Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily

L. Deal Ron

Description

Daily Inspiration and Wisdom for Blended FamiliesGot a minute? Then you have time for a daily dose of encouragement and wisdom for your stepfamily journey. These 365 short and sweet thoughts will keep your family blending and bonding throughout the year. Topics include parenting and stepparenting, strengthening your marriage, grief in the stepfamily, bonding with children, co-parenting with exes, practical wisdom for bringing family members together, and inspirational stories to lift your spirits and keep you stepping in the right direction. This book also addresses special days like Mother's Day and holidays.Each daily dose of encouragement includes a prayer for your home. Sharing these readings with your spouse and, when appropriate, kids will spark valuable conversations that strengthen family understanding and closeness.

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 06 mars 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493413676
• Langue: English

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2018 by FamilyLife®
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1367-6
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016
Scripture quotations labeled T H E M E S S A G E paraphrase are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations labeled N A S B are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Cover design by Eric Walljasper
The authors are represented by MacGregor Literary, Inc.
Dedication
To Bob and Vicki Maday for passionately extending the dinner invitation.
To Dennis and Barbara Rainey for accepting the invitation and then giving blended families a seat at the table.
And to Bubba and Cindy Cathy for providing the meal.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
January 1 New Year’s Resolution
January 2 Learn All You Can
January 3 A Rose by Any Other Name
January 4 Go Ahead—Think Out Loud!
January 5 Act Your Best
January 6 Traveling by Alternate Routes
January 7 Never Stop Learning
January 8 Don’t Expect Perfection
January 9 To Speak or Not to Speak
January 10 How to Befriend a Squirrel
January 11 Break Down the Wall
January 12 Adopting Outsiders
January 13 Share the Real You
January 14 Blendering: A Big Mistake
January 15 More or Less, Part 1
January 16 More or Less, Part 2
January 17 More or Less, Part 3
January 18 Give It Some Time
January 19 Attitude Adjustments
January 20 Permission Granted
January 21 Watch Out for Ambition
January 22 Safely Navigating the Minefield
January 23 Guard Your Family Time
January 24 Honor the Past While Looking Ahead
January 25 Never Give Up
January 26 Let God Be in Charge
January 27 Be Like Jesus
January 28 Cooperate for Your Kids’ Sake
January 29 The Value of Time Divided
January 30 Develop God-Esteem
January 31 The Power of a Humble Spirit
February 1 Key Steps for Steps, Part 1
February 2 Key Steps for Steps, Part 2
February 3 Key Steps for Steps, Part 3
February 4 Key Steps for Steps, Part 4
February 5 Key Steps for Steps, Part 5
February 6 Pick Your Battles
February 7 How Big Is Your Heart?
February 8 Bonus Love
February 9 A Crockpot Family
February 10 A Redeemed Story
February 11 No Second-Class Christians
February 12 Speaking of Elephants
February 13 Steal a Kiss
February 14 Celebrating Oneness
February 15 The Dance of Want
February 16 A Balancing Act
February 17 A Smooth Transition
February 18 Connect the Dots
February 19 Not Quite Ready to Join the Party
February 20 An Endless Supply
February 21 Connected by Grace
February 22 Faith, Hope, and Love
February 23 Feed Your Family
February 24 God Will Make a Way
February 25 Four Levels of Love
February 26 Good News about Your Marriage
February 27 Marrying the Ex-Wife-in-Law
February 28 Choose Faith over Fear
March 1 Cross-Cultural Kids
March 2 It’s Not Real Until It’s Real
March 3 Do What You Can Do
March 4 Long-Distance Parents
March 5 A Line in the Sand
March 6 Be Willing to Hear the Truth
March 7 Grafted Together by Love
March 8 The Parental Unity Rules, Part 1
March 9 The Parental Unity Rules, Part 2
March 10 The Parental Unity Rules, Part 3
March 11 The Parental Unity Rules, Part 4
March 12 Famous Stepkids
March 13 The Mom and Stepmom Alliance
March 14 The Dad and Stepdad Alliance
March 15 The Good Thing about Disharmony
March 16 Love by Choice
March 17 Proper Ventilation Required
March 18 Driving Away Ghosts
March 19 Money: Handle with Care
March 20 Guard against Jealousy
March 21 In-Laws and “Out-Laws”
March 22 Let the Child Set the Pace
March 23 Drop Some Weight
March 24 Skip the Guilt Trip
March 25 The Journey through Grief
March 26 Check Your Progress
March 27 Schedule a Business Meeting
March 28 Engaged to the Savior
March 29 To Filter or Not to Filter
March 30 The Joy Set before Him
March 31 A Reason to Hunt for Eggs
April 1 He’s Alive!
April 2 Learn Obedience
April 3 High Stress Level
April 4 Start a Ministry
April 5 “I Don’t Have to Do What You Say!”
April 6 Same Family, Different Viewpoints
April 7 The Fear Factor
April 8 For Kids: Coping with Loss
April 9 For Kids: Wrestling with Guilt
April 10 For Kids: I’m Confused
April 11 For Kids: Face Your Fear
April 12 For Kids: Share Your Sadness
April 13 Good Reason to Stick Together
April 14 Be Quick to Forgive
April 15 Don’t Be a Threat
April 16 Catch Them Doing Something Right
April 17 Slow Down and Listen
April 18 Give the Gift of Time
April 19 Connect to Your Child’s Heart
April 20 Take Off, Put On: Introduction
April 21 Put On Forgiveness
April 22 Put On Gentleness
April 23 Put On Patience
April 24 Put On Self-Control
April 25 Par for the Stepfamily Course
April 26 Divine Help for Negative Attacks
April 27 Make the First Move
April 28 Bless Your Kids’ Stepparent
April 29 Embrace Opportunities for Healing
April 30 Learn the Language of Heaven
May 1 Whom Do You Trust?
May 2 Rest in His Love
May 3 Stay Off the Teeter-Totter
May 4 Boomerang Children
May 5 Redeeming Our Story
May 6 Celebrating Stepparents
May 7 Love with Maturity
May 8 The Danger of Overprotecting
May 9 Laugh!
May 10 A Face Hard to Love
May 11 Reducing Cholesterol in Your Marriage
May 12 Feed Your Wife
May 13 Stepparents Need a Hug
May 14 Your Story’s Not Over Yet
May 15 Note to Self
May 16 Come Together
May 17 Be a Firefighter
May 18 Time for a Sonic Run!
May 19 Part-Time Parenting
May 20 Healing Your Bruises
May 21 Help Children Grieve
May 22 Create a Financial Plan for Your Step-Money
May 23 Summer Sleepover: Sending and Receiving
May 24 Graduation of a Family
May 25 Parental Blind Spots
May 26 Shift the Outsider In
May 27 Break Free from Guilt
May 28 Weep and Rejoice
May 29 Keep Looking Ahead
May 30 Summer Sleepover: Stepparent Advice
May 31 Wear Your Labels Proudly
June 1 Love Makes Room for All
June 2 Capture Those Moments
June 3 Jump Out of That Rut
June 4 Daddy-Daughter Dance
June 5 The Fun Factor, Part 1
June 6 The Fun Factor, Part 2
June 7 The Fun Factor, Part 3
June 8 Learn Some New Steps
June 9 Make the Hard Choices
June 10 My Mom Is Dating Again!
June 11 Sitting on a Hot Stove
June 12 Speak the Truth in Love
June 13 Avoid Unhealthy Coalitions
June 14 Disconnect to Stay Connected
June 15 Make Her More
June 16 Show Some Respect
June 17 Celebrate Father’s Day
June 18 Don’t Buy the Lie
June 19 Just Say What You Need
June 20 Bear One Another’s Burdens
June 21 Take Care of Yourself
June 22 Choose Your Set of Problems
June 23 Step-Wedding
June 24 How to Cook a Stepfamily
June 25 Make a Promise
June 26 Put Others First
June 27 Get a Couple Checkup
June 28 That’s Just How I Feel
June 29 When Anger Isn’t Really Anger
June 30 Remember Your Vows
July 1 A Cycle of Love and Grace
July 2 Kids in Two Homes
July 3 Build a Solid Foundation
July 4 Celebrate the Light
July 5 No More Shame
July 6 Unlearn and Learn
July 7 Let Reality Be the Teacher
July 8 Bumpy Transitions
July 9 Blended Math
July 10 Call for Help
July 11 Our True Destination
July 12 Sometimes It’s Okay to Be Stubborn
July 13 Earn the Right to Lead
July 14 Stepgrandparents: A Vital Resource
July 15 Keep Doing Good Anyway
July 16 Stepfamily Pros and Cons
July 17 Create a Level Playing Field
July 18 When Conflict Is a Good Thing
July 19 The Ghost of Marriage Past
July 20 Different Degrees of Love
July 21 When Love Is Not So Easy
July 22 Earn Their Trust While Waiting for Their Love
July 23 The Blame Game
July 24 Helping a Troubled Heart, Part 1
July 25 Helping a Troubled Heart, Part 2
July 26 Go Ahead and Say It
July 27 Round Off the Rough Edges
July 28 No Regrets
July 29 Two Kinds of Love
July 30 Stop the Tug-of-War
July 31 Give Each Other Some Space
August 1 Thirty Years to Gratitude
August 2 Bless Your Family with a Will
August 3 Be Prepared to Work
August 4 Occasionally Bow Out
August 5 Healthy Attitudes
August 6 Find Something to Share
August 7 Be Like the Highway Department
August 8 Through a Child’s Eyes
August 9 Less Talk, More Action
August 10 Manage Yourself First
August 11 Untie Your Child
August 12 Choose to Forgive
August 13 When Forgiveness Is Rejected
August 14 Don’t Take It Personally
August 15 Difficult People, Part 1
August 16 Difficult People, Part 2
August 17 Deal with Problems as They Arise
August 18 What Lies Beneath
August 19 When Parents Change the Rules
August 20 A Bridge Finally Crossed
August 21 Be an Anchor
August 22 You Make a Difference
August 23 Living behind Enemy Lines
August 24 Stepdad: Knight in Shining Armor
August