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...
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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...
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“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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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A Misunderstanding in the Men’s Room The question came at me in an unexpected time and place. I was standing in the men’s room at a church gathering, washing my hands. I didn’t know the guy at the sink next to me and hadn’t really thought...
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Why It Shouldn’t Surprise Us That Every Day Isn’t Awesome It may seem obvious that Gretchen and I love marriage. After all, she’s a marriage therapist which means she’s an expert on marriage. And I’m married to a marriage therapist...
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