Words of Hope: Dangerous Tendencies

Dad wanted to be wise about tendencies to make the wrong response in crisis. He believed becoming wise about how we handle stress and crisis is an important consideration, especially if there is trauma in the family history. Dad...

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Words of Hope: Accused and Accuser

Jesus always touches me. I am reading about His interaction with the Pharisees and the woman caught in adultery. He takes a woman who had done wrong. She was morally guilty, and He showed her forgiveness. He takes a...

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Words of Hope: Never Outwitted

I have been mulling over a scripture verse for the last two weeks. It says, “I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware...

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Words of Hope: The Danger of Must

I recently wrote a piece about Dad being an amazing culture changer and described with intensity a father who neglects his daughter and a mother who criticizes hers. My husband Shann and I talk about Words of Hope in...

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Words of Hope: Culture Changer

Dad was a culture changer. He envisioned a home with a true loving, present father who asked forgiveness of his children and encouraged dialogue even if there was disagreement. Not many homes have this. I meet so many people...

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Words of Hope: Skilled Parents

Parenting is hard.   What makes matters worse is that people often don’t work to figure out how to be skilled as a parent. Much like the terrible shooter who continues to shoot though they haven’t a prayer, an untrained parent...

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Words of Hope: Speed Friendship

Our family has a fun mealtime activity called "Speed Friendship."   We ask a question and quickly find out more about whoever is at the table.   Examples of questions we might ask are:  · Favorite color...

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Words of Hope: Relational Joy

I read recently that researchers have discovered a connection between relational joy in your fifties and wellbeing and flourishing health in your eighties.   I think of Dad’s life and wonder how much relational stress contributed to his health. Dad loved...

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Words of Hope: A More Transformative Perspective

In the last two Words of Hope, I have been sharing about a presentation Shann and I heard during our prayer retreat. One of the most provocative statements for me is that God cannot be present in organizations who...

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Words of Hope: God’s Heartbreak

Shann and I were part of a prayer retreat recently. Each day had two or three presenters. One presenter who spoke on heartbreak asked this beautiful question, “What breaks God’s heart?” My friend, a world-renowned painter, Mako Fujimura, painted...

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