What happens when a person confesses but the other person withholds forgiveness? Jesus anticipates the possibility that an injured...
When we read the Lord’s Prayer[1] we hear the fifth request: “... forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew...
In the last decade or so, my discussions about the nature and practice of forgiveness have been lively. It’s amazing how often the...
What is your understanding and practice of forgiveness? How you answer this crucial question impacts your relationships. It also...
Love and forgiveness are often confused with each other. The confusion results in loss. The accompanying photo illustrates this...
Before relating a great story, let me reinforce our starting point. 'Therapeutic forgiveness' Our modern western culture...
What do you understand and practice when it comes to forgiveness? Before launching into an exploration of real or true forgiveness,...
Recently, someone spoke about his experience of deepening despondency and self-recrimination. He realized he was totally centered on...
How do you experience relief, even healing, from the unpleasant emotions and burdens that flow from a damaged relationship? Many...
For most, a journey means travelling to a destination. The 'journey' of forgiveness has a destination. Not all reach the destination....
Recently, I was in a foreign country for the first time. I usually knew where I was and where I wanted to go, but I didn’t know how to...
Recently, I was with a wonderful group of people. The question was asked, “What about when Jesus says, ‘forgive them’? Doesn’t that...
If forgiveness is the process of rebuilding damaged or broken relationships, what damages or breaks a relationship? You're probably...
When another person breaks relationship – cutting you deeply and stepping way over the line – what are you to do? Consulting our...
You're standing in cold water up to your waist. Your arms are wrapped tightly against your chest as you resist the plunge into the...
Can you guess what it is? It begins with 'R' and has either six or ten letters. It's not normally spoken in polite...
In the previous post, repentance was described in terms of a change of mind, emotion, and will toward self, toward sin, toward God,...
What on earth is homologeō? More to the point: "Why should I care?" Two good questions. What is homologeō? Homologeō is, as...
David blew it big time. Afterwards, he wrote a psalm revealing the turmoil of his heart. Psalm 51 is there for all to see. I puzzled...
What is confession? Confession is a crucial stage in the process of true forgiveness. As we have read, it’s that point at which...
Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005) was a Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter. In his book, The Sunflower: on the possibilities and limits of...
He knew he was wrong and he told her. But no matter what he said or did, she refused to forgive him. I’ve heard this tale too...
When was the last time you thought about restitution? It's probably been a while, if not longer. So, let’s explore the ‘what’,...
"Restitution: what it is; why it matters" triggered lots of great questions. For context, we explored earlier the gift of a new...
Restitution. We’ve described it as repentance in action. We then fleshed out some aspects of it in “2 questions about restitution.”...
“God may have forgiven you, but you’ve got to forgive yourself.” How many times have you heard this homespun wisdom? What does it...
Karl Barth (1886-1968) was perhaps the most influential theologian of the 20th Century. On reconciliation, he wrote: To fail...
Forgiveness is at or near the heart of God. It is difficult to name a subject more important to the life of Christians. And yet, it is...
Here are four qualities of true forgiveness. 1. Forgiveness as rebuilding Consulting the “Map of Forgiveness,” we can trace the...