Mending Divides

From the Holy Land and US Prisons to our very living rooms, this conversation reveals how proximity, humility, and courageous tenderness make enemy love—the radical way of Jesus—possible, disarming fear, confronting injustice, and transforming our own hearts in the process.01:53 Two Stories - The call to enemy love05:36 Grappling with enemy love10:19 Tent of Nations - refusing to be enemies11:29 How to build our capacity for enemy love14:33 Creativity in refusing violence17:30 Personal wrestling - who is my enemy?21:25 Different versions of Jesus22:11 The state of our hearts towards our enemies23:17 Thank God I’m not like those people...24:51 Speaking ill of others29:28 Story from death row34:03 Am I condoning my enemy’s behavior?40:18 Loving individuals while resisting harmful systems44:13 ClosingMentioned in this episode:In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

Rev. Harold Good—Protestant minister, contemporary of Desmond Tutu, and key figure in Northern Ireland’s peace process—reflects on what it means to pastor through division. Having played a pivotal role in bringing Catholics and Protestants to the same table, Rev. Good shares hard-won wisdom for our polarized age, inviting us all to lead pastorally with courage, compassion, and the hope of reconciliation.Mentioned in this episode:In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

Conflict is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to divide us. In this episode, Enneagram coach Rob Yackley joins Jer to explore the Enneagram and how each of the nine types tends to show up in conflict. Together, they explore each type’s default responses, the unique gifts and traps they bring, and practical ways each can move from reactivity to resourcefulness. Whether you’re new to the Enneagram or fluent in this resource, join us as we discover how the Enneagram can help us show up more fully, more compassionately, and more peaceably when things get hard.02:00 Opening02:43 The Dynamic Nature of the Enneagram05:45 Enneagram and Conflict Navigation06:53 Intro to Enneagram in the Context of Conflict11:10 Core Desires and Fears of Each Type16:30 The Two Tasks of Life21:53 Virtues and Vices of the Nine Enneagram Types36:08 Conflict and the Enneagram41:44 Belly Breathing and Re-growing our Fuses43:37 Practical Tips for Each Enneagram Type50:24 The Importance of Otherness in Enneagram52:12 ConclusionMentioned in this episode:Become an EmberEMBERS is our community of investors and partners committed to igniting and fueling the Everyday Peacemaking movement. Through their continued monthly support, EMBERS members accompany us in our work of forming Everyday Peacemakers and Reconciling Leaders to mend divides. Donate2026 Leadersip CohortDiscover the 2026 Global Immersion Leadership Cohort! Join a community of leaders, receive coaching from global peacemakers, take part in an immersive experience in Northern Ireland, and earn certification in Dialogue for Peaceful Change. Applications are open until October 31 at globalimmerse.org/cohort

In a time of exhausting division, what we need isn’t a new moral majority—it’s a faithful remnant. In this timely conversation with Latasha Morrison of Be the Bridge, we explore what it means to follow Jesus into the hard and holy work of repair. We talk about the habits that shape bridge builders, and name the biblical and historical illiteracy at the root of so much of our current brokenness. We also reflect on the need for lament and explore prayer as the seedbed for the work of justice.Mentioned in this episode:In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

What if peacemaking meant moving into people’s lives instead of waiting for them to come to the table? In this profound conversation, renowned peacemaker Dr. John Paul Lederach shares how presence, story, and deep listening can transform conflict—and why this “circulation” approach looks a lot like Jesus.02:29 John Paul Lederach’s journey with conflict transformation07:48 How do we approach conflict today?10:01 Humiliation and dehumanization12:20 The way of Jesus with conflict16:01 A story from Maze prison in Belfast19:25 What formation is needed? Looking at Defensiveness24:52 The Pause of Curiosity26:16 The Vocational Pause30:22 Fixing conflict vs. wounded companions36:58 This moment in time?42:29 Hope in the Everyday and the Local46:28 Circulatory Approach48:24 Learning from insects55:31 Deepening in circles vs. linear “fixing59:49 Jesus’ circulatory “along the way” ministry01:02:23 Final encouragement01:07:49 Closing reflectionMentioned in this episode:In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate