Nothing replaces quality, focused time with your spouse. There are no substitutes and no shortcuts. We’re learning and relearning this concept in our marriage. Whenever Selena and I allow our time together to be eroded by life’s chaos and busyness, our marriage suffers. How? We’re impatient with each other Sex is infrequent and/or insincere Frustrations mount as grace runs dry We’re increasingly inconsiderate of one…
4 Ways to Prove to Your Spouse You Love Them (Part 2)
In my previous post, we covered the first two ways you can prove your love to your spouse: transparency/honesty, and loving them when they’re unloveable.* If you haven’t yet, I recommend quickly clicking back to give it a glance (it’s reasonably short), as it sets the stage for the series. Naturally this post will continue with parts 3 and 4 of the series, so let’s…
Why Your Marriage Needs Fighting, and Lots of It
If you’re looking for a new book to read, I’d encourage you to check out Love Does by Bob Goff. It’s not a marriage book, but every life lesson Bob shares could easily be translated into marriage. In chapter 28 (“Skin in the Game”) Goff discusses fighting…why fighting for the right things (Godly injustices), with the right tools (love), is important. What better topic to write…
Video: 12 Stages of a Proper Car Fight
We’ve all had plenty of fights… especially fights in the car. It’s become a bit of a joke for Selena and I, whenever we’re headed out on a road trip or a mini-getaway, we almost always have to spend the first hour “detoxing” from latent and yet-to-be-communicated frustrations. Our longer car rides usually start very pleasant and peaceful, much like a pot of water on…
Pains and Rewards of the Humble Route
The humble route is hardly the desirable route to take in any situation, let alone marriage, but why? Why do we fight it? Often times we lean on ourselves; taking pride in our own ability to handle things, instead of leaning into Jesus during the challenging times with our spouse. Learning to trust him and take him at his Word is no small task, but it is
20 Simple Axioms for Marriage
Sometimes the simplest epiphanies have the most profound impact. I’ve found these tiny axioms to be helpful in keeping us on point in our marriage. We’ve written a few posts that reinforce some of these (linked below), but in every case they’ve helped us keep the important things first.
Video: Marriage Communication and Perspective on the Male Mind
This video is supposed to be a fun jab at marriage communication (or relationships in general)! Please don’t take it too seriously. I almost didn’t share it because I didn’t want our lady readers to feel belittled or that we’re making light of the “just listen” times in marriage.
How Laughter Can Be Bad for Your Health
There is a sandwich stain on our dining room wall…. I blame myself. I don’t even remember what we were talking about. Selena and I were having lunch (sandwiches) one afternoon, taking a break from our work routines; somehow our conversation escalated. It was one of those conversations that starts out innocent and before you know it you’re both on the verge of yelling. Again,…
Getting Away With Your Spouse – Why It’s Vitally Important
Getting away with your spouse is a vital part of keeping things renewed and fresh. This means taking time to intentionally disconnect from your everyday world and reconnect with your life partner. I strongly believe that getting away should be a regular (at least monthly) occurrence in marriages – allow me to make my case!
How do you respond when the pressure’s on?
This past week Ryan and I flew up to Washington for a friend’s wedding. For the past 3 weeks leading up to this trip, I had it planned that our departure time to fly home to Cali was 6:30pm Tuesday. Well, this was a first – it was 11:02am, the Tuesday of our departure and I was trying to check-in to our flight on my computer.