Posts Tagged ‘Relationships’
Criticism Can Be a Blessing
I didn’t hear about the first writing conference I attended until shortly before it began. As I scrambled to prepare for it, I emailed the director to ask if I could still send in a manuscript sample for critique, something most conferences offer for a fee. She graciously said yes. I’d been forewarned that I…
Read MoreFamily Estrangement
Earlier this year, I read a fascinating autobiography of evangelist, pastor, and educator, Ed Nelson. Published just after Nelson’s death at the advanced age of 98, A Sinner Saved By Grace, catalogued a long, broad, and interesting life.1 One chapter was particularly sad. An adult son asked for a private meeting with Nelson just two…
Read MoreCultivating an Affectionate Marriage
I am no expert on marriage. But I have been married long enough to experience those times when coldness creeps in and distance grows. The simplest lesson that the Lord has taught us is the importance of time spent together. Taking time to stop, look each other in the face, and really talk, has proven…
Read MoreHow to Deal with Criticism
Criticism has a unique way of controlling us. One critical word and we want to rethink everything we believe or stand for. Ironically, I have been criticized for being overly critical at times. Unfortunately, I have passed this “gift” on to my children. Somehow over the past 11-16yrs of their lives, they have become genius…
Read MoreMarriage, Yelling, and the Holy Spirit
Any pastor who has served for a period of years inevitably has counselled married couples who struggle in their marriage. The reasons for these struggles are quite varied, but rarely (if ever) one-sided in nature. One significant area of struggle is communication between husband and wife. How does the husband speak to his wife? How…
Read MoreThanking God for Other Christians
When was the last time you thanked God for other Christians? When was the last time that you prayed, saying, “Thank you God for [so and so],” naming another Christian whom you know? From his letter to the believers at Ephesus, we learn that Paul did this continually. In the opening chapter of his letter,…
Read MoreThe Love We Seek
Kim Melton My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:10 These are words that every young girl dreams of hearing. Even as an adult, I love the stories of Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast. Females long for…
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