Nuggets

You’ve probably heard of the post-holiday blues, but what about a post-holiday marriage funk? The idea is the same – after a couple weeks of indulging in the parties, festivities, treats, and fixings, the return to normalcy when it’s all over can seem like a very rude awakening. If you’re both feeling moody and irritable […]

Could not say it any better. (Borrowed graphic) 1. Be Present For Family and Friends – There are many important things to think about this time of year. Barb and I don’t want to forget anyone or omit anything that matters. So, in these last days of December, make your lists and check them twice… both

Our friends at Prepare/Enrich ask a critical holiday question. Is your marriage a sanctuary…a safe place. At the end of a difficult or stressful day, is your marriage a soft place to land? Is it a comforting place you can turn to when you’re feeling down and out, vulnerable, or overwhelmed? Of course we’d like

Nobody gets married expecting the fires of romance to peter out, but sometimes this is the reality for many unsuspecting newlyweds. Maybe you’ve recently found yourself in a dry or distant season with your spouse, and you’re not sure how to move forward. If that’s you, I’d like to encourage you to discover and start

Dear Jesus, sometimes I am so remiss when I receive Your abundant blessings I forget to have a grateful heart. I know when I do get it right, You rejoice. Your pleasure in giving and my pleasure in receiving flow together in joyous harmony. Keep me grateful in all things, I pray in Jesus’ precious

Ann Malmberg with Prepare/Enrich offers these holiday gems. The holiday season has a way of sneaking up on you. One minute you’re taking down the decorations and putting them in storage, and the next you’re taking them out all over again. Sometimes it feels like it’s hard to get ahead of it, especially if you

But it is not easy. 90% of couples or more who come to us have two deficits in their relationship. They do not know how to listen with curiosity and understanding, and they do not know how to listen without judgment and speak without criticism when they talk. Too often they just listen to respond

Our friends at PREPARE/ENRICH offer these helpful suggestions. Whether it’s cringing through an incredibly awkward social interaction or having to face one of your biggest fears, people usually don’t like to sit in those feelings for too long or seek them out too often. Of course, everyone is different. People have varying thresholds and tendencies

Many of you have a third wheel in your marriage. It sneakily steals time and attention normally given to each other. It interrupts special and intimate moments. It exacerbates existing trust issues. Sometimes, you might even spend more time gazing at it than you do your spouse. Instead of trying to distance yourselves from it,

Zig Ziglar used to say this all the time…”You need a check up from the neck up to help you get rid of stinkin’ thinkin’… For a long time I just thought that was nothing more than a cute catch phrase…and it is and was. But, it is so much more than that. How many