Thank You Lord for diverting the wrath You justly had for me (because of my sins against You) to Your Son on the cross.

Thank You for giving me a wonderful wife and tremendous children that I do not deserve.

Thank You for allowing me to pastor Your people here at Faith Baptist.

Thank You for a blog site to express my thanks to You publicly.

You are my God, and I worship You!

Hey we arrived at the final chapter! This chapter was entitled "Overcome Evil With Good". God has been working on me lately in the areas of sinful worry and control. It is so easy for me to let my mind imagine every worst possible outcome of trials and conflicts. Then I find myself trying to anticipate and counteract circumstances that may never even occur. With God's help I've been attempting to more actively trust in God, and wait on Him. A few lines from page 253 of this chapter were extremely helpful in this fight against my sinful worry and attempts to control the future.

"It is easier to accept your limits if you have a biblical view of success. The world defines success in terms of what a person possesses, controls, or accomplishes. God defines success as faithful obedience to His will. The world asks, "What results have you achieved?" God asks, "Were you faithful to My ways?"*

One of God's ways that keeps striking me is the example He gave through the cross. Denying self and sacrificially giving out of love for others. I'm asking God to help me put on cross like love for others, and put off worry and control.

Thanks for following our blog. Not sure how regularly I'll be posting in the future, but I appreciate all who participated.


*Reprinted or adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net.

I was so encouraged by this chapter of the Peacemaker. It is so relevant to me personally at this time. I am very thankful for the timing in reading it this week. This chapter outlines a biblical model for negotiating cooperatively with others. The item that I found most helpful was the distinction the author makes between "interests" and "positions". It was very helpful for me to stop and distinguish between my own interests and positions, and also to realize that I often times fail to discover what another person's interests are in a negotiation. If I understood the difference properly, a position is what I communicate as my demands or expectations, and my interests are the motives and desires I have that brought me to that position. It's very encouraging to stop and think that in a case where two positions may be irreconcilable - the interests involved may not be.

The four promises of forgiveness, as explained in chapter 10 of The Peacemaker, are gold nuggets out of the Peacemaker materials. It repeatedly exposes to me how hard it is to forgive in the same way God has forgiven us. I'm thankful that the author recorded his wife's simplification of those promises in her resource The Young Peacemaker. I really appreciate that simple poem for reminding myself and teaching others what it means to forgive.

Good thought (I will not dwell on the offense)
Hurt you not (I will not bring up the offense to use against you)
Gossip Never (I will not talk of this offense to others)
Friends forever (I will not allow this offense to stand between us)*


If God forgives us in this way, how could we do less?

"For You have cast all my sins behind Your back." Isaiah 38:17


*Reprinted or adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net.

Hi leaders and blog readers,

I'm posting this weeks chapter from Louisville, Kentucky. I'm at a conference on the Gospel with my fellow pastor, and excited to be better equipped for ministry!

Chapter 9 of The Peacemaker starts to deal with the uncomfortable subject of, "What if the other person doesn't want to be reconciled?" I am so thankful for the clear guidance and instruction God gives in His word. The instruction regarding restoration, and even restorative discipline found in God's word can be particularly hard to understand when we haven't seen many 'successful' examples in real life. I pray God will give us the grace to demonstrate obedience to these concepts to our children (and theirs).

I was particularly struck by this statement on pg 194, "The intention in treating others as nonbelievers is not to injure them or punish them, but rather to help them see the seriousness of their sin and their need for repentance."* I believe this provides a winsome apologetic for why we must be faithful in obeying the Bible command, but it also is a great motive checker when the time comes to love a brother (or sister) this way.

*Reprinted or adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net.

Chapter Eight of Ken Sande's book The Peacemaker is titled "Speak the Truth in Love". I was challenged by the author's personal testimony of growth (and continuing need) to weave the gospel into conflict resolution. I felt he described a wonderful way of doing that on page 172. He was encouraging us to "Talk from Beside, Not from Above" and made the following suggestions, "Acknowledge your present, ongoing need for the Savior. Admit ways that you have wrestled with the same or other sins or weaknesses, and give hope by describing how God has forgiven you and is currently working in you to help you change."*

I know how encouraging it is to me when others approach me that way, but I find it so unnatural to start a difficult conversation that way. I want to grow (need to grow) so much in my personal appreciation for what Jesus did for me on the cross. I pray that by His grace the gospel will become an increasingly natural part of my speech, even (and especially) when trying to gently address a person's sin or resolve a dispute.


*Reprinted or adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net.

WHOA! Please forgive the delay in posting...

For those of us who may not have grown up in a Biblical Peacemaking Culture, one of the most frightening prospects is considering how far this is supposed to go. Are we supposed to be trying to resolve every tiny little difference of opinion, or schedule a meeting every time someone looks at us funny. Life seemed full already, now I'm going to be engaged in 24/7 peacemaking!!!

Chapter 7 of The Peacemaker is so encouraging. The practical wisdom about what can and should be overlooked versus what must be addressed is a gold mine. We're taught that anytime we're aware that someone has something against us - it's time to go restoring (Mt 5:23-24), but when does God expect me to talk to someone who has wronged me or is caught in sin? This chapter provides extremely helpful guidance to answer that question.

I was most encouraged by application question #4 on pg 160, which helps evaluate when someone's sin is too serious to overlook. The specific questions given to ask ourselves like: "Is it [the sin of another] dishonoring God? If so, how?"* are just the sort of objective questions I need. They guard me from my two common extremes of 1)not wanting to get involved, or 2)wanting to nail someone to the wall.


*Reprinted or adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net.

I continue to thank God for the privilege of serving Him here at Faith Baptist Church, and for the spiritual leaders I get to serve alongside. This week we're blogging about Chapter 6, "Confession Brings Freedom". I think confessing sin on a person to person level, is a very frightening prospect to most of us. Though it's hard, it's not hard to see the benefits of that kind of honesty. There are benefits both for the person confessing sin and the one being asked to forgive. It is also so consistent with the definition of godly sorrow (and the repentance it brings) in II Corinthians 7:11.

"For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter." NKJV

I find the author's Seven 'A's of Confession to be so helpful, and I'm thankful that he does not promote them as a magic formula. I like his acknowledgement on pg 133 "Any time we use a process like the Seven A's, we can turn it into a meaningless ritual and completely miss what God wants us to do (see Mark 7:5-13; Luke 11:42)."* By God's grace I've attempted to employ the Seven A's many times in my life, but as I read them again - I was surprised how much further I have to go in my implementation of these Biblical principles.

Depending on God,
Pastor Craig

*Reprinted or adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net.

Thank you to all who are reading along with the FBC leadership as we blog about a well written book titled "The Peacemaker" by Ken Sande. This week we're discussing chapter 5, and the author describes the typical progression of an idol in the human heart - helping the reader see where conflict originates.

I was particularly challenged by the part of the progression where we start to judge other people for not serving our idols. The author tells how it can be good and right to have expectations of other human beings. The problem comes with this quote from page 108, "But if we are not careful, these expectations can become conditions and standards we use to judge others. Instead of giving people room for independence, disagreement, or failure, we rigidly impose our expectations on them."

In the sovereignty of God, our church is experiencing some conflict as it relates to my imperfect leadership as we attempt to implement a culture of peace. Chapter 4 is titled "Is This Really Worth Fighting For", and it's a question the leadership was asking itself tonight. As it relates to an impassioned pursuit of the unity of God's people, and a devotion to the Biblical instructions for resolving problems - the answer is YES!

As it relates to my reputation as the pastor, my timeline for implementation, my feelings being protected from probing questions, or any of the things that I want that God has not required - the answer is no.

I'm encouraged by these lines from pg 85, "...Lord, I rejoice that this conflict has not happened by accident. You are sovereign and good, so I know that you are working through this situation for your glory and my good."

Leaders of Faith Baptist, God has called us to faith and courage. Let us be diligent to cry out to God for His grace and wisdom. Let us be committed to only moving ahead according to Biblical wisdom, and without doubting. Let's speak the truth in love. May God help us.

Quotations are from: The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net

Another Tuesday, and another chapter of Ken Sande's book The Peacemaker. I continue to take great comfort in knowing that the leadership of Faith Baptist Church is reading this book. The author has put together a tremendous systematic theology on resolving conflicts in a person's life. In chapter three Ken discusses trusting God. It is wonderful to know we serve a God who is both all-powerful, and good. These two sentences from pg 63 are my favorites, "The fact that God is good does not mean that He will insulate us from all suffering. Rather, it means He will be with us in our suffering and accomplish good through it (Isaiah 43:2-3)."

I'm asking God to help the members of Faith Baptist to trust Him in trials and conflicts. Trust in His power. Trust in His goodness. Trust in His wisdom.

Quotations are from: The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net.

I am thanking and praising God for the encouraging comments posted under chapter one. I'm blessed to be serving alongside these faithful and hardworking men. As the leaders post their comments to chapter two, we want to open the discussion to anyone who might be reading along. Feel free to post a comment or a reply.

I was struck by these two sentences on page 46 in chapter two. "This peace, which is often referred to as 'unity' (Ps. 133:1) is not simply the absence of conflict and strife. Unity is the presence of genuine harmony, understanding, and goodwill between people." These statements were in a section titled "Peace with Others", and it reminded me of how low I'm tempted to set the bar when it comes to resolving problems in a relationship. I also was stopped by the phrase on page 53 "...unity does not mean uniformity (Eph 4:7-13)."

Hi everyone. The leadership at Faith will be using our blog to discuss Ken Sande's book The Peacemaker. For the next twelve weeks we'll be discussing one chapter a week. You're welcome to tune in, and if you'd like to learn more - come join us on Sunday Mornings. Starting March 7th many of our Sunday School classes will be going through The Peacemaker Small Group Study. Call or Email for more information.

To the Faith Baptist Leadership, I hope you enjoyed the first 43 pages of The Peacemaker. Please click the comment link below to let us know what you found to be most encouraging or helpful from this weeks reading. I was most helped by this statement from pg30 "Therefore, although we should seek unity in our relationships, we should not demand uniformity (see Eph. 4:1-13)." I'm hoping we can all take the additional time to apply the questions at the end of each chapter to any conflict we might be dealing with personally. I'm certain that will enrich our understanding of these principles. Praying for you. Pastor Craig