Bearing Fruit Yet?
I have been reminded that if the tree wants to bear fruit in season, it must stay by the streams of water.
Peacemaking
Latest
Restoring Our True Face: From Cultural Survival to Christlike Peacemaking
Changing Normal is a book that I have revisited often. Re-reading the chapters is like confiding in a friend committed to help me persevere in the same direction for the sake of love.
Peacemaking Across Cultures
Changing Normal has become 《和好如初：打破人际关系中的僵局》, currently available as an e-book, with paperback editions expected in late summer 2025.
Who Are Our Ninevites?
Expressions of distrust and judgment have loomed so large that some Mandarin-speaking churches and newly established Hong Kong congregations in the same cities avoid any interactions.
Reconciling a Church Split
Regrettably, if you have been a Christian for a while, you most likely have either heard of a church split or experienced one. While many church splits do not have a happy ending relationally, I know of at least one that does…
Prayer First
Sometimes God keeps graciously nudging our hearts as we pray, gifting us discomfort or a lack of peace until we make things right. Thank God for this nudging so our hearts can be set free, and relationships set right.
Working Our “Initiate Conversation” Muscle
As long as our motivation comes from a godly desire for peace and reconciliation, seeking clarity in relationships is worth the effort. Someone has to take the first step to initiate conversation. For those seeking to reflect God’s face in relationships, let’s be the ones doing the initiating.
Transformative Relationships
God calls us to exercise self-control and listen well. And while challenging to live out, relating to others in this way is not impossible! Many of those I interviewed in China… described this spiritual fruit growing in their lives and the difference it made relationally.
Bearing With: Recognizing and Accepting Differences
We are all members of the body of Christ. And while there are appropriate times to leave a particular ministry or church to find another, when the reason for leaving is related to conflict triggered by differences, please pause, and first consider taking biblical peacemaking steps.
Love In Action
Thankfully, God loves us with actions and in truth whether we are at odds with him or not. Investing in a relationship with someone we are at odds with, assuming it is not an abusive relationship, can reflect that same type of love and have significant impact.
Gospel Power at Work in the Heart
Gaining a true view of ourselves from God is humbling and freeing and can spur us on to apologize for our contributions to conflict.
The Benefits of Giving Face
Wu Chunhua described it in this way: “If you give a person face, that person will slowly relax and won’t be as confrontational and resistant in the relationship. The conflict will ease up. It won’t continue to get bigger.”