Posts by Richard Parrish
Humility & Conflict
“A defensive posture stops communication. Remaining unwilling to examine my motives or how I may have contributed to the problem (knowingly or unknowingly) prevents emotional and spiritual growth in my life.” Humility is not always a word we associate with bravery or strength or progress. In fact, we might even associate humility with weakness, passivity,…
Read MoreDependability & Conflict
“Staying ‘in the room’ and learning how to verbalize our thoughts (rather than running to a “dry well”) encourages conversation.” Trust is so important. The ability to depend on something or someone is foundational to our lives, our sanity, and overall well being. So many aspects of our lives are built upon the reliability and…
Read MoreMisplaced Desires (Where it All Begins)
Water. Food. Sleep. Shelter. We all have basic needs. We all have basic desires. From the moment we’re born, we need things. We desire things. The story is as old as time (literally). The first man, Adam, needed—desired—a helper. And in their perfect state, both Adam and Eve needed and desired fellowship with God. Later,…
Read MoreThe Origin of Conflict
Where does conflict come from? James, the brother of Jesus, asserts that all human disputes begin with base desires and jealousies. “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot…
Read MoreCurse, Conflict, and Christ
We aren’t very old when we realize that something is very wrong with the world. We begin to experience outward pain. We begin to see relationships fraught with struggle. We begin to understand that every area of life—every piece of our glorious world—is permeated, in one way or another, with conflict. When our desires are…
Read MoreTwo Paths
Her instructions were clear. Her cute British accent was sophisticated—and confident. I listen to and trust her, often. That day was different. A significant—early morning meeting—was scheduled on the other side of town, but I had given myself sufficient time, allowing for traffic. She’s most accurate with her instructions. But that day, I chose not…
Read MoreConnection with Christ: our Comfort in Conflict
Conflict is a gift. But discovering this gift requires an intentional desire for an intimate connection with Christ. Many are familiar with pressures that feel as if they will crush us: Secularism, non-stop demands of others, how to reflect Christ in a non-Christian world, staff and board disputes, unrealistic expectations, how to balance a healthy…
Read MoreFree To Serve Others
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…” (Romans 1:1 ESV). “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them” (1 Corinthians 9:19 ESV). Much is said today regarding “freedom”—the power or…
Read MoreTrusting God’s Word in a World Gone Wild
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 ESV). Who among us is not troubled by the conditions of our world? The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Armenia and…
Read MoreFree from SIN, Not Righteousness
“… Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! [T]hanks be to God, [you] who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of…
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