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!
0 Comments
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... Since February is known as the "month of love", we are focusing on topics related to Real, True Love.
By Lavern Nissley Encompass Executive Director You've likely heard that bank tellers are trained to detect counterfeit currency by handling authentic denominations of money. Then, when counterfeit money comes along, it feels different. The same is true for understanding real, true love. Our culture has many definitions and applications of love that just don't rise to the level of the real thing. Let's look at three characteristics of real, true love. By: Hollie Kowalski
Encompass Outreach Coordinator “We’re just in a rut, I guess.” We can’t seem to find joy in each other’s presence. We feel tired and frustrated with one another. Hearing this explanation from a friend referring to her marriage made me think back to a time when my husband and I were in a similar place, a “joy gap” in our marriage. Then I started to wonder, how did we get there? How did we get out? How do we keep from getting there again? By Kermit Rowe
Encompass Relationship Facilitator I’ve pastored for 18 years here in Springfield and ministered to couples as part of the Encompass Connection Center ministry for the past five. I’ve seen and witnessed the best and worst of intentions, passion that is both inspiring and misdirected, and communication that ranged from respectful to downright rude. I’ve seen hundreds of couples come through our doors in my time here, and thousands have come to us for help. And I’ve noticed they fall into three major categories... By: Abby Glaser
Encompass Community Advocate This month our theme at Encompass is “start here!” This month is also Human Trafficking Awareness month! Considering that, I’d love to take a few moments to give you some info on human trafficking. I’ve worked with trafficking survivors for over 20 years now and serve on the Miami Valley Human Trafficking Coalition, so this issue is near to my heart. While the topic has gained more attention in the past few years, a lot of information floating around is often false. So, let’s start with a brief understanding of what human trafficking is. Our blog posts this month are based on the phrase "Start HERE." They will all have relational components, but by the limiting parameter of something with utmost priority.
By Lavern Nissley Encompass Executive Director Ronda and I have found a new recreational/exercise love. If you know us from previous statements made on this topic, you'll recall we love bicycling, hiking, cross country skiing, and playing racquetball. Any guesses on what our new love is? |
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
All
Archives
March 2024
|