev. Dr. Ligon Duncan in a sermon that I encourage every one of you to listen to: Who is the Greatest? (Taken from Luke 9:46-56 ESV …) An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we…
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If you do not live a life marked by love toward others, the Bible has no encouragement for you to think that you’re a Christian. None.
Quoting from Stop Dating the Church (by Joshua Harris): “To be part of the universal church isn’t enough … Every Christian is called to be passionately committed to a specific local church. Why? Because the local church is the key to spiritual health and growth for a Christian. And because as the visible ‘body of Christ’ in the world, the local church is central to God’s plan for every generation.” Quoting Mark Dever from a talk he frequently gives on college campuses about the local church … “… in the New Testament it seems that the local church is there to verify or falsify our claims to be Christians. The…