had been touched by God, and he was welcome in Israel. Now
that was a stellar case of divine wisdom given him. But I saw that
happen in Africa, India, Nagaland—other places where they were
ready to run us out, but God blessed and honored him as he
explained why he was reaching out to them.”Build Camaraderie
Differences don’t have to mean the destruction of the bridge.
Every relationship is going to face some seemingly enormous con-
flicts—different goals, different values, different ways to do things.
Presidential adviser David Gergen observed this about his boss.
“From his days as governor, Ronald Reagan understood the impor-
tance of floating coalitions. Someone who fought you today might
be your best friend tomorrow, so you kept your relationship up.”
Gergen confesses, “Years ago, I didn’t realize that camaraderie
mattered much to leadership. I now think that a leader can barely
survive without it. To Reagan, as to other presidents like Eisen-
hower, Johnson, and Ford, relationships with others were the oil
that kept friction down and allowed their initiatives to move more
smoothly through the system.”
Bridge building means acknowledging the difficulties and, at
the same time, reaffirming your desire not to let them end your
relationship.
Cliff Barrows also remembers how Billy bridged even poten-
tially tense political chasms. “In Budapest during the Cold War,
we were sitting across the table from a sharp and intense young
man who wanted to tell us how he was converted to communism
and why he was motivated by it. Billy said, ‘I’d like to hear that,
and then I want to tell you how I was converted to Jesus Christ.’
The conversation was wonderful. The young man said, ‘Well, I’d
like to convert you to communism.’ And Billy said, ‘Thank you.
I want to convert you to Jesus Christ.’ They shared openly with
each other. It was great.”
Bridges aren’t built by hiding our foundations and intentions
but by admitting where we are, respecting those on the other side,
and affirming the worth of the connection.
Building Bridges