As peacemakers interact with individuals in conflict, we sometimes marvel and sometimes grieve over our perceptions of the way people think. Easy decisions from the view of the “neutral and impartial third party” slip past combatants as they maneuver to either claim absolute victory in the moment or to navigate to a place of avoidance. [...]
Thursday, January 26, 2012
For years, I’ve been passing on the three most important words in mediation to my students. I say “passing on” because I was taught these three words by my professors, Randy Lowry and Peter Robinson. In those special moments when I share this valuable advice, I’m met with one of three reactions. The most prevalent [...]
Monday, January 16, 2012
Growing up, I had an aversion to ice cream. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it — perhaps too much. I loved it so much that I ate too much, too fast. And the result was always brain freeze. You know what I’m talking about. That intense [...]
Monday, December 12, 2011
“How could she think that?” We are often amazed by the reasoning or perhaps the lack of reasoning of those around us. I’ve been an avid student of conflict for a little more than a decade. But I’ve been a practitioner all of my life. Only in recent years have I come to realize the [...]
Sunday, September 11, 2011
On this anniversary of September 11, 2001, I raised my United States flag to the bracket on the porch column. It was still early, but I knew that many of my neighbors would join me in this solemn act of remembrance of those dark hours a decade ago. As I stood there a moment and [...]
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
As I went to sleep last night, I resolved to write a post this morning in celebration of Nancy, my loving wife and friend, and our marriage. Yet, as I sit to write this morning, I realize that my celebration can bring haunting regrets to the minds of others. And so, while I count my [...]
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
I have to admit, I turned on CNN as soon as I received the newsflash on my phone. The jury in the Casey Anthony trial was coming in with a verdict! Moments later, millions of us watched as Ms. Anthony was found not guilty of all of the felony charges against her. The four misdemeanors [...]
Monday, May 30, 2011
This series of posts was inspired by the strong debate over the phrase “social justice.” Political conservatives view social justice as a redistribution of wealth intent on destroying personal initiative. Liberals counter that social justice is a necessary exercise because those who “have” show no inclination to help those who have not. That context left [...]
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Situational irony. I’ve been asked to present a brief devotional thought based on a chapter from a book that presents problems for me. The book is on social justice and the particular chapter I’ve been assigned is entitled “Why Should We Do Justice?” If you don’t find that ironic, let me remind you what I’ve [...]
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The light on my phone began flashing while I was in an online conference. Voice mail. Voice mail is the ultimate game of office tag. I think that’s the reason that my stomach churns a bit when I see that light flashing. I know that the message waiting for me will, in all likelihood, obligate [...]
Hope seen . . . slowly softens the crust of worry. Hope celebrated . . . melts worry away. Melted worry is the compost that feeds faith and destiny.
An abundant life is not one free from worry, but one filled with hope.
Have you ever been in a really big hurry?
Have you ever been in a really big hurry . . . and everything seems to go wrong?
You drop your keys just as you get to the door. You leave your phone on the nightstand. You hit “reply to all” on the email that should have gone to one discreet individual. You can’t seem to hit the trash can with that one wad of paper. You find yourself face-to-face with the one person you don’t “really have time to deal with.”
Frustration builds inside. Anger, dismay, and depression grow like grass in a flower bed. What can you do? What is the most effective action step for the moment.
Slow down.
That’s it. Slow down. Take a breath. Whisper a prayer. Hum a song.
Slowing down allows tension to melt away. Slowing down allows your emotions to moderate. Slowing down allows you to gain control . . . by easing your grip.
So, slow down . . .
“Constantly Pleasant.”
That’s how she was described. Not a person attending the memorial service would have disagreed.
As I sat and listened to the accomplishments of this remarkable person, I was somewhat awestruck by the thought that I had been blessed to know an individual who touched so many and did so much . . . while being constantly pleasant.
What if I could become constantly pleasant? What would that change? How would I change?
Thanks, Colleen. For being constantly pleasant. It’s just one of many ways that God shone through you.
If you’ll just let go, your hands will be free to . . .
If you’ll let go . . . empty your hands of things and your heart of worries . . . you’ll be delighted with what you find in those sacred hollows.
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Thursday, March 1, 2012
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