The readings this week weigh on my heart. I look at what's going on in the states right now. People are literally killing each other in the streets. I look at conflicts here in Canada. I look at conflicts in the church. I look at conflicts in my own life and I look at conflicts in my own heart. It would seem conflict runs through creation. It runs from the innermost parts of the human heart to the halls of power in Washington. 

I talk a lot about the “salvation of all.” I don't talk about people that are so abusive, domineering, ignorant, or hateful that you have to confront them. I don't talk about how sometimes you may need to cut abusive people out of your life. That's a hard teaching. 

The plan for today is to walk through this week's scripture readings and see if we can get a sense of how we can navigate conflict, self-preservation, and still remaining faithful to a God who “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”