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Police in New Jersey say a man has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving backing his car into a utility pole. David Scarpa turned himself in to authorities the following day and told them he had left the scene of the accident because he did not want to deal with his…

Greg Snider pulled into a parking lot in Houston to make a business call. While he was there, a homeless man approached the car and asked for change, so Snider gave him 75 cents and drove off. When Snider pulled onto a nearby freeway, police stopped him and surprised him by how aggressive the officers…

District Attorney in Pasco County in Florida charged Curtis Reeves, 71, a retired Tampa police officer with a second-degree murder after he shot and killed Chad Oulson in a movie theater. According to the report, Reeves was angry because the victim was using his phone to send a text. Reeve’s personnel…

Antonius Hart Sr. and his son Antonius Hart Jr. drove away from the Pirtle’s Chicken restaurant without realizing the server forgot to add the wings they ordered. When they returned and complained the restaurant offered them replacement wings but that did not satisfy them--they demanded extra chicken…

Yusuf Alchagirov is an 80-year-old Russia shepherd. While picking raspberries in a field near the Russian border with Georgia he was confronted by a large bear. Yusuf and the bear had a tussle with the shepherd continually head butting the bear. Finally the bear tossed Alchagirov off a cliff. The shepherd…

In his book, The Insanity of God, Nik Ripken tells the story of a Southern Gentleman, “Bubba”, who responded with kindness in a difficult situation. The setting is war-torn Somolia, where Ripken served as a missionary, bringing relief to those caught in the war-famine-refugee-poverty cycle. It was a…

In Flickering Pixels, Shane Hipps writes, “Even though face-to-face conflict is often avoided in individualistic cultures, that doesn’t mean it goes away. Conflict simmers in the shadowy back alleys of relationships. Eventually, it will find more insidious ways to disrupt our lives if we don’t keep it…

In Flickering Pixels, Shane Hipps writes, “Without a framework for healthy conflict, diagnosing problems—let alone solving them—becomes extremely difficult. When we learn to welcome conflict as a natural part of human community, we can dispel some of its destructive power. In fact, under the right circumstances,…

In Every Congregation Needs a Little Conflict, George Bullard writes, “Simply defined, conflict is the struggle of two objects seeking to occupy the same space at the same time. Purposes, objectives, or goals can be in conflict among individuals, groups, or organizations. Conflict is not an objective…

Now, I’ll be the first one to admit that confrontation isn’t pleasant. I don’t like it because I want to be liked. I want people to accept me and consider me their friend. But, right after I moved to Wilson, I discovered that being liked was not the same as being effective in ministry. It happened in…

It’s about 9 pm at night when there’s a knock at your door. You go to the door to find me standing there with a stern look on my face. You notice in my hand a piece of wood with a handle. You haven’t seen one of those things in a while but you recognize it so you say, “Rusty, it’s kind of late, what…

In Caring Enough to Confront, David Augsberger writes, “Maturity is manifested in learning to be angry (at behaviors) and loving (toward persons) at the same time.” - Caring Enough to Confront Kindle Loc. 690-91 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson Proverbs 14:29 NASB “He who is slow to anger has great understanding,…

In Thriving through Ministry Conflict by Understanding Your RED and Blue Zones the authors write, “In conflict, the vast majority of the time, the problem is more in us than it is in the person with whom we are in conflict. So resolution does not come from winning or changing the behavior of the other…

In his book, Leadership and Conflict, Speed Leas writes, “With regard to fear, it is important to remember that as a person’s perception of powerlessness increases, the likelihood of who perceive themselves to be powerless to affect by other means what is happening are most likely to strike out against…

In Fire Storm, Ron Susek writes, “It’s all too easy to assume that someone who intensely disagrees with you is either dead wrong at best, or demon possessed at worst. Be sure that the person is clearly sinning before God and not merely engaging in valid disagreement. What’s the difference? Valid disagreement…

CONFRONTATION In his column for REV Magazine, Charles Lowery writes about a friend that loved him enough to tell him the truth. After complaining about some lower back pain, his friend said to him, “your back isn’t your problem, Charles, it’s your stomach. Your stomach is so big it’s pulling on your…

WWJD Thursday, February 27, Crestridge Elementary in Omaha, Nebraska sponsored a "Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character" day. One eleven year old boy came to school dressed as Jesus. He wore a tunic and carried a staff to complete the image. A 12-year-old boy from a neighboring middle school saw the…

Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

DIGNITY She needed help standing. Over forty years ago she was arrested for refusing to stand and give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, AL; on this day, she gladly stood. Leaning on the Speaker of the House of Representatives’ arm, Rosa Parks received the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’…

As many of you know, I grew up in a great home with parents who loved me and God too much to let me get away with foolishness. Many of you had that kind of home too, and you, like me, have often thanked God for it. My father was a disciplinarian. He knew how to apply the strap of wisdom to the seat of…

On Monday, February 6, 1995, according to the Chicago Tribune, a Detroit bus driver finished his shift on the Route 21 bus and headed for the terminal. Somehow, he took a wrong turn. He didn't arrive at the terminal at the scheduled time of 7:19 PM, and a short time later his supervisors started looking…

One of the nagging questions facing leaders is how long can the mess be endured before it becomes a major infection. Love, after all, is long-suffering. Indeed it is. But love is not long-suffering and foolish. Love is not overindulgent. Love is not a failure of nerve. Love suffers long so that something…

APOLOGETICS When I was young in the Lord, there were times that I was abrasive or outright rude when I was trying to witness. My conversations quickly turned to confrontations as I set out to prove I was right and they were wrong. Whenever I shifted into "street preacher rude", I was never successful…

It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. – J. K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Reader’s Digest, November 2007, page 77