One of the lessons I’ve learned and re-learned in more than one church is the danger of selecting a man to serve as elder who has a history of protracted, repeated, and/or unresolved conflict. On more than one occasion I have overlooked conflict in a man’s life, reasoning either that it was justified by the circumstances, a function of immaturity that has been outgrown, or foisted upon him as the innocent party. The fact is, however, that even when circumstances or theology vindicate his side of the conflict, a man can still be a quarrelsome man. This may demonstrate itself in a lack of gentleness, a propensity to taking rigid positions when none are required, an inability to lose graciously, or simply an over-love of debate. Whatever the form it takes, quarrelsomeness is a serious impediment to effective service as an elder; unchecked it is a clear disqualification (1 Tim. 3:3).
Michael Lawrence

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#1 · March 4, 1999, 7:49 am

Posted by: tz8cy5 <tz8cy5@...>

A certain lawyer was quite wealthy and had a summer house
in the country, to which he retreated for several weeks of
the year. Each summer, the lawyer would invite a different
friend of his to spend a week or two up at this place, which
happened to be in a backwoods section of Maine.

On one particular occasion, he invited a Czechoslovakian
friend to stay with him. The friend, eager to get a freebee
from a lawyer, agreed.

Well, they had a splendid time in the country -- rising
early and living in the great outdoors. Early one morning,
the lawyer and his Czechoslovakian companion went out to
pick berries for their morning breakfast. As they went
around the berry patch gathering blueberries and raspberries
in tremendousquantities, along came two huge bears, a male
and a female.

Well, the lawyer, seeing the two bears, immediately dashed
for cover. His friend, though, wasn't so lucky, and the
male bear caught him and swallowed him whole. The lawyer
ran back to his Mercedes, tore into town as fast has he
could, and contacted the local backwoods sheriff. The
sheriff grabbed his shotgun and dashed back to the berry
patch with the lawyer.

Sure enough, the two bears were still there. "He's in THAT
one!" cried the lawyer, pointing to the male, while visions
of lawsuits
from his friend's family danced in his head. He just had to
save his friend!

The sheriff looked at the bears and, without batting an
eye, leveled took his gun, took careful aim, and SHOT THE
FEMALE.

"What did you do that for!" exclaimed the lawyer. "I said
he was in the other one!"

"Exactly," replied the sheriff. "But why should I believe
a lawyer who said that the Czech was in the male?"

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