Family by God&#039;s Design

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

January 7, 2023

OOPS, My Mistake VS. My Child’s Mistake

The other day I made a mistake…or should I say another mistake. It’s true. It was actually one of the many mistakes I’ve made over my lifetime. Anyway, I made a mistake. Fortunately, my life is full of gracious people who acknowledged my mistake and continued to love me. Sure, they got a little upset…and...

Family Shepherds Grace

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August 13, 2022

6 Ways to Teach Your Children Respect

It seems as though disrespect is rampant in our world today. We see it every day. But I believe that if we intentionally open our eyes and look, we also find respect alive and well in our world. And we want to keep respect alive and well… growing more prominent in our world. To make...

Family Shepherds Honor

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July 16, 2022

What Did I Just Do?

My daughters were upstairs…arguing…loudly. I hate arguing. And I hate loud. Still, I waited in hopes they would resolve their disagreement without my intervention. But they continued to argue and yell. The longer they yelled, the more my irritation grew. After what seemed like an eternity (probably only 1-2 minutes in reality), I stomped to...

Family Shepherds Honor

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February 7, 2022

Parents, Don’t Sabotage Your Children’s Ears

Parents want their children to listen. We want them to listen so we can teach them and keep them safe. But sometimes we sabotage our efforts at getting children to listen. We sabotage our efforts at getting children to listen by lecturing. Children stop listening when parents go on and on. Instead of listening and...

Family Shepherds

discipline parenting power of words power struggle respect

January 17, 2022

Shouting Into a Void & Staring Into an Abyss

It wasn’t the only time I saw it, but it was definitely one of the most blatant and extreme examples. It happened while I was visiting the home of a single mother and her two sons. She complained that her sons “did not listen” to her. On my first visit she provided a hint about...

Family Shepherds

discipline parenting respect

January 10, 2022

The Attitude Needed for Communication in Marriage

Communication is crucial to a healthy marriage. Everyone knows that, right? We teach couples to communicate—to listen well and take turns explaining their point of view when a conflict arises. All well and good…until you have a real disagreement and give in to the temptation of making your goal to convince your spouse of the...

Grace Honor

communication curiosity humility marriage resolving conflict respect

May 29, 2021

Caring for the Gift of Your Marriage

Your spouse and your marriage represent two of the most precious gifts you can ever receive. I know this is true for me. They are wonderful gifts. When we take care of these two gifts, they bring us a lifetime of joy. But, if we neglect or abuse these gifts, they result in a lifetime...

Celebration Honor

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November 23, 2020

I Need You To Give Me…!

All of us have things we want to our spouse to give us. For instance, who doesn’t want to receive respect, validation, and approval from their spouse? Unfortunately, we often desire these things to fill an emptiness within us. So, we turn to our spouse and demand respect, validation, and approval. Unfortunately, demanding our spouse...