Seeing Conflict as an Opportunity to Discover

Ron and Cindy were sitting in my office arguing right in front of me.  Neither were really listening to the other, but only trying to get their own point across.  This is not wholly unusual – it occurs quite frequently in fact.  Usually I let it go on for a bit so I can observe how the couple communicates especially in times of conflict.  After about five minutes I stopped them and suggested they try something different since they obviously were going nowhere very quickly.  Instead of simply reacting to each other, defending their position, and pointing out where the other is wrong, I suggested they… Continue Reading →

Pursuing Mission Together

In the opening lines of the old war movie Apocalypse Now, a soldier is seen waking up in his hotel room struck by the realization that it’s the beginning of another day without a military assignment.  He shouts in great frustration, “Every day without mission I grow weaker; every day the enemy crouches in the bush, he grows stronger!”

Mission is central to remaining strong in the face of adversity.  Every day without it we grow weaker.  And every day we lose sense of mission, our enemy grows stronger.  There is something about mission that propels us forward no matter what the cost… Continue Reading →