Family by God&#039;s Design

The Vulnerability to Invite Intimacy in Conflict

We all know words are powerful. They can encourage or discourage, offend or mend, pull together or tear apart. In families especially, we want to use words that encourage, mend, and pull together. Unfortunately, we often use words that divide, discourage, or offend. We may not say such words with the intent to divide, discourage,...

Grace Honor

communication family intimacy honesty power of words vulnerability

November 25, 2023

The Amazing Parent/Child Gratitude Cycle

Gratitude offers tremendous benefits for those who practice it. When a person practices gratitude they experience increased happiness and life satisfaction, decreased anxiety and depression, a strengthened immune system, better sleep, and more. There is another benefit, however, that we rarely discuss. Specifically, when a person practices gratitude, the benefits overflow to those around them....

Family Shepherds Honor

family intimacy gratitude parent child relatiionship Thanksgiving

October 31, 2023

The Threat to Our Families of Divided Times

We live in divided times. Division rears its ugly head in so many areas of our communities and our world. These divisions have driven us into more disparate and polarized “tribes.” Sadly, they have also infiltrated our families. Division has reared its ugly head in the family to divide parents from children, spouses from spouses,...

Grace Honor

family intimacy priorities schedule time

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...

family family intimacy spiritual experience

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...

cell phone family intimacy role model smartphone technology

August 28, 2023

Bridging the Gaps in Our Families

Gaps abound in families. We have the gender gap, the parent/teen gap, the older sibling/younger sibling gap. Statements like, “Things are different now, Dad” or “You don’t understand” or “You’ll get it when you’re older” reveal the gaps between us. Unfortunately, each of these gaps contribute to a communication gap and the communication gap hinders...

Grace Honor

curiosity family intimacy intimacy listen

August 26, 2023

Is the Golden Rule Obsolete?

The Golden Rule reads as “do unto others as you would have the do to you.” A recent article noted that only 14% of parents use the Golden Rule phrase in their parenting. More concerning, 28% stated they “are unfamiliar with the meaning of the Golden Rule.” In an attempt to understand why this may...

Family Shepherds Grace Honor

family intimacy intimacy relationships respect

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...

family intimacy intimacy relationship

June 26, 2023

Laugh, a Simple & Free Tool for Intimacy

I really like this quote from Natalie Dattilo, an instructor of psychology in Harvard Medical School’s Psychiatric Department: “Health car is expensive. If we can find a tool that is as simple as laughter, that is free for the most part, with no side effects and has no contraindications, that would be really great.” In...