The Three Faces of Fear
Fear usually triggers one of three reactions: control, anger or withdrawal (the latter two actually being forms of the first). This is a key insight for improving both your self-awareness and your other-awareness: whenever you encounter control, anger, or withdrawal, it is usually a sign of fear, either in yourself or others. Once you understand […]
Hooked on Hormones
Cindy and Alicia, both seventeen, walked out of the mall after a fun afternoon of shopping. Just as they reached Cindy’s car in the parking lot, two young men drove by on motorcycles. One of them knew Cindy from school, so they stopped to talk. After a few minutes of casual chatter, one of the […]
Penetrating Barriers with the Gospel
Megan had switched on a force field that put the Starship Enterprise to shame.
It had been another one of our difficult home-schooling days.
7 Ways to Free Your Child From Impulsive Lying
Here is a question I am often asked during RW seminars: “My four-year old daughter has a habit of lying to us about her sinful behavior. For example, if we find her standing near a wall covered with crayon marks, and she is still holding crayons in her hand, she will still deny that she […]
Overcoming Rejection
There are three things you and I were never designed to experience: illness, death and rejection. That is why these experiences feel so foreign and hurt so much: they are utterly contrary to what we were made for. When God created the world, everything in it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Illness, physical death and […]
Relational Resources and Skills for Parenting
Most families struggle far more with relational challenges than they do with academic training. The relational challenges of day-to-day life can easily eclipse educational issues, sidetrack lesson plans and even strain marriages. Conflict can also infect churches, Sunday school classes, homeschool co-ops and study groups, where differing personalities, priorities and theological emphases can sow seeds […]
The Compassionate Boxer
Would you like to grow in relational wisdom? If so, please take a few minutes to watch a brief clip from the movie, Cinderella Man, which is packed with some of the best examples of relational wisdom I’ve ever seen. Russell Crowe plays the part of a real life hero named James J. Braddock. Once […]
Spanglish – The Secret of Being Influential
Today’s post features a 3-minute video clip that illustrates amazing relational wisdom, including empathy, self-control and the brilliant use of a single perceptive question that penetrates a teenage girl’s heart and changes the course of her life. These are the kinds of relational skills that can impact your friendships, improve your parenting, deepen your marriage […]
Raising Emotionally Stunted Boys
I’ve met with hundreds of couples who were struggling to save their marriages. One of the most common statements wives make in those meetings is, “There’s just no emotional connection between us. He hasn’t got a clue what I’m feeling or thinking.” In all too many cases, that statement has been entirely accurate. But it […]
Overcoming Rejection
There are two things you and I were never designed to experience: death and rejection. That is why they both feel so foreign and hurt so much: they are utterly contrary to what we were made for. When God created the world, everything in it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Neither physical death nor the […]