Long Story, Short - February 4, 2011

conflict - can't live with it, can't live without it The forward progress of humankind is forged from conflict. Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen verify that. So did Steve Underwood, my high school US History teacher. His wonderful classroom antics imprinted history on my brain like few other teachers. He had "one-sided phone conversations" with dead presidents. He wore crazy costumes to teach about key battles. But the greatest thing he taught me is that without conflict there is no creativity. With conflict there is no forward motion. Without conflict, nothing happens. Sometimes conflict is broad based, like the national conflict prevalent in this week's news from Cairo. Sometimes the conflict is isolated, internal to an individual. But whether you're in the classroom, the work place, or the church sanctuary, conflict is and eventuality in all relationships. Spouses will argue. Siblings will get angry. Workmates will offend you. Fellow Christians will anger you - and you them. The question for Christians is not if we'll have conflict, but what we'll do when it comes our way. meek and mild? Unfortunately, Christians tend to shirk from conflict, especially in church, and often to the detriment of all. Perhaps we've overemphasized the "meek" side of Jesus without understanding the way he brought conflict to bear meaning. Or maybe we back away because we don't want to be trouble makers, characterized like those other trouble makers we've known. Or maybe we avoid conflict because we just don't care enough. Sometimes caring necessitates confrontation. conflict doesn't just go away The Bible assumes conflict is a part of reality, and Jesus teaches directly about how Christians should deal with conflict in Matthew 18.15-20. It involves face to face honesty, genuine openness, and a willingness to stick with the persons involved in conflict until a resolution is reached. We'll discuss this in depth in this Sunday's sermon, and I hope you'll walk away with some Jesus-like strategies for dealing with the conflicts you've been avoiding See you Sunday, Pastor Gary