When we talk about marital killers, the default mode is to discuss lust and affairs, substance abuse, physical violence, busyness, poor priorities, and financial stress. Fair enough. But there’s another killer of marital happiness that gets far too little press. I want to put a spotlight on it in today’s post. Negative thinking can be […]
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The most damaging instance of “identity theft” is when hate masquerades as love. I see it all the time, particularly in dating relationships. A young man “falls in love” with a woman, woos her until he has monopolized her social calendar and then weeks or months later, drops her. Once she has abandoned everything for […]
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“Why is it always on us?” The leader of the wives’ study group looked at Lisa and me, explaining that after reading numerous books on marriage together, it always seemed to come down to the wives being the ones to set the relationship right. All of these women had read many books on marriage. At […]
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A simple spiritual practice can revolutionize who you become in your marriage and parenting. A short, half-an-hour a day exercise will help usher God’s presence into your life and relationships in a very practical way. This spiritual practice sprang from a powerful (but not perfect) movement of God that swept the world in the early […]
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One of my close friends, Dr. Mike Dittman, recently challenged me with a profound statement: “Gary,” he said, “God doesn’t care about shells; He cares about the people in the shells.” Mike was referring to churches, but let’s apply this to marriage. Keep in mind, Mike is ardently pro-local church. His ministry is singularly focused […]
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Some of you brush the teeth of your own worst enemy, every day. This blog is focused on marriage and family life, but knowing how God sees you is central to your ability to love as a spouse or parent. Some of you are so hard on yourselves you’ve essentially become an enemy to your […]
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I’m fully aware that my books may not seem as practical as other marriage books, or that that this blog doesn’t always dish out the very helpful “how-to” tips that so many other blogs focus on. It makes me a bit insecure at times; I could sound lost in the clouds to many people, like […]
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So, I ran the Houston marathon a couple weeks ago, rather unexpectedly. I had signed up for it much earlier in the year but was nowhere near trained for it. My longest training run was 12 miles—in November. I took off three entire weeks a month before the marathon when Lisa and I were in […]
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The word “fiasco,” something that is considered a complete failure, was born in Italy. Literally, it means to “make a bottle,” or “make a wine glass.” It can have a fascinating connection to marriage. Some of you may recall that my Italian publisher invited Lisa and me to Italy in December to speak at a […]
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Guest post by Sandy Ralya.. Have you ever been desperate for a breakthrough in your marriage? I mean, the if-something-doesn’t-change-soon-I-don’t-think-I-can-go-on kind of breakthrough? Married at nineteen, I didn’t have a clue about how to deal with the emotional, verbal, and spiritual abuse I suffered. When my husband and I drove through our local McDonald’s, […]
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