Adversity tends to pull us down. It hurts when others sin against us, take us for granted, fail to stand up for us, or break their commitments to us. Such treatment can easily cause us to feel discouraged, bitter or depressed. But there is a way to convert these kinds of unpleasant feelings into heartfelt…(Read More)
Jeff’s reputation was being trashed by people in his own church. He was respected throughout the city for his outstanding Sunday school classes, which had drawn hundreds of people to his church. But then he got caught in the middle of a congregational battle over the senior pastor. A group of members had…(Read More)
As the Civil War was coming to an end, it seemed inevitable that the North would prevail. President Lincoln had many discussions with administration “hardliners,†who hotly opposed his intention to be merciful and generous to the South. During one particularly heated conversation, one of those men rebuked Lincoln, saying that the North must “destroy…(Read More)
Your worldview is always operating in the background of daily life. It gives rise to the beliefs and values that guide your attitudes and behavior, which determine the quality of your relationships. This combination of worldview, beliefs and values also determines how you face the major challenges and crises of life. Such as three forms…(Read More)
Indulging in bitterness is one of the most stupid things we ever do. How stupid is it? Well, think about it this way. Imagine that someone stabbed you in the arm with a knife, leaving it there. After he flees, you stare in horror at the knife, then in agony take the handle in your…(Read More)
Three months before graduating from law school, I decided I did not want to be a lawyer. Two years of interning for a plaintiff’s attorney had shown me that the adversarial system brought out my worst characteristics: pride, aggressiveness, and a compulsive desire to win arguments. I feared that if I spent my life…(Read More)
“The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude.” So wrote Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who survived the Holocaust, living through the deprivation and horrors of both Auschwitz and Dachau. Consider the background for his writing about freedom. His wife, parents and brother were killed by the Nazis. His…(Read More)
Mom’s Night Out (not to be confused with Bad Moms) provides some superb examples of relational wisdom … especially by a big, tattooed biker. The movie involves three mothers who decide they need a night away from their kids. In order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a bag, they…(Read More)
Corlette and I spent the last four days in Seattle teaching relational wisdom and peacemaking at Highlands Community Church. One of the high points of the weekend was delivering a sermon on Gospel Centered Relationships. This is one of my favorite topics, so I’m glad to offer you a link to a video and…(Read More)
Jeff’s reputation was being trashed by people in his own church. He was respected throughout the city for his outstanding Sunday school classes, which had drawn hundreds of people to his church. But then he got caught in the middle of a congregational battle over the senior pastor. A group of members had become…(Read More)
Adversity tends to pull us down. It hurts when others sin against us, take us for granted, fail to stand up for us, or break their commitments to us. Such treatment can easily cause us to feel discouraged, bitter or depressed. But there is a way to convert these kinds of unpleasant feelings into heartfelt…(Read More)
During the last months of my son’s senior year in high school, Jeff had a lot of conflict with his mother. As a result I was doing more mediation at home than I was through my conciliation ministry. Night after night the three of us applied principles of confession, forgiveness and negotiation. And…(Read More)
I fell in love with Jesus during law school. It wasn’t because law school was so difficult; it was because Jesus is so wonderful. Thanks to my mother, I’d known about Jesus all my life. But I didn’t really know Jesus. Therefore, I didn’t really love him or trust in him…(Read More)
How much do you trust God? Really? Do you trust him as much as a blind teenage racer trusts her seeing-eye dog? Sami Stoner lost her eyesight just as she entered the eighth grade. She had to face the fact that she would never get a driver’s license, never again do her own…(Read More)
A friend may be writing a letter to me that I might not like. Although we’ve talked repeatedly, there are tensions between us that are still not resolved. Yesterday another acquaintance said my friend is composing a letter to me. He gave no details, just “He’s writing something for you.†Oh boy, what…(Read More)
One of the best ways to improve your relationships is to develop the habit of drawing attention to EGGs. Not the ones you cook, but the innumerable Evidences of God’s Grace that he lavishes on you and those around you … and calls you to recount to others. As David wrote: “I will give thanks…(Read More)
I recently learned that I have stage IV cancer. A month ago a surgeon removed my thyroid and over forty lymph nodes. Radiation treatment should begin in a few days. Then a week of isolation until the radioactive iodine leaves my system. Then the waiting begins … Not something I would have chosen on my…(Read More)
As of August 8, 2014 (please send suggested additions to Corlette@rw360.org) “God has given you a priceless gift: eternal life through Jesus Christ†(Rom. 6:23). “The Lord set his love on you before he even created the world … so it obviously has nothing to do with your earning it†(Eph. 1:4…(Read More)
Noah beat Garmin to the punch. Abraham got the jump on TomTom. And Moses was way ahead of Magellan. What on earth am I talking about? Navigation systems. If it’s in your car or on your phone, you know it as a GPS (Global Positioning System). It’s probably made by Garmin, TomTom, or…(Read More)
Joni Eareckson Tada’s superb new song, Alone Yet Not Alone, is stirring up a lot of controversy in Hollywood. I hope it stirs you up as well by reminding you of God’s faithful presence in your life. The song was written for a recent movie by the same title. It’s based on…(Read More)
I wake up some mornings and feel overwhelmed before I even get out of bed. Ministry challenges, relational concerns, personal weaknesses, past failures and future tests swirl through my mind, causing me to doubt myself and fear the day. Time and again, I’ve found encouragement and hope by crawling out of bed, tip-toeing…(Read More)
God designed us to be three-dimensional in our relationships. Align yourself with this design, and your relationships prosper. Ignore it and they will inevitably suffer. The is the uniform message of Holy Scripture, early church patriarchs, and more recent theologians like C.S. Lewis, John Stott, John Frame and Tim Keller. The 3D’s…(Read More)
A slightly expanded version of this post is available here. God designed us to be three-dimensional in our relationships. Align yourself with this design, and your relationships prosper. Ignore it and they inevitably suffer. The 3D’s Are Everywhere From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible teaches us how to relate to God (love, trust…(Read More)
Jessica Eaves was recently robbed in her local grocery story. But she was ready … not with a Taser but with the Word of God. It happened so quickly. As she examined an item on a shelf, a stranger came up behind her and took her wallet out of her purse, which she had left…(Read More)
Tom called me for advice on how to deal with a church elder’s daughter who was pregnant out of wedlock. Half of his elder board was insisting that she appear before them to confess her sin. The other half, including her father, wanted her to simply write a letter of confession. The young woman…(Read More)
The following article is adapted from an article I wrote in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. I have revised it in light of the debate regarding Syria. While the geographical focus has changed from the U.S. to the Middle East, many of the issues and peacemaking principles remain the same. The recent…(Read More)
A devastating tornado and a shocking murder. The last things any of us would ever want to experience. And yet as the following video clip illustrates, it was in the midst of such great suffering that a family from Iowa demonstrated astonishing love. I pray that God will use this true story to change how…(Read More)
It’s pretty hard to find a good confession in a modern movie … but here’s a great one. This clip comes from the movie Fireproof. Kirk Cameron plays a young fireman whose marriage is falling apart due to his selfishness, insensitivity, addiction to pornography, and violent temper. Erin Bethea plays his wife, Catherine, who…(Read More)
Today’s film clip is taken from the movie To End All Wars. Based on a book by the same title, this movie chronicles the suffering and spiritual transformation of a British soldier named Ernest Gordon. Captured by the Japanese just months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon was put to work on the…(Read More)
“The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude.†So wrote Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who survived the Holocaust, living through the deprivation and horrors of both Auschwitz and Dachau. Consider the background for his writing about freedom. His wife, parents, and brother were killed by the Nazis. His…(Read More)