Sometimes “extending grace” may mean you’re about to get into conflict with someone. Though you should never look for a fight, you should also not be looking for ways to avoid redemptive moments when it is within your competency and context to help someone who is struggling. Avoidance, masked as peacekeeping, is not peacemaking. Love speaks the truth—graciously, patiently, redemptively—but it speaks (Ephesians 4:15).

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/hiding-behind-grace-to-avoid-the-hard-things/

Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Will you help us?

Hiding Behind Grace To Avoid The Hard Things

Do you enjoy God? You know, like a good movie or a nice dinner. After a long day, you’re looking for a pleasant escape to something you enjoy. Is God at the top of your “things I enjoy the most” list? My wife was not that way for several decades. Because of her longstanding relationship with legalism, God was not as satisfying as He could have been, so other options competed for her affections. I’m not suggesting she lived in rebellion; she did not. She loved God as much as she knew how to love Him.

Read, Watch, Listen: https://lifeovercoffee.com/my-wife-is-enjoying-god-finally/

Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/

Enjoying God- My Wife’s Break From a Legalistic Perspective

Where did love go wrong is a haunting ballad that shines a light on the painful reality of domestic violence. With raw, heartfelt lyrics and a slow, emotive arrangement, the track captures the confusion, heartbreak, and search for answers when love turns into harm

This song blends indie/folk influences with a cinematic atmosphere, creating a powerful listening experience that resonates with audiences seeking music that tells the truth about difficult issues. More than just a track, it is a voice for awareness, empathy, and change

Buy Here

Where did love go wrong?

Inside

A cry for war leads to aggression then resolution.

War Cry

Widely recognized as one of the most influential and beloved figures in the field of peacebuilding, John Paul Lederach embodies both the rigor of the scholar and sensitivity of the poet. A pioneer of the concept of conflict transformation (as distinct from resolution), his work has redefined peacebuilding as a moral and relational art rooted in empathy, moral imagination, and the human capacity for connection across divides. Join TNS Host Serena Bian for this intergenerational conversation exploring John Paul's enormous body of work in building the fields of conflict transformation and collective trauma healing--as well as his love for poetry and haiku.


John Paul Lederach
Dr. John Paul Lederach is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in the fields of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. He is widely known for the development of culturally based approaches to conflict transformation; the design and implementation of integrative, strategic approaches to peacebuilding; and for carving a robust integration of the arts and social change. Over the course of his career, Lederach has garnered extensive experience working with non-governmental organizations, community-based initiatives impacted by cycles of violence, and national peace process design. He has worked extensively as a practitioner in conciliation processes in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast and Central Asia. He is the author or editor of 30 books and manuals (translated into a dozen languages), and numerous academic articles and monographs on peace education, conflict transformation, international peacebuilding, and conciliation training. He currently serves as Senior Fellow for Humanity United and Professor Emeritus of International Peacebuilding at the Joan B. Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Host Serena Bian
Serena is pursuing a life that remains attentive to the tenderness of a snail’s soft body and reverent to the miracle of its spiraled shell. She is a Chinese-American peacebuilder, storyteller, and community weaver devoted to the belief that intergenerational connection is vital for the future of our peace and justice movements. She recently completed six years as a Special Advisor in Design & Innovation to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, bringing a spiritual and systemic understanding to the public health crisis of loneliness and isolation. She is a Zen chaplain-in-training and serves on the boards of CoGenerate and Commonweal.

#commonweal #commonwealnewschool #peacebuilding #conflict #transformation #virtuouscycle #haiku

Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.


The Art of Peacebuilding: Haiku, Accompaniment, and Courageous Love - John Paul Lederach

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 19th century philosophers and social theorists, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, articulated in their work The Communist Manifesto.

This episode examines what Marx and Engels envision the role of the Communist Party to be in relation to leadership of, and the development of class consciousness in, the Proletariat.  They also address some of the objections made against the Communist program, and set out what their particular goals are.

To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler

If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

You can find the Communist Manifesto free online here https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/

Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto - Class Conflict & The Rise Of The Bourgeoisie

A life-long humanitarian, Matthias Schmale has borne witness to a number of seismic moments in world history. Currently United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, he is overseeing efforts to help Ukrainians prepare for a fourth winter at war.
“The longer this lasts, the more the resilience will go down, the more the psychological damage will take hold [...] There are nights where I lie in bed thinking, why can't this nightmare for civilians end?”
Ukrainians have endured four years of hellish conflict that continues to devastate civilian lives and infrastructure, leaving 36 percent of the population in need of aid. In this episode, Matthias Schmale looks back on a long career of humanitarian service, reflects on the deep scars of war and explains why daily life in Kyiv can be both heaven and hell.

S12-E1: Ukraine: 'Heaven and Hell', with Matthias Schmale - UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine

Coal, Conflict and Class Struggle – Thatcherism and the Destruction of Collectivism in the UK
Dave Procter
Tuesday 25 November 2025
7pm

The Miners Strike of 1984-85 was a fundamental turning point in the relationship between the State and the working populace and marked a change in the social and political landscape of the United Kingdom. The neoliberal experiment that started in the Americas in the 1970s and expanded with the election victories of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher was now to be implemented across the Atlantic Ocean with devastating results that are still being felt today.

In this talk, Värmland-based sound artist, cultural archivist and former Trades Union activist Dave Procter discusses the events that led to the start of the Miners Strike, the major events that took place during the year long dispute, the aftermath of the strike and the lessons we have learnt and need to (re)learn with the rise of far right political parties across the EU and the world.

Dave Procter is a sound artist based on Hammarö in Värmland, where he also works for ABF as an English teacher and as an academic proof reader at Karlstad University. He grew up in a mining community as a member of a mining family and this informed his social and political thinking as a teenager watching his community change as the 1980s progressed. As a university lecturer in Leeds, he became involved in Trades Union activism and this in turn fed into some of the more sociological courses he taught on in the Music Department.

The talk will be held in English.

Coal, Conflict and Class Struggle, Dave Procter

We continued with our "Love Life" series with Pastor Doug teaching what it looks like to respond to conflict in a relationship.

How To Win A Fight (Pastor Doug)

Music is a voice, a way of expression that transcends all languages.  Words are limiting and prone to misinterpretation, music communicates with the soul. I learned the theory and the structures of classical music and have come to the conclusion that music is not about conforming to rules but more about how successfully break them!

The New School presents conversations, book signings, art, and lectures with thought and action leaders of our time. We are a learning community of 4,000 people in the Bay Area and around the world dedicated to learning what matters. 

TNS focuses on the emergent, seeking out the thought and action leaders who are bringing discussion, beauty, and change to the world. We present events and podcast them in many areas: arts and sciences, health and the environment, and inner life. We follow streams of inquiry, including our End-of-Life Conversations, and series on Resilience, Archetypal Psychology, and Healing Circles.

Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating.

In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in Counseling from The Master's University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).

We are a community of hope welcoming people home.

I'm that YouTube Philosophy Guy! Find more than 3,000 videos in my main channel.  Support my video and podcast work!  https://www.patreon.com/sadler or https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

Learn more about this podcast channel - https://youtu.be/qRvL0gqlyrw and https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/p/the-sadlers-lectures-podcast

Due to popular demand - and with the work underwritten by my Patreon supporters - I have been converting my videos into MP3 files listeners can listen to anywhere they want!

I have a second podcast, Mind & Desire, publishing original episodes on a variety of topics in philosophy, which you can find here - https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/podcast

Website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaFlemingUN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaFleming
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissarfleming

What does it take to be a United Nations worker in some of the world’s most complex and dangerous places? How are UN humanitarians, human rights advocates, prosecutors, development experts, climate leaders and peacekeepers improving our world? Stationed in all reaches of the world and witness to suffering and atrocities, how are they helping people and coping themselves? 

To find out, Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, meets them.

Here, you will discover extraordinary personal stories from people who devote their lives to helping others.

New tracks tagged #conflict