After we finish discussing the merits of beard oil and the possibility of a beard "comb-over" (huh?)...

Today's episode is about resolving conflict in our everyday lives. We recently taught about resolving and managing conflict at our men's retreat. Whether or not we already understand the Biblical process for resolving conflict, it is always good to remind ourselves how to deal with conflict from a Biblical perspective.

We used Ken Sande's book, Resolving Everyday Conflict, as a basis for our teaching. Sande says that people fall into 3 categories; peacemaker, peacefaker, and peacebreaker. Peacefakers tend to avoid conflict and peacebreakers tend to be confrontational. The Biblical model of conflict resolution is to be a peacemaker. We chat about how each of these tendencies exhibits itself in different ways and in different circumstances.

Peacefakers tend to avoid conflict and peacebreakers tend to be confrontational. The Biblical model of conflict resolution is to be a peacemaker. We chat about how each of these tendencies exhibits itself in different ways and in different circumstances.

We also talk about overlooking small offenses. This is often the first step to resolving a conflict. Ask yourself, "Is this worth fighting over?".

What if someone talks over you in a meeting or tells a joke at your expense? These are good opportunities to overlook the offense. Through the Gospel, you have the power to end the conflict before it begins. This brings glory to God by imitating his mercy and immediate forgiveness.

As parents, we also have the opportunity to teach our children how to resolve conflict within our family. Sande's material can help provide guidelines for managing and teaching our children to deal with conflict.