GR8 Relationships
Psychology & Relationships
About
Pursuing Their BEST - Freedom in Relationships
Episodes
- What Is The Highest Principle?
The Antonov 225 is a very large airplane—350 tons and can carry 300 tons of cargo—but it flies! That must mean that gravity is not real OR there is a principle higher than gravity. Of course, gravity is real, but Bernoulli's Principle show…
- Correcting Lousy Behavior in Relationships
This episode of GR8 Relationships explores the ease with which people judge others, viewing them as flawed humans. It suggests that judgmental attitudes can stem from a desire to elevate oneself by finding fault in others.
- Three Actions To Blossom Relationships And Help People Change
This episode discusses fostering relationship growth and helping people change. It highlights the importance of operating with freedom, avoiding judgment, and recognizing that lasting change comes from the individual's decision.
- How Can I Accept Them When I Hate Their Behavior?
The episode discusses how the desire for external acceptance can lead to being controlled by others' standards and potentially compromising one's own values and beliefs.
- Have To or Want To?
This episode discusses how past commitments can feel like obligations, shifting from a "want to" to a "have to." It highlights that even when obligations arise, the freedom to choose whether or not to comply remains.
- Are You Good But Up To No Good?
The host shares personal experiences, illustrating how controlling behaviors are detrimental to relationships. The episode focuses on the negative impact of control in relationships.
- Is God Free?
It's a very old problem, kids blaming their parents for how they turned out. And from the parents side, taking credit for the kids turning out well or feeling like losers when the kids don't. God speaks directly to that issue in Ezekiel 18.
- Controlled, Controlling, Or Concerned?
You are "concerned" that you see sin in their life and you know from God's Word that the consequences of sin are never good. What should you do? Since they are free to sin, do you ignore it and hope they make another choice? Do you get inv…
- Without This Tool, Relationships Become INTOLERABLE
Our working definition of freedom is "Acting without force or manipulation or acting without controlling or being controlled." Freedom is often not easy for us to understand, especially how it works in relationships. Without freedom in a r…
- Which Circle Are You Living In?
You are probably not experiencing as much freedom as you think. Even when we are irresponsible with our freedom, not caring about others, we often become controlled by life, circumstances and people. Go listen to "Two Ways to Live and The…
- Forgiveness Is NOT Reconciliation
Forgiveness is not reconciliation. Forgiveness is so good for you, but it gets derailed when you combine it with things like reconciliation. If you think you must reconcile with someone that may prevent you from the freedom you can have th…
- Remember, Unforgiveness Has Severe Consequences
Forgiveness will heal a multitude of relationship problems, but it is not natural to consider it, especially shortly after someone has hurt you. The pain of what they did to you typically removes any thinking about forgiveness—the actual c…
- What Attracted Me To You Now Turns Me Off
How is it possible that what attracts you to someone could actually become a big problem later in the same relationship? All couples are faced with this issue, so listen to hear how this works.
- What Is Love?
Whenever I hear someone say some version of "they are falling in love," it not only tells me they do not understand love, but also they are unlikely to know the basics of relationships. Unfortunately, if you believe people "fall in love" y…
- How Long Can You Take It?
When you have difficulties in a relationship, it is easy to wonder how long the problem will last. Worse yet, when one person is unwilling to make changes to help the relationship, it is very easy to wonder how long you can take it. The pr…
- Three Steps To Personal Transformation
If you want personal transformation, the Lord has graciously provided all the steps to achieve it. If you’re going to coach someone to make changes or improve their life, you need to hear the Godly way to do this. Personal transformation i…
- Male and Female in Hebrew
When you hear and see how the words male and female are used in Hebrew, you get a clearer understanding of the need for God in marriage. God designed man and woman for a perfect complementary relationship. He designed them in His image, wh…
- Unifying Theory of Life – part 2
In the previous episode, you heard my belief about the unifying theory of life. It is all about the image of God and involves...truth and loveseparate and belongingpowerful and relationalEach two-word combination is an excellent way to thi…
- Unifying Theory of Life
- Failure Is Often Ultimately a Success
After her third divorce, Deborah was mad at life and men for at least 4 years. But, she did not realize how failure can lead to success. Utlimately, she decided to listen to God, who led her to the Hope for the Family seminar. Created by D…
- Holiday Stressing? Guidelines For Challenging Conversations
Holidays are expected to bring joy and peace, but they often don't and you end up with "turkey and stressing"! Those times end up hurting relationships and not knowing what to do. Well, here are some guidelines to consider on how to have a…
- Divorced 3 Times and Only 28 Years Old
By the time Deborah was 28, she went through 3 divorces. But, being divorced 3 times is only part of the story. Deborah's complete story is a great example of God's healing and restoration. In fact, she is open and vulnerable about her for…
- Blaming Others Hurts Families
God does not like the proverb about sour grapes. "As I live," says the Lord GOD, "you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel." (Ezekiel 18:3) What is it about that proverb that God does not like?
- Self-esteem or Self-governance; Which Is Best?
Which is more important - self-governance or self-esteem? The emphasis of our education system and society is primarily on self-esteem. Subsequently, the population continues to increase its Narcissistic mindset. And, the investment is cre…
- Family Gatherings Create Turkey and Stressing
When families get together, all of the family history arrives. That can be good or bad. It is almost always difficult for those families when problems have not been resolved.
- Self-Control Is Best: How to Increase It
Self-control is critical for all of us. But consider this, those with the most self-control use it far less in emergencies. What makes them so different from the rest of us?
- Satan Loves Self-esteem – Do You?
Multitudes of self-help gurus, psychologists, and educators promote loving yourself - loving "ME". Unfortunately, what's worse is Satan loves this teaching! So, what about you? Do you think loving yourself supports something that Satan abs…
- Starting Is 50 Percent of Any Action
When will you start living the BEST life? You have the ability, but will you start? Starting is 50 percent of any action. The 8 steps of 2 Peter 1:5-7 are your responsibility, no one else. God provides everything for you and it is now your…
- The Big Reason We Don’t Change
The ABUNDANT LIFE that Jesus talks about (John 10:10) is the same as the Apostle Peter talks about in 2 Peter 1. It is the motive for us to pursue transformation into the image of Christ. When Peter says "For this very reason..." (2 Peter…
- Your BEST Life – Right NOW!
If you are a child of God and you are trying to find the abundant life you have heard people talk about - STOP LOOKING! You ALREADY have it!! "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness..." (2 Peter 1:3)…
- The Secret to a Better Life
So, slow yourself down and picture a life better than you have now. Make the picture as detailed as possible. Be honest with yourself about what you think is better. What do you see? What are you doing? What do you have? What are you think…
- Four Promises from Great Leaders
Leadership may not be that interesting to you right now, but remember, everyone leads in some area of their life. Since that is true, consider how to apply these promises to those leadership situations.
- Great Leaders Use Both Results and Relating
There is a POWERFUL (Separate) element, but the power is not from us, it is from God. He is the authority and He uses leaders as a channel of His authority. Just like God's power, leaders are to use power to free others, not control them.…
- Leadership Encourages Freedom Not Control
Leadership is not what you might think it is. Most people have the stereo-type of leaders needing to be "large and in charge". While some good leaders are that way, that is not what makes them good or even great (GR8!).
- How to Improve Your Listening
Yep, that's what I said. Your mind is geared for pictures more than words and, if you want to understand someone, really listen to them - turn their words into pictures. Yes, I understand that you still need to hear them, but the phrase "t…
- Most Underrated Relationship Skill
Think about it, humility is the most underrated attribute, so it makes sense that humility would be tied to the most underrated skill. The formula for listening starts with a simple question, "Will I make this about them, and not about me?"
- Who Does God Resist?
Good definitions make a big difference. When you read the definition of humility in a dictionary, it may help, but most likely not. So, let's use this simple 3 word definition - strength under control. That's often used to define "meek" an…
- Who or What Is Your Authority?
God allows us to participate in His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3) and He is not only good, He is PERFECT! Everything that He does has no spot or blemish - even those times where we are struggling with pain and wondering how this can be best…
- If You Don’t Love Yourself, Then…
I remember back in the 1960's and '70's how a number of Christian writers and thinkers were pushing Jesus' command of "love your neighbor as yourself". You might be thinking, "That's great", but actually it wasn't. They were promoting the…
- Are Marriages Getting Better or Worse?
Ever wondered what marriage was like when Paul wrote the classic letter to the Ephesian believers? How did "wives, submit to your own husband" and "husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church" sound to the women and men…
- Life Is Black and White
You might say, “God does not provide details on every thought or action of my life in His Word, so how can I know if a thought or action is self-absorbed or not?”
- What About Me?
It's one or the other! If you are sensitive at all to the Holy Spirit, you will know which. AND, my speculation is 95% or more of the time, thoughts about "ME" are self-absorbed. (That's based on personal experience and I admit that I am p…
- What You DID NOT DO Is Critical!
What we DO NOT DO has a profound impact on what happens. Consider what each of the four primary characters DID and DIDN'T DO at the time of the original sin in Genesis 3:1-14.
- Marriage Problems Started in the Garden
The first three chapters of Genesis provide the foundation for relationships and marriage. The design of men and women, the foundation of their design, their purpose, their roles, their judgments and the contract of marriage are all given…
- They Need to Change
When you make the Dictator mistake you may be blatantly trying to do things your way or you are a "good person up to no good". The second approach is seldom seen as bad, because you believe that if you are not the "Jr. Holy Spirit" in thei…
- Are You Being a REAL Person?
Go to the self-help section of a bookstore and you will find books promoting the "Actor" mistake. You will find authors stating, “If you want to win their heart you need to be someone they want. So if they like football, but you don’t, it’…
- The Past Is Over
The past cripples relationships, because people do not live in reality about the past. What's the reality? The past is OVER! Even though it's over, it's still controlling the thoughts, actions and feelings of so many people. Consider how m…
- What’s Your Opinion?
Observe and describe this picture.Try it before reading further. Almost all people tell a story about the picture rather than observing and describing it. “A man is getting ready for an important meeting…” or something like that. Observing…
- What’s In It For ME?
Our self-absorbed sin nature is the energy that causes our "ME" to flash. These "ME" flashing moments, days, months and even years, cripple relationships. This lifestyle is living in the Left Circle—reacting and responding, but not choosin…
- The Two Circles of Life
Autopilot for the sin nature leaves us living in the Left Circle—a React/Respond, Slave, Victim lifestyle. Life is an endless chain of events that we just react or respond to and then figure out what to do when life, circumstances and peop…