Skip to main content

"Debating too often lands people in the right-wrong trap."


A thought by David Roberts from his book, Healing Conversation (p. 8). Moran James Publishing. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

That is so true, isn't it?

David says, "People assert with great passion that my idea, philosophy, point of view is right, and yours is wrong."

He goes on, "There was a time when the church seemed to understand that they were called to be the ultimate place of hospitality where everyone who was weak or heavy burdened could find a place to rest and be restored. Churches were places where people could celebrate their spiritual paths with honesty, inclusion and love. Churches were great role models of caring hospitality and safe places for people to unburden themselves or at least, converse deeply. And, some still provide this beautifully.

"These last few decades, however, have seen more and more churches descend into places of debate over the most difficult political, social, cultural and generational issues. More and more churches are identified by which sides they choose, or what nuance they endorse. Churches and denominations are splitting apart as Bible verses are honed into weapons for the sake of proving a treasured theological point. This seems to be the priority rather than to provide a safe place for not only the weak and heavy burdened, but also for those searching and longing for self-knowledge, for understanding and for communing with others in a deeper way."

He continues, "Do you remember those squeaky swings and rocking chairs on porches, where guests or family members sat and talked, perhaps with a glass of sweet tea or lemonade? Somehow, there was all the time in the world and a comfortable space to catch up, tell stories, and just breathe together. This was a part of hospitality, to take the time to 'be' with people."

He then says, "Again, in a world where we are able to instantly communicate with anyone at any time in any place around the world, we seem to have less and less of substance to talk about. The more technologically capable we are in communicating, the less it seems we seek understanding and real conversation. On a global scale, or in our homes with our children and spouses, we seem to be losing our ability to deeply converse with each other. Are we losing touch with one another and with ourselves?

"It doesn’t matter if we’re trying to improve a relationship with a co-worker, or discussing very personal issues with our spouse, or attempting to talk to a cross-armed teenager or working through a misunderstanding with a friend. In order to communicate, we must learn to talk in ways that heal our past wounds and open the door to deeper connection."

And that is so true, isn't it"

Yes, yes!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...
Post a Comment
Read more