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Five Predatory Forms of Manipulation to Cut Out of Your Life
Most of us are guilty of manipulation at times. We all want to have our own way and sometimes communicating our desires requires a skill set which we have not yet acquired. Or perhaps we have learned manipulation in our childhoods from parents who learned it from their parents. Manipulation in any form is an illegitimate way of getting what we want. Manipulation, at its ugly heart, is dishonest. The good news is that normal, well-intentioned people respond well to both honesty and genuine attempts at communication. After all, the main goal of real communication is to reach understanding, if not agree with another person. Learning to ask for what…
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The One Gift God Still Desires
Gift giving is more complicated than simply handing over a nicely wrapped present. In fact, most of our gifts are not actual gifts. They are presents. The difference is that while a gift is unconditional, a present has a motive and often, an expectation. Notice no one ever says come get your free present. Free is a word only associated with gift. I am not slamming the present exchange we do at Christmas. We solidify and honor our family ties with the exchange of presents. We give our children things they need and want, though the fact that Santa Claus keeps a list of who is naughty and nice, ties…
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If I Were Eve, I Would Leave Adam.
If I were Eve, I might have been tempted to divorce Adam. Not that I advocate divorce, but I hate disloyalty, and Adam threw Eve under the bus. And not just any bus, the Almighty God bus. “It was the woman. The one you made for me,” Adam whined, “ She made me do it.” I know the scriptures about how hard it is to live with a nagging wife, but a critical husband should definitely been included. If I had a say in the writing of the Bible, there would be a number of proverbs that would read something like this,” Better to have a thumb pounded by…
Healing Through Art & Words
