By: Cindee Johnson Encompass Relationship Coach Some years ago a wristwatch that gives the time in 42 cities around the world sold at auction. This 1939 timepiece garnered more than 6.6 million Swiss francs. That was 4 million US dollars. Can you imagine spending 4 million dollars on a watch? How about 4 thousand? Four hundred? Okay…$40?!? A Timex that costs a relatively few bucks is probably going to keep time nearly as well as that 1939 model, though maybe not in 42 cities around the world. So, why would someone spend that kind of cash on a wristwatch? Obviously, it’s not about keeping time. It’s about investment. A timely investment.
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Our promotions coordinator, Hollie Kowalski, selected a scriptural encouragement from 2 Timothy 1:7 as our blog theme for April. "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." By Ronda Nissley
Encompass Co-Director Recently a friend shared with me the Three Costs of Leadership by Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs.
Our promotions coordinator, Hollie Kowalski, selected a scriptural encouragement from 2 Timothy 1:7 as our blog theme for April. "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."
By Lavern Nissley Encompass Executive Director This is not a Bible study, but the central premise comes from scripture. And it can have a positive effect upon our relationships. There are hundreds of things in the world that are just plain scary and intimidating - that is, making us feel timid and tentative. Another word that comes to mind is "reactive", pretty much controlled by circumstances around us. This is so different from that which is characterized by power, love and self-discipline. It will become even more obvious when you see 2 circles, one of my favorite concepts from Stephen Covey's bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Our blog post theme for March is "Growth Areas." So, our blog post authors will be challenging us toward growth in personal awareness for the sake of strengthening relationships.
By Lavern Nissley Encompass Executive Director Thursday evenings, 7-8 pm, were times I looked forward to for about 2 1/2 months. Why? It wasn't for recreation, spending time with family, or a favorite TV show. It was to spend quality time with Ryan and Julie Preas, a couple who signed up for our RINGS Experience education and coaching. Even though Ryan and Julie weren't where they wanted to be in their 22-year marriage, they had a lot of the intangibles down like mutual respect, seeking peace, and growing together. But they didn't want to stay where they were. What a joy it was to watch them moving their health needle into more and more positives! By: Kermit Rowe
Encompass Relationship Facilitator For better or worse, till death do us part, our family remains our family. We can ignore them, refuse to have a personal relationship with them, but we can’t ignore the blood connection to them given to us by God through our birth. If God is the God He claims to be – the holy, perfect one with no beginning or end, who has no evil or error in Him – then it follows that He makes no mistakes. And it follows that the family He placed us in is the family we are meant to be a part of. In His perfect, infinite wisdom. To question our family origin is therefore questioning Him. He could have sent us into any family, in any hometown, in any native country, at any point in history. But He chose to send us into the life and family we currently occupy. By: Abby Glaser
Encompass Community Advocate As a relationship educator, one of my favorite things is personality types and tests! I think they are a fun way to understand ourselves better and understand how we function in relation to others. Because I use such tests in my classes I’ve spent a lot of time studying and understanding them. This has led me to have a pretty good understanding of my own strength and growth areas. This has come up for me recently in a relationship where I’m starting to realize one of my strengths, loyalty, has become a growth area. Let me explain! Our blog post theme for March is "Growth Areas." So, our blog post authors will be challenging us toward growth in personal awareness for the sake of strengthening relationships.
By Lavern Nissley Encompass Executive Director If you're like me, when I see the words "Growth Areas", a tinge of cringe hits me. I mean, who wants to examine this very personal area of life? Yet, on the other side of diving into this topic are positive opportunities. I discovered this when looking at my DISC Archetype of Harmonizer in order to understand what's at stake. You'll see a link after this post to discover your own DISC Archetype(s) and what your growth areas might look like. We thought it was a perfect way to end February and this month's theme of "Love" with this Focus on the Family article of God's Love, by Bret Eckelberry. Enjoy! God’s love gives us a new understanding of what it means to love ourselves and others. God is love, so let’s explore how He tells us to love: with head, heart, and hands... By: Cindee Johnson
Relationship Coach The world paints for us vivid descriptions of love, especially during the month of February. From television ads urging us to buy our way into someone’s heart to social media posts making everyone an expert. Emotions run rampant. Feelings are full. Advice is plentiful. Wisdom is not. Yet, there are some other love insights I believe worth sharing—from elementary school children. By Ronda Nissley
Encompass Co Director Well not really…. But the problem I have with Valentine’s Day is the emphasis on singling out one day a year to celebrate an inferior type of love with gifts, flowers, candy and goofy cards – things that have little to do with Real Love. (Unless your love language is gifts.) In last week’s blog, Lavern highlighted three characteristics of real love as a way to recognize counterfeit love. Real, true love is unconditional, others-centered, patient and kind. In contrast, counterfeit love looks quite different... |
HostsLavern & Ronda Nissley are co-directors of Encompass. Married since 1978, both enjoy coffee, riding their tandem bicycle and working together to build strong relationships. TOPICS
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