5 Things to Give Your Spouse When They Are Grieving
If you’ve been married for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced your spouse grieving. Maybe it’s the death of a parent or an old friend, or they lose a job or find something else taken from them in a way that impacts them deeply. You want to be there for them, but how?
8 Things Not to Do When You Want More From Your Marriage
It’s not that there’s anything really wrong with your marriage. You love each other and do life together pretty well. It’s just that you sense that things are not really humming along. They are more ho-humming.
I’ve previously shared with you what you can do when you want more, when you want to enrich your marriage. If you are wanting more out of life and more from your marriage, I’d like to share with you eight things not to do in your marriage.
How Healthy Conflict Resolution Can Strengthen Your Marriage
Years ago, a close friend of mine, who had what looked like a strong marriage, was proudly telling me “We never argue!” Meanwhile, his wife was telling Susan “We argue all the time!” This was confusing. Which one was right? And which perspective was healthy? Is relationship conflict in marriage good or bad? Or both?
#137: 10 Questions to Ask Your Spouse Every Year
Good conversations lead to connection and intimacy. The best way to facilitate a good conversation is to ask great questions. Whether you feel like you know your spouse well or not, there are questions that will be helpful. The spouse who becomes an expert in the art of asking questions is the spouse who will win their spouse’s heart. Susan and I will be going through ten questions to ask your spouse every year (or more often if you’d like).
Is Your Family Displaying Hospitality?
When I was growing up, our friends came to our home all the time. My parents always welcomed my friends and my brothers’ friends. And there was always a lot of food and fun. But, more and more, I’m seeing families keeping to themselves. More people are guarded and internally focused. Perhaps the time has come for more hospitality at home.
Why You Must Embrace Change in Your Marriage
Change is a constant in life and in marriage. Over time, who we are and how we see each other changes. When Susan and I got married, she was attracted to my strong and decisive personality and I to her spontaneous creativity and fun-loving attitude.
But through the years, what we actually needed from each other changed. From me, Susan has at times needed more gentleness and empathy. And I’ve needed to learn to flex to that. Sometimes I’ve needed more one-on-one time, more order and structure from her, and she’s adapted, too.
#136: 5 Ways to Break Free from the Pornography Trap
Pornography is a beast that kills – kills the soul and ravages relationships. No one is immune to pornography. Everywhere you turn, it’s becoming more and more available. At the same time, men are becoming less and less aware of its harmful nature and its lasting impacts. It’s an addiction that squelches intimacy. Intimacy takes an investment of time and energy, while pornography is a way to manufacture cheap, fleeting thrills instantaneously. Those manufactured feelings begin to replace actual intimacy with a spouse, even when a couple watches it together. Meanwhile it makes a wife feel insecure and betrayed
7 Signs You May Be Treating Your Marriage Like a Contract
For the first 10 years of my career, I practiced law as a real estate attorney. I negotiated and drafted hundreds of contracts. In every one, I had a client who was counting on me to get the best deal for them, look out for them, assume the worst of the other parties involved, and understand the contractual nuances that would either work for or against their interests in every transaction.
What to Do When Your In-Laws Act Like Outlaws
Getting married usually doesn’t just unite a couple; it brings two families together as well—which can mean twice the blessing or double the trouble (depending on how you get along with your spouse’s parents).
