How to Get Out of a Marriage Rut Q: I would like to know how to recapture that just-married feeling. I've been married for 6 years now. We seem to be in a rut. A: A few years ago we had some good friends who said they needed to talk to us. They explained that they had been married 3 years and while their marriage was not in trouble, the...
Identify Your Unrealistic Expectations For a Better Marriage Relationships are a balance of expectations and reality. Marriage is no exception to that. In fact, because it is the ultimate relationship, it is probably even more prone to unrealistic expectations than any other. Most of us go into marriage with unrealistic expectations. Think about it, when we get married we think that this is the person that will: Meet my needs...
Q & A What is the best way to support your spouse when they are going through a period of depression? Here are a few major statistics on depression. It is estimated that in the United States, 16.2 million people (6.7%) have at least one massive depression episode in a given year. Depression is a common illness worldwide, with more than 300 million people affected. It is different from usual...
At the core of every person’s thoughts are two very important aspects: self-understanding and self-worth. Every day we tell ourselves hundreds of things about ourselves that are untrue. This talk, called self-talk, is so much more important than we realize. What we tell ourselves about ourselves is paramount to who we are and will become. Here’s the litmus test for who will benefit from the book: if you are breathing,...
Bible Study Bible study requires an open heart. If you are not a believer, read and drink deeply from God and His Spirit. It will change you and you will begin to understand truth, redemption, and forgiveness. I don't believe any person can go to the Bible with an open mind and come out unchanged for the better. There are many good books in the Bible to start with, but...
I once heard a man replying to a question about why his marriage didn’t last. He said, “We had a difference in theology. I thought I was God and she didn’t.” Our priorities set the guidelines for who we are and who we will be both in our marriage and in all of life. First John 2:15-17 lays out the three categories of sin. They are the lust of the...
Here’s something to ponder. Yes, you are married, but how good of a friend are you with your spouse? We find a groove in our marriage and it becomes who we are, but how is your friendship? Let’s take a look at this topic. Mitch’s Input: We met some people who moved into town and the wife asked Kim if she was in a women’s coffee group. Kim said no. ...
I believe it is fair to say that generation by generation, we are progressing toward more selfish expectations. We begin by thinking our expectations should be met, then move on to thinking they need to be met and finally that our expectations have to be met. We think the world has to turn our way… and if it doesn’t, well that would be a bad terrible thing. In short, we...
Are You Life-Giving? What does it mean to be life-giving? Each of us has a need to be loved, cherished and appreciated. Let’s say that when we receive these things we store them up. Let’s call the reservoir these needs are stored in our love tank. Now we should understand that the love tank is always being drained by the things that happen in life. Maybe stress, work, long hours,...
As I write this in August of 2019, I’m helping a friend through his final days with cancer. His wife is living in a myriad of thoughts and feelings. We might think we know how we would handle cancer, but I don’t think anyone actually knows until we have it. It’s like the boxing analogy that says, “Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face.''...
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