Family by God&#039;s Design

Strengthen Your Children’s Feeling of Being Me

As our children grow and mature, they need a positive body image—a body they sense as their own, a body they can listen to in order to better understand their emotions, and a body they accept as part of their identity. A study published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences reviewed decades of research on how...

Family Shepherds Honor

June 1, 2026

The Impact of Stress on Your Child’s Brain-Gut Communication…& So What?!?

Our bodies, when functioning well, are amazing models of communication and collaboration. Not surprisingly, stress impacts that communication. Researchers at NYU College of Dentistry’s Pain Research Center conducted one animal study and two human studies exploring the impact of stress on children’s digestive systems. One of the human studies involved over 40,000 children and the...

Celebration Family Shepherds Grace Honor

emotional health health parenting

May 23, 2026

To Inspire Your Spouse’s Support

Who wouldn’t like their spouse to support their goals and promote their growth? I know I would. If you would like your spouse to support your goals and promote your growth, I have good news. Specifically, three studies involving over 1,000 adults in romantic relationships reveal a simple way to encourage our spouses to do...

Celebration Honor

goals gratitude intimacy marriage support

May 18, 2026

3 Ingredients of a Well-Fed Brain…and How to Get Them

We are designed for relationships. In fact, John Bowlby, who is credited with founding attachment theory, went so far as to say loving, secure relationships with our primary caregiver are as essential to life as water and food. And research suggests that “Loneliness Is More Dangerous Than Smoking 15 Cigarettes A Day.” At least one...

Celebration Honor

emotional health family intimacy family relationships health marriage parent child relationship

May 9, 2026

Nice Guys Finish Best, Not Last

You’ve probably heard that “nice guys finish last.” I beg to differ; and this study, published in Social Psychology, also begs to differ. More specifically, this study involved two experiments. In the first experiment, 463 participants responded to statements measuring their tendency to show “everyday niceness,” their level of social connectedness, and their attitudes toward...

Honor

connection cooperation kindness marriage relationships smile

May 4, 2026

Argument Intensifiers & Argument Busters

Families have arguments. Couples have arguments. In those moments of argument, we can engage in “Argument Intensifiers” or “Argument Busters.” Argument Intensifiers, as the name implies, will increase the incidence and intensity of our arguments. Let me share two Argument Intensifiers to avoid. Of course, we can learn to catch the Argument Intensifiers and replace...

Grace Honor

arguments conflict resolution marriage

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 6, 2026

Want a Better Marriage? Argue Less

Sounds like an obvious statement, doesn’t it? For a better marriage, argue less. But that doesn’t mean that you need to forfeit your happiness and just let your needs and opinions remain unspoken and unmet. Sometimes you need to speak up about something. After all, shut up and put up will destroy your marriage. There...