Back when our kids were still at home, April Fools’ Day was always a favorite day of the year for some of them. In fact, we used to have a side sprayer on our sink, and their favorite prank each year was to rubber band the handle so it would spray whoever turned...
Dear Mark and Jill, Thanks for taking the time to read this. I’m reaching out because I’d love your advice. I’m married to a wonderful man and we have 2 great kids, ages 12 and 15. We’ve made it through a lot in our marriage and we are very committed to each other....
“I’m leaving. I have no intention of returning. I’m pursuing the other relationship and I want a divorce.” Jill: The hardest day of my life was when I heard those words. My husband walked out of the house and my whole life turned upside down. Mark: When I uttered...
Jill: When we were first married, I started making plans for Mark’s birthday for the first time as a married couple. I made plans the only way I knew how: with a homemade cake and having family over for dinner. Mark: This was a sweet gesture, however, my family always...
“…It is not good for the man to be alone…” (Genesis 2:18) Jill: Did you know that God created you for sex, intimacy, and connection? It was His idea! Did you know that He finds it beautiful and pleasing that a married man and woman would experience this ultimate...
Jill: Do you have a routine for your marriage in the morning and evening? When we were first married, our days were a blank slate. We had to learn each other’s habits and before we knew it our lives had meshed together in small routines. Mark: Whether that is always...
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....
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...
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...
Jill: If you’ve been following us on Instagram and Facebook or seen some of our past blog posts, then you know that we recently traveled to Uganda to minister to the marriages of pastors there. Mark: We were also able to teach on relationships at Uganda Christian...
Is there any better season than summer? It’s one of my favorite times of year because I enjoy gardening and the opportunity to take regular walks outside. Now that I’m an empty-nester, I also love summer because I get to spend extra time with my grandchildren...
Jill: Mark and I often say that we have been married for 39 years—29 of them happily. Mark: That’s right. In the 10 unhappy years, our marriage was a mess in many ways. You wouldn’t have thought it looking in from the outside because we were doing everything “right.”...
Jill: You know, summer is one of my favorite seasons. The sun is out, I get to tend to my garden, and I love getting to enjoy time with our grandchildren while they are on school break. Mark: I do as well. Along with summer, though, comes busy schedules, BBQs to...
We live in an age of an endless and overwhelming amount of information. Whether or not we realize it, it can start to take a toll on us. It can begin to affect our personal well-being and create depletion, exhaustion, impatience, and it can bring out versions of...
In the past, we have shared about some shifts we have made to our evening routine to feel better connected in our marriage. We thought it’s about time we talk about better connecting in the morning as well! The mornings are such an important part of the day for...
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