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When We Don't Get Defensive
A sermon on Acts 11:1-18 [for an audio recording of this sermon, click here. Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash] One of my most consistent personal development goals is working on being less defensive in situations of conflict or misunderstanding. There are many reasons this is important to me. I don’t like the way that I present myself when I am defensive, or the impact that has on my relationships. I don’t like how I feel when I am in that headspace. I know it pretty
It's Not Supposed to be Simple
A sermon on John 10:22-30 [for an audio recording of this sermon, click here. Photo by Eilis Garvey on Unsplash] Quick poll: how many of you have ever used the phrase, “I just want to be clear”? Ok. What about, “Keep it simple.” Most of us, right? It is pretty widely assumed that clarity is a good thing. And there are plenty of good reasons that people want simple, easy-to-understand statements: For one thing, we want to actually understand and be understood. Add in too many
Second Chance to Go
A sermon on John 21:1-19 [for an audio recording of this sermon, click here. Photo by Yannick Menard on Unsplash.] There is a snarky prompt that I occasionally see floating around social media inviting people to “tell me to leave your house without telling me to go.” It’s like an exercise in passive-aggressive communication, which – I guess – has its appeal. There is an ironic rule of polite society that we should avoid saying uncomfortable things directly, even though indire
