Family by God&#039;s Design

Are You There For Me?

Our families are filled with people—spouses, children, us—who crave connection. But you already know that. You have experienced that craving in yourself and seen it in others, I’m sure. In fact, the #1 goal of arguments is connection. We desire emotional connection with one another. Emotional connection makes us secure. It communicates our acceptance. And...

Celebration Honor

communication connection emotional health presence

September 23, 2023

Hold Their Hand

Maybe the Beatles had something important for couples in conflict. They may not have known it, but nonetheless, it was an important message for couples in conflict. That message? “I want to hold your hand.” That’s right. Usually, we talk about improving verbal communication when it comes to conflict with our spouses. But the Beatles...

Celebration Grace

conflict conflict resolution marriage resolving conflict touch

September 9, 2023

What I Learned at Family Camp 2023

We enjoyed another wonderful weekend at Camp Christian’s Family Camp this year. Terry Jones, the dean, organized a great weekend to “Take Back the Family.” Interestingly, children and teens outnumbered adults this weekend. It was beautiful to see so many young people spending time with family and friends, playing, and worshipping. A couple of lessons...

Celebration

family family intimacy spiritual experience

September 4, 2023

Combatting Loneliness & Negativity in Your Family

Loneliness impacts our mental and physical health. In fact, it has a similar impact on physical health as smoking 10 cigarettes a day. It can also contribute to depression and anxiety. Knowing this, I want to teach my family how to combat loneliness. Don’t you? Researchers from the University of Nebraska offer a helpful suggestion...

Celebration Family Shepherds

gratitude loneliness

September 2, 2023

A Challenge for More Family Time, Less Phone Time

We often talk about the struggles of learning to manage technology in our lives. We know technology has its usefulness, but we also know it can take over our lives and isolate us from our families and friends. We have talked about the importance of setting limits on technology use and, more important, developing the...

Celebration

cell phone family intimacy role model smartphone technology

August 14, 2023

Household Labor and…Sexual Satisfaction?

“I have a headache” has become a somewhat iconic excuse to avoid sexual intimacy…along with “I have to get up early” or “I’m not in the mood.” I recognize these may be true statements at times and they need to be accepted as such. However, at times, they can also represent a lack of desire...

Celebration Honor

chores marriage sexual intimacy sexual satisfaction

July 17, 2023

Communicate Love, Even When You’re Mad

If you live in a family, you know what it means to love someone and be angry with them at the same time. Unfortunately, anger often energizes our communication more than our love. In anger we express ourselves more intensely. The challenge when we are angry is to express our needs in a way that...

Celebration Grace

arguments conflict resolution marriage vulnerability

July 10, 2023

The Key to Happiness for You & Your Family

Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz authored a book entitled The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. One of the authors (Waldinger) is the current director of the ongoing and longest-running study on happiness being conducted at Harvard. The study has been gathering data since the 1930’s. Throughout this study, one...