You Were Made for This

A friend I hadn't seen in a while asked me the other day what was going on in my life. "Lots of death," I said, filling in my response with examples.. Another thing going on was a moment of tenderness I saw in a man consoling his wife in a restaurant. I've been thinking for days about the tenderness I saw in both the restaurant and the deaths I described. It's what we're looking at in today's epis...

You wouldn't think you could find joy in the midst of difficult life events, but you can if you know how to look for it. Today's episode is an interview with someone who did just that. Stuck in the world's busiest airport after her flight was canceled, Our guest today, Jennifer Uren, shares what she did while waiting on standby for another flight, anxious to get to her destination for a speaking e...

It seems to me that we are living in an increasingly noisy world. So many sounds, so many words, so many messages competing for our attention. I'm going to tell you a story today about how someone communicated with whispers that drowned out all the noise in the room. It's a great relationship lesson about listening to the whispers. But before we get into today's topic, here's what this podcast is...

There are so many thoughts about relationships running around in my head lately that I've wanted to share with you. They've been like little kids scrambling for the candy thrown from 4th of July floats parading down the street. I'll tell you about a few of them in today's episode because they're examples of good relationships I've seen in action that can inspire us to relate in similar ways with t...

I received a disturbing email from a missionary serving overseas the other day that mentioned a relationship challenge he and his wife were facing. It's an issue most of us have had to handle at one time or another. Namely, how to relate with high-maintenance people. It's the subject of today's show, where you will hear a few ideas for how you can deal with this challenge. I also explain why I fou...

In episode 166 a few months ago I shared stories about how we can experience the joy of relationships when people spread a little relational sunshine around. Today's episode is another story that shows how it's done. A story that will make you smile. One you can adapt to spark joy in your own relationships. Welcome to You Were Made for This If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships...

Relationship stories from our past have a way of shaping us years after they occurred. I have two of them that happened decades ago during this month of September. It wasn't until many years had passed that I understood the impact these two events had on my life. It's what I'm going to talk about in today's episode because I bet you have stories like this, too. Welcome to You Were Made for This We...

Here in the United States where I live we just finished celebrating Labor Day two days ago. It comes around every year on the first Monday in September. For many of us, it's the most melancholy of all our national holidays. Yet, Labor Day week is also a great time to reflect. Reflect upon what, you ask? Keep listening, for I answer this question in today's show. Welcome to You Were Made for This I...

As the summer winds down here on the last day of August, many of us are going through a relationship transition of one kind or another. Kids going off to school for the first time. Sons and daughters heading off to college. And those of us left behind to face an unfamiliar future where those we love are no longer around as they once were. Relationship transitions are unique opportunities to bring...

Developing deeper relationships is the topic of today's show, and is a follow-up to last week's episode, no. 171. It was an encore episode of an interview I did with Charley and Ruth Shirley in late 2018. It came about from Charley's Facebook post with a photo of his wife of 30 some years cleaning the grave marker of Charley's first wife who was killed in a tragic car accident five months into the...

The first interview I ever did on this podcast was about how we are all connected with each other. It was episode 8 where my wife and I sat in the living room of two friends from church, Charley and Ruth. It's where Charley shared the story of what his wife Ruth and their daughter did to help bring healing and closure to the death of Charley's first wife, some 30 years ago. It's a remarkable story...

In just a few weeks many of us with school-age kids will be sending them off for the next chapter in their educational lives. Others of us who home school will be calling them to the kitchen table for the same purpose. In either case, an unintended relationship lesson kids learn at one point or another in their schooling is that people will disappoint us. Today's episode is about how we can respon...

It's hard to see the goodness of God sometimes in the midst of all the stress and turmoil going on in the world. What really helps though is coming across a feel-good story where we see God's hand in filling a void in someone's heart that's been there for a very long time. For when we see God filling a hole in someone else's heart, we can have confidence that He can fill a void in ours too. I've g...

The other day I Googled the phrase "How to Live Well." 19.5 trillion entries popped up. Yikes! Apparently a lot of people have something to say on this matter. And I do as well in today's episode. But it's going to be different than what my 19.5 trillion colleagues are offering up, I'm sure. But before we get into all this, welcome to You Were Made for This . If you find yourself wanting more from...

I have been thinking about what makes for meaningful conversations with people. This thought was prompted by a quote I saw in a desk calendar my daughter gave me for this year. It's the quote for May 16th which reads: "You cannot talk butterfly language with caterpillar people." It's the topic of today's episode. To access future episodes it's easiest if you go to JohnCertalic.com , and scroll hal...

For some time now I've been ending each episode by encouraging you to spread a little relational sunshine with the people you meet. Today's episode gives you some examples of what this looks like. It will give you some ideas you can try out on your own. She got me when she called me "sweetheart" I'll begin with a story of relational sunshine that happened to me recently at the drive-through window...

When it comes to relationships, there's a difference between nosey people and those who are genuinely curious about others. Avoid the former and learn how to become the latter. It's what today's episode is all about. The best Father's Day gift for 2022 A few weeks ago in the episode about The Best Father's Day gift for 2022, I mentioned that this best gift is to ask your father questions about his...

One thing that deepens relationships is doing the little things that matter. You see it in people who observe, reflect, and then act. Listen in to today's episode for an example. John Gottman writes in The Relationship Cure that based on his research Successful marriages are characterized by a series of little positive interchanges over time. In a nutshell, it's the little things that matter most...

Three events in today's news from around the world remind me of what you and I need most in the troubled times in which we live. It's the subject of today's show where I talk about a relationship thread that connects all three of these stories: The horrific murder of 19 fourth graders in Uvalde, Texas Celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in England Anniversary of the D-Day invasion of...

The best Father's Day gift for 2022 won't cost you any money. It's a great gift for the man who has everything. Listen in to learn what it is. A Father's Day setback I don't know about you, but I sure appreciate Carol's cheery introduction every week. Especially on days like today when I'm feeling a bit ornery. I've been like this for a couple of days ever since I got an email about Father's Day,...

God is a relational being who created us in His image. It is why we are made for relationships. They are what give our life joy and meaning. Listen in to learn how. I'm a big fan of Ken Burns and the documentaries he produces. His most recent one, which aired on PBS, was about the life of Benjamin Franklin. This founding father of the United States is remembered for a number of things. He helped w...

When we remember the people who made our life better it reminds us of the goodness of God who blessed us with these relationships. It's a way to celebrate Memorial Day in addition to what we traditionally do. Listen in to learn how. For those of you who have been listeners to this podcast for the last year or so you've heard me talk about an easy-to-understand method of enhancing our relationships...

When we listen to a missionary it often causes us to reflect. Does my life have a larger meaning like there's? Do I see God at work as they do? Listen in to today's show where we hear the story of a couple who changed the trajectory of their lives by leaving the business world to become missionaries. Why this topic at this time? Today's episode is in response to a podcast listener by the name of P...

Asking people "what's on your mind?," helps others go beyond sharing news of the superficial events in their life. It deepens relationships. Listen in to learn how. My wife Janet and I have been meeting on and off with a church group of small group leaders. We began meeting just as the Covid pandemic was getting underway in 2020, so our meetings have been more off than on. In a more recent meeting...

One of the pleasures of summer is taking time to relax with a good book that both entertains and informs. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss does both. It's a book that will raise your relational intelligence. You would do well to put it on your summer reading list. I review it in today's episode. Get ready for summer Some magazines and newspaper articles will soon be writing pieces about th...