Having a morning routine is like an anchor for my day. But all too often I’m content skipping what matters most: time with God. If I oversleep or grab my phone too quickly, I’ll lose track of time and get caught up with whatever tasks are on my plate for the day. I may read a verse somewhere online or say a half-hearted prayer, but…
My 3 New Goals for Pursuing My Wife
I’m not a natural romantic; but I think I can change that. I’m realizing that my ability to love my wife well greatly depends on my intentional, ongoing pursuit of who she is and what she’s feeling. That’s the essence of romance: intentional pursuit. I’m not just talking about covering the bed with rose petals and lighting a few candles. That might be part of it……
Devotion: Listen, Laugh, Love
Remember that you began as friends. Your earliest moments as a couple likely included plenty of conversation, laughter, and fun. Your foundation of friendship will sustain you when feelings of romance come and go. Celebrate your history together! Laugh more, encourage constantly, listen intently, and share transparently. Consider this passage: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then…
Reclaiming Real Romance: 3 Reminders for Valentine’s Day This Year
This year we’re trying to do something different. We’re not too different from most folks in that we’ve exchanged thoughtful cards, I’ve given Selena roses, and on a few occasions, jewelry. But this year, our entire focus has changed to treasuring each other. My tendency is to wait until the last minute, buy something to make up for lost time, and hope Selena feels loved. As…
Our 30 Minute Massage Experiment: His Perspective
I didn’t want to do this experiment. No desire at all… but I’m actually very glad we did. Denis and Emma, the creators of Melt: Massage for Couples, had been trying to get a hold of me via email for over a year! (…sorry guys) After speaking with Denis, Selena and decided to give it a try. Selena shared her perspective in a previous post –…
Our 30 Minute Massage Experiment: Her Perspective
When Ryan approached me about trying out an online course called Melt (Massage For Couples), and then writing about our experience, I was pretty skeptical. Even before I watched the first video I had tons of questions: (e.g.) who is putting the video together? Is it wholesome? How will it help marriages? Will I even be able to do these massage “moves” (as I called them), and was it…
5 Habits for a Healthy Marriage
A little while ago I wrote about the first thing we’d discuss with you if we could have coffee together. Feel free to read that post if you haven’t, but basically we’d talk about your beliefs. Namely, your belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ and what that means for your marriage. This blog post would be the second conversation we’d have with you.
5 Principles for Creating a Purpose Driven Sex Life
Sex. A word that used to be taboo is now so commonplace you probably won’t go a day without hearing it at least a few times. Everything seems to have something to do with sex. It’s funny really, that such a relatively small portion of anyone’s life is given such a heavy emphasis. Why does sex take up so much of society’s conversational bandwidth? Why are we…
3 Timeless Truths About Love, Family, and Marriage
Nouns without verbs lose their meaning. Love without action is just a word. How can we best act out love in our marriages and lives? A recent unexpected conversation taught me three timeless truths about love, family, and marriage. They’ve dramatically helped me, and I hope they do the same for you.
A Prayer That Left Me Gloriously Ruined
Few ideas have affected our marriage more than this one: marriage is more about holiness than happiness. This isn’t to say marriage isn’t happy at all, just that holiness is the higher priority. How has this focus changed us? Well, if and when happiness conflicts with holiness, holiness must win. When we’ve gone through rough patches together, there were times when both Selena and I thought we’d…