Life Cartography is written by Charles Porter.

Tag: relationships

  • Honest reflections on Unhealthy Relationships part 2: complaints

    We can often find outselves hiding our needs in a complaint. We haven’t had a date in a week. You never listen to my ideas. You never take initiative. All these can easily be reframed as a simple request to have your needs legitemately met. Could we go out on a date tonight? Can we […]

  • Life Lessons: 49 Life Lessons. Lifecartography, 9 years later.

    49 Life lessons learned by age 49. As I approached 40 years old, I decided to sit down and write. I wanted to write things I had learned, so that I wouldn’t forget them. Well, research says that you don’t forget as much as your library gets bigger. But that’s beside the point. So those […]

  • Mommy Porn and the ugly side of romance novels

    Are you addicted to Mommy pornography? Today at church was one of the most real conversations I’ve ever heard. A pastor and his former protégée spoke on stage about the man’s moral failure, related to pornography and who knows what else. I’m glad they didn’t go into details. If you want to be blown away, […]

  • 3 questions to ask after a potential donor says “no.”

    My dad’s life growing up was one I didn’t want. At least not the part where we lived in the US. As missionaries with the AG, our system requires us to come home every 4 years to replenish our support. Here’s how the system works. You get a list of churches in your district. You […]

  • Confessions of a Closet Cheerleader

    Today, our guest post is from Tabby Finton. Tabby is a regular contributor to Bridging the Gap blog. She and her husband Steve Lead Abundant Life in Blaine, Mn. Be True to You  or “Confessions of a Closet Cheerleader”– Tabby Finton It took me long enough to figure it out, but I’m a cheerleader at heart. […]

  • Why the way you apologize is wrong. Life Lesson #23

    Learn to apologize. Saying “I’m sorry” takes practice. For some, the process is akin to extracted impacted wisdom teeth. For others, the words flow out so quickly you wonder if there is any meaning associated. Ever had someone apologize to you and afterwards you felt worse? “I’m sorry you are such a jerk and I […]

  • At least learn from it. Life Lesson #21

    At least learn from it. Life Lesson #21

    What are the learning opportunities here? Jim Ferriera is a long time friend and mentor. As the dean in college, he constantly repeated the line “what are the learning opportunities here?” Life can be “the school of Hard Knocks.” Life can also be the “School of Lucky Breaks.” Here is a reality. You are living. […]

  • Scuba diving makes communication difficult. Life Lesson #17

    Keep your communication above the water line. This one is a bit cultural, so you may have to contextualize. Some background might help though in understanding cultures. Culture, we often see as a geopolitical thing. Tribes in Africa, countries in Europe, regions in America. Barbeque versus Vegan type thing. But culture goes deeper than that. […]