One of the greatest heartbreaks a parent can experience is to be estranged from an adult child … which usually means losing contact with beloved grandchildren as well. That’s what happened to Karen when she offended her daughter, Debra, with a few careless words...
If you're like most people, the coming holiday season will be either the best time of the year or the worst time of the year ... and it will probably depend on the quality of your relationships. To help you make this the best season ever, we’ve compiled thirty-three...
When he was two-and-half-years-old, my grandson, Andrew, came across a fresh pile of dog poo in the yard. Having been told repeatedly to stay away from dog piles, he of course felt an irresistible desire to step on it and squish it around. Not liking the odor, he...
Bridge of Spies is one of the most inspirational movies I’ve seen in years. It reminds me why I went to law school -- I had a love for justice, a respect for the biblical roots of the U.S. legal system, and a desire to defend those who could not help themselves. It...
I’ve been in the middle of hundreds of conflicts. Divorces, custody battles, business lawsuits, forced pastoral exits, church splits, nonprofit disintegrations … you name it, I’ve seen Christians fight over it. After many long and difficult mediations, I learned...
My mother-in-law lived with our family for twenty years. For six of those years, my mother also lived with us. Corlette and I called them “the Two Treasures.†In all the years they lived in our home, I never heard one word of criticism, grumbling, or complaining...
During the last months of my son’s senior year in high school, Jeff had a lot of conflict with his mother. As a result I was doing more mediation at home than I was through my conciliation ministry. Night after night the three of us applied principles of...
Last week a young McDonald's fast-food worker named Kenny provided a magnificent example of compassion. His selfless act was described by Destiny Carreno, whose report has been viewed over 2.3 million times on Facebook and other social media. Here is what she wrote:...
Corlette and I are deeply grateful for the many prayers that upheld us during our recent 17-day “teaching marathon†in Florida, Virginia and Alabama (Oct. 6-22, 2015). By God’s grace, all 17 presentations—which included three Discovering RW Seminars, a...
I fell in love with Jesus during law school. It wasn’t because law school was so difficult; it was because Jesus is so wonderful. Thanks to my mother, I’d known about Jesus all my life. But I didn't really know Jesus. Therefore, I didn't really love him or trust...
How much do you trust God? Really? Do you trust him as much as a blind teenage racer trusts her seeing-eye dog? Sami Stoner lost her eyesight just as she entered the eighth grade. She had to face the fact that she would never get a driver’s license, never again do...
Corlette and I have very different depth perception. A car that I see as being a hundred feet away she sees as being a hundred inches away. So when I’d make a left turn with a car coming towards us in the opposite lane, she would tense up, grab the door handle, and...
One of the greatest blessings of my recent time in South Africa was seeing how quickly people were applying relational wisdom to vital life issues, such as social injustice, racism, family disintegration, church leadership and evangelism. I was especially impressed by...
I’m writing this post from Cape Town, South Africa, where I’ve been exploring ways to apply relational wisdom to some of the most challenging issues people can face. My first three days were spent teaching at a conference sponsored by Advocates Africa, a network...
The 2015/16 primary and presidential debates highlighted the close connection between politics, pride and emotion. In an outward sense, each of the many candidates was striving to build credibility, prestige and support by highlighting his or her abilities and...
Last week I had the privilege of reading how one of our newest Approved Presenters has been applying relational wisdom with dozens of people, including his indecisive wife, a challenging grandson, two tense business partners, and long-term clients who had dropped him...
Would you like to improve the relational dynamics in your church, ministry or business? If so, I encourage you to host a Discovering Relational Wisdom Seminar as soon as possible. As reported by former students, the benefits of this training include stronger...
Sexual abuse in the church does not have to end in broken lives, agonizing lawsuits, and divided congregations. When people follow God’s ways and words, these terrible incidents can result in healing, justice, and healthier churches. When victims of abuse first come...
After four weeks of nonstop travel last month, I was running out of energy. As a result I was unusually apathetic as I walked into the conference center for one of my recent presentations. Not a good attitude for teaching relational wisdom. So I began to pray....
Thomas Edison never claimed to be a Christian, but he did a better job of demonstrating forgiveness than many believers do. When Edison and his staff were developing the incandescent light bulb, it took twenty-four hours to manufacture a single bulb. One day he handed...
Corlette and I are in Jackson, Wyoming, today celebrating 30 years of marriage. We took this "selfie" at the end of a hike around Jenny Lake, one of the most beautiful places in Teton National Park ... almost as beautiful as my bride! Later this morning we plan to...
Do you sometimes find it difficult to understand your emotions … much less those of your teenager, spouse, coworkers or friends? Well, Disney and Pixar have just given you a vehicle to explore this issue at a whole new level. Their newest film, Inside Out, provides...
My heart is glad every time I receive an email or phone call from my dear friend, Mart Green. It’s partly because he’s always praising God for how he’s moving in Mart’s family, church, business, or the ministries he loves to serve. But it’s also because Mart...
Paul is the pastor of a church and a professor at a seminary in Central Europe … yet he is struggling to forgive a former elder who turned on him three years ago (all names are changed). Anna works with refugee teenagers who pass through her country on the way to...
I’m sending this post from Wisla, Poland, where Chip Zimmer and I are teaching at the European Leadership Forum. ELF has gathered 700 evangelical leaders from around Europe to provide them with a week of fellowship, encouragement, and training to inspire and equip...
I love it when ordinary people use simple biblical principles to solve relational problems that have stumped corporate presidents and highly trained professionals. That's exactly what a woman named Diane did when two coworkers were about to lose their jobs. Here is...
A friend may be writing a letter to me that I might not like. Although we’ve talked repeatedly, there are tensions between us that are still not resolved. Yesterday another acquaintance said my friend is composing a letter to me. He gave no details, just “He’s...