One of my favorite summer activities is gardening! It’s become one of my favorite empty nest hobbies to watch the plants and flowers bloom and grow. They make the perfect backdrop while enjoying summer evenings on our porch. Now that the seasons are changing,...
When it comes to conflict in relationships, things can get messy. It doesn’t matter if it’s a marriage relationship, a parent-child relationship, or even a friendship. Conflict has a way of dividing and destroying if we don’t have the necessary skills to repair...
I would be what some people call “fashion-challenged.” I seriously need something like Garanimals for adults. For those that aren’t familiar with Garanimals, it is a mix-and-match clothing brand for children where every piece of clothing matches using animal icons....
Mark: I didn’t realize coming into marriage how much idealism and unrealistic expectations drove my everyday thinking and perspective. When my expectations weren’t met, my “slow fade of unrealistic expectations” led to disappointment and discouragement....
You have heard me say it before and I’m going to say it again—words matter, a lot! If there is anything Mark and I see in our marriage coaching time and time again, it’s couples misusing their words with each other. It isn’t only couples, though. We all need to learn...
Today’s topic is a tough one—addiction. It can tear marriages and families apart and leave loved ones feeling helpless, desperate, and alone. The partners and families of those struggling with addiction can be left grasping for order in the chaos and knowledge in the...
Jill: Imagine this: You finish dropping your last child off at college, you work through some of the heavy emotions in the car ride home, and you sit down at dinner once you get back home. You’ve made it to a major milestone: An empty nest. But wait… Who...
In our journey through life, we tend to think of surrender as a negative thing. For instance if I surrender, I’ll be taken prisoner in some way. Our American culture even teaches us to value our freedom and independence above all else. However, the reality is...
When a person suffers a loss, they enter the realm of “used to be.” They used to be married. They used to be employed. They used to be pregnant. They used to be sons, daughters, mothers, or fathers. There can be deep loneliness, sadness, and grief in that “used to be”...
I just love reading! It’s one of my favorite activities to unwind, learn, and remind myself of God’s truth. My Amazon wishlist is full of new book titles I can’t wait to dive into and I’m hard-pressed to leave a bookstore empty-handed when I get the chance to browse...
As marriage coaches, one of the things that we see missing from so many significant relationships is kindness. It may seem like a simple thing, but the truth is, the more comfortable we get in a relationship, the more we forget to offer kindness to one another. That...
Is “happily ever after” a myth or reality? Unfortunately, most couples don’t ride off into the sunset after their honeymoon. Marriage is hard, and maybe you are in a place where you feel that today. Our guests, Bob and Dannah Gresh, have been there....
Mark: Jill and I developed our marriage ministry because we wanted to use our own marriage pain and healing work to help others, and boy did we get a huge number of requests once we started offering marriage coaching. Jill: You know, we’ve received hundreds of...
Dear Mark and Jill, I don’t like to be late to anything, and especially not to church. When I realize we’ll be late, my energy is zapped, I get frustrated and shut down. My spouse, on the other hand, is less concerned with being on time. This has been a...
Everyone knows how important it is for a house to have a strong foundation. If a foundation is weak or it has problems, the house will begin to tilt or sag, water might come in, and the house could even collapse if not corrected. A foundation supports and holds...
