I first learned about Jolene Philo when I was managing the physical and mental health care of our adopted son during his tumultuous teen years. He was in and out of psych wards after multiple suicide attempts and I was exhausted. Jolene’s resources brought hope...
In this unique season of family togetherness, we have the opportunity to be intentional about our self-care, our relationships, and even taking care of the home we live in. Sometimes we need a little vision, though. A plan. Some ideas that get us heading in the right...
In this unique season of family togetherness, we have the opportunity to be intentional about our self-care, our relationships, and even taking care of the home we live in. Sometimes we need a little vision, though. A plan. Some ideas that get us heading in the right...
I introduced the concept of “Today’s Opportunity Plan” in yesterday’s post. If you missed it, you can find it here. Your soul: Read Isaiah 40:29-31. Write it on a piece of paper or an index card and post it where you can see it regularly. ...
Okay friends, it’s time for strategy. We can look at our circumstances as a frustration or a fascination. We can see it as a liability or an opportunity. I’m choosing opportunity and I want to help you do the same! We have the opportunity to be...
In the Spring of 2020 I had the opportunity to share three programs on Family Life radio. We talked about three different subject on the three days of programming: empty nest, marriage, and loving your LGBTQ+ kids. If you’d like more information about any of...
Mark: I confess that praying together is not something Jill and I have always done well. As a pastor, I could pray with just about anyone except my wife. Why is that? Fear of judgment. My own lies in my head. My fear of disappointing and not doing it right. Those are...
Jill: Over the past few months we have coached quite a few young couples that have felt their hearts are miles apart. As we dug into each of their stories, it became evident that parenting had taken over their lives, leaving their marriages on autopilot. Mark: In our...
Mark: Conflict handled without care can bring out the worst in us. Unless we’re intentional about responding rather than reacting, we can end up with a mess to clean up. Jill: It’s rare that we both haven’t contributed to the mess in some way. So we...
This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my disclosure policy here. Mark and I just got back from visiting our son in Australia and we spent less than $120 each on our airfare! When Evan moved there in 2018, he was going to just stay a year, so we didn’t...
Let’s face it, most kids have a “gimme” attitude. That’s just a natural part of the human condition AND it’s fertilized by the consumer mindset of the media and the world around us. What that means is that we have to do what we can to...
There’s nothing better than giving a gift that’s a perfect match for someone! Because there are so many great deals on books right now, I thought I’d share a book gift guide that you might find helpful! These are organized/grouped by categories in...
Mark: I have been working on changing my view of the conflicts within marriage. To be honest, I am not someone who likes conflict at all. There was too much of it when I was growing up so I wanted my own family to be conflict free (can you say “unrealistic...
Having cancer makes you look closely at what you put in your body. Just a little over six years ago my breast cancer diagnosis started me on a clean eating journey. Once my treatment was over, my oncologist told me I had three jobs: Keep my weight at a healthy BMI....
Jill: It was 2011 and proving to be the darkest year of our then 27 years of marriage. Mark: The slow fades of unrealistic expectations, avoiding emotion, defensiveness, and minimizing had been eroding the foundation of our marriage for years, but we didn’t know it. ...
