Communication with partners (no longer husband and wife) families, workmates, friends….. is not as it should be. There is a great need.

That’s why AVP ( Alternatives to Violence Project) presents the workshop Creating Peaceful Pathways for anyone who wants to make changes in their communication.

When I saw this workshop advertised in Auckland in the New Lynn Library some time ago I thought to myself: Let us get our priorities right!

What about our communication with God?

We cannot have real peace with our fellow man if we don’t have peace with our Creator God. And even once we have peace with God as individuals it is difficult at times to keep the peace with our fellow believers.

We are born as enemies of God. In fact we are at war with our Creator. That’s why we are also at war with our neighbours!

In the workshop mentioned above it says that you will learn to:- Affirm yourself- increase your self esteem, Improve your listening, Practise communicating clearly, Trust others and be trustworthy, Co-operation rather than competing, Use conflict resolution skills, Build community- connect with others and HAVE FUN.

But first things first.– Matthew 6:33.

Of course we must improve our listening skills. We must listen to God and what he says to us in his word. The Lord is communicating his word to us clearly and we must learn to communicate clearly with him. We must trust God and and we must be trustworthy. We must co- operate with God.

And of course we must first of all connect with him in order to connect with others properly. But how can we connect with God.

I remember when I was a young Christian in Germany I went to a small Church and above the entrance was written: Matthew 11:28! The Lord himself has resolved the conflict– but we must come! And we must come his way. We must believe. Romans 3:22-24.

wd