Winsome debate
When I was a wrestler, we were required to shake hands with our opponents before and after every match. I'm praying for a hearty remnant…
No Yeahbuts
Some dear friends invited our whole family for tea. It was great fun--all kinds of exotic things to try that told of faraway places. We…
Pain scale
"How much does it hurt on a scale from 0-10 (with 0 being no pain, and 10 being your arm's off)?" In medicine we assess…
How to reconcile
Relationships require forgiveness if they are going to flourish. Inevitably we are going to wrong one another, and we need skill to know how to…
Own it.
Children have a sixth sense for hypocrisy. Adults do too. There's Hypocrisy (with a capital H) that rightly ruins credibility. This is avoided by a…
Tap the brakes
Instant communication isn't always a gift. How many times have we regretted responding too swiftly with words that were overstated because of the heat of…
Inside jokes
If you have siblings, you probably have inside jokes--some of them may go all the way back to your childhood. They may involve super-obscure references…
Always and never
Successful conflict resolution requires skillful communication. These skills can be learned, practiced, and made into habits. One of the several venues I teach these skills…
Underneath the door
Singer/songwriter Michael Card shares what it was like for him to grow up as the son of a medical doctor. If you have a few…
Clarity
Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn't mean anything else.C.S. Lewis,…