I'm an author, podcaster, and relationship coach who loves to talk about the joy found in reflecting the character and image of God in our relationships. I focus on the power of listening to make this happen. Subscribe now to learn more.
Ask Thoughtful Questions Before It’s Too Late
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Hi Reader, I’m intrigued by the piece I wrote few weeks ago about the questions Jesus asked. If you missed it, you can click here to read it. Many of his questions were asked to help people understand themselves better. That’s a good motive for us to ask questions of others. To gain more understanding of the people in our lives. Two people I’ve been thinking about lately are my parents, both of whom have been dead for over 20 years. It occurred to me the other day that they must have had a life before I came on the scene. Imagine that? What a surprise. My mother was 24 when I was born, and my father was 29 when he adopted me. I know so little about their lives before I entered their’s. I wish they were still around so I could ask them questions to understand them better. Answers to questions about their early years before me would have been helpful in understanding the forces that shaped their lives. Because from understanding, compassion can flow. And in my case, from compassion, forgiveness more easily be granted. How about you? Who are the people in your life who have impacted you deeply, but for whom you know little? If they are still alive what questions could you ask to understand them better? Until next time, I wish you all the joy that you can wish.* John Certalic
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John Certalic - Caring for Others
I'm an author, podcaster, and relationship coach who loves to talk about the joy found in reflecting the character and image of God in our relationships. I focus on the power of listening to make this happen. Subscribe now to learn more.
Dear Reader, I’m making several changes regarding release of new episodes to my You Were Made for This podcast and the weekly blog posts/articles I’ve been sending your way. But before we get into that, I want to focus on thankfulness. We set aside one day out of 365 to consider this virtue, which clearly deserves more of our attention. To illustrate this, today’s podcast episode begins with th a quote from Garrison Keillor: “Old age is the age of gratitude, when I come to appreciate the...
Hi Reader, If you’ve been following my writings or podcast for any length of time you’ll know I’m a big fan of asking questions to deepen relationships. But not just any questions, for despite what your 5th grade teacher told you, there are dumb questions. Some really dumb ones, even harmful questions that are destructive to relationships. I’ve conducted workshops on asking meaningful questions, and I’ve aired more than a few podcast episodes on the subject. But I realized recently there’s...
Reader, Episode 228 of our You Were Made for This podcast is now live. In it I talk about my recent vacation trip to Ireland. It’s less about scenery and landscape, and more about relationships. I think you’ll find it encouraging. For example, I reflect upon what encouraged me on our trip. Things like: Beauty found in relationships The man who wore bib overalls all the time The most common expression I heard from people in Dublin Several gray-haired men who make art all day long, hunched over...