Jill: Each and every week, you’ll find us on a Sunday afternoon sitting around our kitchen table together. This is a special time we set aside to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to our marriage, our calendar, and important tasks. (I shared about it...
Jill: What we learn from childhood can stick with us even up to our adulthood and affect how we behave in marriage. In our formative years, we develop our belief system, our view of the world, and the means by which we cope in times of stress. Mark: As we meet with...
Jill: Can you believe that summer is here? The days are getting longer and hotter, and our summer calendar is already starting to fill up with baseball games, pool parties for the grandkids, and projects around our 100-year-old farmhouse. Mark: Despite a busy...
We know from experience that marriages and relationships don’t end in a day. Usually, it’s a slow fade of little things that chip away at the relationship bit by bit until there’s almost nothing left. While some of these slow fades are easy to spot, there are others...
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...
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to London, England. While there, I used the Underground (subway) for all my transportation. Every time I would get on or off the Underground, a voice would come on and say, “Mind the gap. Mind the gap.” I soon...
Do you ever find yourself frustrated in marriage, but unsure of how to express that frustration without being rude or passive? In today’s #MarriageMonday, Mark is diving into 5 ways to express frustration in a healthy way! Mark here. Over the past seven weeks,...
Forgiveness is so important, but it isn’t something that usually comes naturally. This is why it’s one of the God-tools we cover in No More Perfect Marriages. In today’s #MarriageMonday, we’re exploring what it looks like to use the God-tool of...
On today’s #MarriageMonday, we’re talking about clutter. Specifically, cleaning up some of the “clutter” that can so easily accumulate in our marriages over time. Jill: It’s spring cleaning time! Here in Illinois, it’s finally...
Marriage is our passion. When Mark and I went through our marriage crisis now almost 10 years ago, we weren’t sure what the outcome would be. Trust had been broken. Tensions were high. (You can find the full story here.) But as we’ve experienced healing and now...
We have a line of trees along the west side of our country home. The previous owners wisely planted the trees to provide a hedge of protection against the winds that gust across the cornfields of central Illinois. Those trees serve as a visual picture of another hedge...
Last week on the blog, Mark shared a little bit about his journey of surrender. So this week for #MarriageMonday, I wanted to share about a journey of compassion I’ve been on over the years. Colossians 3:12–13 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and...
Jill: Welcome back to #MarriageMonday! Today, we are taking a look at the power of our words. Our words are powerful, and that power can be used both positively and destructively. When Mark and I think of our marriage before crisis and our marriage after crisis, we’ve...
Our #MarriageMonday posts are written to help couples dig deeper, connect intentionally, and to be more equipped to handle the everyday challenges and realities of marriage. Prayer is such an important part of our relationship with God, as well as our relationship...
Jill: In our No More Perfect Marriages book, we identify the seven slow fades we find every couple experiences in marriage. As more and more people are reading the book, attending the seminars, and reading the blog series, they’re identifying other slow fades that...
