Podcast

042: Thankful for the Irritations of Life

By John Certalic on November 13, 2019 0

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 42, where Friday the 13th falls on a Wednesday this month. This 13th of November in the year of our Lord, 2019. I hope you’re not superstitious; instead, this is a month to be most thankful.

Later this month, at Thanksgiving dinner, like a lot of families, we go around the table and everyone shares what they have been thankful for this year. The expressions of gratitude are usually the same: for family, good health, prayers that have been answered, and maybe one or two events from the past year.

It’s always good to re-affirm blessings like these. They’re the good things of life that deserve to be acknowledged. But what about the not-so-good things? Is it possible to be grateful for them? I think there is. I think we can find a measure of gratitude in our relationship with the annoyances and irritations of life that can actually bring us joy.

Let me explain. [Read more…] about 042: Thankful for the Irritations of Life

041: Thankful for the Cheerleaders in My Life

By John Certalic on November 6, 2019 2

Show notes

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 41. Last week, we waved good bye and said see you next year, to October, the month that makes me smile. This week, we welcome in November, the month that makes me thankful. It’s the month we remind ourselves of blessings in our life we often have the tendency to forget.

November is like our favorite-out-of-state relative who arrives once a year on our doorstep, smiling ear-to-ear, with arms wide open with hugs for everyone. Her very presence reminds us what it’s like to slow down, and take pleasure in enjoying the life we already have, rather than the one we want.

November is about our thankfulness for what is, that exceeds our hope for what isn’t in our lives. It’s the month to remind ourselves that at the end of the day, nothing enriches our life more than relationships. Not things, not experiences, not even good health.

So starting today, and for the four Wednesdays in this November, 2019, we’ll be looking at Four different kind of relationships we can be thankful for, some of which may surprise you. Four relationships that add rich meaning and purpose to our life. [Read more…] about 041: Thankful for the Cheerleaders in My Life

040: A Square Peg in a Round Hole

By John Certalic on October 30, 2019 0

Show notes

Do you ever feel out of place in a group, where you just don’t quite fit in? I know I do from time to time. In today’s episode we’ll talk about how to deal with this kind of relationship with a group or organization, where we feel like a square peg in a round hole.

Of all the weeks in the year to tackle this topic, the last week of October is, in my mind, the best time of the year to do so. Because it highlights a famous historic figure who is the poster child for being a square peg in a round hole.

I’ll tell you about him in a minute or so, and what we can learn from him when we feel like we just don’t in. [Read more…] about 040: A Square Peg in a Round Hole

039: Listener Responses to Relationship Issues

By John Certalic on October 23, 2019 0

Show Notes

In last week’s episode 38, I shared listener responses to the question I raised in an earlier email to our listeners about the verse from Hebrews 10:24, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” My question was HOW do you do this, which elicited some great responses.

Another one came in just the other day from a missionary I’ll share in just a minute. But more than that, over the past few months listeners have responded to other relationship issues, and today I want to share those with you. [Read more…] about 039: Listener Responses to Relationship Issues

038: Motivating Others to Love and Good Works

By John Certalic on October 16, 2019 0

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 38, where today I’ll be sharing responses from several listeners to a question I posed in my September 19, 2019 weekly email. The question was about the Bible verse from Hebrews 10:24, where the writer of the Book Hebrews says,

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

My question was HOW do you do this? HOW does anyone motivate another person to acts of love and good works?

I was thinking if we could hear some real-life examples of this it would give us some practical ideas of what we could do. So listen in to the answers I got to this important question. [Read more…] about 038: Motivating Others to Love and Good Works

037: The Two-Step Process to Solve Relationship Conflicts

By John Certalic on October 9, 2019 0

Have you ever been in conflict with someone that just gnawed at you day and night? Where you did everything you could think of to try to solve the conflict? Where you may have talked to the other person to resolve the matter, but it goes no where. Where it’s so perplexing and you just can’t figure out how things got to where they are now?

Stay tuned and I’ll explain an easy-to-understand 2-step process you can use to bring clarity to most conflicts. [Read more…] about 037: The Two-Step Process to Solve Relationship Conflicts