Family by God&#039;s Design

Screen Time? What’s the Real Problem?

The amount of time our children and teens spend looking at a screen (screen time) has become a growing concern for parents, a complex problem every family must navigate. On the one hand, excessive screen time is associated with a greater sense of unhappiness. The more time spent on screens, the more likely a teen...

Family Shepherds

connection intimacy smartphones technology

February 27, 2023

The Humility of Listening

We all have a desire to be heard. That sounds like such a simple desire, doesn’t it? But “to be heard” is more than having people within earshot to hear our voice and the words we verbalize. We also want them to understand what we are saying—to truly comprehend the meaning, the intent, and the...

Honor

communication humility intimacy kindness listen

February 18, 2023

The Power of a Simple Thank You

When encouraging married couples to express gratitude to one another, one or both of them often asks, “Why should I thank my spouse for something they should do anyway?” For one thing, because every thank you is a deposit in the Family Bank of Honor…and every deposit strengthens your marriage. For a second reason, read...

Celebration Honor

connection gratitude intimacy marriage relationship

February 13, 2023

The Kindness Connection

We all experience days of sorrow, and, if you’re like me, maybe even periods of feeling down-right depressed. These periods can impact our marriages and our families. What can you do about those times when you’re feeling down? A study conducted at Ohio State University and entitled Healing through helping: an experimental investigation of kindness,...

Grace

connection intimacy kindness marriage

February 11, 2023

Don’t “Blow Up” Your Marriage

None of us want to “blow up” our marriage. But too many of us do “blow up” our marriage before we even realize it. How? By spending too much time on our cell phones, getting too caught up in social media, spending too much time scrolling. The “technical” term for this is technoference. It sounds...

Celebration Honor

cell phone intimacy marriage phubbing technology

October 10, 2022

Be Your Spouse’s Dream Champion

Everyone wants their spouse to grow into their best self. Unfortunately (or, maybe fortunately) you cannot make them grow into their best self. But you can nurture and support their dreams. You can help them grow into their dreams and their best self by keeping these four practices in mind. Be your spouse’s dream champion...

Celebration Honor

comfort dreams intimacy marriage support

September 24, 2022

Legos…and Marriage?

The pastor who facilitated the wedding of my daughter and son-in-law offered a very insightful message to the young couple during the ceremony. I wanted to share part of his message with you because his message can help us all build a healthier, more intimate marriage. The pastor began by telling the newlyweds (and those...

Celebration

intimacy marriage persistence

September 19, 2022

“Two Wrongs Don’t….”

“Two wrongs don’t….” I’m sure you can finish that statement. I hear parents say it to their children all the time. Ok. Just in case, I’ll finish it. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” You knew that, right? In fact, two wrongs usually just make it worse. Two wrongs add insult to injury. On the...

Grace

grace intimacy kindness marriage

September 12, 2022

2 Challenges Every Marriage Faces…& What to Do About Them

Every marriage faces challenges. I only want to discuss two of those challenges in this blog. Both challenges naturally arise as a couple moves along their marital journey. The first challenge involves busy-ness. Each person in the couple becomes busier at work, in the home, and in the community. Each one takes on more responsibilities...