Dr. Jennifer Degler has taught me a lot. From the moment I picked up her book No More Christian Nice Girl, I realized she was someone I wanted and needed to get to know.  I’ve had many conversations with her over the years while hosting Midday Connection, and I’m delighted to have her join me on Faith Conversations.

I scheduled this particular podcast to release long before I knew what world events would unfold and what personal events would unfold this past week. The world events you are probably aware of. First, the suicide bombing in Beirut on November 12 with 43 deaths, and the next day, multiple attacks in Paris with a death toll hovering around 130.  On the personal front, I was privileged to attend the annual CCDA Conference, Wednesday through Saturday noon, last week in Memphis, Tennessee. My husband Mike and I were both able to attend. For those unfamiliar, CCDA stands for Christian Community Development Association. Three thousand of us gathered to learn more about biblical justice and how to address people and their communities wholistically. I’ve never been part of such a diverse conference both on and off the platform. Kudos to CCDA!

Dr. Degler’s appearance is certainly timely, considering world events. But even in the day to day dealing with conflict is essential. Our focus on the podcast is primarily marriage, but the themes Dr. Degler talks about are transcendent whether you are single, in the workplace, or engaging in relationship with your neighbors. If we can’t develop skills for conflict resolution we are in trouble.  If we don’t desire to learn and grow in our interpersonal relationships and skills, we are equally in trouble.

I encourage you to assess the state of your relationships? Could you do a better job when conflicts arise? Most of us can answer ‘yes’. If that’s your response, I hope you take the time to listen to the podcast this week.

Let me add this brief piece of information.  Many of you have emailed me and asked about hearing my husband Mike on the podcast and also hearing Melinda with a focus on current events.  I’m pleased to say that some of those conversational podcasts will be coming soon. Stay tuned! And spread the word about the podcast if you would.  Share the link on your Facebook page or twitter feed.  I would deeply appreciate it.  My marketing budget is $0! And word of mouth is the best way to let folks know about the podcast.  Thank you for your support!