When you’re married to a partner who finds it difficult to open up and communicate with you, you have to get creative. Verbally expressing what you’re feeling, what you need, and what matters most to you, doesn’t come naturally for everyone. So, while you can’t force your spouse to open up and talk to you about anything, you can encourage them by introducing activities and a … [Read more...]
Be Careful Who You Pray For in a Spouse
"I prayed for a husband, and God answered my prayer." I hear it all the time from married women; however, their tone of voice isn't as gleeful as you might imagine. They prayed for a man who will love and adore them, yet they get annoyed when he wants to show affection and be close 24/7. They call this type of man "needy." What we fail to realize is that when we pray, God has … [Read more...]
Step Family Life: 5 Very Real Concerns of a Biological Mother
When my husband proposed to me, I was elated. He was finally going to put a ring on it after six months of dating. This was in 1999, so I realize this may seem odd. However, I knew in my heart that he was my husband and I told him this. I am also a mom of a beautiful six-year-old daughter, Gabrielle(Gab). She is my everything. Her father wasn’t in her life and wasn't even … [Read more...]
What Happens When You Start Treating Your Spouse as Your Enemy
I recently came to a revelation in my own life: I've been crossing the threshold of my home expecting to get into it with my wife. And although I have no tool of measurement to gauge how often this was occurring, I can say it was happening a lot. I was fearing aka expecting aka having faith in a negative outcome. I realized that this kind of behavior is what happens when you … [Read more...]
5 Heartfelt Prayers to Bless Your Marriage
Once a month my church family comes together for corporate prayer. During this time we pray for our church, the community, and each family that each member represents. As we prayed this month, I considered the current state of our communities, marriages, and families and we need prayer. Some people might need prayers to stay strong in their faith. I might need prayers to be a … [Read more...]
7 Mistakes Single Christian Men Make With Relationships
Where are all the good women? This is a common question many single Christian men ask. Many are frustrated with being overlooked or the fact that they feel it has been too hard to find a "quality woman of God." They hear a lot of women claiming greatness, but it isn't lining up with what they experience. Are Christian women the problem, or are these single Christian men … [Read more...]
Preparing to Become a Husband – 10 Tips For Single Men
My article, Preparing To Become A Wife - 10 Tips For Single Women, gave great tips for wives-to-be and inspired me to sit down and write out my thoughts on preparing to become a husband. In no way am I proclaiming perfection in any of these areas. But like any relationship, you have to work hard on the positives in order to become an ideal partner. Preparing to Become a … [Read more...]
Warning: 5 Things That Can Cause Resentment in Your Marriage
Resentment is such an ugly emotion and it can just creep up on you. It starts off with an offense that maybe doesn’t seem big enough to address. Often times, the offense is repeated and you either don’t say a thing, or you say something but never really get to the root of the issue. Then, one day, you wake up and realize that you resent the person who committed the offense. … [Read more...]
21 Conversation Starters to Help Couples Struggling to Communicate
The relationship between my wife and I was a long distance one for our entire courting and engagement season. There is good news and bad news about being in a long distance relationship. The good news is you are forced to learn how to communicate. The bad news is you only see each other every so often. But, because of the distance, conversation starters came somewhat easy. I … [Read more...]
How Overnight Guests Can Strain A Marriage
Having overnight guests in your home can be a double-edged sword. It can be fun to meet friends and relatives you have not seen for a long time. On the other hand, it can take a turn for the worse and be a nightmare. In this article: The Impact of Overnight Guests No One Told You About The Rambunctious Brother The Disruptive Sister How to Deal with Having … [Read more...]
Conversation With Gary Thomas, Author Of Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage To Make Us Holy Instead Of Happy?
I had an awesome opportunity last week to speak with best selling author and international speaker, Gary Thomas, who wrote bestseller Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage To Make Us Holy Instead Of Happy?, which still remains as his most successful book. Mr. Thomas is the author of at least thirteen books, a couple of which rank on my all-time favorites list. Learn … [Read more...]
His Lips, Her Hips, and These Tips Keep Romance Alive When Life Takes Over
Walk past most magazine racks in the grocery store and you are bound to be inundated with headlines boasting the "latest" or "hottest" or "kinkiest" bedroom tricks for couples eager to get it on. Let's face it. Keeping the mood sensual and the marriage bed beguiling is tough to do. For some couples, the honeymoon takes a backseat as life rears its necessary head after the first … [Read more...]
Top 3 Things that 18 Years of Marriage Have Taught Me
Anniversaries are super special in my house. I would never have imagined being married to my husband for eighteen years. Real talk, my parents didn't even think my husband Don and I would remain married past the first six months. They expressed this to us more times than I can count. Why would my parents think this, let alone have the nerve to verbalize this to us? Well, the … [Read more...]
How to Stay Together When Your Family and Friends Want You to Divorce
For years, my husband Don and I had an extremely rocky marriage. During those tumultuous years, I confided in a lot of girlfriends. I told them everything he did and did not do. I was painting a picture of him that had them not speaking to him or wanting to be around him. When things were at their worst, I ran my mouth. Straight up. I even convinced myself that I was going … [Read more...]
Challenge: 30 Days of Service to Your Spouse…Can You Handle It?
Don and I decided to do a 30 Days of Service Challenge after watching the below video by Comedian Mike Goodwin. Mike decided to do something every day to serve his wife for an extended period of time - - 30 days. I thought it was going to easy to knock out. Wrong! The first few days we were enthusiastic about out-serving each other. He made me breakfast in bed on more than one … [Read more...]