By Derek Brown, Adolescent/Family Counselor Celebration Church, Metairie

What is Sexting and Should I Really Be Concerned About My Teen or Pre-teen Actually Doing This?

In recent decades, teens would pile into skating rinks and football games to meet their needs for social belonging. In today’s world, technology has become the primary venue for communicating with peers. Whether by internet, cell phone, or some other multimedia device, teens are meeting their social and relational cravings through the digital world. 

By J. B. & Shugie Collingsworth, Home Life Magazine

What is compassion?

What does it mean to be compassionate?

It refers to empathy, concern, or kindness. What can it mean in a marriage? Much!
We have compassion for children who live in terrible circumstances, people who are sick, people with disabilities, right?

Couples CompassionThe part compassion plays in our lives can be huge. It causes us to sponsor a child in a third world country for dollars per month, send money to missions, give to the needy in our own backyards, and makes us stop and think when we see the less fortunate. 

By Gary Chapman, PH.D and Ross Campbell, M.D.

Children experience love in a variety of ways. The five primary ways children experience love can be called love languages: physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, and acts of service.

All children need love expressed in all of the love languages, just as a child needs a balanced diet. However, a child’s primary love language is the language that speaks loudest to the child. Its results are quicker and deeper than the other languages.

If you have more than one child, chances are they have different love languages. However, children under age 5 do not tend to exhibit a primary love language. Consider the following practical ways to show each love language to your child.

By Michelle Louviere, Director of Counselilng Celebration Church, Metairie

Michele Louviere, director of counseling, Celebration Church, MetairieQuestion: Overall, I have a good relationship with my spouse, but we struggle with handling conflict.

Having a bad argument can quickly rob us of our feelings of closeness. Can you help us?
Michelle Louviere responds: Handling conflict is a challenge for all couples. In a few moments, a couple can go from being intimate to feeling frustrated, isolated and wounded.

Unresolved conflict can lead to a couple building walls of protection around their hearts that can eventually result in a broken relationship.

By Gary Chapman, Homelife Magazine

Although some people enjoy winter sports, I don’t know any couples who enjoy winter marriages.

Winter marriages are characterized by coldness, harshness, and bitterness. The dreams of spring are covered with layers of ice, and the forecast calls for freezing rain.

By Michele Louviere, Director of Counseling Celebration Church Metairie

Michele Louviere, Director of Counseling Celebration Church, MetairieQuestion: I recently became a mother. Since I grew up in a dysfunctional family, I really am unsure about what a healthy family looks like. Can you describe the difference between an unhealthy family and a healthy family?

Michele Louviere responds: Of course, the perfect family does not exist. All families have some problems or dysfunctions, but certainly, striving for a healthy family is a great gift for your new baby.

By Cindy Leach, courtesy of ParentLife

Teaching children to tame their tongue“May the words of my mouth ... be acceptable to You”
 (Psalm 19:14).

If you have children, you probably have given them the warning “Stop saying that!” Did you know that God’s Word teaches that the tongue is something to be tamed? James 3:8 says, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” It is true that such a tiny little body part has great power. So how do you teach your child to keep his tongue under control? Here is some help for three big tongue problems.

Problem 1:

Lying

When a child feels backed into a corner, what will he do? Tell a lie. Lying is a normal childhood problem. You want your child to use his imagination and be creative, but lying should never be acceptable. So how do you tell the difference between a vivid imagination and telling a lie? Look at what motivated your child. Is he using his imagination in play or being silly? Children who tell lies have a different motive. Some motives include avoiding punishment, impressing others, for shock value, or to hurt someone.

Solution: Do not let lying get a foothold in your child’s life. When your child succeeds with a small lie, he is likely to try lying about bigger things. Start early by emphasizing daily the importance of telling the truth. When you catch your child in a lie, ask: “Why did you feel you needed to tell a lie?” Listen to discover what motivated your child to lie.

By Michele Louviere, Director Counseling Celebration Church, Metairie

Michele Louviere, Director of Counseling Celebration Church, MetairieQuestion: All of my friends are talking about their New Year resolutions. What is the big deal about making resolutions? Do they really help since no one seems to keep them?

Michele Louviere responds: Every year, January 1st marks the day when people look to the new year and evaluate where they currently are and what changes they would like to make in the upcoming year. For many people, they focus on physical goals like losing weight or exercising more.

By J.B. & Shugie Collingsworth, LifeWay Communications

When you “signed on” to marry did you have any idea what you were getting into?

Most of us did not, but we found out soon enough that marriage can be full of daily struggles.

By Michele Louviere, Director of Counseling Celebration Church, Metairie

Michele Louviere, director of counseling, Celebration Church, MetairieQuestion: I really struggle with negativity. My spouse says that I nag and complain all the time. I know that this dishonors the Lord, but I can’t seem to stop. What can I do to change this area of my life?

Michele Louviere responds: First of all, by realizing that you struggle with this you have already begun the process of changing. To help with more motivation, go to your spouse and ask how he or she feels when you complain.

By Dean Nelson, Special to the Message

In the movie “27 Dresses,” Jane embarrasses her younger sister Tess in the days just before Tess’s wedding by confiding to a newspaper reporter how greedy, demanding, and out of control the bride-to-be is.

Tess explodes when the feature story appears, and it seems the sisters’ relationship is ruined forever.

But a remarkably brief time later, Tess tells Jane, “I’ve decided to forgive you.”
She then checks off a line on a piece of paper she’s holding – as if forgiving her sister was an item on her to-do list. If it were only that simple.

Everyone knows that forgiveness is not so easy that it can be put on a chore list next to “pick up dry cleaning” and “rotate tires.” It’s complicated. Messy. Guilt-inducing. Especially as the holidays approach.

By Michele Louviere

Director of Counseling Celebration Church, Metairie

Question:  Often when I am at church, I hear the pastor talk about how important it is to forgive those who have hurt me. I am having a hard time with forgiveness. Can you help me forgive?

Michele Louviere responds: Forgiveness is something that the Lord requires of Christians (Mark 11:25), but that doesn’t mean that it is an easy, simple or a quick process.