John Townsend

Is your life out of control? Do people take advantage of you? Do you have trouble saying no? Are you disappointed with God because of unanswered prayers? Having clear boundaries is essential to a healthy, balanced lifestyle. A boundary is a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words, boundaries define who we are and who we are not. Boundaries impact all areas of our lives: Physical boundaries helps us determine who may touch us and under what circumstances. Mental boundaries give us the freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions. Emotional boundaries help us deal with our own emotions and disengage from the harmful, manipulative emotions of others. Spiritual boundaries help us distinguish God's will from our own and give us renewed awe for our Creator. Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend offer biblically based answers to tough questions, showing us how to set healthy boundaries with our parents, spouses, children, friends, co-workers, and even ourselves.

When kids hit their teens, their character unfolds in increasingly consequential ways. Your job as a parent is far from done! During those stormy teenage years from ages 13 to 19, your child needs your help in developing traits that are vital to his or her future well-being: connection, responsibility, reality, competence, morality, and worship/spiritual life. Based on Raising Great Kids, the Raising Great Kids Workbook for Parents of Teenagers is filled with self-tests, discussion material, exercises, and practical applications that can help you turn key concepts into a natural way of parenting. Look at it as your parents’ navigation guide for helping your son or daughter make the transition to adulthood safely and successfully. What Does It Take to Raise Great Kids? Conflicting opinions may leave you feeling confused. Get tough! Show acceptance. Lay down the rules. Lighten up, already. There’s got to be a balance—and there is. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help you provide the care and acceptance that make grace real to your kids, and the firmness and discipline that give direction. At last, here is an effective middle ground for raising your children to handle life with maturity and wisdom.

A workbook for parents of school-age children (6-12) to accompany Raising Great Kids, which is a joint project of authors Henry Cloud, John Townsend and Mothers of Preschoolers International (MOPS). In Raising Great Kids, Henry Cloud and John Townsend approach parenting from the perspective of their unique theological and developmental system, and MOPS provides the hands-on application. Most Christian approaches to character building focus on obedience to God and on moral functioning, but the authors will show how biblical character includes competent functioning in other areas such as relationship skills, responsibility and follow through, self-control, perseverance, delay of gratification, ability to lose and grieve, and the ability to forgive. Most resources for parents emphasize either structure and moral functioning over love, safety, and security or vice versa. Raising Great Kids provides a balance between these two parenting approaches.

Want to make your dating journey as smooth as possible? This workbook helps you put the principles detailed in Boundaries in Dating into daily practice. Join Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, authors of the New York Times bestseller Boundaries, as they share the research and guidance you need to handle dating relationships in a healthy and rewarding way. An essential resource, this official workbook's interactive exercises are designed to help you further develop healthy boundaries, resolve conflicts, and log your thoughts, progress, and successes along the way. It includes:Additional readings, examples, and situations. Reflection and discussion questions. Journaling prompts. Biblical wisdom with verse references and prayers. Further reading resources.

It takes tender strength to raise children of character and faith. What does it take to raise great kids? If you've read any books on parenting, conflicting opinions have probably left you feeling confused. Get tough! Show acceptance. Lay down the rules. Lighten up, already! There's got to be a balance between control and permissiveness. And there is. Drawing on the expert insights of counselors and award winning authors Henry Cloud and John Townsend and on the parenting wisdom of MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers), Raising Great Kids shows you how truth and grace go together. They are allies in your most challenging and rewarding task: raising children with character that can withstand life's rigors and make the most of its potential. Using principles described in Raising Great Kids, the Raising Great Kids Workbook for Parents of Preschoolers will guide you through those first, formative years in your child's life from infancy to age five. It's filled with sound Biblical information and expert advise. But most important, it supplies tools you can begin using today, from thought - provoking questions and self-assessments to an abundance of practical applications. Each chapter begins by introducing three or four key parenting principles, and ends with hands on exercise and a prayer that crystallize the concepts dealt with in that chapter. The Raising Kids Workbook for Parents of Preschoolers will help you start sowing the seeds of character early in your child's life for good fruit that lasts a lifetime.

Insights for romance to help you grow in freedom, honesty, and self-control as you pursue healthy dating limits that can lead to a happy marriage. How do you set smart limits on your physical relationship? How much do you get involved financially? And how do you know if you've found your future spouse? Dating can be fun, but it's not always easy to navigate the questions and intricacies along the way. In Boundaries in Dating, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, counselors and authors of the New York Times bestseller Boundaries, share their practical advice for adding healthy boundaries to your dating life. Full of insightful, real-life examples, this book will give you the tools you need to:Recognize and choose quality over perfection in a dating partner. Prioritize friendship within your relationship. Preserve friendships by separating between platonic relationships and romantic interest. Move past denial to handle real relational problems in a realistic and hopeful way. Enjoy this season of life. Boundaries in Dating unfolds a wise, biblical path to developing self-control, freedom, and intimacy. Let Drs. Cloud and Townsend help you get to know yourself, solve problems, and enjoy the journey of dating and finding your life partner.

This hands-on workbook companion to Boundaries in Marriage will help you move beyond friction points to the mutual care, respect, affirmation, and intimacy you and your spouse long for. You long for a marriage marked by lifelong love, intimacy, and growth. And it can be yours--if you set wise boundaries. Boundaries are the "property lines" that define and protect each of you as individuals. Get them in place, and you can make a good marriage better and possibly even save a less-than-satisfying one. By the time you've completed this workbook, you will know yourself and your mate better than ever before. You'll also understand and practice the ten laws of boundaries in ways that can make a real difference in your relationship. Step by step, the Boundaries in Marriage Workbook helps you apply the biblical principles discussed in the book Boundaries in Marriage so you can . . . Set and maintain your personal boundaries and respect those of your spouseEstablish values that form a godly structure and architecture for your marriageProtect your marriage from different kinds of "intruders"Work with a spouse who understands and values boundaries, or work with one who doesn'tFilled with self-tests, questions, and applications, the Boundaries in Marriage Workbook helps you learn when to say yes and when to say no to your spouse to make the most of your marriage.

What does it take to raise great kids? If you've read any books on parenting, conflicting opinions have probably left you feeling confused. Get tough! Show acceptance. Lay down the rules. Lighten up, already! There's got to be a balance--and there is. Joining their expertise with the wisdom of MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers), Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help you provide both the care and acceptance that make grace real to your child, and the firmness and discipline that give direction. Avoiding the twin extremes of permissiveness and over-control, Drs. Cloud and Townsend show how you can help your child cultivate six necessary character traits: attachment, responsibility, reality, competence, morality, and worship/spiritual life. At last, here is an effective middle ground for raising up children who will handle life with maturity and wisdom. Raising Great Kids will help you equip your son or daughter to accept life's responsibilities, grow from its challenges, and freely and fully explore all that it has to offer.

It takes tender strength to raise children of character and faith . . . What does it take to raise great kids? If you've read any books on parenting, conflicting opinions have probably left you feeling confused. Get tough! Show acceptance. Lay down the rules. Lighten up, already! - There's got to be a balance between control and permissiveness. And there is. Drawing on the expert insights of counselors and award-winning authors Henry Cloud and John Townsend and on the parenting wisdom of MOPS International (mother of Preschoolers), Raising Great Kids shows you how truth and grace go together. They are allies in your most challenging and rewarding task: raising children with character that can withstand life's rigors and make the most of its potential. - Using the principles described in Raising Great Kids, the Raising Great Kids Workbook for Parents of Preschoolers will guide you through those first, formative years in your child's life from infancy to age five. It's filled with sound biblical information and expert advice. But most important, it supplies tools you can begin using today, from thought-provoking questions and self assessments to an abundance of practical applications. Each chapter begins by introducing three or four key parenting principles, and ends with a hands-on exercise and a prayer that crystallize the concepts dealt with in that chapter. The Raising Great Kids Workbook for Parents of Preschoolers will help you start sowing the seeds of character in your child's life -- for good fruit that lasts a lifetime.

This workbook helps you put the principles detailed in Boundaries with Kids into daily practice. Join Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, authors of the New York Times bestseller Boundaries, as they share the research and guidance you need to raise your kids well. An essential resource, this official workbook's interactive exercises are designed to help you further develop healthy boundaries, resolve conflicts, and log your thoughts, progress, and successes along the way. Includes:Additional readings, examples, and situations. Reflection and discussion questions. Journaling prompts. Biblical wisdom with verse references and prayers. Further reading resources. Boundaries with Kids Workbook gives you the support and the Scripture you need to improve your parenting and your relationship with your children. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend take you through the ins and outs of establishing family boundaries and cultivating sound character in your children. The clear, helpful exercises and applications in the Boundaries with Kids Workbook will help you make the leap from understanding to:Identifying the boundary issues underlying child behavior problemsSetting boundaries and establishing consequences with your kidsGetting out of the "nagging" trapRelinquishing control and helping your child develop self-control insteadApplying the ten laws of boundaries to parentingTaking six practical steps for implementing boundaries with your kids. Step by step, you will take strides toward bringing control to an out-of-control family life, setting limits while still being a loving parent--and above all, instilling in your children the godly character that is the foundation for healthy, productive adult living.

A journey of discovery toward healing, connected relationships, and a new freedom and joy in living. When you experience emotional injury, fear, or shame, your first impulse is to hide the hurting parts of yourself from God, others, and even yourself. Often, you've learned these hiding patterns during childhood to protect yourself in a threatening environment. The problem is that when you hide your injuries and frailties, you isolate yourself from the very things you need in order to heal and mature--connection, intimacy, and love. What served as protection for a child becomes a prison to an adult. In Hiding from Love, Dr. John Townsend helps you explore the hiding patterns you've developed and guides you toward the healing grace and truth of safe, connected relationships with God and others. You'll discover:The difference between "good" and "bad" hidingWhy you hide the broken parts of your soul from the God who can heal themHow to be free to make mistakes without fear of exposing your failures and imperfectionsHow to obtain the joy and wholeness God intends you to have through healthy bonding with othersWorkbook also available.

This workbook applies the lessons of Safe People to help you break out of unhealthy relationships and build healthy relationships that will help you thrive. Why do we choose the wrong people to get involved with? Is it possible to change? And if so, where does one begin? In manageable yet soul-searching steps that promote progress and inspire confidence, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend walk you through how make safe choices in relationships, from family to friendship, romance, and work. Their expert guidance will help you:Correct things within you that jeopardize your relational securityLearn the 20 traits of untrustworthy peopleRecognize what makes people relationally safeAvoid unhealthy relationshipsForm positive relationshipsBecome a safe person yourselfThe Safe People Workbook may be the most important safety manual you'll ever read!