Truth or Consequences
"Games People Play"
Ron Clarkson
Ephesians 4:25,26
I'd like to welcome our special guests this morning.
You saw them in our drama. I'm going to adjust the
names just a little bit. Our special guests are Marty
the Manipulator, Harriet the Hinter, Gary the Guilt-
tripper. All of these people were in our drama this
morning, as a matter of fact they are probably in our
audience right now. But I bet they were also here last
week and they agreed with what I was proposing in the
message. I'll bet that Marty the Manipulator, Harriet
the Hinter, Gary the Guilt-tripper and some others
unanimously agreed with me when I said that God
created every single person to desire, yes to even
crave true community. God wants us to enjoy
relationships - with our spouse, friends, neighbors,
family members, work associates - that are genuine. We
want to be in significant relationships with someone
whom we can be totally honest. Someone we can be
completely open and vulnerable with. Someone we can
share our ups and downs, in and outs with. We want to
have true community with others.
But many of us seem to be stuck in pseudo community -
or relationships that are filled with pretense. You
don't really share your ups and downs, you just keep
the conversation on the surface. Instead of talking
about subjects that are personal and demand
vulnerability, we talk about "safe" subjects. We do a
great job of editing our conversations so we don't
reveal the private parts of our hearts. In true
community we open up, share our lives and speak the
truth with people. In pseudo community, the bottom
line is - don't rock the boat, don't make waves, don't
cause any conflict by what you say or disclose. Don't
ask tough questions, just keep it safe.
I know from all the comments after last week's
message, many of you are stuck in pseudo communal
marriages - No oneness, no intimacy - the TV is your
only common bo ...
"Games People Play"
Ron Clarkson
Ephesians 4:25,26
I'd like to welcome our special guests this morning.
You saw them in our drama. I'm going to adjust the
names just a little bit. Our special guests are Marty
the Manipulator, Harriet the Hinter, Gary the Guilt-
tripper. All of these people were in our drama this
morning, as a matter of fact they are probably in our
audience right now. But I bet they were also here last
week and they agreed with what I was proposing in the
message. I'll bet that Marty the Manipulator, Harriet
the Hinter, Gary the Guilt-tripper and some others
unanimously agreed with me when I said that God
created every single person to desire, yes to even
crave true community. God wants us to enjoy
relationships - with our spouse, friends, neighbors,
family members, work associates - that are genuine. We
want to be in significant relationships with someone
whom we can be totally honest. Someone we can be
completely open and vulnerable with. Someone we can
share our ups and downs, in and outs with. We want to
have true community with others.
But many of us seem to be stuck in pseudo community -
or relationships that are filled with pretense. You
don't really share your ups and downs, you just keep
the conversation on the surface. Instead of talking
about subjects that are personal and demand
vulnerability, we talk about "safe" subjects. We do a
great job of editing our conversations so we don't
reveal the private parts of our hearts. In true
community we open up, share our lives and speak the
truth with people. In pseudo community, the bottom
line is - don't rock the boat, don't make waves, don't
cause any conflict by what you say or disclose. Don't
ask tough questions, just keep it safe.
I know from all the comments after last week's
message, many of you are stuck in pseudo communal
marriages - No oneness, no intimacy - the TV is your
only common bo ...
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