another day, some more challenging and insightful advice on how to build a strong marriage relationship by my friend Lauren McGill: I think the thing that makes my marriage more special than any other relationship in my life is the vulnerability. I remember in our first few years of marriage, sharing something that had been eating away at me with j. I was so broken and ashamed, really believing after he had seen this ugliness [...]
...and the series continues, and will continue to [i still have a bunch of posts to come and some very long ones] because i think this is becoming an incredible resource and because you don't necessarily have to read and ingest it all now - bookmark it, print it out, come back to it later, read it with your spouseperson and speak about what things you can add to or subtract from your marriage to [...]
I still have about a week's worth of marriage-enhancing tips/advice to share as it is such an important topic it needs great attention and also because people are so different, every marriage will be different and so different advice or thoughts or ideas will relate to different people - so trust you will find something that impacts you and your marriage [or future marriage] strongly. This collection of thoughts really struck me as powerful and [...]
i have purposefully tried to get different voices as i ask friends of mine who are married well for their opinions on what can help to make a marriage strong and while a lot of my friends have only been married for under ten years, it is clearly an advantage to hear from those who have walked longer and gone through much more, and so it is a privilege for me to share some words [...]
my friend Rob takes the advice on how to create a strong marriage thing in a bit of a different direction with this solid advice: Lock the escape hatch and throw away the key. With no way out we are left to work through our challenges together and become the purposed display or shadow of Christ and his bride to the world. On a practical level: - Give yourselves to the process of holiness more [...]
Great words of marriage wisdom from my good friend Debbie [who once taught me how to play 30 Seconds, for the second time] Realize that in the difficult stuff you are NOT against each other. Together, as a Team, face the issue. Don't put it in between you. LISTEN to each other's NEEDS. Actively love, in words, in actions, in selflessness, in putting their needs above your own. Can I just throw in there that [...]
Another looks at what makes a good marriage great, this time by my good friend Richard 'Snoek' Leonard: • Humility, constant communication, a surrendered heart to God and a biblical 1Cor13 active love. Short and sweet, so let's take a look at what he means by 1 Corinthians 13 love: 1 Corinthians 13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong [...]
Continuing the series where I asked a bunch of my friends who I think are in healthy marriages to share a key or two about what they have found helps make their marriage work well: Pray together often. Hug, kiss and say I love you every day. say thank you often, for the little things like taking out the trash - genuinely appreciate each other. one I am especially bad at - really listen without [...]
Continuing the series where I asked a bunch of my friends who I think are in healthy marriages to share a key or two about what they have found helps make their marriage work well. Here are thoughts from my sister-in-law: I think one of the biggest things that makes our marriage work for us is our communication. Communication when joking together, communication when talking, communication when sharing feelings, communication when showing our love for [...]
Continuing the series where I asked a bunch of my friends who I think are in healthy marriages to share a key or two about what they have found helps make their marriage work well. Here are thoughts from my brother-in-law: We communicate about everything, no matter how trivial it might seem. We clear stuff up immediately, a small issue which is resolved immediately remains just a small issue but many unresolved small issues build [...]