Family by God&#039;s Design

Money & the Root of Marital Conflict?

I often hear people say that money is “the issue that is most often at the root of marital problems.” I agree that money gives rise to many problems, but I don’t believe it is the root of those problems. It is not the money in and of itself that creates the problem. Yes, money...

Honor

communication conflict intimacy marriage money

February 17, 2025

The Top 6 Ways to Resolve Marital Conflict

A study published in August, 2024, and appearing in Contemporary Family Therapy offers interesting insight into resolving marital conflict. This study utilized data from 1,112 couples. Specifically, this study explored how the conflict resolution style each person brought to their marriage contributed to their ability to effectively manage conflict in the relationship. They identified 23...

Grace Honor

communication compromise conflict conflict resolution listen marriage self-soothe

January 18, 2025

What a Wife Wants

You’ve probably heard the saying: “Happy wife, happy life.” You may have even heard it sung: “What a girl wants, what a girl needs…whatever makes her happy.” Merlin even tried to teach King Arthur that “the way to handle a woman is to love her.” But what makes a woman happy? What expresses love? Let...

Honor

happiness listen marriage touch wife

January 7, 2025

The Complaint Vs. Compliment Rumble

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” I’m not hunting flies, but this saying is also true when it comes to healthy marriages. Well, I don’t mean the “honey & vinegar thing.” I mean the meaning rings true. You know, compliments (honey) strengthen marriages better than vinegar (complaints). ...

Honor

complaints compliment intimacy marriage relationship

December 30, 2024

Respect by the Baker’s Dozen

We were given an “echo” for Christmas. After we set it up, we started asking it to play certain styles of music. My family laughed because I added “please” to my requests. Although it may not fit for the “echo,” politeness generally flows from respect, a “due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions...

Grace Honor

listening patience politeness respect trust

December 28, 2024

Don’t Be Fooled, Teens Want to Talk

The media often stereotypes teens as sullen and not wanting to talk to adults… avoiding meaningful conversations with adults 24/7/365 days a year. By twisting information to fit this stereotype, we (the adults in their lives) avoid responsibility for our part in a teen’s lack of interaction with us; and we begin to interpret a...

Family Shepherds Honor

communication curiosity parent child relationship responsiveness

December 23, 2024

Too Much…Again

I’ve done it again. It happens…and I hate it every time it does. It doesn’t just impact me either. It involves my whole family as well. On the flip side, the good side, it does present the opportunity for me to reassess and start again. In fact, this is a good time of year to...

Celebration Honor

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December 21, 2024

Practice the Radical Generosity of Christmas

Christmas teaches many lessons. One of my favorite lessons is the lesson of radical generosity. Every Christmas we celebrate the “Child born to us and the Son given to us” (Isaiah 9:6), an amazing act of generosity. That act of generosity becomes even more radical when we recognize it was prophesied generations ago as a...

Celebration Grace Honor

attention availability christmas family intimacy gifts serve time

December 14, 2024

An Invitation

Families benefit from phrases that begin with “Let us…” or “Let’s….” “Let us” offers an invitation to engage with one another, to do something together. It is an invitation to a deeper relationship. Sometimes the invitation accompanies fun. Sometimes the invitation comes with work. Even if the invitation suggests a work activity, it implies that...