As Christians, we know God has created us for relationships.
We know God has blessed us for relationships.
We know God has commanded us to do relationships in LOVE.
So how do we do this?
How do we learn to submit our relationships to the rule of Christ? How do we functionally, intentionally apply biblical wisdom in the arena of marriage, friendships, sharing the gospel, coworkers, children, enemies?
God wrote the book on relationships. There is a biblical framework. I have a friend who has worked hard to make that framework visible and applicable to daily life, sort of a systematic theology of relationships with real-life application. It’s way better than CliffsNotes. 🙂
Let me tell you a little bit about Ken.
He is one of the most gracious men I’ve ever met. I’m not saying he’s perfect (nor would he), but I see grace ooze from the crevices of his life. Like all of us on this side of heaven, he still has places in his heart that are not yet steeped in grace, but he’s grown in grace throughout his Christian walk and he’s spent a lot of time distilling in writing what it means to live in redemptive relationships God and with others.
Mike and I were first introduced to Ken Sande (known to most as the author of The Peacemaker and founder of Peacemaker’s Ministries) in Montana a few years ago. We spent four days in Montana as part of the process of becoming Certified Relational Wisdom Instructors (RW360.org), and connected with Ken and his wife immediately.
Getting to know Ken has been one of the highlights of joining him in this life-changing ministry. Truly, RW360 has changed my life. Not because it’s some new method to personal happiness or quick-fix for troubled relationships, but because it draws so effectively from the whole counsel of scripture and gives practical skills to usher me deeper into God’s grace.
Relational wisdom isn’t about fixing troubled relationships, it’s about fixing grace firmly in all relationships.
Relational wisdom resonates with what I already know to be true, but have sometimes had a difficult time articulating and applying in my daily life. It’s something I’ve already been growing in as God has drawn me through his word in personal study and developing seminars and retreats for women.
As a matter of fact, I have a whole women’s retreat on relationships that I started doing with women’s groups in the years before I met Ken Sande or learned anything about his ministry with RW360, but it touches on the exact same themes. Truly, “[t[here is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
I encourage you to discover RW360 for yourself. I also encourage you to dig into the scriptures, like the Bereans (Acts 17:11), and see if what you discover isn’t true.
You’ll also see a lot on JuliaQuillen.com over the next several months that reveals many of the ways relational wisdom is impacting my ability to extend grace in my day to day existence as a wife, pastor’s wife, mom, ministry partner, sister, friend, daughter, teacher, author, speaker, laundress, grocery shopper, restaurant visitor…
Relational wisdom is all about extending grace: to ourselves, to those in our homes, and to those beyond the front porch.
If you’d like to go deeper, please, consider finding (or hosting) a live seminar or watching the online seminar or working through the self-study guide. You can find information on organizing a seminar with any of the Certified Instructors (including me!), if you think RW is something your women’s group or church would be interested in hosting.
What do you think? Is it time to invest in truly redemptive relationships?