Listen Up My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. –James 1:19 Listening doesn't come easily for most people. It is a skill that must be cultivated, and it takes time, self-control, and a genuine desire to seek understanding to be proficient
By Ashley McIlwain Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? Mark 8:18 “You hurt me so badly! I am devastated!” says the wife. “Well, you hurt me too, and you don’t know what I’m up against at work,” replies the husband. “You don’t care at all about me!”
By Ashley McIlwain Communication. We are all communicating all of the time. Whether with words, body language, sound effects, or the lack thereof, we are constantly communicating something to those around us. Communication can build relationships or they can destroy relationships depending on how we communicate, what we communicate, and our willingness to communicate. Communication
By Ashley McIlwain If I’m being very honest, I’m not one who cares much for watching television. Rarely do I turn it on when I’m home alone because I’d prefer a good book, social outing, or checking off an item from my to do list. Most of the time, TV just isn’t my first or
By Ashley McIlwain The other day I was having a conversation with someone about how much perspective plays into relationships, conversations, and our general approach to life. We all have a filter that we sift our observations, discussions, and interactions through, which is why no two people see things exactly the same way. That’s also
By Ashley McIlwain You’ve been waiting for this moment. A break away from work, responsibilities, and the kids. It’s just you and your spouse … finally. It’s more of a rare occasion than you’d like to admit, but here you are. But now what? There’s a moment of panic as the awkward silence takes over.
By Ashley McIlwain Communication. It’s such a key component to every relationship, and yet, it’s also one of the most challenging. Many couples report problems in their relationship where communication has broken down. The issue is then perpetuated and escalated by the continued breakdown of their ability to converse about it. The inability to communicate
By Stephanie Tracey The dining room. Many homes have one, but it is not often used for dining. Usually it ends up as place to drop things to temporarily get them out of the way … backpacks, magazines, school papers, the coat that I’ll need quickly because “I’m going out again in an hour, and
By Dr. Jeff Klick Marriage is a gift from God and mind reading is typically thought of as magic practice. What can these two possibly have in common? For starters, both involve two people. Marriage was given as a gift to Adam in the Garden of Eden to combat his loneliness and incompleteness. Mind reading
By Ashley McIlwain Have you ever needed to discuss something with someone, but you just knew it was a sensitive subject? Most likely even mentioning it will elicit a negative, strong reaction that makes you opt to avoid it like the plague? You cringe at the mere thought of bringing it up, so you convince
