November 20, 2021 by Ted 1261

Love is Hard

Two roads diverged in the woods, and I took the one less traveled. And it hurt, man! Really bad. Rocks, thorns, glass! Not cool, Robert Frost! -Kid President Saying vs. Doing When you look at loving your spouse like Jesus would in your place, it...

September 18, 2021 by Ted 1633

Love Gives

This past spring, after so many months of COVID house arrest, I went back to traveling for business. As I’ve been in airports and on airplanes, I’ve noticed how easy it is to fall back into old patterns of interacting (or not) when in transit. ...

April 24, 2021 by Ted 2831

Love is Vulnerable

When I got married at the tender age of 21, I was pretty excited about getting naked. I thought that was the fun and easy part of marriage. Then we actually got married. Sure, the physically naked thing had both its joys and challenges. (Note to...

March 6, 2021 by Ted 1561

Love Connects

If you ask people what has been most difficult about the pandemic, many will tell you about how isolated they feel – especially from those they love. One of my friends lost his elderly mother around Christmas. The fact that he had only been...

November 7, 2020 by Ted 713

What I Learned About God Through A Birthday Party

A Birthday Inspiration A few years back, Gretchen was about to celebrate a landmark birthday. I’m not great at doing obligatory gifts or parties, but when I get an inspiration, I go for it. In this situation, I got smacked over the head with the...

October 17, 2020 by Ted 827

How A Few Simple Truths Can Help Your Marriage

“We’ve all become susceptible to believing stupid lies about God, ourselves, and others.” – Chris Hall Nothing Kills A Marriage Like Lies You don’t have to be a marriage therapist to know you can’t base your marriage on a lie. Deceiving...

September 12, 2020 by Ted 680

Marriage And The Meaning Of Life

While we’re all for happy marriages, Gretchen and I are totally convinced that marriage is about more than living happily ever after. We believe that marriage is one of the greatest tools to help us become who we were created to be. And...

May 25, 2020 by Ted 877

The With-God Replay

The With-God Replay is one of our favorite practices to help couples grow. This practice is a variation of an ancient exercise called the Daily Examen. It is designed to help us notice what God is doing in us by reviewing the last day or week or...

May 3, 2020 by Ted 945

Who’s Your Marriage’s Biggest Fan?

Who is the human who loves you best? Father Michael came to visit our church a while ago. He’s a local Catholic priest who occasionally teaches our motley group of Protestants different ways to connect with God. It seems that Father Michael...

March 14, 2020 by Ted 792

It’s Good Inside The Circle

Why do you love your marriage? What is it about your marriage circle that brings you joy and security – even on the days when your world is in crisis? If we’re right that your marriage circle is modeled after God’s circle of the Father, Son...

March 7, 2020 by Ted 929

Why Your Marriage Is Sacred

What if you want connection not just because your brain is wired for it but because it’s who you were created to be? Psychologists tell us about our deep longing for connection in Attachment Theory. An evolutionary biologist might explain that...

February 14, 2020 by Ted 768

Is This As Good As It Gets?

This is our wedding day This is the promise that we’ll stay Through the long descriptive passages Where we don’t know what to say -Book of Your Heart (U2) Sam’s Meh Morning It came out near the end of breakfast. I had been...