relationships

Re:Word Weekly – 2/24/12

 

Re:Word is a weekly roundup of stories on faith, relationships, and the creative life.

  

1. How Big Is Your BUT? – Watch Lysa TerKeurst's webcast on overcoming excuses.  (via @LysaTerKeurst)

 

2. On Writing The Perfect EndingSue Brower (Executive Editor at Zondervan) shares proven wisdom for making your romance, women's lit, or suspense story go out with bang. (via @acfwTweets).

 

3.  The Cost of Not Failing - The engrossing story of would-be comedy star Duke Fightmaster leads Ed Czyewski to observe, "When we refuse to fail, we rob ourselves of important lessons … and prevent ourselves from taking important steps forward." (via @TheHighCalling).

 

4. Four Ways to Be a Better Friend by Ann Voskamp (@annvoskamp).

 

5. What about Purgatory? asks author and scholar Scot McKnight… (@scotmcknight)

 

Dante's Purgatorio

The poet Dante presents his poem "Purgatorio" to the city of Florence.

 

6. Five Ways to Spice Things Up with Your Spouse by author Sheila Wray Gregoire (@sheilagregoire)

 

7. 19 tips for authors (and aspiring authors) by Seth Godin. If you're not familiar with Godin, he's an incredibly entrepreneurial (and busy) thinker, writer, and marketer — so I'm not surprised his first love is for self-publishing. We disagree on a few points about publishing (i.e., Tip #7), but even when Godin isn't right he's worth considering. Here are two of my favorites from the list:

The best time to start promoting your book is three years before it comes out. Three years to build a reputation, build a permission asset, build a blog, build a following, build credibility and build the connections you'll need later.

Pay for an eidtor editor. Not just to fix the typos, but to actually make your ramblings into something that people will choose to read… One of the things traditional publishers used to do is provide really insightful, even brilliant editors… but alas, that doesn't happen very often.*

(*I can't speak for the personnel at other publishers, but my editor colleagues at Zondervan are insightful and even brilliant. // I tip my hat to Zondervan author @pastorbrady for bringing Godin's post to my attention.)

 

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

(Disclosure: Some Re:Word stories are by Zondervan authors. Some are not. All regard words or the Word, and all are useful / enriching / or just flat-out interesting. Image attribution: Domenico Di Michelino [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer shares these personal opinions for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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From the Beyond Boundaries Webcast: Video and Viewing Guide

If you missed last week’s Beyond Boundaries Webcast with Dr. John Townsend, no worries — you can still watch the video. Below you’ll also find a downloadable Viewing Guide and notes on Townsend’s key takeaways.

 

 

Dig Deeper with the Viewing Guide

If you’re going to watch the video with your small group, this download may come in handy:
Download the Viewing Guide (Outline + Discussion Questions) (PDF)

Here I’ve woven together the Viewing Guide outline with my own notes. I hope it’s helpful! 

Beyond Boundaries Webcast

Our Need for Boundaries & for Connectedness – 0:01

  • Part of the human condition is that trust goes bad, but we’re designed by God to connect with others.
  • Difference between non-negotiable “heart boundaries” and more flexible “protective boundaries”
  • But we’re designed by God to connect with others, so how do we know where to set up healthy protective boundaries?

 

Question One: How do I know when I’m ready? – 6:12

  • Have you learned a lesson? “Every difficult relationship has a lesson in it,” says Townsend. “Ask yourself, ‘Why did I let that go on so long?’”
  • Have you been through some growth and healing? Have I talked about it with others? Is my judgment any better?
  • Christie, a “fixer,” shares her story. – 9:07
  • Question from audience: How do you know when the learning is through? – 13:22

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Anyone Can Slay Dragons (But it Takes Guts to Love People)

Guest post by Sharon A. Hersh, author of Begin Again, Believe Again.

What is the first thing you thought about this morning? Prayed about last night? Worried about throughout the day? I imagine if we could have a face-to-face conversation about what you think about, dream for, persistently pray about, risk for over and over again, discuss with your friends, are willing to look like a fool for, and continually hope for more in, we would see your heart for relationships.

Learn More about Begin Again, Believe Again Learn More

In my new book Begin Again, Believe Again we will look at our hearts for relationships. God created us to long for purposeful, passionate, mutual relationships. I will tell you a bit about my own heart – broken and battered at times – because I know that we all have stories of heartache when relationships falter. We all have conflicts we don’t know how to resolve. We all have children who go a different direction at times than we originally dreamed of for them. We all have friends who promise to be there for us and then forget to invite us to their birthday parties. We all get lonely. And we are all tempted to give up.

 

Begin Again
Beginning again requires the humility to acknowledge that we don’t know what we really want, but God (the Beginning and Ending of every story) remains steadfast in His commitment to use our longing for relationships to bring us to what we most deeply want – Him.

Beginning again means we surrender to the story – a story that often takes two steps forward and three steps back – knowing that in this begin again, believe again story we find Jesus. We encounter the One who is grace, mercy, compassion, truth, hope, and love. We rest in the One who is the plot – the meaning of our stories.

 

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7 Resources We Love (On Relationships, Dating, Marriage, and Sex)

These seven resources are recommended by people at Zondervan. Each resource may take a different angle on love and relationships, but they all have one thing in common: they’ve helped us grow in love. We hope they help you too.

 
Boundaries Boundaries
by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

“My wife and I are going through this together. The ways the authors talk about the need for boundaries in relationships, it all just makes sense. When we’re done with this book, were going to do Boundaries in Marriage.” – Roger

Also of Interest: Boundaries in Marriage DVD
NOOMA 002: Flame NOOMA 002: Flame
by Flannel

“I saw Flame in college chapel with a thousand other students, and when it was over you could’ve heard a pin drop. As a college student, Flame taught me to view love in a whole new way. As a wife today, it reminds me how to keep love alive.”
– Megan

Also of Interest: NOOMA Group: Collection 001

Captivating Captivating
Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul
by John and Stasi Eldredge

“Captivating helped me see how God woos every one of us, and how we can only find our fullness in Him. It reminded me that my worth isn’t found in things of this world, but in God’s love for me.” – Kelly

Also of Interest: Love and War DVD

Sacred Marriage Sacred Marriage
by Gary Thomas

“An interesting perspective on marriage, taking the focus from ‘How can my marriage make me happy?’ to ‘How does God use marriage to make us more holy?’ It’s one of those books you can read in parts and still find useful.” – David

Also of Interest: Sacred Marriage DVD

Sex God Sex God
by Rob Bell

“Bell’s book is full of ideas, and a lot of them made me lay the book down to reflect. I have to keep buying it, because I end up giving each new copy to a friend!” – Steve

Also of Interest: NOOMA 002: Flame

How to Get a Date Worth Keeping How to Get a Date Worth Keeping
by Henry Cloud

“The post-college dating scene was scary—I thought I’d left the best dating pool I’d ever see, and I didn’t know what to do next. Then Cloud’s book gave me tools for growth, like how to deal better with rejection, and how to just enjoy the crazy erience of getting to know someone.” – Adam

 

Also of Interest: Boundaries in Dating

Love and War DVD Love and War DVD
by John and Stasi Eldredge

“I’m excited for this to release [in March]. Since marriage is hard, a lot of people think they’ll never have the marriage they dream of. It can be done though, and this study helps you see how.” – Mike

Also of Interest: Love and War Pariticipant’s Guide

 

Have a personal favorite of your own? We’d like to hear about it – leave a comment!

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