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...
Welcome to another bonus episode of the No More Perfect Podcast! We love surprising you with extra podcast content that’s super practical and beneficial for your life – it’s our way of saying thank you! Mark is joining me as we dive into the often...
Are you an innie or an outie? We’re not talking bellybuttons here; we are talking about how you deal with clutter. Innies tend to “file,” while outies tend to “pile.” I am naturally an outie, so I tend to pile, and that led to some...
For those of us who are married, we would testify that there are times when marriage is hard. There are ups and downs and challenges that we face while learning how to blend two lives into one. You may often hear Mark and I talk about that in this space. Relationships...
I’ve got a question for you: What happens when life hits you hard? Do you crawl inside yourself and hide? Do you throw your hands up and give up? Or do you wipe yourself off and get back up again? In this episode, I am talking about resilience, and to help me do that...
Life transitions can be tricky. There are hard changes that we don’t see coming and then there are welcome changes that we also have to navigate. Change in general can bring a flood of conflicting feelings from joy and delight to vulnerability, fear, and anxiety. As...
Boy, do we have a story for you! It’s a story of how God connects the dots and meets needs even when we can’t see how circumstances could ever connect in that way. This summer, Mark and I are going to minister to marriages in Uganda but to tell you how we end up...
In today’s gotta-have-it-all culture, exhaustion and hurry seem to be a badge of honor. We hustle hard, strive even more every day, and believe our “superhuman” tendencies are amazing, but the truth is they are alarming! So what does it take to rock the boat enough to...
How do you find peace when you are not in a very peaceful state of mind? And where do you find the words to talk to God about peace when it feels like your whole life is spinning out of control? In a world that is filled with stress and anxiety, it can seem that peace...
Today, Mark is joining me to talk about the subject of personal growth. It’s no secret that we did a lot of work on our marriage that we now affectionately refer to as “Mark & Jill 2.0”. But what you might not hear us talk about specifically as much is how much...
When we were early in our marriage, I often said to Mark, “Sex… I could go the rest of my life without it!” And he totally believed me. True story! Needless to say, we had all kinds of challenges in that area of our marriage, and eventually, we sought out sex...
When Mark and I were raising our five children, there was a wide array of temperaments, personalities, and unique traits in each of them. The truth is, families usually have one child that is more sensitive and intense than the others. Often what worked for your other...
I love a good love story. Whether on the pages of a good book or on the big screen, I really do enjoy experiencing a love story unfold. Have you ever considered that you have a love story with God? You do! We’re talking about that and more in today’s episode. Joining...
Today, Mark is joining me to talk about an important, though often forgotten, topic: listening. Listening is a skill that takes practice, focus, and a willingness to set aside our thoughts and engage with others. It’s not always easy, but when we put in the effort,...
