BUILD A BETTER YOU
JERRY D CLARK BLOG

Last week I relayed the story about Ralph and Robin having difficulty expressing themselves in a way that the other could understand and appreciate. Hearing what could be construed as a complaint or fault from the one you love can stimulate the feeling of defensiveness. I see that it can be challenging to identify or acknowledge defensiveness in some circumstances because doing so requires admitting you are wrong or the need for change. The level of defensiveness is related t

I was speaking to a good friend the other day about being a guardian, not some judge or holier-than-thou kind of person. Subsequent to his chat, I was reminded of the following stories. I was in Houston traffic a while back. Some people stand on the street corner and ask for money, known as panhandlers. They get contributions and rebukes. Some are called winos who want money for alcohol. Others are seen as the down and out of society and resort to pleading. Most are more igno

What is the secret to advancing at work or building a better family? It is easy to spot the things others are doing wrong and impede my success at home or on the job. I hear these questions or comments related to work, "Why do they do it that way? Why don't they include me more?" My suggestions are ignored. I am disregarded while things are going well, but I am constantly involved when things derail. In families', similar questions are asked, "Why do they argue so much? Why d

Where is my thinking? It is easy to get caught up in today’s news. The world, government, politics, and polarization on these important topics can poison us and push us toward negative thinking. Who are the bad guys today? What are they doing to cause my clan aggravation? It is easy for us to put our 2 cents in and contribute to the problems, justifying our position by stirring up chaos but not contributing to any solutions or contributions to create opportunities for connect

How will it end? I like to read my friend's letters when they are giving an account of the past year. It is wonderful to see what they accomplished, where they have been, and all the things that they celebrated. What if you write your 2023 letter recap this week. What?! You might say…go to the end of December '23 and look back in your mind and write the future?! Seems out of place, out of your normal rhythm. But I believe it has the potential to be fun, inspiring, and impactf

Yesterday I sat in church for our Christmas morning service. It was a festive service. There were many bible passages read forecasting the birth of Jesus and then in the New Testament announcing his birth. There were Christmas carols and beautiful choir singing. All of this was very spiritual to me. Then I began watching a family to my left in front. It was a young mom and dad with three children, about 8, 6, and 4. The dad reverently prompted the children to stand during the

I was talking to a single mom many years ago. She reported that her15-year-old daughter told her everything. She knew, who was doing drugs, drinking alcohol, skipping school, sneaking out at night, and so many other things going on in her daughter's life. I was amazed at her honesty with her mom and immediately began to think about when my sons were 15. Had they even told me their friends were smoking cigarettes, I would have said, “I better not catch you smoking cigarettes.

Pride has many meanings. It can be a sense of warm feelings about family, school, sports teams, and many other examples. It can also mean self-righteousness, arrogance, better than, in control, and other negative characteristics. The latter definition is what I am talking about here. Yesterday I was talking to a great friend who mentioned that at some point in his life he ran out of pride. What an interesting thought? We were talking about our early childhood experiences, and

What a wonderful nation we get to live in. Sure, there are many grievances and issues that cause us separation. However, we are linked together by a tapestry of history that is woven together by our veterans who have proudly worn the uniform of this powerful country. Our church has a veteran’s ministry, and we meet to talk about the difficulties that face too many of the proud men and women who have served. This group of veterans comes together weekly to talk about their diff

Occasionally situations arise and we look back and see that they didn't turn out the way we would have liked. It is easy to feel frustrated or ill-prepared when these circumstances arise. The other day I was in the mall needing to get a new screen saver on my phone. I was shopping on “no tax on back-to-school items”, so the mall was packed. I was under the weather and feeling bad physically. I had tested for fever and covid—both were negative. Did I mention I had already deal