Caring - the Way Christ Goes
March 1 - April 12, 2009

How do we see eye to eye when we disagree? How do we hear each other out when we don’t feel like we’re being heard? Living in any kind of community (whether it’s a household/family, church, neighborhood, group of co-workers, class at school, or intimate friendship) means that we inevitably encounter disagreements with each other. Sometimes, talking it out doesn’t seem to help resolve anything—except to solidify our own opinion in cement and vilify whoever disagrees with us. The best we can do is to “agree to disagree”.

But when we have these disagreements in the Church, when we’re trying to determine a right path God wants us to follow, it becomes much harder for us to live and let live. Sometimes we do have to live out a common path, because the community cannot hold opposing kinds of behaviors and actions together.

From January 11—February 22, we will be gathering around scriptures that help us find our way when we disagree at home, work, school, or at Skyline. Each of the seven weeks, we will be considering a different letter in the word: RESPECT. Perhaps if we cannot find common ground, we can behave toward each other with the kind of respect that enables all of us to listen and to feel that we have been understood by another. Join us to see how Jesus truly brings us together.

We've been collecting a variety of perspectives on a current topic of dialogue at Skyline Church: whether or not God is calling us to make public our welcomeof LGBT persons in our community of faith. Click on the link below and read what others have to say - and let us hear from you!

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	January 11, 2009 Ephesians 4:30-32 (Key: 4:31) R - Responsibility Take responsibility for what you say and feel without blaming others.		January 18, 2009 Proverbs 2:1-11 (Key: 2:3-4) E - Empathetic Listening Listen with your heart to what is being said and the feelings behind the words.
	January 25, 2009 Colossians 3:12-17 (Key: 3:13) S - Sensitivity Be sensitive to different styles of communicating.		February 1, 2009 Proverbs 15:28 (Key: 15:28) P - Ponder Ponder what you hear and feel before you speak.
	Februay 8, 2009 2 Corinthians 2:1-4 (Key: 2:1) E - Examine Examine your own assumptions and perceptions.		February 15, 2009 2 Corinthians 12:19-20 (Key: 12:20b) C - Confidentiality In order to be honest with each other in dialogue, we must be able to trust that we will hold in confidence words that might harm the other.
	February 22, 2009 Romans 14:1-10 (Key: 14:4) T - Tolerance Tolerate ambiguity instead of debating what is right and wrong.
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