Nuggets

Barb and I are firm believers in collecting and practicing traditions and celebrations. I have shared with you how meaningful it is to take turns planning our wedding anniversary celebrations. The collection of memories we have recorded make treasured remembrances when we pull out our journal and revisit all those good times. I highly recommend […]

One of my favorite practitioners of strong and healthy marriage is SCOTT STANLEY, of Focus on the Family. Dr. Scott Stanley is a research professor and co-director of the Center for Marital and Family Studies at the University of Denver. He has authored or co-authored a number of popular books on marriage, including A Lasting Promise.

Why memories are so important. How many of you measure your success in marriage on the amount of ‘stuff’ you get and give each other. Some of you do. Let me ask you about your best childhood gift from when you were 9 years old…OK, think about it, I’ll wait… Unless you are some kind

I am certain there are some, but I just don’t know anybody approaching marriage who does not expect Once upon a Time…They lived happily Ever After. All the romance and enthusiasm of courtship, by expectation, expected to extend into marriage. That is just wrong on multiple counts. How many of you reading this have ever

“For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Pr 23:7 NKJV Every family has generational “issues” they struggle with. These are things our parents and grandparents passed to us like addiction, abuse, anger, anxiety, lust, fear, etc. Often we say, “It just runs in my family, I can’t do anything about it.”

On my back desk…an old butcher block…sits a 3 gallon glass jar with 4,269 marbles. Every week I place a marble in the jar while asking myself, “You traded a week of your life off for something…was it worth it? Did I make lasting contributions somewhere during this week?” “What do I have planned for

It is harder than you might think. Harville and Helen Hendrix suggest in their Safe Conversations suite of helpful materials for couples…take the 30-day Zero Negativity Challenge. If any of you are able to do this within just a 30 day consecutive period without any do-overs, let us know. We don’t know anybody who has

One of our favorite helpers in the world of healthy marriages is Scott Stanley of Focus on the Family and Christian PREP inc. He reminds everyone, “We will all blow it sometimes. But if you really strive to limit your reckless words, you will create a climate that fosters openness and closeness in your marriage.”

Borrowed from two of the stalwarts in relationship education – Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott – first published September 14, 2022 Want a thriving marriage? Emotional health is a key component.Your emotional health, and that of your spouse, can have a tremendous impact on your marriage. For better or worse, your emotional, spiritual, and psychological

“Use your head…so…your love is sincere…not sentimental gush.” Philippians 1:9 MSG Ever notice when you were dating somebody, you could talk effortlessly for hours, but when you have been married awhile, unless you work at it, conversation can become superficial and even lead to awful disagreements? The Bible says, “Be willing to listen and slow