You Were Made for This

The Thanksgiving holiday will soon be upon us here in the US, so I've been reflecting on what I'm thankful for. And this year I'm thinking about things that goes beyond my family and good health. In considering this, I've come to realize that I'm especially thankful for the stories of others.   That's because I've found that the stories of what other people have experienced often lift me out of my...

To deepen our current relationships, or to develop new ones, it's helpful to ask ourselves an important question. Namely, "How do I have a meaningful conversation with someone?" Today's episode will give you a few ideas to help you answer this question. But before we get into today's episode, here's what this podcast is all about.     Welcome to You Were Made for This If you find yourself wanting...

Do you ever long for a deep conversation with someone? Today's episode is about a creative measure someone took to make that happen. It reveals what many of us long for, and how we can make the world a better place, one conversation at a time. As with every episode, our purpose in this podcast is to help you find more joy in the relationships God designed for you. The Next Door app I'll start by t...

There's a school of thought out there that says to make friends it's important to be vulnerable by sharing your story. Some call it "being authentic." Yet it's been my experience that sharing your story when someone is trying to share theirs may end up pushing people away. Some would call that being self-centered. Today's episode, though, is about three reasons to be stingy in sharing your story....

Most of us like a good story. I have found that the best stories are those that draw us in with emotion. They're usually about relationships and often contain a story within a story. I've got one of those for you today that I'm pretty sure you're going to like.   Welcome to You Were Made for This If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you've come to the right place. Here you'll...

Hello everyone, I'm back!   To start season 8 of this podcast we're going to talk about three relationship tools we can use to become better listeners this fall to deepen our relationships. But before we get into today's episode, here's what this podcast is all about.     Welcome to You Were Made for This If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you've come to the right place. He...

One relationship principle I've come to appreciate over time is the power of giving people the gift of hope when they have so little of it themselves. It's when you burn brightly with hope for others when their own hope is but a dying ember. In several recent episodes, I shared a response from one of our listeners who wrote about feeling overwhelmed at how to develop relationships. She said she ha...

Today's episode is about how to help a friend using a model of deepening relationships I've talked about before. The ORA principle. You remember it, don't you? O - Observe. R - Reflect. A -Act. ORA. I saw this model of relating on several different levels from the responses some of you, our listeners, sent in to help another listener. Someone I'm calling "Emily." In episode 197, Emily wrote in, fe...

In episode 192 I explained my rationale for suggesting that our word of the year for this year should be READ. Go to johncertalic.com/192 If you missed it. Reading about relationships is a simple way to enjoy better relationships in 2023. For example, in today's show, I share an article I read recently that I found quite freeing when it comes to dealing with a delicate relationship issue. It's a r...

I've said before in past episodes how much I value feedback from people like you. In today's show, for example, I share a listener reaction to a show from awhile back. It illustrates the concept that when it comes to relationships, sometimes we don't know what we don't know. But before we get into the challenging comments from this listener, and how they could very well apply to your life, here's...

I received a touching email the other day that got me thinking about how I want to be remembered when my time on earth comes to an end. The email is a brief and beautiful story from one of my favorite authors that I share in today's show. My guess is that after you hear it, you will want to reflect on how you want to be remembered too. But before we get into today's episode, here's what this podca...

In today's program, I'm going to share three listener responses to recent episodes. I'm doing so because your words matter to me, and to our other listeners, as well. Keep listening, and you'll pick up an idea or two to try with your relationships. Be sure to stick around to the end to hear a story of how a listener applied what she heard in one of our recent shows that made a difference in her li...

Here in the US, the third Monday of January is a national holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, jr., the civil rights leader. I recently came across one of his quotes where he said "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. " I've seen the truth of his comment played out several times in my life. It's what I talk about in today's episode because...

Last week's episode, number 192, was about my pick for word for the year: Read . If you're not much of a reader and can only tackle one book this year, I suggest read the Bible. Some people follow a Bible Reading plan that gets them through the entire book in one year. But if you're an underachiever like me, I've got a more manageable, guilt-free way to read the Bible. Keep listening to learn what...

I received an email recently from a fellow podcaster. He mentioned how he picks a word at the beginning of January to help him stay focused for the year. His 2022 word of the year was "celebrate." For 2023 he chose "authentic." Apparently lots of people are choosing a word of the year for themselves. I googled the phrase "Word of the Year for 2023" and found 1,060,000,000 entries. Keep listening t...

You're out there, I know you are. I can see you. You're not quite ready to say goodbye to Christmas this year. You want the joy of Christmas to linger just a little while longer. I get it. I've got your back in today's show. Keep listening, this one's for you. Welcome to You Were Made for This If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you've come to the right place. Here you'll di...

The Christmas story in 2022, as with the first one centuries ago, is all about Jesus. Mary treasured all its many details, thought about them often, and pondered them in her heart. May we do the same. Here's the original Christmas story as recorded in Luke's Gospel, just as it happened. The Birth of Jesus At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout th...

My favorite church experience is singing "O Holy Night" at a Christmas Eve service. Many churches will turn off the lights and pass out candles that are lit as the song begins. It's quite moving. Today's episode is about the interesting and surprising history of "O Holy Night." But first this: Welcome to You Were Made for This If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you've come...

In episode 187 last week I talked about the back story behind "Angels We Have Heard on High." Today I pull the curtain back to look at the history behind another well-known Christmas carol, this one going back to 1719. It never started out to be a song, but before we get into all this, here's a word from another Christmas Carol, one of my favorites, my boss, Carol Steward. Welcome to You Were Made...

It's hard to go anywhere this time of the year without hearing Christmas music. They really help set the mood for the holidays, which I love. The melodies of many of the traditional Christmas carols are fixed in our minds because we've heard them for years and years. But often the words are not. Who can remember the 3rd verse of "Silent Night," for example? The lyrics of the really good Christmas...

My friend Larry Goring died 2 months ago after a nine-month battle with cancer. He was only 73, and I miss him greatly. Larry was one of the original board members of our missionary care ministry, Caring for Others, and was always a great encouragement to me. His wife Jill gave me permission to share some of the details following Larry's death that I want to share with you. I'm doing so because he...

For the past two years, my grandson George has been a resident assistant in his college dorm. Before students check in at the start of the school year, each RA creates a bulletin board for their floor with here's-who-I-am information about themself. It's a way to start building a sense of community. I wish they would have had something like this when I was in college. The only thing posted in my d...

A family friend and listener to this podcast told me about an unpleasant experience she recently had at a big box retail store that got me thinking about climate change. Not the climate change we hear environmentalists and politicians talk about. I'm thinking about relational climate change. How the climate in a room changes when parents fail to discipline their children. And how it improves when...

In last week's episode, no. 182, we began our Thankful in November series by talking about being thankful for the last time we experienced something. Today we continue this series by considering the blessing of being thankful for the people who inspire us. Welcome to You Were Made for This If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you've come to the right place. Here you'll discov...

It happened a few weeks ago, another one of those It was the last time I will ever … moments. It was the last time I experienced something so meaningful and enjoyable that it brought on a tinge of sadness knowing I will never experience it again. But based on several other last time I will ever … events in my life I know I can be thankful for what comes next. And so can you. It's what I talk about...