Family by God&#039;s Design

Be Careful What You Teach

Children are voracious learnings. They even learn lessons from us that we don’t want them to learn. Let me share a few examples I’ve seen over the years. No parent wants to teach their child that nagging or throwing a tantrum will help them “get their way.” We don’t want our children to believe they...

Family Shepherds

behavior consequence discipline misbehavior parenting teaching

April 18, 2026

Sticks & Stones May…What? And Words?

Remember the saying that “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” It’s a lie. According to a study involving over 20,500 participants, we need to change that saying to something like “sticks and stones may break my bones and words will rewire my brain and possibly detract from my...

Family Shepherds Honor

parenting power of words verbal abuse

April 14, 2026

Parents, Walk the Talk

I heard my children upstairs yelling at one another. I listened for a moment hoping they would stop, but they didn’t. Slowly, I walked to the bottom of the stairs and yelled, “We don’t yell in this house.” As soon as I said it, I realized what I had done. I yelled that we don’t...

Family Shepherds Honor

child development moral development parenting role model

April 14, 2026

Lost “Accidental Learnings”

We live in a new world because of technology. Our children were born into this technological world and, although they learn things we never had to learn, they also experience greater difficulty learning things we learned “by accident.” Let me share a few of the “accidental learnings” I think we learned before the age of...

Family Shepherds

imagination learning perspective taking planning values

April 4, 2026

Change Your Child’s World, Read to Your Child

We all want our children to grow into mature, compassionate, and productive adults. We also want them to have positive relationships, beginning with their relationship with us. We want them to have the wisdom and knowledge to not only live better lives than we have lived but to create an even better world than the...

Family Shepherds Honor

healthy development parent child relationship parenting reading

March 30, 2026

Join the Revolution of a Healthy Family

Tired of the chaos that fills our society? Looking for a way to make a real difference? I have a great solution for you to consider. It may sound too simplistic, but it is powerful. Build a healthy, happy family. Fill your children’s lives with “Positive Childhood Experiences” (PCEs). Before you cast this idea off...

Celebration Family Shepherds Grace Honor

adverse childhood experiences family family relationships parent child relationship

March 14, 2026

Born to Connect

Last weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to lead a marriage workshop. One of the participating couples brought their 9-month-old son, a beautiful child, bright-eyed and excited to see the world around him. He would smile and try to imitate when someone made “popping sound” with their mouth. He cooed and made sounds...

Celebration Family Shepherds

brain development connection development parenting

March 10, 2026

The Great Depression Swap

What if I told you that a middle-aged adult could decrease the risk of depression with a simple “1-hour swap”? And, if you increase it to a “2-hour swap,” you could decrease the risk of depression even more. What’s the swap? I’m glad you asked. The swap needed to decrease the risk of depression involved...

Family Shepherds

depression exercise screen time

March 10, 2026

The Junk Food Scramble

I must admit. I like junk food. Sure, I eat lots of healthy food; but I do like junk food. So, when I heard about the “junk food scramble,” I was looking forward to an omelet with all my favorite ingredients…and a side of pancakes with whip cream on top. But that’s not what I...