I’ve been working on being a better listener lately. Here are some more things I’ve been working on and found useful. Make eye contact. Yes, stop looking at dishes, that book, or the computer screen. Ban “uh huh” as a response. It’s pretty obvious that this response is a half-hearted, uninterested gesture. Ask a followup [...]
Filed under: Using Questions
Last weekend I had the privilege of making a three-hour drive by myself without the children. I got a lot of thinking and praying done (if you’ve commented on this blog, you were probably prayed for!). The trouble is, when I got home, I couldn’t remember any of my epiphanies! So was that time of [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized
In church on Sunday nights, we’ve been talking about the believer’s relationship with the law. The men have been having a grand time sitting afterwards discussing the finer points of Romans 6, 7, and 8. Me? I’m still thinking about the role of the law in bringing someone to Christ, since I have three unbelievers [...]
Filed under: Salvation
Have you ever intervened in an argument and stalled telling your children something spiritual until you could think of something spiritual? The other day, Bethel was playing with brick blocks, large cardboard blocks that are remarkably versatile play objects. The only trouble is that we don’t have a large amount of them. David decided to [...]
Filed under: Getting Along
Every once in awhile I discover that I’ve held some faulty belief and it’s always a shock to have to change how I think about it. I always assumed that young children are naturally kind toward animals. I’m sure that some probably are, but I’ve been surprised at how long it has taken for our [...]
Filed under: Communication and Meaning
I recently reread Psalm 78 and realized that I haven’t talked with my children about what God has done in our family’s lives. We talk about Bible stories, but God is the God of Today, not just Yesterday. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds [...]
Filed under: Military Life, Wisdom
Amazing how a clean house makes you feel more spiritual! I have to remember that. Today (after a long period of not doing so) I read Psalms to my children at breakfast. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a [...]
Filed under: Military Life
There comes a point where I have to stop and realize that even with my best efforts, I’m not getting everything done by myself. Yes, I can point the finger at myself and show you how I could have done better, but that isn’t helping me get caught up in my laundry and reading the [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized
Jay Younts (who wrote the book Everyday Talk) answers this question from a reader: What advice do you have in helping a two year old to view discipline as “an adornment” and not merely as correcting bad behavior? He gives three ways: countenance tone of voice praying when we discipline, discipline that is not vengeful [...]
Filed under: Communication and Meaning
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