Family by God&#039;s Design

Just Imagine

Imagination is a powerful and often underutilized tool for emotional and relational health, at least that’s what I concluded after reading a study led by cognitive neuroscientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany. In this study, participants were asked to categorize 30...

Family Shepherds

emotional management family intimacy imagination relationships

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

January 17, 2026

Parents, Have You Ever Been Lonely

Have you ever felt lonely as a parent? I know we don’t like to talk about it; but, if you’ve ever felt lonely as a parent, you are not alone. At least one survey suggests that up to 66% of parents experienced feelings of isolation and loneliness. In addition, 38% felt they had no one...

Family Shepherds Honor

community loneliness parenting relationships support

January 5, 2026

Forgiveness: A High Act of Love

We’ve all experienced hurt at the hands of our families. Sometimes our spouse, child, parent, or sibling hurt us accidentally. They truly did not understand how their actions or words might hurt us. Other times, they may have hurt us through impulsive words or actions expressed in a moment of anger. Sometimes, their anger may...

Grace

family relationship forgiveness marriage reconciliation relationships

September 29, 2025

A Must-Have for Your Marriage

Many actions build a healthy, happy marriage: good communication, time spent together, conflict resolution, forgiveness, giving voice to our admiration and gratitude, continually learning about our spouse…all these and more play a crucial role in building and maintaining a healthy marriage. However, we often overlook one fun action that promotes a healthy marriage. This action...

Celebration

laughter marriage play relationships

August 4, 2025

Challenge & Joy of Connection

Research seems to suggest that each generation reports a lower sense of happiness and well-being than the generation preceding them. In the past, happiness and well-being was high in young adulthood, dipped some during middle age, and rose again in older adults. Now, it simply seems that each younger generation has a lower sense of...

Family Shepherds Honor

connection emotional health relationships

December 30, 2023

One of My Favorite Marriage Boosters

Have you ever felt like your marriage was in a rut? Same thing day after day? If so, let me share one of my favorite ways of giving my marriage a boost, of reigniting that spark of excitement and love. Oh…and it’s not just my idea. In a survey of 1,000 people, 84% of the...

Celebration

intimacy marriage relationships

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

September 19, 2020

Helping Your Child Become Likeable: A Barrel of Fun

Children love to have fun…and having fun is no laughing matter. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Personality (2020) suggests that fun is one of three traits (prosocial behavior, leadership, and fun) shown to predict changes in a child’s “likeability and popularity” between the ages of nine and twelve years. This study,...