You Were Made for This

As our world becomes more and more unstable, our only hope for peace and security comes from letting our roots grow deep down into Jesus. today's episode describes what that looks like. Listen in. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like our world is getting more and more unhinged as the days and months go by. I lived through the '60s and early '70s during the Vietnam War, a really unstable time in o...

In thinking about how to find joy in difficult circumstances, we need to look no further than the joy found in a relationship in the midst of those circumstances. But it has to be the right relationship. Keep listening to learn how. My mother the queen A few years ago, I had a conversation with our twin grandsons about Queen Elizabeth II of England being the longest-ruling monarch in British histo...

Learning how to listen well is a valuable relational skill. It's an important tool we all need to understand others and to impact their lives for good. Listen in to today's episode where listening well is a matter of life and death. You would think an article about what a hostage negotiator does would focus on what they say to hostage-takers to get them to release the people they've captured. I wa...

We don't need to ask hurting people "what can I do to help?" There's another way to help that takes the pressure off us and the person we care about. It's to reflect the character of God in caring for others. Today's episode gives two examples of this important principle we can use in our relationships. Keep reading to learn more. A picture is worth a thousand words. I saw two news photos recently...

When you want to help others, instead of asking "how can I help?", a better thing to do is offer a specific solution instead. It will lift a burden for those who don't yet know what they need. Listen to an example in today's show. Many people are going through a rough time The other day I received an email from Connie, a newer listener to this podcast. Her subject line read, "Not only am I enjoyin...

As a person of faith, we can help and comfort people best when we embrace and share the principle that hope is a noun more than a verb. An important relationship principle in today's show We talked in episodes 148 and 149 about what to say and not to say when our friends are going through a hard time in their life. I'll have links to those episodes in the show notes. Today's episode is about anoth...

Joy multiplies itself when we rejoice over what others have that we don't. It comes to us when the joy we see in others is enough to fill us. Today's episode shows how it's done with three beautiful grandparent memories shared by two listeners. Grandparents impact us long after they are gone If you've been listening to this podcast for any length of time you'll know it's all about relationships. I...

When we know people in our life are struggling, "what do I say to them?" is often the wrong question we ask ourselves. There's a better question we can ask that will comfort and encourage people. Listen in to learn more. Episode 148 left us hanging Episode 148 from last week talked about five things NOT to say to people close to us who are going through a rough patch in their life. I'll have a lin...

Be careful of what not to say when bad things happen to good people. Comfort others by letting them see your heart aching with theirs. Your presence will have more power than your words. Listen in to learn more. Too much time spent on Caring Bridge It's been a rough couple of weeks. It started with going to the funeral of a former student of mine when I taught high school English back in the 70s....

Memories grandparents make are a relational anchor for grandchildren. They remind us of our relational roots and where we've come from. They show us the privilege we have in impacting the lives of others for good. Grandparent Job Description: Make Memories for Your Grandkids A few months ago in Episode 141, I asked you, our podcast audience, to share memories your grandparents created for you. I m...

We will find more joy in our relationships when we take the time to listen to the relational melodies created by the important people in our life. Listen in to learn more. My Legacy Coalition talk A few days ago, this past Monday, I gave a live webinar for the Legacy Coalition, a Christian grandparenting organization. It was part of their weekly Grand Monday Nights program. I'll have a link to thi...

Delayed gratitude can be more powerful than gratitude at the moment we're blessed. We may not fully appreciate what happened until time passes. Listen in to learn more. A listener offers a correction In episode 140 from a few weeks ago, I talked about the relational benefits of thanking people in writing for something they did to bless you. Writing a thank you note is a great way to deepen a relat...

Deeper relationships develop when we initiate with others. It can lead to great conversations that look like dancing the waltz on a ballroom floor. The other person leads and you follow. Then you lead and they follow. It's a thing of beauty. In both cases our lives are enriched. Listen in to learn how. Picking up where we left off in last week's episode In Last week's episode, no. 143, I wanted to...

You've heard this before, everyone has a story. When we take the time to initiate with people to hear their story it enriches our lives. And theirs, too. Today's episode is an example of initiating with someone and the benefits in doing so. Listen in. My first boss I met my wife in high school in 9th grade. We didn't talk to each other much until our junior year when she was co-editor of our schoo...

Real joy is seeing Jesus, from the abundance of his grace, release one gracious blessing after another to each of us. We don't work for any of it because it's all grace. Listen in to learn how it can happen to you. Have you ever noticed how God is gracious with you, sometimes in an unexpected way? Today's episode is about a recent blessing I witnessed that I think will encourage you. It's a blessi...

You will brighten someone's day when you initiate with them, letting them know you're thinking about them, and wondering how they are doing. Simple acts like this go a long way to deepening a relationship. Listen in. Help Needed Before we get into today's show I could use your help with something. I've been asked to give a Zoom presentation at the end of February to the Legacy Coalition, a Christi...

A thank you note benefits both the recipient and the writer. It reminds the writer of blessings received, and it motivates the recipient to bless others again. A written thank you note is a great way to deepen your relationship with someone. Last year's "Make it a Relational New Years Resolution" I first mentioned this a year ago in episode 087, "Make it a Relational New Years Resolution." It was...

Do yourself a favor and listen to this podcast to get the most out of the relationships God places in your path. You'll be inspired to see the joy in them in new and refreshing ways. When I started this podcast in late 2018 there were about 500,000 podcasts. Today there are over 2 million. It raises the question, with all of these podcasts available to listeners like you, why listen to THIS one? B...

Our fallen world makes it hard at times to see the real Christmas joy God gives us through his son Jesus. But if we're open to finding it in unusual places it will show up sometimes in surprising ways. In the Christmas story found in Luke's gospel, we read where an angel of the Lord, along with "the glories of the Lord," appear to shepherds on the outskirts of Bethlehem. It scares them to death. B...

The Christmas story for 2021, like the first one, is all about Jesus. Mary treasured its many details and thought about them often. May we do the same. So here's the original story told in Luke's Gospel, just as it happened: At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Sy...

The best way to have a Merry Christmas this year is to make it a Mary Christmas . Do what Mary, the mother of Jesus did. Observe, reflect, and ponder the joy of God saving us from ourselves. Listen in to learn how. In the midst of all the busyness and activity of the holiday season, I've been thinking about how we can all enjoy Christmas a little better this year. For me, I find it restful to thin...

Joseph The Christmas story reminds us that a good man can bring much joy to the world when he quietly plays his part behind the scenes in furthering God's redemptive plan for all of humanity. That's what Joseph did, the earthly father of Jesus. And we can do the same. Listen in to learn how. Joseph - silent night personified One of the most intriguing characters in the Christmas story is Joseph, t...

When we celebrate together all the great things God has done for each of us, we experience a better kind of Christmas joy than the world experiences in Christmas traditions and family gatherings. For example, as you and I think of the joy of Christmas what usually comes to mind? If you're anything like me it's friends and family getting together, it's a Christmas tree and other holiday decorations...

Relationships are the back story to the Christmas story. The cast of characters interacting with each other gives us role models to follow in our relationships this Christmas season. Follow along as we learn how to do it right from a key supporting actor in this most important story. The problem with Christmas Here we are on the first of December, and I've got Christmas on my mind. I bet some of y...

We enrich our lives when we pause to observe and reflect upon our experiences. We'll then more easily notice the blessings to be thankful for. Even blessings that we rarely consider. That's what today's episode is all about. Many of us here in the US will sit down tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. It's custom in many homes to go around the table with each person expressing something they've been t...