Family by God&#039;s Design

Great Marriages Have CARP

Many people in the area I live (Western PA) know about the carp at Pymatuning, “where ducks walk on carp.” Over 300,000 people a year throw chunks of bread into the water and watch the carp literally swim on top of one another to eat it. So many carp clamber over one another that ducks...

Honor

commitment fun intimacy marriage respect

January 16, 2017

8 Lessons to Teach Our Sons

Our sons desperately need us to teach them important life lessons. Here are 8 lessons I believe important. Prioritize character over accomplishment. The character you develop through sports involvement—the ability to win honorably, lose gracefully, work with others, and respect authority—goes much further in life than the potential scholarship or the winning goal. Character is...

Family Shepherds

character healthy development parenting sons

January 14, 2017

Your Marriage, Your Health

Remember the Vulcan blessing, “Live long and prosper.” To really live long and prosper a person needs health relationships. In fact, you might have heard of the impact of one particular relationship on health. Marriage increases health and well-being. Well, that statement is only partially true. Let me be more specific. Only healthy marriages result...

Celebration Honor

emotional health happiness intimacy marriage relationships

January 9, 2017

From Crestfallen to Cheery by Way of Creativity

Ever had one of those days? I’m sure you have. You know the day I’m talking about. It starts off bad and goes downhill. You wake up grumpy and irritable. Everyone around you seems to do everything they can to make it worse—they move too slowly, they ask too many stupid questions, they smile too...

Celebration

creativity emotional health family fun night fun

January 7, 2017

Build Your Child’s Success Mindset

I overheard two college students talking about their classes. I was eating a bagel but I couldn’t help overhearing. Their conversation went something like this: “I can’t believe you got an ‘A’ on that test. I’m just not that good at math. But you’re smart.” “Not really. I just sat with the study group and...

Family Shepherds

communication encouragement parenting power of words success

January 2, 2017

Boost Your Memory with this Blissful Activity

I just had to tell you about this study. It really is a great study and can benefit your marriage a great deal. Researchers at McGill University explored the possible link between engaging in regular sex and memory. They asked 78 young women between 18- and 29-years-old about their sex life and then gave them...

Celebration

intimacy memories sexual intimacy

December 31, 2016

A Gift to Increase Generosity

How can you increase gratitude and generosity in your family? And even better, increase both gratitude and generosity with one simple action?! A recent study out of Cornell University offers an answer! Give the gift of a meaningful experience. That’s it! Rather than buying your spouse some flowers or a necklace, go for a walk together....

Celebration

family intimacy generosity gratitude

December 26, 2016

What We Can Learn About Parenting From FDR’s Father

I recently started reading a biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), the 32nd president of the United States. (If you’re interested, I’m reading FDR by Jean Edward Smith.) Self-assured and optimistic in the midst of hardship, FDR “rescued the nation from economic collapse” and “led the nation to victory” in WWII. Elected for four terms,...

Family Shepherds

character father intimacy parent child relationship parenting time

December 24, 2016