Family by God&#039;s Design

Changing the World: Families Sharing Grace

Watching the news today saddens me. The world is troubled. Vengeance, power grabbing, and insecure self-obsession have reached an all-time high. They have hit the streets in our communities…and our communities have become more dangerous and isolated as a result. They roam the halls in our schools…and our children suffer, even going from class to...

Grace

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July 2, 2016

3 comments

5 Benefits of a Family Adventure

My family and I just returned from vacation. We had a great time…fabulous. With my daughters getting older, we decided to go someplace new, someplace none of us have visited before. We all love food and music, so we chose New Orleans. We enjoyed a steamboat ride on the Mississippi, New Orleans jazz, historical museums,...

Celebration Honor

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June 11, 2016

A Beautiful Sight

My wife and I attended a free concert at the Three Rivers Arts Festival the other night. A few days later I had the opportunity to attend another one with my daughter. They were wonderful outdoor concerts…and free (who can beat that!). People filled Point Park to listen, dance, eat, and sing. I looked around at...

Celebration Family Shepherds

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June 6, 2016

Chores: The Gift of Significance

We underestimate children. By and large we expect too little of our children. We schedule every minute of their day to give them opportunities…and because we think they can’t learn as much on their own. We succumb to video games and TV shows because we think our children incapable of inventing their own activities. We...

Family Shepherds

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April 18, 2016

2 comments

3 Ways Giving Support Will Benefit Your Family

Paul was on his way to Rome when he called the elders of Ephesus to meet him. He wanted to offer one last message of encouragement to them. That message ended with these words: “…In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the...

Family Shepherds Honor

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April 4, 2016

A Fourfold Legacy for My Family

In my last blog I shared how people who have never seen a healthy family can begin to raise a healthy family themselves. In doing so, they redeem their family and set the coming generations on a new trajectory toward health and wholeness. In this blog, I wanted to share a brief overview of the...

Family Shepherds Honor

emotional health family intimacy family relationships legacy parenting

April 2, 2016

Healthy Family? Never Saw One

Struggling couples often arrive at my office caught up in a cycle of defensiveness, criticism, shame, hurt, and anger. After some information gathering, I might ask the couple who they know with a marriage they want to emulate. Too many (way too many) say they have never seen a good marriage. They name couples they...

Honor

connection family intimacy legacy marriage parenting

March 28, 2016

Marital Advice from “Captain Obvious”

It may seem obvious, but simply understanding your partner’s needs, desires, and struggles does not build intimacy. To build intimacy requires you understand AND care! A compassionate response flows from caring and must accompany understanding to build a healthy marriage. Rhett Butler’s statement to Scarlet O’Hara, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” marked...

Grace Honor

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March 21, 2016

A Communication Decoder Ring for You

Family communication is not the simple process I once thought. I’ve decided I need a communication decoder ring. I say something to my spouse or children and think they’ll understand it…but they don’t. What I want to say gets filtered before I speak. Then, what the listener hears gets filtered before they understand. The whole...