Issue 1007
Middle Ground or Common Ground? When Jason and Bridgette were newly married, they faced a problem that would likely create a huge rift in their relationship and future family. Bridget had been raised in a Methodist church and Jason had been raised in a Greek Orthodox church. Which church should they attend together? How should they approach this hitch in their marriage? They decided that the best solution was to find some middle ground where they both could be comfortable. After some thought and discussion, they chose to attend an Episcopal church since it seemed to have some elements of the ritually rich Eastern Orthodox church and some elements of the doctrinally Protestant Methodist church. Their counselor applauded this young couple on their wisdom and maturity of seeking to find middle ground to resolve this thorny problem. They were happy ... at least for the present time.
Middle ground is an area where people with opposing desires or perspectives can meet without extreme frustration or disappointment. Middle ground is a place where two people can stand together as they yield some of their will to the other person in the face of conflict for the sake of cooperation and peace. We pursue middle ground by evaluating the opposing views that each person possesses and then bending each person’s desire away from itself and toward the other person. So if Bridgette desired to eat at Seven and Jason desired to eat at Dairy Queen, middle ground might lead them to eat at Chili’s. Middle ground is a place where no one gets exactly what they want, but each gets something of what they want and both can be happy together in that place. Continued on page 2.
Church Events Dr. Ritch Boerckel Senior Pastor
3 November Calendar Highlights 4 Adult Bible Communities A Community Christmas Tickets Available Soon!
5 First Prayer
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Saturday Night Service Schedule PrimeTime Women’s Ministries College Care Packages Youth Events In November RESOLVEDto Global Outreach
7 Children’s Ministry Open Hearts Open Homes Operation Christmas Child
8 Turkey Bowl Children’s Musical A Feast of Thanks