Unity | Essential Duality

"A house divided against itself cannot stand," said Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln in his 1858 Illinois convention speech, amidst the backdrop of slavery and the boiling tensions that later led to the Civil War. He realized the essential importance of national unity.

With our cultural and political climate on flashpoint sensitivity these days, I believe unity has become even more important than the issues that divide us. Like a marriage, if you cut off all communication, we simply cannot function. And we all know what the result will be.

Let's drill down deeper into unity.

There seems to be a mistaken impression that we all have to agree for us to be unified. Or we have to be great friends. God boldly asks us to love one another, but in a nuts and bolts way, what does that mean? To me, it's where duality comes in.

Roughly defined, and for this discussion, duality refers to two opposing groups who ironically share the same needs. Each may prefer different methods for achieving solutions, but also share essential common ground. A positive duality brings the two sides together to accomplish good things that serve the common good. We're seeking common ground here, so what's our shared baseline?

An unavoidable truth - we are all connected.

Created in God’s image, we are related – ALL of humanity. But our shared spiritual DNA does not mean sameness. There's so much variation in our life experiences, and that diversity can foster adversity. Everyone's unique consciousness is their own world filtered through unique upbringing, experiences, cultures and emotional traumas. We are all shaped by the sponge that is our human mind and heart. We soak up every tiny bit along the way.

We are all at the same time both the problem and the solution. Our insecurities are unanswered questions about our inherent value and the quality of our love. That inner uncertainty can produce a silent suspicion, an animosity towards people groups we don’t even know. We stay in our tribes, aligned by similar assumptions, and clouded by emotional bias. It’s really not surprising that it’s such a challenge to come together.

So what is the solution?

We need to realize the essential importance of our connectivity. Again, we're all God's children and we are all on that path - understood or not yet realized. Strife and division works against all of this. Our relationships are polluted, our ministry thwarted and the enemy wins. We need a way out. A way back to the Father.

The scourge of sin didn't cut off anyone's birthright, only our knowledge and correct vision of him, and therefore our access - from OUR dim-glass perspective. After the prodigal son humbled himself and returned to the family farm, his father received him exuberantly, with open arms. It was only about love. The son didn't have to first pay back his father's money that he squandered.

So why does God ask us to love others?

Back to the nuts and bolts, duality can benefit both sides in a marvelous tactical way. On the Survivor TV show, every strong alliance is based on skill, hard work and expertise brought to the table - not necessarily on fondness for each other. They set their differences aside and join together to win the prize, creating mutual respect along the way. This is the real bedrock of our country’s democratic ideals and processes. Abraham Lincoln understood that.

We’ve all been through a lot of trauma these past few years, and Covid really has underscored our connection - as a planet! The pandemic has asked, even begged all of us, for a global understanding and cooperation. It’s now so essential to put aside our pride, challenge our assumptions, and ask the Lord to heal our cynicism. Help us Lord regain our compassion for all. Let's reach out in wholesome dialog with others, no matter where they come from. We need a church with no walls, and hearts with no boundaries!

Ephesians 2:16-18
"Christ brought us together through his death on the cross. The cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father."

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About the Author

Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.

He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.

Love Your Enemies | Generous Assumptions

Lately I've been fascinated by our modern cultural definition of “enemies.” In perhaps more raw and uncivilized times in our history, an enemy literally meant a physical threat or actual harm. Certainly people do still experience terror and violence from others, but now it seems in our Western culture, more often than not our enemies are “only” people we disagree with (on social media), and from a distance - someone we don't even know!

A root word keeps reappearing in my thinking as I walk forward - assumptions. I want to learn more, I want God to teach me more about how we think. How our thoughts affect our ideas, our speech and ultimately our actions towards others. It appears our objective conclusions aren’t so, well, objective...

Remember the ancient fable of the three blind men and the elephant? Having never encountered one before, each of them touches one specific part of the huge beast. All three quarrel with the other because each thinks he knows what it is based entirely on his own limited experience. And all three are wrong.

In our own attempt to make sense of our world, we constantly do the same. We filter our judgments through our limited experiences, and worse, distort them even more with latent pessimism, cynicism, and tragically misplaced anger. Ignorance is a killer, and not caring to seek the bigger picture of the whole elephant, is inexcusable. But we all do it daily. God help us. And forgive us!

Why is our country so divided right now? The real truth, a wise man once said, frequently lies somewhere near the middle of two extremes. That is not to say there aren't stands that need to be taken, very real wrongs that need to be righted, and certain absolutes that are, well, absolute. But I maintain that most of our disagreements are exaggerated and misplaced. I have been humbled as a parent when I realized that the very thing I was so frustrated about with my own child, was my own personal failure as well.

The human condition has plenty of inherent common ground, if we are honest and humble to seek it.

So why are generous assumptions important - even essential? First, assumptions are by nature flawed because they are so quickly adopted and emotionally held. Irresistible thought candy. Secondly, even if "true", assumptions are typically only a very small part of the whole truth. We must redeem assumptions for the good, and then build on them. And we must gather more nuggets of information, while snacking on humble pie.

Yes, there for the grace of God, go we.

We are all quite complicated and always in process. Isn't giving another the benefit of the doubt something that Jesus would do? Tragically, Amazing Grace isn't a song we think much about singing to others.

Generous assumptions are a gift to us. They are one of God's most powerful tools in our employ, but they must be given away!

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About the Author

Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.

He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.

Love Your Enemies | The Enemy of The People

Wow, what a time we live in right now, and what a timely topic: enemies. The bible tells us to love them. I certainly don't want to downplay that essential command, but I do want to give the idea of enemies a closer look.

In the extreme sense of the word, enemies wage war - a physical battle with life and death consequences. In peacetime and comfortable culture, and certainly in these times of heightened anxiety, our enemies can be more contrived and personal. Out of our fear and insecurity, we tend to blame and shame others, often exaggerating cause and effects. We need a villain. Our enemies don't accidentally appear. We make them!

Inflamed emotions mix with lazy thinking (generalizations), and lead to negative assumptions that infect our interpersonal relationships and taint our notions about distant people - ironically, whom we don't even know. The sad result can be a self-centered personal and cultural strife (tribalism), with all the negativity that comes with it.

Our present reality in this exhausting, toxic political climate is being called a culture war. It's worsened by this isolating pandemic, social unrest and people who fan the flames of division to achieve selfish goals. I believe our biggest imperative right now is not to agree on everything, but instead to somehow turn down the thermostat and learn how to be civil again. And to do that, we need to identify our real enemy.

First let's take a step back.

The scriptures say we are ALL made in His image. That means all of God's created beings are relational - and connected, even though some aren't yet at a place of saving grace. Sin damaged our relating, but it did not disconnect us from each other. Relationship is in our creation DNA, and it is certainly our best earthly common ground.

I think it's all too easy for us believers to look at our sin in our rearview mirror and our earthly brothers and sisters in that view as well. We create an "us versus them" separation, where pride invades our hearts. But "for the grace of God go I." How we think of and how we relate to our "enemies" cannot only cause struggle, strife and even hatred, but it can render our witness ineffective. We not only get in our own way, tragically, we get in God's as well!

Our human bonds are frayed - but still are connected!

And linked by this: "For we all like sheep have gone astray". Would any good father disown his prodigal child, as the siblings wanted? No! In the biblical story, the father still welcomes his son with open arms, even after the other son complains about him squandering the inheritance. It appears that his father's long-suffering faith and support is what enabled his son to make his way home, and reconnect with his family. Vilifying his son would have prevented the completion of his change of heart (his repentance). I believe this humble and loving, God-centered view of our human brothers and sisters is an essential first step in helping to ease our divisions.

I know, I know, we all love our doctrine. But to what end? Or what is its service? How can we assume the best about and for people when they are not acting in a way we agree with? Maybe we start by putting people before our list of grievances. That does not dilute our own convictions, but it certainly can help clear our head of ignorant assumptions and clear a path back home, just like the prodigal son. It's so humbling to think someone's path back could go through me and you!

We really are in this together.

One thing I am convinced about - we must seek real conversations with our "enemies" (not online drive-by rants), and really listen to their personal stories! Our stories are our real cultural currency. We are all the sum of our storied parts--still in progress and influenced by the Holy Spirit in real time. Our Lord is inviting us to be more involved in others’ lives! He is entreating us to love - this biggest and best commandment.

And this: we really cannot affect change in someone without their permission. It's basic trust.

Here is my personal list of "rules of engagement" (no I am not very good at this yet):

1. Take the initiative (it takes courage), but be gentle

2. Look for common ground (it's there, look for it early on)

3. Be polite and show humility

4. Listen more than talk (I should get my turn to speak as I gain their trust)

5. Share, don't snare (I'm not the judge, just a witness)

6. Stay opened minded to creative Holy Spirit-inspired solutions

The real enemy? Yes it's the Liar, the enemy of our souls. But his methods can be as deceiving as his lies. His grand and calculated plan is to divide and conquer with emotional isolation. To get us to avoid authentic conversations and settling for lazy and incomplete information.

Romans 13:9-10 ESV
For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

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About the Author

Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.

He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.

Common Ground | The Holy Spirit is our Common Ground

As I write my blog post during Pentecost, I realize our common ground is the Holy Spirit, via the connection He gives us to Jesus, to God and to each other. I have a diverse group of friends of differing opinions and backgrounds, fears, loves and life experiences--Christians, Jews, lawyers, pastors, writers, carpenters, workers in all fields and persuasions.

I believe the Holy Spirit in me wants the best for all these people. I want them to excel and succeed and have their best lives. I treat them with love and respect as best I can and find that they treat me in kind. There are, of course, disagreements sometimes but more often than not, we are able to work things out and come back together.

Fiddler on the Roof is one of my favorite movies. Released in 1971, it tells the story of a poor village in pre revolutionary Russia and how they must face the changes in the world while the Jewish main character, Tevye, must deal with marrying off his three beloved daughters as they come of age. I recall a story Pastor John once told that is also depicted in the movie as Tevye is on his rounds delivering milk one morning:

MORDCHA: Why should I break my head about the outside world? Let them break their own heads.

TEVYE: He’s right. As the Good Book says, “If you spit in the air, it lands in your face.”

PERCHIK: That’s nonsense. You can’t close your eyes to what’s happening in the world.

TEVYE: He’s right.

AVRAM: He’s right and he’s right? How can they both be right?

TEVYE: You know, you’re also right.

Google script link.

This scene makes me chuckle. I like it because it shows an example of listening to other people and hearing their values, not just their words. Their words may seem to express opposite opinions, but often after breaking down what they truly mean, we find common ground in the values behind them.

I see this happen often on Facebook. I am delighted when I see several people from the different slices of my life agree on something and I shout (quietly, to myself), "You, see! There IS common ground!" It shows me that, in the end, we are all just humans with struggles, trying to find a way to take care of ourselves, our families and our friends.

God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, the true common ground, not only between my friends, but also between them and Him. I am here to remind them of His link to them in times of need and joy, and to be salt and light that can bind us to each other and bring us together in Him.

Acts 2:2-12
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

Matthew 22:8-10 (NIV)
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Matthew 5:13-14
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Tevye meets Perchik in the circle of the village. - He's right, and he's right - they can't both be right.

This scene is longer then the excerpt above, but contains the excerpt in context.

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About the Author

Mark lives in Oregon with his lovely wife, Darla and enjoys reading, writing, playing games and working to make the world a better place. He currently serves CitySalt church as a sound engineer and on the church council.

Common Ground | The Unifying Influence of Jesus

One of my dearest friends and I strongly disagree in our political views. I’ve long thought that one of the key reasons Allison and I have stayed friends for so long, is that we’ve agreed to not discuss it much. But, in recent years it has become increasingly difficult to avoid the topic. Allison explained that her sister shares the same views that I have, and she wanted to better understand her sister’s point of view. And so, with a fair amount of nervous trepidation, I began to share my opinions in response to her questions.

During one heated discussion, we both paused, trying to avoid a descent into acrimony. We both wanted to protect our friendship. I said, “We might not agree on many things, but we do agree on the most important thing, our common faith in Christ!” Allison wholeheartedly agreed, and our conversation took an immediate positive turn. We discussed the things we were grateful for in each other and ended our conversation with prayer.

Later on, as I reviewed the conversation in my mind, I was struck by the unifying influence of Christ. And I realized that if the Lord was not present, as the connecting bridge in our friendship, we might not be friends at all. As in any friendship, our differences in temperament and beliefs are often too large and too numerous for simple human will to overcome. Our agreement in prayer and our choice to receive God’s grace and forgiveness from each other is what serves as the glue that keeps us together as friends.

Ephesians 4:2-3 TPT
“With tender humility and quiet patience, always demonstrate gentleness and generous love toward one another, especially toward those who may try your patience. Be faithful to guard the sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit among you in the bonds of peace, being one body and one spirit, as you were all called into the same glorious hope of divine destiny.”

Also, I am continually surprised by the progressive nature of God’s presence in my life. As long as I look to and listen to Him, He blesses me, by improving me. Another friend, Bonnie, and I have gradually progressed from being acquaintances to being friends, over the course of three decades. In the early days, my perception was that our temperaments clashed. Her introverted need for solitude was a challenging mix with my extroverted need to think out loud about a variety of topics. I felt embarrassed and thought I was responsible for the exasperation I thought I read from her body language.

Over the years my friendship with Bonnie has held a mirror to my progress in Christ. I now see that I am not the only factor responsible for any person’s mood or emotions. There are many other factors involved. We are both under construction in God’s remodeling process of our lives. I believe He used us both, to sand off sharp edges and shape each other for a season of time. I find that I am now able to enjoy periods of quiet in her company, and I enjoy hearing her perspective in the brief conversations we now have. I am thankful for this learning experience. And, I am so thankful that we all have Jesus, the unifying, redeeming savior, as our common ground.

John 17:9, & 20-23 Living Bible
(Jesus’ prayer to the Father, for his disciples and future believers.)
“My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father... I have given them the glory you gave me – the glorious unity of being one, as we are…so that the world…will understand that you love them as much as you love me.”

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About the Author

Sara has attended CitySalt Church since 2004, the year it was founded. She studied Journalism, wrote for her college newspaper, and is a member of Oregon Christian Writers. Sara also enjoys singing hymns with friends: “there is a sermon in every hymn waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.”

Common Ground | Identity

My 5 year old has recently discovered The Lion King and it’s his new favorite movie--to the point where he wants to watch it multiple times a day. He jumps forward and back to his favorite scenes. This morning we sat and watched some of it together and I was surprised when he shared a favorite scene with me: It was the part when the baboon leads Simba through the dark forest and pushes him to think about who he really is.

I’ve been thinking about this too. As the years go by, I find I sometimes question my life choices, basing the value I put on myself and the life I’ve lived so far on a worldly, cultural idea of worth. As I look closer at where I’m putting my energy, my worldly goals and why I pursue them, I find that the foundation is based on a mis-guided definition of success and acceptance.

Interestingly, if you asked me directly what I value most, money, power and acceptance would not be on the list. If you sat with me and reminisced on the past 15 years (even the whole 37 that has been my life so far), I would be full of stories of wonderful times, amazing blessings and struggles full of growth and God’s work. Still, I live this parallel life in my mind: full of hope and dreams and goals, like I haven’t “arrived” or “achieved” yet. These ideals are not aligned with my true values, rather they are designed by what I subconsciously think is expected of me from other people. My success (or lack of success) is based on other people’s acceptance and in the back of my mind, they will only accept me if I live up to the standard set in our culture of a fancy career that pays well and all the material possessions to show for it.

Despite falling into the patterns of this world and reaching for such “goals” at times, I know these things do not define me and I must really ask myself what is important in determining where I put my energy. More importantly, I must remind myself what is important in determining who I am. When I pray and study the bible, all signs point to my value as a daughter of God, and a believer in Christ. When I focus on God, I am fully in the moment with no story of my past choices or family history hindering my complete confidence and joy of who I am, where I have been and what may come next. I see beautiful moments of struggle, triumph and hope filled with God’s amazing work and I feel so much Love flowing through me.

Unfortunately we tend to define WHO we are, by the journey we have been on. The truth though, is that we are sons and daughters of the most amazing Creator. Our journeys, although they influence us, do not define us. Rather we are to live in faith and define our identity not in worldly measures, but in the Lord;

Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Likewise, we must remember that this truth applies to everyone around us as well. We all have our own experiences and journeys through this world, beautiful threads woven in and out of triumph and struggle, passing by, through and around each other, but always accountable to God’s judgement alone and always with His love and grace awaiting us.

Romans 14: 3-4
“The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand”

If we use a person’s journey to judge who he/she is, we are missing out on the beauty that is in all of us as creations of our Lord. Our ambition to “succeed” keeps us focused on becoming someone we think we should be, and taints our view of those around us, often separating us, rather than uniting us in God’s love. Judgement after all is the work of the Lord, not of man, and does no good when brought between us.

Romans 14: 13
“Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way”

When what we have (or don’t have) is set aside, we can then see each other in a new light and see ourselves for the beautiful creations of our God, of whom we were meant to represent.

I invite you all to join me this week in seeing others through God’s eyes. Set down the experiences, “successes” and struggles that are scattered throughout the journey of a friend, a coworker or a family member and instead see the core of the human that was carefully and perfectly designed by our creator.

In Romans, Paul gives quite a lengthy and very clear instruction on how to view, treat and live among one another, despite any differences, even those regarding our beliefs, our faith and how we choose to live.

Romans 13: 9-10
“The commandments, “Do not commit adultery”, “Do not murder”, “Do not steal”, “Do no covet”, and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law”

Romans 14: 19-23
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

Romans 15: 1-2
“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.”

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About the Author

Leona is a wife, mother and traveler who is intrigued by how different people live. Her latest project is exploring ways that different walks of life can simplify, in order to live a fulfilling journey.

Common Ground – Practicing P.L.A.C.E.

One of the first things I learned as a child was to make distinctions: a boy is not a girl, white is not black, ugly is not beautiful, healthy is not sick, fat is not thin, Christian is not Jewish or Muslim, American is not Russian or Japanese….and, of course… Texas is not like anywhere else!

To be sure, it’s a pretty common thing to learn about something by learning about its opposite, or if not opposite, at least something different. We like to contrast things. It helps bring things into clarity.

As I got older, though, I realized that these dualistic contrasts were not always helpful and could be sometimes downright harmful. And why is that? Well, I think it is because it’s all too simple, and to keep it simple and easy to understand, you have to do a lot of generalizing and stereotyping to make things (and people) fit into little boxes with clear rigid sides. This way we have a sense of some kind of tidy control over our categories. We can file them away in alphabetical order on the shelves in our mental library. We can even do this with God, or at least our ideas about God.

The problem, as I see it now in my life, is that life isn’t so tidy, predictable, able to be categorized. And when we only think dualistically, we tend to judge “the other” as something not as good as the thing we are, or the thing we understand best. I guess that’s a piece of human nature. We tend to judge and fear things that are unfamiliar to us.

This is not very helpful when we want to live out Jesus’ mandate to love God and to love other people as we love ourselves…. even our enemies! How do we do that well, if we are suspicious and fearful of people even a little different from ourselves?

It might help us if we did some “exchanging”. We could practice P.L.A.C.E. (patience, listening, awareness, curiosity, empathy).

Maybe we could exchange our impatience for patience. Maybe we could quit talking so much about ourselves and our opinions and do a lot more listening and asking questions. Maybe we could exchange our judgement for curiosity about “the other”. Maybe we could look for ways to be empathetic rather than critical. Maybe we could exchange our fear for a new kind of courage that allows us to stay put in unfamiliar or uncomfortable circles.

I read in the teachings of a very wise man that it usually takes either great love or great suffering for our little neat boxes to be expanded, to be transformed. When we experience deep, healthy love (human or godly) or we experience great pain and suffering, our horizons open up in a way they couldn’t otherwise. Isn’t this a mystery? Maybe this is what Jesus was getting at when he said, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Suffering is bound to happen to us if we are human. It is common to the human condition in this imperfect world, so no one escapes it. But it seems to me that living a life of love might be more of a choice. We get to choose whether to love God or love other people. We can choose to just live a life “looking out for #1”. Some people are energized by anger and power over others. But at what cost? As Jesus put it, they would gain the whole world but lose their souls.

There are actions that bring life and there are actions that bring death. It seems to me that being more open, accepting, including, helping, loving… and just plain walking alongside people of any persuasion (whether racial, social, economic, sexual, religious, national, etc.) is life-giving to us and to them. The contrary to this brings a kind of death energy. And I have a strong feeling that walking alongside “the other” will expose more commonalities than differences among us. We are, after all, nothing more or less than ….human …created in the image of a most loving God.

Matthew 22:37-40
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Matthew 5:3-4
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 16:26
What good will it be for a man is he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

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About the Author

John has been an essential component to the life and development of CitySalt since 2004 and, presently, serves as an associate pastor with a focus on prayer, discipleship and spiritual direction in addition to being a regular part of the teaching team. He enjoys the outdoors, water sports, music, reading and especially spending time with his wonderful family and chocolate lab, Gunnar.

Common Ground | Common Ground Breeds Compassion

John 4:19-24 NIV
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe Me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know; for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Wow, I had no idea how timely this topic would be when we planned it! Common ground has always been an important theme in life to me. It allows empathy and compassion and Godly love to happen, brings people together to achieve the best outcome for everyone, and allows for fellowship. As I write this, the world is struggling with the effects of Covid-19. There are some strong differences of opinion in how our city/county/state/country/world should be handling it right now, sometimes for good reasons. But we need common ground in order to remember what we're fighting for in the first place, so we can work together to lessen the consequences of the pandemic.

The other day, a friend I'd worked with in a conflict zone overseas posted about the similarities between living in that country and the situation we're all in now. A friend of hers (presumably here in the USA) made the comment “But this sort of thing shouldn't be happening here.” I quickly replied that no place in the world deserves what we’re going through. We’re all in it together. No country or people group is immune to disaster, or is more important than any other place. God makes it pretty clear in the Bible that He loves the entire world. That means we all have something in common. We’re all humans, created by God, loved by God, and God desires us all to come to Him.

In the book of John chapter 4, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman. The Samaritans had common ancestry with the Jews, the ethnic group Jesus belonged to, but they had split over the years and had different customs and religious practices. The divide was so wide that Jews and Samaritans wouldn’t even talk to each other if they could help it (hence the impact of the story of “The Good Samaritan”). But instead of engaging in the argument that she posed about where people should worship God, Jesus found common ground with her. One day, true believers would worship in the Spirit and in truth, instead of the places where each of their respective ethnic groups gathered to worship. She couldn’t argue with that one, but winning a potential argument wasn’t even the point. Jesus provided a way for Jews and Samaritans to come together, and more personally, for this woman to have fellowship with Him.

What could happen if we focused on what we have in common with other people groups instead of our differences? I will let your imagination run wild with the possibilities of that. But I believe a lot of good would come of it. I’ve seen it happen in this country and in others. Finding common ground doesn’t mean not acknowledging our differences. Differences often exist for valid reasons. What it does mean is having compassion and empathy for each other, while acknowledging that our commonalities bring us together. At the very base level, we are all humans and as such, deserve respect.

Now there is a danger in focusing too much on common ground. I see the potential for us to feel that since we all have things in common, our experiences, and the differences they make in our lives don’t matter. But this is far from the truth. It would be damaging to think that just because we’re all equal in value and we all have things in common, that we all have equal needs. Unfortunately, people who have been oppressed in their current lives or histories, or live in poverty or war, often have more needs or have unequal access to fulfilling them. Not acknowledging that and just living with rose-colored glasses is denial, and doesn’t seem like acting in love to me. For me right now, this means being grateful for the prosperity that I live in (yes, I’m stuck in isolation, but I have a cozy little apartment to be stuck in and a cat to keep me company), and praying for (and even maybe donating to) people groups who will face Covid-19 with much greater need, such as people in poverty here or in other countries, refugees, and others.

But the remedy for this is the same as the goal for finding common ground: love, compassion, empathy, and working together. If we keep those things in focus, we can do much good in drawing people together and even drawing them closer to God.

I want to leave you with something a little different and a little fun, as a way of demonstrating our current basis for common ground, and bringing us together with laughter. My fellow nerds will already know that the Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine is not a sympathetic character. Yet this cute little video helps us understand what we’re going through a bit. We can empathize with him and with the rest of the humans on this planet because we’re all in this together, and we can beat this pandemic by working together (separately as much as possible, of course!). I realize that by the time you read this, the social isolation may be over, but I think it’s still relevant to my theme. You’ll understand the inside jokes a lot more of course if you’ve seen other HISHE/How It Should Have Ended videos, especially the other Villain Pub ones, but you’ve probably seen at least a few of the movies referenced in it so I think you’ll still get it. Enjoy!

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About the Author

Jessie is an educator, she currently teaches teens and has taught overseas. She is also a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a (long-neglected) blog about the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her trusty sidekick cat, Arwen in the foothills of South Eugene, where she can go hiking within minutes of the sun coming out from behind the clouds.

Common Ground | Right or Relationship?

Several years ago I was struggling in my marriage. You know, the typical getting to know each other kind of stuff, when a relationship goes from romantic to real. We weren't seeing eye to eye, rather we were going nose to nose. I don't remember now what the hot topic was, but I certainly remember what a great friend of mine said to me later as I told him about the conflict. He said I had two choices in any argument. I could be "right,” or I could have relationship. Which one, he had the guts to ask, was more important to me?

I instantly knew he was right. And wise. But, I silently reasoned, couldn't I have both? Well ideally yes, but in this case, no, as my ego was bigger than my logic. Struggles between people are typically chalked up to "lack of communication,” and yes, that's mostly true. But good intention can so easily be drowned in the words, due to the lack of strong relationship in the first place. Or it can be absent altogether, buried under our baseless assumptions. One of my favorite quotes is: “A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” (And in my case, reiterating them).

We are taught from an early age that right is, well, RIGHT. Math either computes exactly or it's wrong and rendered useless. The scientific method requires earnest study, then an educated theory, then experiments to prove it wrong or right. In our biblical heritage, there is extremely high value, even if not always verbalized, in having right doctrine. We speak of being “right with God” with frightening consequences for the alternative.

In our current world, realizing a sense of common ground sometimes seems like a quaint notion reserved for pacifists, or a weak option if we feel like being nice to people. In reality, I would submit that it’s absolutely essential for any of us to not only get along, but to excel as individuals and as human team members.

Why? Because we ARE all relational. We were created that way. Every last one of us. And every good work in every facet of our human experience is in some way affected by, involves, or benefits others.

So should we devalue or even toss out our strong and long-held convictions, for the sake of agreement? Should we avoid honest conversations at all costs? Absolutely not. But here are a few things that help me navigate the thorny patch of words and people:

1. I should always be seeking a more “perfect truth”. I see through the glass dimly, and I always want to see more clearly. It’s okay to not have all the answers yet, and my view is typically tainted by incomplete information (emotional assumptions).

2. People, even those I disagree with, are way more important than my arguments. I will never influence anyone in a positive way, without already having a relationship with them. That comes first. Mutual respect comes next.

3. I have way more in common with others than I have differences, and we are frequently desiring the same good outcomes. “Us vs. Them” tribalism has to go. Can I work with others for a common good even while disagreeing with them?

I realize that I act, by nature, like a myopic mule with blinders on. But I desperately need others’ perspectives, fueled by their personal stories to complete my big picture. And empathy - borrowing others’ glasses to peer into their world - is a powerful key that unlocks it all.

It’s a win/win - righteous relationship!

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About the Author

Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.

He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.