Posts in the ‘Pathways Blog’ Category

The newest edition of Pockets, Upper Room Ministries’ magazine for tweens age 8 to 12 focuses on “resolving conflict” – a great resource for children, Sunday School classes and families.

Is there a place for nonviolent action in our world? The 2012 Lake Junaluska Peace Conference, “Love in Action: The Transformative Power of Nonviolence,” will draw upon the lessons of nonviolent campaigns and their leaders who discovered a force that can change the world.

Hot button issues of our day—homosexuality, abortion, war, etc.—can’t seem to be discussed without some sense of emotional baggage being attached. It’s so easy to get caught in the echo chamber of our own opinions that we forget the fact that edifying dialogue is an art.

Coaching also works well in the conflict/reconciliation process by going deeper within participants and allowing them to open up more effectively. Coaching has taught them how to better utilize the gifts and talents of their members.

Jesus had a remarkable gift for seeing through everything superficial, for peeling back the layers of the dusty, superficial robes of identity we wear, to peer into a person’s inner soul. Whether speaking to a Roman Centurian, to a Samaritan adulteress, or to a distinguished Rabbi, Jesus always seemed to see beyond title or position and to respond to the deeper thoughts and real need of the individual he was relating to.

Join other United Methodist Women on an Ubuntu eXplorer Journey to Northern Ireland, September 14-23, 2012. Participants will learn about the East Belfast Mission that is both a church and a mission, enjoy a relationship-building retreat with Methodist Women of Ireland and engage in discussions on what it means to forgive and reconcile with one another.

Conflict gives us the opportunity to grow and transform – as individuals and as a community. It gives us the opportunity to learn, listen and seek understanding from those with whom we disagree and, in the process, grow our relationships stronger.

On Being: In our conversation (with John Paul Lederach) in “The Art of Peace” he calls his work “conflict transformation” rather than the more commonly used term of “conflict resolution.” Across three decades, in over 25 countries on five continents, he has sought to help people transform their relationships with their enemies.”

On Saturday, January 21, 2012, Stephanie Hixon (Co-Executive Director of JustPeace) participated in a panel discussion on Holy Conversation in Tampa, Florida as part of the United Methodist Church’s pre-General Conference press conference.

King explains that while he opposes violent tension, he believes there is “a type of constructive, nonviolent tension… the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.