The speaker life is fun and sometimes … funny. There was the time I packed only sandals and short sleeves for a February women’s event in Arizona. What I didn’t know was that although I was flying into Phoenix (which was 70 degrees and sunny) the retreat was in Flagstaff (where it was 28 degrees and snowing). My toes froze! I think feeling just returned last week. Another speaker friend confessed that she made it all the way to the... Read more
Were you surprised last week to learn how important it really is to listen to our kids? To really stop what we’re doing, pause any ideas about helping them or fixing the situation (biting our tongues if necessary), and truly just let them know they are heard? Anxiety is on the rise in kids, and as parents, we hold tremendous power to soothe their stress. If you missed last week’s blog, catch up on that quickly here, because it forms an important foundation to three more steps for calming a stressed-out child. We’ll jump right in to those this week. Read more
It’s so important to listen to what your child is saying and, more than that, to how they’re feeling. For example, let’s say they’re stressed because they had the flu two weeks ago, missed some school, and feel unprepared for the math exam on Friday. Are they feeling overwhelmed? Inadequate? Frustrated? Knowing how they’re feeling is just as important as why they’re feeling it (and can equip you with the knowledge required to help later on). Read more
If someone is being “difficult,” maybe they’re deeply unhappy and isolated. Maybe they are in that mix of statistics of people who are just very lonely. Philo of Alexandria famously said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” We never know what people are facing. Humor can mask pain just as easily as prickly behavior can be a symptom of it. Just because one behavior is easier to engage with doesn’t mean the person who is suffering is any less deserving of our kindness. Read more
Being kind to difficult people is just so dang hard. But as emphasized in The Kindness Challenge, when people get under our skin, that’s the precise moment that kindness matters most. Here are a few ideas on how to deal with difficult people. Read more
Gratitude is one of those things that is worth every ounce of practice we can devote to it. Why? It’s one of the eight core elements for a life of joy, which we identified in my recently re-released faux leather soft cover book Find Joy. (I’m so grateful—see what I did there?—that, after being sold out for a time on Amazon, this devotional is back in stock.) Read more
You know those big conventions that have workshops, exhibit booths, and lots of chaos? This may sound funny, but I love speaking at conventions like that. One main reason is that I know it will come with the opportunity to hang out with and learn from the other speakers. But some time ago, it was the assistant of a Christian speaker who absolutely captivated my attention with a remarkable story. To protect privacy I won’t name the speaker, but the... Read more
When we model an if/then approach to money (you know: If I have this, then I’ll be happy), we are also—intentionally or not—are laying a foundation for our kids’ future views. Instead, we have an opportunity to send our kids into adulthood with a firm handle on the Three G’s: Gratitude, Generosity, and Grace. Read more
Discontentment doesn’t just affect us. When we model this and other cues about money, possessions, and God’s provision to our kids, we are also—intentionally or not—laying a foundation for their future views. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to send our young people into adulthood with a firm handle on what I’ll call the Three G’s: Gratitude, Generosity, and Grace? Read more
When it comes to how our men handle criticism and conflict, two big misunderstandings are often in play. Misunderstanding #1: Men are prideful and have a big ego, so they can’t stand to be questioned Misunderstanding #2: Men avoid issues by checking out Before you read any further, you’ll want to backtrack to my last post to see what drives these two really sensitive areas. This week’s post on what to do will make so much more sense if you... Read more
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