When was your last conflict? Whether it was a spat with your spouse or a clash with a close friend, odds are it felt pretty intense. Most likely, it made you feel disconnected from a person you really care about. Most of us don’t think of conflict as a way of...
Has your life been turned upside down? Are you walking through hardship? Do your future plans feel completely shaken up? If so, you may be in the midst of what I like to call a “life quake”. A life quake is what happens when our circumstances change drastically, and...
How do you respond when someone else’s choices wreak havoc on your life? Sometimes, someone else’s choices can turn the lives of those closest to them upside down. I’ve certainly experienced that in my own life, and yet, even in the most unfair...
Conflict…it’s one of our favorite topics in the world. Just kidding! Most of us try to steer clear of conflict, and those of us who embrace it don’t always handle it in the healthiest ways. We’ve certainly all had moments where we looked back at how we handled a...
If you’ve heard our marriage story, then you likely know that I believed our marriage could be restored even when Mark had checked out and was pursuing another relationship. This is often referred to as “standing for your marriage,” but it could also be described as a...
We want to talk with you about a question Mark and I get asked often. People really struggle with finding an answer or finding resolve to this question: How do I forgive myself? Many times, they would say, I can’t, or I don’t even understand what I should do with...
Do you have a book you’ve read that you feel like everyone should read? For us, that book is Enough by Sharon Jaynes. It was on our shelf 12 years ago when Mark and I were restoring our marriage. Even though it is written for a female reader, Mark read it and was...
God is known as “the Comforter,” but in times of pain, it can be hard to feel like He is near to us. Those who experience ongoing pain know all too well that it reaches far beyond the physical body. Pain is felt emotionally; it’s felt spiritually, relationally, and...
We cannot heal what we don’t admit is broken. Yet too many of us pretend, perform, and try to appear perfect which keeps us striving instead of thriving. That’s a journey that I used to be on myself! I often say that my books are a result of my mistakes and personal...
Welcome to another bonus episode of the podcast! Mark and I like to share these bonus episodes every once in a while, and their purpose is to give you some quick encouragement and support that you can apply to your life. In this episode, we want to share something...
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...
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...
You may recall that Mark and I are doing marriage training in Uganda for pastors and their wives. In case you missed it, you can hear the whole story here in Episode 135: To Uganda with Love. To make sure you continue to receive encouragement and value for your...
If there is one principle I have learned in nearly 40 years of marriage, it’s the principle that love is a choice. It’s a decision. It is not a feeling. Dr. Gary Chapman believes that as well because Love Is a Choice is the name of his newest book. Dr. Gary Chapman is...
When Mark and I went through the dark season in our marriage, it’s no surprise that we sought out counseling. However, what most people find surprising is that our counselor focused more on untangling our childhoods than our skills as a couple. That was exactly what...
