"Avoiding, Creating, and Resolving Conflict"
Notice Jesus didn’t say ‘Blessed are the peace lovers,” because everyone loves peace. Neither did he say, “Blessed are the peaceable,” who are never disturbed by anything. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who work for peace” those who actively seek to resolve conflict. Peacemakers are rare because peacemaking is hard work…Peacemaking is not avoiding conflict. Running from a problem, pretending it doesn’t exist, or being afraid to talk about it is actually cowardice. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was never afraid of conflict. On occasion he provoked it for the good of everyone. Sometimes we need to avoid conflict, sometimes we need to create it, and sometimes we need to resolve it.
Rick Warren
"Assume The Best"
Be not hasty to believe flying Reports to the Disparagement of any.
George Washington
"Refuse To Engage"
When one will not, two cannot quarrel.
Saying
"Honor Highest Loyalties"
I entirely appreciate loyalty to one's friends, but loyalty to the cause of justice and honor stands above it.
Theodore Roosevelt
"God's Classroom & Laboratory"
The local church is the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family. It is a lab for practicing unselfish, sympathetic love…only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect believers can we learn real fellowship and experience…being connected and dependent on each other...God’s mercy to us is the motivation for showing mercy to others. Remember, you will never be asked to forgive someone else more than God has already forgiven you. Whenever you are hurt by someone, you have a choice to make: Will I use my energy and emotions for retaliation or for resolution? You can’t do both.
Rick Warren
"Competition: For Little League, But Not For The Body Of Christ"
...how little the proponents of the ideal of competition have to say about...community, compassion, and mutual help. But what the ideal of competition most flagrantly and disastrously excludes is affection.
Wendell Berry
"I Am My Brother And My Brother Is Me"
The brotherhood of men would be an empty dream without the fatherhood of God.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
(Title: Ralph Waldo Emerson)
"The Common Cause"
When someone opposes me, he arouses my attention, not my anger. I go to meet a man who contradicts me, who instructs me. The cause of truth should be the common cause for both.
Montaigne
"Semantics"
An argument may reveal different facets of the same truth.
Raymond P. Brunk
"The Warrior/Lover"
War is problematic for my thoroughly modern children (and for every thinking soul). It would seem to bring into collision two prominent themes of Scripture: God the warrior (Isaiah 42:13), on the one hand, and on the other, God the lover (1 John 4:16), the compassionate (2 Corinthians 1:3), the merciful (2 Samuel 24:14-15), the hater of violence (Ezekiel 12:19). But, I ask you, my children, would love be love—would it be compassionate, merciful, and a hater of violence—if, say, it let the murderer of your best friend go on his merry way?
Can we then at least establish, considering all the above, that if God is against war, He is not against it categorically? That extenuating circumstances may justify it? "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven ... a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:1,8). The highest good is not earthly peace but heavenly peace. Earthly peace has given us such things as the tower of Babel and Sodom and Gomorrah, after all.
The Lord has a score to settle with the nations of the earth, and it will not come about without violence. It will be as in the days of Joshua, when the heavenly host, the sun, and hailstones all fought on his side (Joshua 5:14; 10:11-13). That first time was a sip of His justice; the second will be the full cup (Revelation).
Andree Seu
"Becoming Attached"
We attach ourselves more readily to those whom we have benefited than to our benefactors.
Napoleon
Napoleon
"Be Not Conformed"
To be out of harmony with one's surroundings is of course a misfortune, but it is not always a misfortune to be avoided at all costs. Where environment is stupid, or prejudiced or cruel, it is a sign of merit to be out of harmony with it.
Bertrand Russell
"Articles At Their Best"
There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and shame the devil.
Walter Lippmann
"Know When Not To Squeak"
The squeaky wheel doesn't always get greased; it often gets replaced.
John Peers
"How
To Respond To Unjust Criticism"
Just
deeds are the best answer to injurious words.
John
Milton
"Variety
Can Be of God"
Unity
in variety is the plan of the universe.
Swami
Vivekanianda
"Finding
Common Ground"
We
can find common ground only by moving to higher ground.
Jim
Wallis
"Our
Important Commonalities"
The
things we, as human beings, do not have in common are as nothing to the things
that we do have in common.
Alfred
North Whitehead