Hi there. I’m just back from Orlando, where I led a couple of workshops at the annual Peacemaker Ministries conference. I was one of the keynote speakers at last year’s conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, and they actually invited me back. Go figure. If you’re not familiar with Peacemaker Ministries, I encourage you to check them out. It’s a wonderful organization that assists churches in biblical conflict resolution. Thousands of churches and individual believers around the world have benefited from the Peacemakers’ work.
At the conference, I had the honor of meeting Thabiti Anyabwile, author of the bold and much-discussed book The Decline of African American Theology. Pastor Anyabwile delivered a powerful keynote address on “The Danger and Delight of Forgiveness.” In his opening address, Peacemaker Ministries founder Ken Sande said, “One of the supreme ways for us to reflect God’s glory is to make peace with those who have offended us or whom we have offended.” Imagine an entire ministry exclusively devoted to helping folks resolve conflict and experience grace and forgiveness.
On the way to Florida, I was able to catch up on some of my magazine reading. Have I ever mentioned here that Philip Yancey is one of my vocational heroes? I had the privilege of working with him awhile back when I was an editor with Christianity Today. Philip’s example as a journalist and as a promoter of grace have had an immense influence on my career and life. Against the backdrop of another hotly contested presidential election that exposes our nation’s deep divisions, I’m challenged and encouraged by his latest column in CT.
Reconciliation Blog 