Mark: Last week was a week of rest for Jill and I. We spent time enjoying Lake Michigan along with Jill’s parents. It was one of the most restful weeks I’ve had in a long time. Jill: It was a four hour drive to Holland, Michigan and a five hour drive home...
Summer has been wonderfully relaxing! My speaking schedule almost comes to a complete halt in the summer. That’s completely fine with me. With Fall right around the corner, my speaking schedule will ramp up once again. And that’s completely fine with me,...
It was 15 years ago that I packed up my first kid for college. This month will be my last time I’ll do that job. I’m definitely feeling all the feels with that! One day I’m excited for the new season ahead. After all, the last kid will be off the...
I love to weed. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? There’s just something about weeding that I find satisfying. Maybe it’s the sense of accomplishment. Maybe it’s playing in the dirt. Maybe it’s being in the midst of God’s creation. Maybe...
Mark: We do it all the time. Jill: We see things through our own experiences, history, temperament, personality, and family of upbringing perspective and we determine what someone else means with their words or body language. Mark: The only problem is that the meaning...
Three times this week I’ve received an email or Facebook message from someone who has a friend whose husband has left. Because I’ve walked through that horrible experience, each of these women are asking, “How can I help my friend?” It is truly...
Mark: Jill and I have the privilege of doing quite a bit of marriage mentoring. While many of those conversations pave the way to powerful breakthroughs, sometimes those conversations are tough ones and words can fly carelessly. Jill: The Bible says that our tongue...
“I’m bored.” My two grandkids had been at my house for less than 18 hours when I first heard those words last summer. Their parents were on a 10 day mission trip to the Dominican Republic, so we were having “Cousin’s Camp” that...
Mark: 2 Corinthians 1:4 tells us that, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.” When we go through tough times, God often redeems the pain by allowing us to share hope and help to others going through something similar. Jill:...
Every afternoon for about 26 years, my kids and I took a break in the afternoon. It started out as naptime, and then became “rest time” when they outgrew naps. As they all got older we just called it “room time.” Everyone to their corners for...
