Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient:  Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.165). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Ray gives some barriers and builders that will help every parent become more effective connecting with their kids and influencing them to become more productive and hope-filled.   This is one of the two barriers. He says, “Sure, they’re younger and probably thinner, they think they’re cooler, and Hollywood tells them they’re smarter. There’s a difference, however, between acting sophisticated and being mature .” He goes on, “As sociologist Jean Potuchek said, ‘There are some cultures in which the elderly are revered for their experience and wisdom, but American society values youth and denigrates age. In this culture, the greatest compliment one can pay an older person is to tell them they seem or look younger than they are.’   How dumb is...

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient:  Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.163). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I’m glad you are this far.   Now stay with me.   Ray gives some very good stuff for parents. He says, “Parents provide both direction and motivation. Direction-based parenting tends to deliver guilt. Motivation-based parenting tends to deliver hope. As a parent, you have to provide direction, but ineffective parents major in delivering direction. That tends to be guilt-based, without motivation. Effective parents deliver both direction and motivation, which brings hope.” Let’s go on.   Ray says, “The single most profound thing ever penned on the subject of parenting is, ‘Children are a gift of the LORD… Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth’ (Psalm 127: 3– 4 NASB). The writer teaches children are like...

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient:  Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.154). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And we all hit walls in our relationships, don’t we?   So, what do we do? Ray says, “People without hope say, ‘Nothing’s going to work, so why even try?’ When you become a person of hope, you are convinced that God has better days ahead and that you can become the one who breaks through.” He says, “Anyone’s marriage can reflect their faith, not their background. You can beat the odds. Any couple can beat the odds. When you partner with hope, that strong and vibrant family tree can start with you. Just don’t give up.” He later says, “Building anything, especially a lasting marriage, is not easy. And choosing hope over despair never is. But it’s always worth it. A writer named Bob Benson died in 1986, but he captured one reason that a healthy,...