Offers a new interpretation of what a person's individual temperament means for their family and their faith and explains how to identify one's own temperament and use it to fulfill God's plan.

Do you have a child who is into everything? Your energetic, bubbly child is often the center of attention and sometimes in the middle of trouble! Or perhaps you have a child who is just the opposite: quiet, studious, and slow to warm up in social situations. Then there's the future lawyer: that argumentative, willful child who sometimes makes you want to pull your hair out. As parents, we all have, at one time or another, wondered: Where did this child come from? Why isn t he just like me? Am I doing something wrong? You are not doing anything wrong, and there is very likely nothing wrong with your child! The differences described above are all differences in God-given temperament. When you understand your child's unique temperament, you will have the key to unlocking his behavior, moods, and motivational forces. The end result is not only more effective discipline for day-to-day adventures but also a lifelong recognition of how to nurture your child's strengths as a loving and supportive parent, teacher, or grandparent. Become an active, compassionate participant in your child s social and spiritual formation and bring peace, happiness, and holiness to your family in the way God intended. Art and Laraine Bennett provide an accessible synthesis of classical wisdom, modern counseling, science, Catholic spirituality, and wonderful storytelling to the four basic temperaments that serve as the foundation of one's personality and approach to life. This is the authors third book on the topic of temperaments, sharing not only their professional expertise but also their personal life experiences. They have been married for thirty-four years and have four children one each of the four temperament types!

In no other kind of human relationship is knowledge of the temperaments so critical and so fruitful as in a Christian marriage.

Building a healthy marriage can give your kids a great head start in life. Kendra and John Smiley learned this through the ups and downs of raising three sons, all now grown. With her trademark humor, honesty, and the wisdom that she has shared on Focus on the Family and Family Life Today, Kendra offers practical, day-in, day-out insights on kids, marriage, and much more. She shares her wisdom on such topics as setting priorities and coming to grips with family backgrounds, showing how when we make the right choice for our marriage, we're making the right choice for our children. "Resident Dad" John pitches in with his perspective. Learn how to "parent like a pro"!

Sacred Pathways reveals nine distinct spiritual temperaments--and their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies--to help you improve your spiritual life and deepen your personal walk with God. It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you. Experienced spiritual directors, pastors, and church leaders recognize that all of us engage with God differently, and it's about time we do too. In this updated and expanded edition of Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and--like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality--encourages you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise. Plus, as you begin to identify and understand your own temperament, you'll soon learn about the temperaments that aren't necessarily "you" but that may help you understand the spiritual tendencies of friends, family, and others around you. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it's not by accident. It's by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his own unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you'd like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God. A Sacred Pathways video Bible study is also available for group or individual use, sold separately.

Emotions such as anger or sadness or desire arise within us, often without our directly willing them. But we are still free to choose how we respond to them. How can we better understand our God-given emotions and manage them so that we gain the emotional equilibrium and healthy balance we need to take charge of our lives, grow closer to Christ, and share in the joy of his love? In this insightful and easy-to-read book, Catholic therapist Art Bennett and his wife Laraine explain how our emotions affect us and how our thoughts, attitudes, and behavior can affect our emotions. In a conversational and non-technical way, the authors address these and other questions: What are the effects of temperament and our past experiences on our emotional health? Can we trust our feelings? When do our emotions become destructive? How do past emotional wounds affect our present-day emotional balance? - Outlines the Catholic understanding of emotions. - Uses real-life examples of people dealing with emotional issues. - Helps us see how managing our emotions can lead to healthier relationships with others as well as growth in virtue and a closer relationship with the Lord. - Includes questions for reflection and prayer at the end of each chapter.