Over the last three weeks I have been encouraging you to have a \u2018heart of honour\u2019 so that our community of faith and you individually might live in a Culture of Honour. Over this time I have suggested to you that the way we do that is by pouring our strength into the lives of those around us<\/b>. <\/b>This week just past I asked you to believe and affirm that if we are to live in a \u2018covenant of love\u2019, then …..
\n\u201cmy life is committed to your life\u201d
\n<\/b>\u201cwe are better together – we are stronger together\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
I credit Ps Danny Silk and Ps Bill Johnson with unpacking and teaching me these biblical truths. In a blog by Danny Silk April 2012 \u201cCulture and Confrontation\u201d he goes on to say ….. The result of a culture of honor is progress and momentum. It looks like powerful people running together \u2013 bound by covenant relationships \u2013 untethered by fear and control. Sound good? It is! In fact, it\u2019s heavenly! But like everything in God\u2019s Kingdom, there is a divine tension. It can get messy, it is risky and you can get hurt. When you give the people around you permission to be powerful and control themselves, there is the definite possibility they will use that freedom to excuse selfish behavior. Therefore, the skills of confrontation are indispensable.<\/p>\n Confrontation of sin can feel very threatening, and for some, may have ended disastrously in the past! The good news is honest communication doesn\u2019t have to unravel into disconnection. It\u2019s purpose is to respectfully expose areas needing strength and grace. In the process we are letting the person know how our experience of their behavior is affecting us. For example, \u201cWhen you do this, it scares me.\u201d It\u2019s important to understand your motive behind your communication.\u00a0 <\/span>When we confront in an honoring way, the goal is to define the problem (if there is indeed one), not to bully or manipulate a confession.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>We honor our children by giving them powerful choices. We honor our friends and spouses by helping them maximize their potential. We honor our leaders by supporting and strengthening them. Honor focuses on empowering the people around us, no matter who they are, or what their gender, age, status or role. Honor is led by love. And when we honor, we are protecting and nurturing our connections with each other. Our goal is to establish and maintain authentic relationship, rather than dominate another person. Honor communicates, \u2018My relationship with you is more important than you doing what I want you to do.\u2019<\/p>\n