Relational Skills in Real Life

Can you learn relational skills online? In this episode, Chris explores research on how intentional choices can shape unconscious habits—habits that help us live each day more in line with who God created us to be. Tune in to discover which aspects of this growth can be developed through online learning and which require the depth of face-to-face connection. 🔗 Our 5-day in-person training is the...

If you have experienced offense, you know how difficult it can be to recover—especially when the hurt comes from someone you trust. As imperfect people, even those we respect and look up to can cause deep pain. In this episode, we explore how our heart characteristics, emotions, and attachments contribute to experiences of offense, and offer encouragement and validation, highlighting a pathway tow...

How do we know if something is spiritual/demonic vs just unprocessed pain? When encountering difficulty while helping someone, it can be hard to discern whether the challenge stems from trauma and underdeveloped relational skills or from spiritual warfare. Chris takes us through some examples of what each of these can look like, and shares some next steps of ways to respond while staying relationa...

There are foundational skills we will continue practicing and developing throughout our lives. Chris shares research on how practice shapes our brains and strengthens our abilities, and explains how beginning with growth in peace and joy lays the groundwork for more complex relational skills — equipping us to show up at our best, even in difficult situations. 🔗 Learn more about our 5-week Foundat...

When we notice we’re lacking a relational skill, we can intentionally look for someone in our lives who demonstrates that strength. Rather than comparing ourselves and feeling shame about what we don’t yet have, we can choose to learn from one another. In this episode, we’ll explore how to recognize safe people to learn from — and how to stay curious and keep growing. 🔗 Start or continue your jou...

How can relational skills help us heal from church hurt—and remain relational in the process? Many of us know this kind of pain firsthand, and we also know how difficult it can be to stay connected when we’ve been wounded. Pastor and Thrive trainer Dana Bryan shares his personal story of a painful church experience. He walks us through the hurt, his journey of processing it, the relational skills...

Many people experience a sense of dissonance between the God portrayed in the Old Testament and the God revealed in the New Testament. This can create deep attachment pain as they try to hold these images together. Certain Old Testament stories may evoke hurt or misunderstanding, causing doubts about God’s relationship toward us today. Rather than immediately engaging in theological debate, how ca...

This is the first episode in a series on using relational skills to bring reconciliation to painful situations within the church. When people are wounded by those who represent God, that pain often becomes associated with God Himself. In this series, we will explore how such wounds can be healed, how to sit with people in their pain, and how to help them reconnect with Immanuel in a way that resto...

Nikki and Clinton tell the story of what led to difficulty in their marriage and how, as they gained relational skills and pursued healing together, they learned to keep their relationship bigger than the problem. 🔗 Nikki and Clinton's book: "Glory from the Ashes" https://a.co/d/4ouzrPj 🔗 Explore our theory course based on Conflict: https://thrivetoday.thinkific.com/courses/confli...

No matter where you are in life, growing in relational skills and emotional maturity can be transformational. In this episode, Lori shares her personal journey of developing maturity in the middle of real life and ministry. Along the way, she came to a powerful realization: you can't teach what you don't know. Tune in to hear Lori’s story of growth and how that transformed her life and h...

The relationships closest to our hearts, like marriage, often carry both the greatest meaning and the greatest challenges. In Part 1 of our marriage podcast series, Chris reflects on why marriage can be so hard and offers insights on how we can grow, practice healthier connection, and protect what matters most. 🔗 Learn more about relational skills: https://thrivetoday.org/relationalskills/ 🔗 Exp...

Our friend and Thrive teammate, Kami, shares how practicing relational skills has strengthened her ability to use them in everyday life. She’s also discovered that the more she practices these skills in her interactions with others, the more she sees our abundantly loving God reflected through her life. 🔗 Explore our library of online courses that range from our Intro course, topical theory cours...

Why is it important to practice relational skills? At THRIVEtoday, we value helping people build healthy habits by embedding these skills into our character so we can reflect Jesus in the best version of ourselves. Chris and Kristy compare practicing relational skills to exercising our bodies—simply reading about them doesn’t make them show up in real life. Through daily practice, we can form new...

At THRIVEtoday, we’ve been focusing on experiencing our profoundly loving God. As we enter the new year, we’re invited to reflect that love in our relationships. Practicing relational skills helps us grow in our capacity to reflect God’s presence and character, strengthening relationships, building community, and bringing forgiveness and hope—even in difficult moments and with the people we care a...

As this year comes to a close, we turn our hearts toward the year ahead. We reflect on what God has taught us over the past year and look forward with anticipation to what is to come.  When we seek God’s perspective, He helps us cultivate appreciation and discover the hidden treasure of peace He places in every moment.  Chris shares practical ways to practice peace, appreciation, joy, and Godsight...

Immanuel means ‘God with us,’ and what a gift that is during the busy, stressful, or grief-filled moments of the holidays. The relational skill of Godsight—Seeing What God Sees—helps us view life through God’s loving perspective and remember we are never alone. Someone is glad to be with us. Someone delights in us. This is the Jesus we celebrate. Thrive trainer Dana shares how he uses Godsight to...

The holidays can bring joy for some and stress or grief for others. Relational skills—especially the skill of quieting—help us stay grounded whether we’re navigating big joy or big emotions. Our friend Shannon shares how she planned intentional quiet moments into her family’s holiday gathering to help everyone connect more deeply. Stay tuned to the very end as Chris coaches us how to implement thi...

During the holidays, we talk about joy, look forward to joy, and surround ourselves with decorations that highlight joy. But how can we use the brain skill of "sharing joy" (aka Skill 1) to genuinely increase joy in our own lives and in the lives of those we love? This episode dives into the “share joy” brain skill and provides practical ideas for putting it into action during the holida...

In this episode, Lynn shares how she uses the skill of appreciation to experience the presence and love of God. Chris also explains how relational skills can help you overcome barriers to sensing God’s peace, and he offers guidance on discovering which skills will help you most—and how to practice them in your daily life. 🔗 Learn more about Skill 13 - Godsight: https://www.thrivetoday.org/skill13...

Appreciation is all about remembering the good things, feeling the good things, and sharing the good things! Chris shares some fun activities he did with a group of friends in person to help them build joy and remember meaningful moments in their lives. These exercises can help us live with greater joy and peace, strengthening our ability to handle tough situations and conversations—even on hard d...

We all want to live as the best versions of ourselves—the way God designed us to be—even when we’re experiencing big emotions. But that takes practice! Our friend Rivers shares stories about times when he felt overwhelmed and stressed, how he recognized what was happening, and what he did to respond with peace and strength instead of reacting from that stress. Hearing these real-life stories—ones...

One of the skills that is learned in the child level of maturity is to discover what satisfies us, so that we can become adults who know how to fulfill our needs and desires in a life-giving way and live a life of contentment. Do we, as adults, have this skill? How can we help our children learn? This episode shares stories about recognizing true satisfaction and how to step through that process,...

Chris and Jen share an update on their year, offering a perspective shaped by appreciation. They walk us through how they’ve learned to recognize gratitude, even in situations that initially feel discouraging. They also offer a glimpse into how they continually practice the skill of appreciation, helping them remain rooted in hope and connected to Immanuel. 🔗 Visit https://thrivetoday.org/skill4...

In this episode, Kristy shares her personal journey through the complex terrain of shame—how it shaped her and how she found healing. Then, Chris dives into various signs that we struggle with this difficult emotion, and shares practical, compassionate strategies for breaking free and growing through it. If you've ever felt weighed down by self-doubt or hidden pain, this episode is for you....

A new, and increasing common trend in our society, has been to turn to AI companions for validation and friendship. Is this healthy and helpful longterm? Why is this happening and what do people need? Chris takes a look at the underlying needs that everyone has. 🔗 Joy Starts Here: https://bit.ly/joystartsherebook 🔗 Habit Builder Courses: https://thrivetoday.org/skill-practice-courses/ 🔗 Thrive...