Doing Life Together

Back in the 80s, marital therapists used to give angry couples nerf-like bats and tell them to go at each other. We also used to advise angry teens to hit their pillows or even purchase a punching bag and wail on that. While there was no physical danger to engaging people in these exercises, we…

Are you going through a difficult time, what we might call a storm in your life? It could be a health diagnosis, a failing relationship, difficulty at work, parenting problems, etc. We all have problems and issues that pop up in life. This is unavoidable. But what isn’t unavoidable is handling the storms with confidence…

Parenting concerns about the role of social media in the lives of teens are real. We are all too familiar with the dark side of 0n-line problems –cyberbullying, stalking, invasion of privacy, child predators, etc. But are there any positive sides to teens and social media use? World Vision is one organization that will tell…

Are you emotionally expressive but attracted to someone who seems to be very reluctant to share his emotional feelings? It may be the intrigue that has captured your attention. Or perhaps it is the challenge of opening up someone who seems emotional closed. This opposite style of dealing with feelings may seem interesting at first,…

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future—Paul Boese Today is Ash Wednesday.  It is the beginning of the 40 days of preparation (Lent) that leads to the celebration of Chris’s death (Good Friday) , burial and resurrection (Easter). On this day, we focus on our sins, repentance and God’s forgiveness…

One of the things we know about attraction is that proximity can bring it on. So working day in and day out with a person often leads to feelings of attraction. You talk regularly, share problems, laugh and spend hours in each others company. In fact, surveys tell us that 74% of people have dated…

“I like you and want to stay married.” Great. But that probably isn’t going to cut it unless the commitment is much deeper. Think about it. Most people stay committed when the relationship goes well, but what about when stress mounts and pressure comes your way? Then what happens to commitment? It’s when we experience…

“Do what I say or else?” Does this authoritarian parenting style work to curb delinquent behavior in teens? How do you establish authority over a teenager? What does it take to say something with conviction, mean it and have your teen respect you? These questions were answered in a recent study published in the February…

After the tragic death of Whitney Houston, CBN’s Newswatch asked me to comment on how the church should deal with celebrities. Do we do enough? Are we willing to confront issues when someone is famous? Watch the interview.  

  This past week we lost an immense talent in the music business. Our prayers are with Whitney Houston’s family during this difficult time.   Her death has caused me to think about the larger role the church plays in the lives of celebrities, those with prominence, or even our very own leaders who struggle…

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