Remember the story of the person you are in conflict with, and consider what may be going on in his or her life at the moment.

We piled into the minivan. With the church logo plastered on the side of our silver Toyota, we rode in style toward Hot Springs, Ark., to bond as a staff. We already knew we possessed the capability of getting on one another's nerves. You find that out quickly working with a staff; your differences glare like a flashing neon signs in the middle of the night.

We gathered a group of youth workers together to talk about their ideas for connecting with others in ministry.

How often does your soul need collaboration?

Most youth workers tell me they're team players and believe in community. Still, these youth workers often admit they're doing ministry in isolation and lament feeling very alone.

When we put all the responsibility and pressure of youth ministry on ourselves, we start to see everyone else as the other, and the other quickly can become a threat we have to defend against.

Everyone loves cinnamon rolls!

"Trust in God with all your heart, and do not rely upon your own insight" (Prov. 3:5).

God does not call us to competition, but to obedience and collaboration. If we are concerned about the competition, maybe we first need to examine whether we are currently in obedience to what God has asked of us.

According to the number-crunchers at Facebook, the average degree of separation between random Facebook users is actually just 3.57.