Why Love Is Kind
Does your spouse consider you a kind person? Author Bob Lepine talks about the characteristics that define love as described in 1 Corinthians 13, focusing on the virtue of kindness. A kind person, Lepine explains, is someone who actively seeks to bless another person. Consider the ways you could bless your spouse by proactively meeting their need or meeting their heart's desire. Practicing kindness in a marriage is the single greatest predictor of marital happiness and stability.
The Marks of a Man
What marks a man as good? Son of author Sally Clarkson, Nathan Clarkson, points out 15 characteristics that join together to define a good man, including adventurous, devout, heroic and yes, emotional. Clarkson reminds us that even Jesus wept and allowed his heart to be moved by the needs people had. Many men stuff their emotions so as not to look weak. Hear how he coaches parents who might be raising an artistic child like he was.
Real Men are Vulnerable
What characterizes a good man? Author Nathan Clarkson talks about the unique role men play in God's creation and points to Christ as the embodiment of all that a man should be. Nathan shares how his pastor-father discipled him growing up, and reminisces about his thirteenth birthday when his father gave him a sword and told him that he was made to be a hero. Clarkson admits that while he's lived independently of God many times, he's learned that a good man admits his weaknesses, and seeks the help of God and others to do this thing called life.
What is a Good Man?
What defines true masculinity? Author, actor and musician Nathan Clarkson reflects on the first thirty years of his life as someone who is "different," and tells how his parents encouraged his natural giftings and loved him just as he was. As someone who struggles with ADHD, dyslexia and obsessive/compulsive behaviors, Nathan says believing in God was never a problem with him, but obeying was another story. In his search to find his identity, Clarkson describes his journey to find out what a good man is and does, and talks about where his research led him.
Why Love Is Patient
Love is patient. Are you? Bob Lepine, author of the book, "Love Like You Mean It," talks about what it means to be patient, or long-suffering, especially if your spouse isn't as loving, or helpful or attentive as you hoped. Lepine reminds us that most of us got married for oneness. God has put you here to be a dispenser of love to those who need it, so how can you be an ambassador of grace? Cry out to God, and ask for His help.
Why Love Is Preeminent
Our views about love have gotten twisted over time. Most people think of love as a strong feeling, but according to Bob Lepine, that is far from how the Scriptures define love. It's hard work to love someone, says Lepine. Love isn't a benefit you get, but pouring out your life for the good of another. There is something that happens in our hearts when we start viewing love correctly, as God defines it. God enlarges our hearts. Lepine, married for 41 years, tells what he has learned about love over the years with his wife, Mary Ann.
As a Man Thinketh...
Is God offended by our melancholy and depression? Pastor and seminary professor David Murray points to King David's conflicting emotions in the Psalms and shows us the link between our mind and our emotions. The Psalms gives us permission to take our horrible feelings and thoughts and give them all to God. We can help ourselves, and our teens, if we learn to take every thought captive and stop our negative thinking.
Are Our Kids Ok?
Teens can be moody. But how can you tell if a son or daughter is experiencing normal teenage angst or something more serious? Pastor David Murray, author of Why Is My Teen Feeling Like This?, explains most teens go through spells of quietness and withdrawal, but it won't last long. If you see your teen retreating, do something they enjoy doing and start the dialogue. If your teen is totally uncommunicative or alludes to suicide, seek professional help with either a medical doctor or Christian counselor.
Teens and Anxiety
Are Christians exempt from anxiety and depression? Pastor and author David Murray experienced a couple of burnouts firsthand and talks about his faithful wife's bout with depression that left her incapacitated and unable to sleep or pray. Murray reminds us we are not disembodied spirits. When our soul goes wrong, our bodies follow; and when our bodies go wrong, our souls often go wrong, too. This goes for teens as well. Find our how teen anxiety differs from an adults.
Facing Unemployment Together
Human Resources expert Dale Kreienkamp talks about the realities of being unemployed. Having been displaced from his job twice, He knows what it's like to question what the next step will be. His wife, Deb, shares what she felt as she watched her husband struggle and tells what she did to support him in this uncertain season.