Category Archives: Growing Strong Marriages

Five Friday Favorites – Retired Life

Posted on August 2, 2019 by

Tom retired a year ago, after what I like to call three soft-landings. It was strange for him to switch from a “work to save for retirement” mentality to a “let’s live on what we’ve saved for retirement” mindset. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring for Parents, Christian Marriage, Five Friday Favorites, Growing Strong Marriages, Intimacy, Open Nest, Seasons of Life | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Our Emotional Roller Coaster

Posted on July 29, 2019 by

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 →

Posted in Biblical Encouragement, Caring for Parents, Christian Marriage, Death and Grieving, Difficulty, Encouraging Your Spouse, Growing Strong Marriages, In Sickness, Keeping It Real, Seasons of Life | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Not This Time

Posted on July 22, 2019 by

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 →

Posted in Christian Marriage, Encouraging Your Spouse, Growing Strong Marriages, Open Nest, Priorities | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Living Our Marriage Backwards

Posted on July 15, 2019 by

Our church just finished a series studying the book of Ecclesiastes. It has been a sobering and encouraging endeavor. I have learned much in the process. I am grateful for a church where God’s Word is cherished–all 66 books of … Continue reading →

Posted in anniversaries, Celebrations, Cherishing, Christian Marriage, Growing Strong Marriages, Priorities | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Five Friday Favorites – Lovin’ Summer Dates

Posted on July 12, 2019 by

“Summer lovin’ had me a blast Summer lovin’ went by so fast.” These are paraphrased lyrics from a popular song in the musical, Grease. And it’s the inspiration for today’s Friday Favorites. The lazy days of Summer go by fast, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, Date Night Ideas, Growing Strong Marriages, Romance in Marriage, romantic date nights, Summer Date Ideas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Best Thing You Can Do To Make Your Marriage Better Right Now

Posted on July 8, 2019 by

How is your marriage? Are you experiencing what we call a high-high? Or a low-low? Maybe you find your marriage somewhere in between. Wherever your marriage currently lies, the best thing you can do has nothing to do with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, Conflict, Growing Strong Marriages, Troubled Marriage | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Five Friday Favorites – Difficult Topics in Marriage

Posted on July 5, 2019 by

So often in marriage the way the enemy works against us it to make us uncomfortable talking about important topics. The only way to counter this attack is to do the difficult thing and talk about them. We are privileged … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Love, communication, Conflict, Difficulty, Forgiveness, Growing Strong Marriages, Keeping It Real, Sexual Intimacy, Troubled Marriage | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Giving God Full Creative Access

Posted on July 3, 2019 by

Imagine an artist gifted in painting realism who has an accident in the studio. Paint is splashed all over the canvas ruining the piece as they had planned. But is it ruined or just different? Abstract paintings are as beautiful … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, communication, Conflict, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages, Perspective in Marriage, Temptation, Wisdom in Marriage | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Need For Fresh Air

Posted on July 1, 2019 by

Whenever we come to our mountain cabin the first thing we notice is the fresh air. It is sweet and promotes a sense of peace. Add to it a newly mowed landscape and the air is intoxicating. We all need fresh … Continue reading →

Posted in Barefoot Cabin, Biblical Encouragement, Christian Marriage, communication, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Five Friday Favorites – Firsts

Posted on June 21, 2019 by

This week we celebrated the 41st anniversary of our first date. While out to dinner tonight I told Tom if there was any day I could watch as it happened, I would love to see our first date. What did … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, Five Friday Favorites, Grandparenting, Growing Strong Marriages, Newlyweds, Parenting, Seasons of Life | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Gordon Ramsay, Pebble Beach and Songland

Posted on June 17, 2019 by

We recently had a spontaneous date night. We picked a table where one TV was facing us. Low and behold the PGA tournament in Pebble Beach, CA was showing. We were thrilled. We opted out of paying for cable television … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, Date Night Ideas, Encouraging Your Spouse, Growing Strong Marriages | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pause and Consider

Posted on June 11, 2019 by

We all have one, at least one, but we may not realize it because of our lack of pausing and considering it. I’m talking about an area of strength in your marriage. Oftentimes we focus on what is lacking and … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Encouragement, Cherishing, Christian Marriage, Encouraging Your Spouse, Growing Strong Marriages, Showing Honor | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Stop Chasing Squirrels

Posted on June 3, 2019 by

I love watching Tom do those things for which he is passionate, like lead our marriage community group. When someone asks him about their marriage he lights up and never fails to offer wise, biblically-based counsel. And the older he … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Encouragement, Christian Marriage, communication, Encouraging Your Spouse, Growing Strong Marriages | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Vintage Post – Five Sense Romance

Posted on May 31, 2019 by

I have shared this on our Only Wives section of the blog, but today I share it with you as part of our Five Friday Favorites series. These are five ways to romance your spouse using our five senses as … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, Encouraging Your Spouse, Growing Strong Marriages, romancing your husband, romancing your spouse, romancing your wife, Romantic Ideas | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Fine Line Between “We” and “Me”

Posted on May 20, 2019 by

It has happened more times than I can count since Tom and I have been married. We hear of another couple ending their marriage and it breaks our heart. Not only for the failure to keep their covenant before God … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Encouragement, Christian Marriage, Encouraging Your Spouse, Growing Strong Marriages, Troubled Marriage | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Five Friday Favorites – Keeping It Real

Posted on May 17, 2019 by

Normally these posts are lighthearted. We share with you some of our favorite moments or things we love. But today my heart is heavy for those facing extremely challenging circumstances–terminal illness, job loss, rebellious children, chronic pain. All of these … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Five Friday Favorites, Growing Strong Marriages | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

In Case Of Emergency

Posted on May 14, 2019 by

We have all had it occur at some point in our marriage. Life is going along as expected and then it happens. You receive a phone call, a knock on the door or you hear a your child crying. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Encouragement, Christian Marriage, Difficulty, Encouraging Your Spouse, Growing Strong Marriages | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

10 Ways To Make The Most Of Vacations

Posted on May 6, 2019 by

Vacation. Staycation. These are both necessary ways to relax and regroup. But it takes intentionality to pull away even while away. Today we offer 10 ways to purpose to make the most of a vacation. Limit time on all devices. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, Growing Strong Marriages, Travel, Vacations | Tagged , | 8 Comments

When Nothing Is Something

Posted on April 30, 2019 by

I’ve done this more times than I can count. Tom walks in and notices something is bothering me. He asks, “What’s wrong?” To which I reply, “Nothing.” There are two possible reasons I give this answer. I am feeling sad, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Marriage, communication, Conflict, Growing Strong Marriages, Keeping It Real | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

In Or Out Of Control

Posted on April 28, 2019 by

There are some things you can control and some you can’t. And sometimes what you thought you could control, you find out the hard way that you never could. Ever been there? We all have, if we’re honest. I grew … Continue reading →

Posted in April 2019, Christian Marriage, Conflict, Difficulty, Growing Strong Marriages, Ultimate Blog Challenge | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments