Tom and Debi
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Category Archives: Growing Strong Marriages
Vintage Post: Critical Judgments
Originally posted in November 2016 You begin to share with your spouse about something that is really bothering you. Right as you are pouring your heart out to them, they ask a question about something else, revealing that they haven’t … Continue reading
Vintage Post – Suspicion in Marriage
This is part two of our five part series on uncovering the practices or habits that are detrimental to marriage. Today we’ll expose another practice you may or may not be aware of in your own marriage. Suspicion Seventy-five years … Continue reading
Mercy
“It’s only a surface cavity,” My dentist explained. “You may not need novocaine at all. I’ll start drilling and if you feel any pain raise your hand.” I’m ashamed to say I about took his head off! Novocaine is a … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages, Keeping It Real, Seasons of Life
Tagged Dentist, Mercy, Novocaine, Numb
12 Comments
Six Marriage Quotes to Inspire
Posted in Christian Marriage, Growing Strong Marriages, Perspective in Marriage
Tagged marriage quotes
1 Comment
Quiz Your Spouse
It’s Back-to-School week in most areas. A time when parents can kick back into a more established routine. There are tests to study for and lunches to be packed. It’s all part of the rhythm of the school year. Our … Continue reading
A Humble Spouse
We just finished going through the book, Cherish, by Gary Thomas, for the umpteenth time. And that is no exaggeration. You would think we wouldn’t need to read a book like this over and over. Especially since we’ve been doing … Continue reading
Posted in Cherish, Cherishing, Christian Marriage, Growing Strong Marriages, Intimacy, Repentance, Temptation
Tagged Andrew Murray, Cherish by Gary Thomas, Humility
3 Comments
364
What is so special about this number? It’s how many days that fall between this Valentine’s Day and next Valentine’s Day. We have 364 more opportunities to let our spouse know how much they mean to us. In case you’re … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Growing Strong Marriages, Intimacy, Romance in Marriage, Valentine's Day
Tagged 364, Let’s Do This, Romance in Marriage, Valentine's Day
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Kindness Check
Recently I was in the Starbucks drive thru waiting for my Christmas latte. Imagine my surprise when I got to the window to hear, “Your drink was paid for by the car in front of you, Merry Christmas!”? What? I … Continue reading
Two Keys for Devotion in Marriage
Devotion. It’s one of the most important aspects of a healthy marriage. But it’s two-fold. Devotion to God. Tom and I committed our marriage to God—a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. What we promised matters because we said our … Continue reading
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
When The Roses Are Wilted And The Wine Is Flat
Most of you know how much we have been through the past few years. It has seemed that one crisis after another has continued since the beginning os 2019. Throw a pandemic in the middle of it all and it’s … Continue reading
Posted in Biblical Encouragement, Christian Marriage, Dating Your Spouse, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages, Keeping It Real, Seasons of Life
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Do You Feel Understood?
How well do you understand your spouse? When they experience loss or disappointment, are you surprised at their expression or lack of expression? We tend to judge our spouse based on how we would respond thinking we’re being helpful. We … Continue reading
Your Story Is Your History
Sitting on our porch at Barefoot Cabin I had the thought—how many days have we shared since we were married? One of the best parts of Google is being able to find the answer quickly to such random questions. We … Continue reading
It’s Not too Late…
You’ve heard us mention the Married Christian Sex conference that’s coming up starting October 2nd. Why Is This Good For Your Marriage? 1. The conference will be online, so you and your spouse can stream each session over the next … Continue reading
Drifting or Sailing?
Never underestimate the value of time together alone. It is needed for your marriage to keep from drifting. The danger with drift is that you don’t know it’s happening until you’re way off course. If you don’t have goals set … Continue reading
Great Married Christian Sex Takes Effort.
This title alone may have caught your interest because once you’re married it is assumed you’ll have great sex. But sadly for many couples they struggle in their sex life from day one. It can become an increasing source of … Continue reading
A Long-Overdue and Necessary Adjustment To Our Blog
Over the last two years there has been a melding of our personal lives and our mission to support, encourage and build healthy marriages. It has happened so rapidly in close succession that we hadn’t realized it until now. Many … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages, Purpose
Tagged Focus in Marriage, Marriage Poll, Mission Statement
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Not Enough Suitcases
Today’s guest post is from my friend and fellow blogger, Julie Sibert, who blogs regularly about marriage and intimacy on her site at http://www.IntimacyInMarriage.com. A friend and I recently went on a long hot walk around a lake, meandering about … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages, Guest Post, Keeping It Real
Tagged Guest Post, Intimacy in Marriage, Julie Sibert, not enough suitcases, Thank you Jesus
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We Need This For Our Marriage To Grow
We all have one, but how we share it with others either builds up or tears down marriage. What is it? A story. We love to get to know new couples and hear of their journey from their beginning to … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Growing Strong Marriages
Tagged friendships, marriage, Story
1 Comment
Six Kisses That Promote Marital Success
Ah! Kissing!! It is what makes a relationship special. When Tom kissed me for the first time I don’t remember much else but this one fact–he loved me! We reserve kisses for those whom we love the most, and this … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Marriage, Growing Strong Marriages, Intimacy, Romance, Romantic Ideas
Tagged Intimacy in Marriage, Kissing
1 Comment
The Romantic Vineyard 