If you've been married for any length of time, its not uncommon to find some things that your spouse says or does annoying. It seems that the longer you are married, the longer the list can get. The challenge is to keep your focus on the positive things your spouse does and not keep a "record of wrongs". Sharon and [...]
This month we continue to examine "8 Love Lessons" to help define genuine love in our marriages as we look at Part 2 of last month's article. While these are most likely things you have heard before, it doesn't make them any less significant. I know I need regular reminders to love the way Christ loves—and these are excellent reminders [...]
With Valentines Day celebrated on the 14th day of this month, February is arguably the month that solicits more thoughts and actions regarding love and romance than at any other time of the year. It seemed appropriate therefore to take a closer look at what love is, and isn't—to learn the counterfeit from the real thing. This month's post gives [...]
As a new year begins, many people reflect on the past year to evaluate how their year went. As 2010 was coming to a close, Sharon and I came to realize that our relationship was suffering from neglect among other things. If you are not intentional about cultivating your relationship, it will naturally settle into mediocrity—or worse. We had a [...]
We are officially entering the "season of giving". It somehow seems easier during Christmas season to put other's needs before our own and be generous in our giving. We need that same selfless attitude everyday in our marriages if we want to fulfill Christ's purpose for marriage—displaying to a watching world the same selfless love Christ has for His bride, [...]
We were talking with a couple recently who are going through our premarital program and we were discussing the notion that romantic love will fade somewhat over time. In fact, if you're not being intentional about building more intimacy into your marraige, romantic love can just plain disappear! Over time, we can settle for what we think is a "good" [...]
This month's post is a reminder of why God instituted the covenant of marriage in the first place. Though companionship and procreation are certainly important, God primarily designed marriage to give the world a divine picture of Christ's relationship to the church (His bride). We can lose sight of this sometimes and forget that our relationship with our spouse is [...]
Have you ever wondered why some couples just seem to get along better than others? There are a variety of reasons why this happens and no two couples are exactly alike, but Dr. Gottman has found that Healthy Couples have a few things in common—Healthy Habits—that keep their relationship on-track. Its been said that when you get married you should [...]
It never ceases to amaze me how different Sharon and I are in personality. We look at life in very different ways. We recently had another "discussion" about how different we are. And yet, despite those differences, we choose to love each other and strive for a more intimate, God-honoring relationship. There's no denying that most marriages are made up [...]
This month we have an excerpt from one of Dr. John Gottman's books, "The Relationship Cure: A 5-Step Guide to Strengthening Your Marriage, Family, and Friendships." In it we will discover what Dr. Gottman believes is the building block of connecting in relationships. As we learn what goes into creating meaningful connections, we can be more intentional about preventing emotional [...]
