My daughter took a pottery class in 6th grade. You can see the beautiful pottery she made in her class in the picture to the left. Her grandmother (my mother) visited us soon after she finished the class. While visiting, she noticed and admired the pottery my daughter had made. While encouraging my daughter’s talent,...

Family Shepherds Grace

September 22, 2012

Book Review: Family by God’s Design

by John Salmon

Family by God’s Design was written by John Salmon, PHD, and published in 2011. Since its publication I have had the privilege and joy of talking about its content with various Christian camps and churches. If you have not had the opportunity to review Family by God’s Design yourself, here is a brief summary. God designed...

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Book Reviews Celebration Grace Honor

acceptance availability connection discipline family relationships fun holiday intimacy laugh marriage parenting play resource rituals time traditions

September 22, 2012

How to Train Your Children

by John Salmon

How to Train Your Dragon (oops, I mean) Children Maybe,” [Old Wrinkly] said, “you can train a dragon better by talking to it than by yelling at it.” “That’s sweet,” said Hiccup, “and a very touching thought. However…from what I know about dragons…I should say that yelling was a pretty good method.” “But it has...

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Family Shepherds Grace Honor

boundaries consequences limits parent child conflict parenting struggle

September 15, 2012

The Secret to Family Peace

by John Salmon

I discovered a secret to peaceful family life. I want to share it with you even though it is a secret. Perhaps you can share it with a few of your friends. Even if you choose to keep it our little secret, I think you will discover that this secret to a peaceful family life...

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Grace Honor

communication family relationships intimacy peace power of words

September 8, 2012

6 Ingredients to Build Family Intimacy

by John Salmon

We all yearn for intimate relationship. We long for the kind of intimacy that allows us to stand before another person without fear of rejection, without feeling shameful about our perceived inadequacies, and without hesitation to give ourselves to another person…to be completely known, deeply loved, and unconditionally accepted. We can learn to nurture that...

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Grace Honor

acceptance family relationships forgiveness intimacy responsibility

September 8, 2012

4 Gifts Children Hate to Love

by John Salmon

My birthday is this month. That means another year older (wiser?) and an opportunity to enjoy a couple of birthday traditions. One, we eat lasagna and cheesecake for my birthday. I love lasagna and cheesecake. Although my doctor may not agree, I think it is a great tradition. Two, I give gifts to my family. Nothing...

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Family Shepherds Grace

accountability consequences parenting praise responsibility sacrifice serve

August 19, 2012

What A Week!

by John Salmon

Ever have one of those weeks in which everything frustrates you? I have…just last week in fact. I was a little frustrated and irritable (alright, my family would say very irritable) all week. It was a busy week with multiple changes and transitions. “Nothing” seemed to go right. “Everything” (and I mean “everything”) frustrated me....

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Grace Honor

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August 12, 2012

End the Conflict in Your Home

by John Salmon

“Do not give repay evil for evil. Do not retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9a–NLT) Following this advice would change how families operate, wouldn’t it? Think about it…the word translated blessing comes from the Greek word “eulogeo” (eulogy) and means “to praise” or “to...

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Grace Honor

arguments communication conflict disagreement family relationships intimacy

July 28, 2012

Becoming Your Child’s Royal Subject

by John Salmon

Do you ever feel like your children are the ones in charge? Like you are their royal subject? In some ways, our children do hold a great deal of power. From the day our little prince or princess is born, they begin to shape our life. We sleep when she sleeps, eat when she eats,...

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Grace Honor

empathy listen parent child relationship

July 21, 2012

Stop Apologizing & Bear Fruit

by John Salmon

Have you ever apologized and felt like it didn’t help? I have. In fact, I think it does no good to keep on apologizing over and over again, especially when you know what you did was wrong… especially when you know you need to apologize. Perhaps you missed your child’s game because you took a...

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Grace Honor

apology consequences forgiveness generosity sacrifice

Family by God's Design

Family by God's Design

Family by God's Design

My Mom Kept That…Art?

Book Review: Family by God’s Design

How to Train Your Children

The Secret to Family Peace

6 Ingredients to Build Family Intimacy

4 Gifts Children Hate to Love

What A Week!

End the Conflict in Your Home

Becoming Your Child’s Royal Subject

Stop Apologizing & Bear Fruit