Family by God&#039;s Design

*To Calm A Quarrel

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.” (Proverbs 15:18, NIV) In our culture the demand to be heard is strong, even overpowering at times. Perhaps this demand to be heard has grown in response to a lack of listening that manifests itself in rejection, oppression, disregarding of...

Grace Honor

husband marriage parent child relationship patience wife

May 19, 2025

*A Fellow-Heir

Women have always had a special standing in the heart of God. Men may have, at times, attempted to make them second-class citizens, but God has always held women in high esteem. He created women with a special purpose, a purpose that has often been misconstrued. Specifically, He created women as a “suitable helper” (Genesis...

Book Reviews Honor

husbands love marriage value

May 17, 2025

An Amplifier Your Family Needs

Gratitude doesn’t come easily. We have a built-in “danger alert system” that keeps us keenly aware of the threats and dangers around us. This negative bias captures our attention, screaming warnings about safety and caution, keeping us ever vigilante of potential dangers. Of course, this does play an important role in our lives. The danger...

Celebration

awe emotional health family gratitude

May 12, 2025

Growing Neighborhoods by Growing Children

Who wants to improve their neighborhood and the well-being of our youth? We all do. We desire safer, more well-connected neighborhoods; and we know that safe, well-connected neighborhoods will enhance the well-being of our families and our children. But how can we accomplish this? At least one person offered an idea that I believe holds...

Celebration Family Shepherds

chores maturity parenting responsibility

May 10, 2025

Lost in a Smorgasbord of Parenting

Parenting has become a smorgasbord of confusion. Reading through myriads parenting advice, you might find yourself confused about which parenting style proves most effective: gentle parenting, attachment parenting, or mindful parenting. You might fly into the role of a helicopter parent or wander into the realm of free-range parenting. In search of the perfect parenting...

Family Shepherds

boundaries connection parent child relationship parenting responsiveness

May 5, 2025

Don’t Kill the Messenger

The green dragon opened one eye before quickly raising his head. He sniffed the air as his eyes darted around the room. Something was amiss. Something posed a threat to the relationship that the dragon jealously guarded. He nudges his master, even blows a little smoke in his direction. His master now has a choice:...

Grace Honor

jealousy marriage

May 3, 2025

Make the Gracious Choice

I often feel overwhelmed by the constant criticism, contempt, and name-calling I hear in the news. And…I don’t think I’m alone. I hear many others talk about feeling discouraged as they watch this as well. What we hear in news stories is one thing. What I find even more discouraging is how many people come...

Family Shepherds Honor

family intimacy family relationships observation student

April 28, 2025

Reading, Language, Empathy, the Brain

We all know how important reading is for our children. A study published in Neuroimage showed that this benefit reaches all the way down to the very structure of our children’s brains. That’s right. A study involving over 1,000 participants suggests that reading strengthens at least two regions of the left hemisphere. One region is...

Celebration Family Shepherds

brain development empathy language parenting reading

April 26, 2025

Mom’s Doing the Heavy Work, Carrying the Load

I almost hate to write this blog. The information forces me to look at myself and consider…do I need to make some changes? Am I part of this statistic? Does my wife notice? But I get ahead of myself. Let me explain. Research from the University of Bath and the University of Melbourn revealed that...