Get Help Sooner Rather Than Later

Mark: Since I’ve been down in my back, I’ve been enjoying a Netflix series called “Longmire.” One of the episodes I recently watched was about post military service PTSD. One of the characters made this insightful statement, “When...

There’s A Whole Lot More God In Me

Mark: Jill and I spent the weekend in Cincinnati. She had the privilege of speaking at the AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) conference on Saturday. We decided to stay an extra day since Saturday was our anniversary. Jill: Getting away to have couple...

Got the Tingles?

Mark: Jill and I spent this past weekend with over 2500 moms at the North Central Regional Hearts at Home Conference.  While I go with her to serve and work the conference, I also get the opportunity to hear some wonderful speakers. At this conference, I really...

Compassion Feels

Mark: Last night we spent time with some friends who are coming through a hard season of healing in their marriage. We spent the evening sharing with each other about lessons learned along the way. Jill: The topic of compassion came up and we talked about the many...

Doing Nothing Together

Mark says: “We need to do this more often.” That’s what I said to Jill yesterday morning as we spread out a blanket on the grass along the shore of Lake Michigan.  The International students we were hosting really wanted to see the Shedd Aquarium....

When Marriage Counseling Doesn’t Work

Mark says: Jill and I have always been proponents of marriage counseling. We’ve talked about it openly in our marriage and tried our best to help couples know that “asking for help” is an important part of the marriage journey. Jill says: ...

Marriage Monday: No More Perfect Marriages Resources

There were so many resources that helped us on our No More Perfect Marriages journey. (You can find all of our posts in the No More Perfect Marriages series here.) Today we’d like to share them with you. The first resource we want you to know about is a FREE...

No More Perfect Marriages Day 2: It’s a Slow Fade

Thanks so much for joining us! This is Day 2 of an 10 day blog series. You can find the entire series here.   Mark says: After our trip to Florida, I began talking regularly with an old girlfriend on Facebook.  She had gone through a divorce and we had briefly...

Marriage Monday: Love During Hard Times

Last week I had the privilege of partnering with Focus on the Family to encourage marriages on their radio broadcast. They also featured a 5 minute video I did for them in the fall about loving when it’s hard. If you or someone you know are struggling in your...

Marriage Monday: Simple changes that make a BIG difference

This past Tuesday, we read a letter in the Dear Abby column in our local newspaper. Signed “Happier Than Ever,” the author of the letter shared how a simple change in routine THAT COST ABSOLUTELY NOTHING transformed her marriage. After reading the column...

Marriage Monday: Don’t Take the Bait!

Too often in marriage communication—and particularly in conflict—we make a big deal out of things that shouldn’t really matter.  Today’s Marriage Monday is a reminder for us to not take the bait!Mark says…It’s easy for us to...