Do You and Your Spouse Think Differently About Money?
Adam and Connie‘s combined income puts them in the upper middle class, so we assume they’ll have no money issues. Not true! Though they make good money, they’ve never learned to manage it effectively. Like many, they don’t keep track of where their money goes. In fact, they have individual accounts and enjoy not answering to […]
One Marriage Trait All Successful Couples Share
After spending time with both couples who are super successful in their marriages … and those on the opposite spectrum dealing with major challenges, I’ve found a few key traits that all the successful couples share … and the not so successful couples need to learn. The first is to speak well of your spouse […]
Something Amazing Happens When You Sacrifice in Your Marriage
How many times have you fallen prey to the idea is that you are supposed to give up what you want in order for your spouse to take what he or she wants … with the hopeful anticipation that your spouse will return the favor sometime in the near future? The problem with this way […]
What is Pre-Marital Counseling … and Why is it So Important?
Our society has created a model for marriage that goes something like this … Boy meets girl … boy and girl fall hopelessly in love … boy and girl plan fairytale wedding … and the rest of their lives are lived happily ever after. Unfortunately, that model has shown to not only be ineffective … […]
6 Ways to Cure Isolation Pain in Marriage
I often hear couples say, “I’m married … but I’m lonely.” My husband has time for work, sports, fishing, playing games with friends … but nothing for me. My wife cares for the kids, talks forever with her girlfriends, finds time to exercise and have her “alone” time … but there’s nothing left for me. […]
The Sacrament of Marriage
Karen and I attended a wedding recently where the officiating pastor gave the opening greeting which included the phrase … “marriage is a sacrament.” That word sacrament exploded in my mind. Because we, as Protestants, do not talk about marriage being a sacrament; and I often feel we should. So, with my newly piqued curiosity […]
7 Great Ways to Grow Physical Intimacy in Your Marriage
It’s no secret that one of the big complaints we hear from couples is their struggle with physical intimacy. This can lead to the “blame game” … feeling like you’re walking on egg shells if you bring up the topic … or the beginning stages of a deep seated apathy that can roll in. Scientific […]
How You Can Build Intimacy by Adding Simple Rituals to Your Daily Routine
It seems like the word “ritual” has taken on a negative connotation over the years. Everything from daily ruts and routines to empty ritualistic religious experiences … have damaged how valuable good rituals can be. The term “ritual” is defined as any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner. Psychologist and […]
Gardening Your Marriage
One of the summer pleasures that Karen and I enjoy is strolling through beautiful gardens. As we’re walking it becomes obvious that these works of art don’t happen by accident. Every garden is planned … its location … whether in sun or shade … raised or flat beds have been carefully considered. The gardener planned […]
Do You Need to Wake Up Jesus in Your Marriage
The gospel of Mark (chapter 4:35-41) tells us the story of Jesus launching out across the sea of Galilee with his disciples to get some rest after a full day of ministry. While crossing they encounter a fierce wind storm … waves of water were spilling into their little ship … These seasoned fishermen … […]