Tom and Debi
Our Book Offers Daily———Encouragement
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Category Archives: Encouraging Your Spouse
Happy Place
Tom and I had a discussion tonight about where our happy place is. It was an interesting conversation. He initially thought of places where we had made memories together. Happy times we’ve shared are special to me as well. However, … Continue reading
Labor of Love
Monday is Labor Day in the United States. It’s a day off for most Americans from work. And a National Holiday that says goodbye to Summer. Schools are back in session and the familiar routine returns. Routine. Some love it … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Encouraging Your Spouse, Holidays, Labor Day
Tagged Labor Day, Labor of Love
1 Comment
Yoked
I read recently about the purpose of a yoke in training young oxen. They are put in a yoke with an older more experienced ox in order to teach them how to work well together. The picture described was of … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Encouraging Your Spouse
Tagged marriage covenant, Marriage help, oxen, yoked
2 Comments
In Need of Shade
Must find shade! We have a black car and the temperature difference between parking in a sunny spot and a shady spot is huge as far as comfort is concerned. Add to it the windshield umbrella contraption Tom bought and … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Encouraging Your Spouse, Seasons of Life
Tagged Marriage help, Seasons of Marriage, Shade, Summer
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Favorite Numbers
We want to include you in our recent conversation that made us laugh out loud. How we’ve needed this. To know why the heavy heart—head over to my personal blog, Write From The Heart—to see. But here was our conversation … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Encouraging Your Spouse, humor
Tagged favorite numbers, laughter, lifting burdens, marriage, Pi
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Focus
This has been a challenging season for most marriages. The reasons vary, but the pressure is similar. How can we turn our focus from what troubles us to what blesses us? Pray. Ask God to give you an idea on … Continue reading
Crossing the Line of Acceptance
I know which side he sleeps on when he first goes to sleep. I know his favorite snacks I know how to make him smile when he doesn’t feel like it. I know his story–every detail of how he came … Continue reading
Caring For A Broken Heart
My brother went to be with Jesus last week. In just five short weeks he went from being a healthy husband, father, Papa and brother to fighting for his life against Covid. Many of you have prayed with us for … Continue reading
How Advent Informs Our Marriage with Peace
Peace. We all long for peace. But peace isn’t what many of us expect. It isn’t silence or a lack of any thing that irritates or troubles us. This is one of our favorite scenes from the movie, What About … Continue reading
Bookends Of Our Marriage
Bookends. Their sole purpose is to hold up the books standing in-between them. You can have a bookshelf without bookends, but they won’t stand tall. Most likely they will fall over as mine always do. Bookends come in all sizes … Continue reading
Fresh Mercy
It’s been a season like no other in our marriage. So many challenges hitting one right after another. We have barely been able to catch our breath. Maybe you are feeling much the same way. Now that life is starting … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Encouraging Your Spouse
Tagged Fresh Mercy
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Ten Ways to Not Waste This Time in Marriage
None of us expected this, but here we are. It has been the strangest worldwide event in my lifetime. We have been sheltering in place for a couple of months now, and social distancing whenever we venture out. Always going … Continue reading
Do You Believe The Truth Or Lies In Your Marriage?
I was praying about this post not sure exactly what needed to be said. That’s when the above rhyme came to me. I had to read it, write it, think about it and then I realized the truth in its … Continue reading
The Valentine’s Day Attitude Of A Healthy Marriage
Today is Valentine’s Day. Rather than talk about the romance of it all, Gary Thomas shares how to adjust our attitude so we’re not disappointed when our spouse doesn’t do or say something we were hoping they would. He calls … Continue reading
Do You Connect In This Way?
How well do you understand what your spouse does at their job day in and day out? Today is Monday, the start of another work week. Your spouse most likely spends the majority of the work week doing their job … Continue reading
Road Trip Romance
Tom and I find ourselves on the road a lot these days. We are heading home today after two weeks visiting our kids and some friends. 2500 miles accumulated on the odometer and hours of time to talk. We’ve discovered … Continue reading
Choices and Voices
Choices. We make them everyday, all day long! What motivates the choices we make? Now that’s a question worth considering. Today Tom and I had another one of those moments that we don’t like. It was not that big a … Continue reading
Our Emotional Roller Coaster
I hate roller coasters. They throw off your equilibrium and make you have to regain footing once you’re back on solid ground. Not to mention the unexpected twists, turns and drops along the way. I’d rather not take part, thank … Continue reading
Not This Time
Change. We change clothes daily. We change our schedules to meet demands. We change our attitudes when it’s hurting others. Change can be easy if it’s something we want to do. But not all change is easy. I have found … Continue reading
Five Friday Favorites – Turning 60, Off To A Good Start
On Wednesday I awoke with the realization that time passes so quickly. How did I get to 60? I don’t feel 60 most days, but recently I feel older than that. I have been fighting an ongoing health issue–not serious, … Continue reading
The Romantic Vineyard 