Rick Warren's Blog, page 588

To Deepen Friendships, Listen with Empathy

Listening is probably the most important skill in building friendships and relationships, because you can���t love people without listening to them.

How to Build Trust in Your Friendships?

Trust in a relationship is what makes the difference between an acquaintance and a friend. You talk to acquaintances, but you trust your friends.

Friends Show Up

The starting point of building great friendships is investing your time and energy. Deep friendships are not accidental. They are not instant. And they are not cheap.

Deep friendships are on purpose. They���re intentional. They are a choice.

How to Leave a Family Legacy

Awesome families teach their kids that they���re not the center of the universe. They teach their kids that God made them and shaped them for a mission. They model dedication, service, generosity, and prayer. Average families don���t do those things. Awesome families do.

In a Storm, You Need the Support of Family

Families are a raincoat during the storms of life. Sometimes a child is going through a storm. Sometimes Mom is going through a storm. Sometimes Dad is going through a storm. No matter which of our family members is going through a storm, we have to help each other. Awesome families protect each other in the storm.

How to Help Your Family Grow

If one of the marks of an awesome family is that we help each other grow, how do you do that?

Let me give you two ways that help people grow and two ways that don���t. This applies in every area of life.

The Five Things You Must Learn in Your Family

Awesome families encourage growth. They create an atmosphere of lifelong learning. They help each other develop. They encourage the discovery of each person���s spiritual gifts and abilities.

Make Time for Fun with Your Family

It���s the first common denominator of great families: Awesome families are playful. They know how to play. They know how to have fun. They enjoy life together. This is the missing ingredient in so many families today. Today our families are too busy, too tired, too negative, too worn out, and too serious. Who wants to come home from school to that? Families should be fun.

Strong Marriages Build Strong Culture

God created marriage for the construction of society.

Marriage is the fundamental building block of every community, church, state, nation, society, and culture. If you know anything about history, you know that where marriages are strong, cultures and nations and empires are strong. You know that wherever marriages and families are weak, cultures and nations are in decline. We know that the more marriages are devalued, the more a nation is in decline.

God Uses Your Spouse to Build Your Character

God created marriage for the perfection of our character. It is in relationships that we learn to be unselfish and loving. And no relationship has greater impact on your life than marriage if you get married.