Win an Autographed Book!

Don't forget about our drawing to win an autographed John Trent book when our StrongFamilies Facebook page reaches 500 "LIKEs". We're inching closer and closer to that magic number. Remember, everyone who recommends it to their friends will be in the drawing along with your friends.

We'll also do another drawing when we get to 1000 "LIKEs" so keep up the great work!

Click here for more details about the contest.

Calling all sponsors!

Sponsor Dr. John Trent as He Runs for StrongFamilies®! ...and get a signed book to help Strengthen Your Family!

There are so many couples and families who need encouragement, hope and help! Join the Team that’s helping to sponsor Dr. John Trent as he runs the Rock & Roll ½ Marathon on Sunday, June 6th in San Diego and/or again on Sunday August 1st, at the Rock & Roll 1/2 Chicago!

How do I sponsor Dr. Trent?

A half-marathon is 13.2 miles.

Just pick an amount, ($1.00, $5.00, $25.00, $100 or more) that you’d like to pledge “per mile.”

Email Jeff Thibault (our Director of Operations and Training at StrongFamilies) at jefft@strongfamiles.com (That’s Jeff “T” for Thibault at StrongFamilies.com) with the amount you’d like to pledge and your mailing (snail mail) address. (That way we can send you a donation receipt after you send in a check or go online and donate your pledge online). You'll receive one book per sponsor after your donation is received, and please let us know in your pledge email what one book you’ve picked.

You can find more information on the sponsor sheet here.

Two more ways you can help...

First, please print out or email the link to the Sponsor Sheet and hand/send it out to friends and relatives who want to help couples grow in their love for each other and the Lord, and who want to help parents build strong families and become the spiritual trainers in their home! The needs of families are great and your gift is tremendously helpful to us as we reach out to families across our country.

Second, are you already running the Rock & Roll ½ Marathon in either San Diego or Chicago?
If so, consider joining the StrongFamilies running team and get people to sponsor StrongFamilies on your behalf! Right now, our “team” is just John – but if you know someone who’s running or are running yourself and want to help out a great cause, email Jeff at JeffT@StrongFamilies.com!

Pass on "The Blessing" this Easter

Here's a fun idea for passing on the "blessing" to your child or loved one this Easter.

Put a “Blessing Coin” in their Easter Basket!

It’s always great to fill your child’s Easter Basket with chocolate, or colored hard boiled eggs – but this year, how about adding something that can warm their hearts as well as satisfy their sweet tooth?

Children, of any age, long for their parents' “Blessing.” No matter your age, the approval of your parents affects how you view yourself and your ability to pass that approval along to your children, spouse and friends. If you’ve got a child – or other loved one in your home – The Blessing Coin (about the size of a half dollar) is a great way to give them your “Blessing,” along with something sweet!

On the back of the Blessing Coin are the five elements of the Blessing that each of us needs from those who care about us. Those five things are as old as the Old Testament, and as new as the most current research into what makes a strong family! And when you give your child a coin, make sure that you give them your “Blessing” at the same time. Your “Blessing” gives your child an empowering sense that you love, accept, and value them.

What are those “five” elements of the Blessing? They spell out, B.L.E.S.S. – on the back of your coin…(you can click on the photo to enlarge and see the details)

• Be committed
• Lovingly touch
• Express high value
• See potential
• Say it

Here’s an example of how to “Bless” your child when you give them their coin, putting all five elements of the Blessing into practice at the same time!

First, give your child their Easter Basket and ask them to look for a favorite chocolate (or favorite candy if they’re one of the few kids on the planet that don’t like chocolate!). While they’re munching, ask them to look for something else that’s really valuable that you want to show them, that you’ve put in their basket… their Blessing Coin that you (or you and your spouse) want to give them.

When they find the coin, explain to them why this is such a valuable coin, and what it represents from you. Here’s the kind of thing you can say (modified to fit your child of course).

“Sweetheart (or “Son” or put in their name), as I hold your hand and as I put this coin in your hand, I want you to know how much I love you, and how committed I am to being there for you all my life. I want you to know, right now, that if I could pick any child on the whole planet to love and bless – I’d choose you. I believe you are a gift of God to me, and I know that in the future, God has built so many great things into your life and heart, that you’re going to do great things to help others, and to be a Blessing one day to your own family. So thank you for being an incredible kid, and I want you to keep this coin so that you can always remember that no matter what, you have my “Blessing.”

In that short paragraph, are all five elements of the Blessing! There’s...

• “Be Committed” - words shared that highlight your commitment to love him or her, and to be there for them all of their life
• “Loving Touch” as you hold their hand and give them their coin
  
• “Expressing Value, high value - as you let them know that out of all the kids in the world, you’re grateful God gave them to you
• You've “Seen potential” in them for a great future, and that their strengths and gifts are things God can use in the future to help their own family and others
• and you’ve “Said it!” verbally! It’s so important to verbally “say” a Blessing – not just to assume that your child “knows” you love them! (I’ve had people in the counseling office who are in their seventies and still long and wish that – even once – they would have “heard verbally” their parent’s Blessing on their life!)

Obviously, if your child is a three year old, they may not understand all you’re saying – but give them your “Blessing” anyway. And if they’re five years old or older, they’ll “get it.” And don’t be surprised if that simple coin becomes a special symbol of that time that Mom and/or Dad, “Gave me their Blessing.”

Lord bless you and your family as you pass on the Blessing!

Need more help in understanding how the “Blessing” can be a life-changing and transforming gift for your child or others? (Your child of any age, by the way!) Then visit our website (www.StrongFamilies.com). You’ll find a book called, The Blessing, as well as encouragement to live out “The Blessing” in marriages and families, through your church, and as a key to doing “faith@home”.

You can also visit the online store to find "Bedtime Blessings" Volume 1 and 2 - books that you can tuck into your child's Easter basket and read to them throughout the year. What an awesome way to leave a legacy of love to those that God has entrusted to your care!

And let us know what happens. We'd love to hear your stories about the impact that this small, but meaningful gesture has on your children and loved ones. Keep us "posted".

Have a joyous Easter!

Ready for something “real” instead of a New Year’s Resolution?

How about making the decision to make a 2 Degree change in your health, your home and your heart for God – not a “180 Degree” change that you’ll never keep.

Like finding a friend and the two of you committing to doing (and bugging each other to do) ten sit ups and five push ups a night. Or drinking five glasses of water a day. Or having one dessert every other night, instead of every night.

For more ideas on making 2 Degree changes in your home and heart for God, click here to read about "The 2 Degree Difference"!