Family by God&#039;s Design

Investing Time & Attention in Your Children

Children have two currencies for LOVE: TIME and ATTENTION (Read Your Child’s Currency For Love for mistaken investments). When parents invest time and attention into their children’s emotional bank account, their children grow to know themselves as significant and valuable. They realize they hold a place of importance in their parents’ lives. As a result, they become...

Celebration Family Shepherds

discipline healthy development moral development parent child relationship parenting play value

April 30, 2016

What To Do With Rude, Argumentative Teens

Research from the University of Virginia suggests argumentative, rude teens who pressure others to side may “grow up” to be argumentative, rude adults. More disturbing, these rude-teens-turned-rude-adults report high levels of communication and high levels of satisfaction in their relationships in spite of friends and romantic partners describing them as “impossible to get along with”...

Family Shepherds

adolescence communication family relationships relationships success teen value

March 26, 2016

The Power of a Father’s Example

I remember watching my father when I was five or six years old. He greeted people as they left the worship service. I watched him closely. I saw the way he shook hands. I listened to how he spoke to people. I observed how he moved and the tone of his voice. I wanted to...

Family Shepherds

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March 7, 2016

Love Your Teen’s Risky Behavior

Teens love the thrill of taking risks. They seek out experiences that will stimulate their senses, emotions, and thinking in new and challenging ways. Daniel Siegel describes this novelty seeking as part of the adolescent’s E.S.S.E.N.C.E. (read The Essence of Adolescence for more information). Like our teens’ Emotional Spark (read more about the Emotional Spark of Your...

Family Shepherds

adolescence intimacy parent child relationship risk-taking student value

February 1, 2016

Marriage: A Glimpse of Heaven

An intentional Christian marriage gives us a glimpse of heaven on earth. We see a reflection of God’s Kingdom when each spouse serves, sacrifices, and loves the other. Each spouse reveals the character of their King by treating their spouse with honor, sharing grace in times of need, and actively pursuing a peace that “passes all understanding.” Spouses in a godly marriage...

Celebration

husband love marriage value wife

January 30, 2016

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A Husband’s Manifesto

A married man needs to decide what kind of husband he will be. What character will he reveal in his marriage? How does he want to interact with his wife and family? What is his purpose as a husband? With this in mind, I designed a “Husband Manifesto.” Look it over. See if you agree with the...

Honor

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November 16, 2015

“One Plus Eleven” Ways to Improve Your Family Life

Do you want to decrease arguing and conflict in your family? How about increasing intimacy? Would you like to increase the amount of influence you have with your spouse and children? Here is a single action that can do all that and more: listen! That’s right. Listening to your spouse and children will decrease arguing,...

Grace Honor

defensive emotions listening value

November 9, 2015

An Amazing Parenting Insight Learned in Three Parts

I love research with infants. I find research it amazing and so very informative…and funny at times. One of my favorite studies is unpublished and came in three parts. I heard a conference speaker describe it. Let me share it with you. Part 1. An infant is seated in an appropriate chair at a table...

Celebration Family Shepherds

intimacy parent child relationship priorities value wisdom

September 5, 2015

My Spouse an Angel? 4 Ways to Make it True

One of my Facebook friends posted this pic. I love the proverb written on it: “If a man expects a woman to be an angel in his life, he must first create heaven for her…angels don’t live in hell.” I don’t know about you, but I want to live with an angel. So, I have...