michael

Sometimes, when it seems appropriate, I’ll share with a client the story from the Old Testament of Jacob wrestling with the angel all night at ‘the ford of the river Jabbok’. It comes from the Book of Genesis, chapters 27 through 33. Isaac, the son of Abraham, had two sons, Esau & Jacob. By deceit, […]

I came across these rules many years ago, as guidelines of value especially in relationship arguments. An expanded version goes like this: Whenever you feel the need (i.e. are tempted) to defend yourself, to explain yourself, to justify yourself – Don’t!  Don’t DorEorJ Because, if you do – NOTHING OF VALUE WILL HAPPEN. Now, at first this didn’t make much sense

Not long ago I came across an idea that chaos and creativity are closely related. And the idea stuck with me and continues to fascinate me. Two Creation accounts First let me consider two major creation accounts. For example, in our Holy Bible’s Genesis account, things began with the earth “a formless void” which could

I knew in my head and heart I had to write a Newsletter on that Tuesday, May 24, when a single teenage gunman murdered 19 school children and two of their teachers at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. That was almost 2 weeks ago, and each day, though through many private tears, I’ve pondered

“Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you anywhere.” – Albert Einstein BILL’S BIG BOOK  (if you wish, you can put your own name on it instead) Following these few words of introduction and instruction, there are 437 blank pages.  The instructions are simple.  Open it to any page, or choose

For some 45 years I’ve been coaching men and women how to communicate with each other – and learning a lot myself in the process as well. Perhaps a better title for this article would be How and why to listen to women. Or perhaps more directly, Listen to Women. First let me say this

Thursday, February 24, 2022 – We all got the news, Russia had just invaded Ukraine. It seemed like weeks, it had been like a cat and mouse game – will he or won’t he (Mr. Putin) – invade his neighbor? More and more Russian troops were amassing at the border.“Would he really?”  Diplomatic, political, and

As a psychotherapist, I’m generally not an advice giver. Rather my work is to help my client come to his or her own best choices, or to navigate life in a manner that their own best choices can emerge. Underlying this are three logical assumptions:1)  There exist among many choices available, some that could be

One of the beliefs underlying my client work (and hopefully the rest of my life as well) is that there are more choices available than we are (usually) aware of. Often many more choices. One common example is the utilization of “brainstorming” where on purpose we (as an individual or a group) make a list

America’s epidemic of school shootings has come to Michigan. A week ago, on Tuesday November 30, a 15 year old student at Oxford High School in nearby Oxford, Michigan, went on a shooting rampage killing four of his fellow classmates, and injuring numerous others. The details, as they continue to emerge, have been well broadcast