Category

Communication

Feb 13
9

Strengthening the Intimacy in Your Relationship

By | Communication, Marriage, Scripture | 19 Comments

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Intimacy is the soul-to-soul and heart-to-heart connection that a couple has between them. It’s the defining moment in a relationship where you truly get each other. However, intimacy is fluid in a marriage. It’s easy to get distracted…

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Feb 06
4

How to Keep Romance Alive in Your Marriage

By | Communication, Marriage | 5 Comments

“Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine.” —Song of Solomon 1:2 With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching romance is often a topic on our minds. But how do you keep the romance alive after years of marriage? It’s not a surprise that we all go through different seasons of marriage. Some weeks, months, or even years, are harder and less romantic than others. This is normal and can take some work to rekindle the flame, but you can get through it. If you work hard at keeping the romance alive, it will be a game…

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Jan 30
13

Relationship Woes: How to Turn a Negative Attitude Around

By | Communication, Self Reflection | 3 Comments

“All that you achieve and all that you fail to achieve is the direct result of your own thoughts.” -James Allen Most everyone has experienced a bad attitude in their relationship. Believe it or not, there are ways you can turn this negativity around. After all, we aren’t born with bad attitudes – they are developed in our minds over time. With effort, we can protect ourselves against the bad attitude disease. There is no simple procedure to eliminating bad attitudes forever, but there are ways you can take a negative attitude and nip it in the bud. Today, we…

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Jan 23
7

Communication: The Most Important Skill to Have in a Relationship

By | Communication | 4 Comments

It’s no secret. The most important skill you can have in any relationship, especially a marriage, is communication. Experts agree that if you want to have a healthy relationship you need to learn how to communicate well. Communication is the foundation to getting connected and creating intimacy. And in order to have this intimate connection with your partner, it’s crucial that you have good communication skills. It’s mystifying sometimes when you want to connect, and are ready to, yet your communication suddenly breaks down and you don’t know why. Today we want to discuss two fundamental skills in communication that…

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Jan 16
9

Why Celebrating Your Spouse is Important: Part 2

By | Communication | 2 Comments

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” – William Shakespeare Last week we started our two-part series on how celebrating our spouse can sculpt a positive marriage. By saying positive comments, celebrating good news, and creating an awe wall, you will be well on your way to reinforcing a happy relationship. When we celebrate each other we feel closer, happier, and more secure in ourselves and our relationship. This week, we want to discuss an additional three ways that you can celebrate your spouse. 4. Don’t neglect the celebration of sex There’s no dancing around this topic,…

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Jan 09
10

Why Celebrating Your Spouse is Important: Part 1

By | Communication | 11 Comments

“There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” – Alexander Woolcott Have you ever felt like a part of you was imprisoned or undiscovered in your marriage? Or perhaps your spouse isn’t recognizing all parts of you? And on the contrary – maybe you aren’t recognizing your spouse? Researchers often refer to couples who “sculpt” each other. Both positive and negative moments can take an effect on your relationship by reinforcing patterns both good and bad. This “sculpting” can either reveal more of your partner by celebrating who they are, or if you are negative (or…

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Jan 02
2

How to Listen With The Third Ear

By | Communication | 12 Comments

The first duty of love in any relationship is to listen. When we are heard we feel known, loved and understood. Listening is an essential ingredient in good communication. But in order to be a good listener, you need to learn how to listen with the third ear. By doing this, you don’t just listen to the actual words that are spoken, you learn to feel the emotions that flow within the conversation as well. So how can you learn to listen with the third ear? Tune in to the message beneath the words If you can hear, you can…

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Dec 19
0

Spender or Saver? How to Compromise With Your Spouse This Holiday Season

By | Communication, Conflict | 3 Comments

Holiday season is upon us and gift giving is in full swing. But what happens when you and your spouse disagree on how much is too much? Perhaps you’d like to give your kids or a loved one a gift that your spouse finds is over the top. Or vise-versa, your spouse prefers to spend but you prefer you stick to a strict budget. Everyone expresses love in their own unique way, and for some people gift giving is the best way they know how to give and receive love. In fact, did you know that most relationships have a…

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Dec 05
1

Planning Your Wedding Part 3: Constructively Resolving Conflict

By | Communication, Conflict, In-laws & Family | 2 Comments

It’s common for family members to clash with the engaged couple (or one another) during a busy season of wedding planning. Weddings seem to provide endless opportunities for families to squabble about traditions, decor, music, and other minutiae down to the smallest details. Unfortunately, family members do this to the detriment of peace, and the bride and groom’s happiness. Last week in part 2, we talked about the importance of boundaries–and how having strong boundaries can make your wedding planning process more enjoyable. But even with the healthiest of boundaries in place, conflict can still arise. It’s incredibly uncomfortable and…

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Nov 28
4

Planning Your Wedding Part 2: Establishing Healthy Boundaries with Family

By | Communication, In-laws & Family | 2 Comments

Boundaries are critically important in marriage. They protect you as a couple from negative outside influences, helping you to strengthen and maintain a healthy relationship from within. If you don’t have boundaries yet, you need to have a discussion with your fiance about what those boundaries need to entail. The wedding planning season isn’t the easiest time to enact boundaries, but if you don’t already have them as a couple, it’s a good time to establish them. That’s because planning your wedding is one of your first big opportunities to exercise boundaries. While the two of you attempt to plan…

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