Making up isn't hard to do

The Church without the centrality of the Cross is just a community group. — Danielle Strickland A Vision for Reconciliation by Danielle Strickland, from Better Together Truth can be told in an instant, forgiveness can be offered spontaneously, but reconciliation is the work of lifetimes and generations. ~ Krista Tippett in Speaking of Faith On a recent visit to Rwanda, I was speaking to a man who was an advisor to the Rwandan government and a Christian leader before and after the genocide. He was telling me about the reality of the church in Rwanda. He told me that the Sunday before the genocide, 92 percent of Rwandans were in church. After it was all over, he wondered how he would ever preach again. What could the Church say? How could they gather people in churches that had been part of and complicit in such a great injustice? But it wasn’t long before he understood what they needed to say. The possibility of a new future soon dawned on them. Rwandans needed a place to go with their grief. With their sorrow. They needed a place of healing. Someone to help them carry their suffering. Other Rwandans needed a place to go with their shame. With their guilt. With the blood on their hands. They needed to find some forgiveness. Where can people go for that? What can reach that depth of pain and stain of guilt? This is when the church in Rwanda began to discover the relevance and power of what Christians believe to be the center of their faith: the Cross. They began to preach the Gospel by telling people about what Jesus had done on the Cross. This is so important for us right now. It’s not the Church that is the answer, and we know that now. We watch in dread as church leaders are named and shamed and church structures and attitudes side with oppression. We watch in shame as those who are guilty are shunned from the very places they might find forgiveness and restoration. We’re stunned as Christian leaders have been exposed as complicit in the destruction of healthy relationships between women and men. The Church without the centrality of the Cross is just a community group.  But the Cross, that is where true power is on display for the deepest wounds of the world. The deepest wounds in us. When it comes to deep-seated injustices, there is only one place to go that might lead to healing and unravel the oppression that has held us all. There is only one place to go that might spur us to the hope of a different future, to change, to repentance and forgiveness and reconciliation. It’s the Cross. Jesus embraced the Cross as a demonstration of love and power personified. It is power to break the back of sin, shame, guilt, fear, and death. And it is love to soothe and heal shame, suffering, abuse, and pain. It is the place of transformation. No matter who we are, the oppressor or the oppressed, we will find what we need to get free from oppression’s tragic cycle. We will find this freedom in the person of Jesus on the Cross. On the Cross Jesus reconciled the whole world to Himself. C. S. Lewis described how when Jesus died on the cross, time itself began to move backward.1 What he meant was that Creation could now be restored to everything God had originally created it to be. When we think of the consequences of humans acting selfishly, we can follow a trajectory that began in the Genesis story of broken relationships. First between humanity and God. Then between men and women. Then between siblings, then between tribes, and this repeats itself until we find ourselves at this point in time, in a world tragically divided. What is the remedy? It’s a transformational idea to suggest that our restored relationship with God would begin to restore our relationships with everything and everyone else. Indeed, it’s the Gospel. A good description of the Gospel itself is the “ministry of reconciliation.”2 Can we imagine a reconciled world? I think right relationships are good news for this life. To be reconciled means that our relationships are made right. But relationships that are broken need repair. And repair takes effort and time. The righting of broken relationships (reconciliation) needs some guidance. Too often we think that powerful spiritual things happen by “magic.” But they don’t. They happen through grace and loads of work. 1,“The Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time,” WikiNarnia, the Chronicles of Narnia Wiki, based on The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. Excerpted with permission from Better Together by Danielle Strickland, copyright Danielle Strickland. Can you imagine a future where women and men are better together? Watch this video. WATCH * * * Your Turn Some relationships may seem like reconciliation is a complete impossibility. With the Gospel, through the Cross, in Jesus that is no longer true. They can be made right… with grace and work! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you about how we can be better together! ~Devotionals Daily   COMMENT

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Is it possible in the aftermath of #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements for men and women to actually find hope and healing and create a better world—together?    Save 30% off this new release Better Together: How Women and Men Can Heal the Divide and Work Together to Transform the Future by Danielle Strickland List Price: $18.99 Sale Price: $13.29 (30% off) BUY NOW We are currently at a strategic cultural intersection with relationships between women and men eroding. And it seems no one knows what to do. While it is good for women to expose their pain, what often happens is that they immediately blame the person at the other end of it, which sets up a never-ending cycle of accusations, denial, avoidance, and ultimately devastation for everyone involved. This moment of discovery should not signal the end but instead become an opportunity to create a different world where men and women are better together. Better Together is a beacon of hope in a challenging storm. It’s where thoughts can be rechanneled and hope rekindled as author Danielle Strickland offers steps toward a real and workable solution. Her premise is that two things are needed for change: 1) imagine a better world, and 2) understand oppression. Understanding how oppression works is an important part of undoing it. Danielle says, “I refuse to believe that all men are bad. I also refuse to believe that all women are victims. I don’t want to be just hopeful, I want to be strategically hopeful. I want to work toward a better world with a shared view of the future that looks like equality, freedom, and flourishing.” MEET DANIELLE STRICKLAND  Spiritual Leader | Justice Advocate | Communicator | Peacemaker Danielle Strickland is an author, speaker, trainer, and global social justice advocate. Her aggressive compassion has served people firsthand in countries all over the world—from establishing justice departments for the Salvation Army to launching global antitrafficking initiatives to creating new movements to mobilize people towards transformational living. Affectionately called the "ambassador of fun," she is host of DJStrickland Podcast, cofounder of Infinitum, Amplify Peace, and Brave Global, and founder of Women Speakers Collective. Danielle is married to Stephen and lives in Toronto, Canada, with their three sons. Editorial Reviews for Better Together 'When it comes to gender issues in the workplace, ministries, and life in general, it's pretty obvious we're facing significant challenges. Thankfully, Danielle Strickland has written this timely, needed, and necessary book, Better Together. Danielle has a unique ability to navigate tricky terrain with truth, boldness, gentleness, and courage. This book will not only lovingly correct, but also inspire and instruct both men and women with grace and understanding. We need each other to do everything we are called and created to do! This subject is important to God. As Danielle writes, 'We aren't just cleaning up a mess. We are building a new world.' And we are unquestionably better together!' -- Craig Groeschel, bestselling author and pastor 'In Better Together, Danielle Strickland provides a practical and timely picture of what could be. A glimpse of the 'strategically hopeful.' Freedom fighters, justice advocates, influencers, and thought leaders all united to not just dream of a better story, but to actually create one. Grab this book and join the movement!' -- Brad Lomenick, founder of BLINC, author of H3 Leadership and The Catalyst Leader 'This book should be required reading for every Christian. Drawing on years of experience, research, and with great grace, wisdom, and prophetic insight, Danielle urges us to pursue healthy relationships between men and women, for the sake of our witness in this world, to fulfill the mission of the church, and for future generations.' -- Christine Caine, bestselling author and founder of Propel Women and A21 Learn more and save 30% off... Save 30% off the Better Together Curriculum Better Together Study Guide with DVD: How Women and Men Can Heal the Divide and Work Together to Transform the Future by Danielle Strickland List Price: $41.99 Sale Price: $29.39 (30% off) BUY NOW Better Together Study Guide List Price: $12.99 Sale Price: $9.09   BUY NOW Better Together Video Study   List Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $20.99   BUY NOW *Sale ends 02/29/20. Free U.S. shipping on orders over $25 (excluding Hawaii and Alaska).

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