David was surprised that Ernie was so upbeat about Tuesday's conversation with Janet.  Perhaps this is because Ernie was primarily hurt by Janet appearing to withdraw from the group relationship, then reaffirming that relationship (and Ernie's emotions) on Tuesday.  David was less optimistic, because Ernie and Janet had not appeared to reach a common understanding, which implied such problems were likely to recur.

This was poignant for David because he felt frustrated in his attempt to encourage Janet to reconcile. Waiting until Ernie finished also did not seem a viable option, since he was scheduled to work with Janet on Apples of Gold.

When Ernie suggested David set those feelings aside, this led to an extended discussion of compartmentalization: whether there were healthy or unhealthy ways to do that, and how that related to authenticity.  David shared his ongoing debate with Bill about whether churches are more like train-wrecks or ship-wrecks.  Ernie suggested that churches are slightly better at showing grace for personal addictions (shipwrecks) than relational dysfunction (train-wrecks).

Stay tuned to find out if The Great Reset will be train-wrecks all the way down, or we might find a way out through the cross.

References