Oct 12
Love0
Couple tracking money together

How to Stress Less About Money in Your Marriage

By Conflict, Marriage 2 Comments

Money is one of the most common topics married couples fight about. If managing money is stressful for you, then it can take a toll on your relationship. Since you can’t escape financial discussions, how can you handle the topic without getting grouchy or arguing? Luckily, there are ways to make money conversations less stressful and more productive for both of you. In this post, we’re sharing some tips to help you and your spouse handle money talks in a healthier way. Consider how you both feel about money. It’s a good idea to take a step back and think…

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Oct 05
Love0

When Conflict Gets Messy in Marriage

By Conflict One Comment

“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford We often talk about how fighting a “good fight” can actually bring spouses closer together. A well-managed conflict can shed light on areas of your relationship that need strengthening. It also gives the two of you a chance to solve problems as a team. But sometimes, conflict gets messy. We might fail to listen to our spouse, say hurtful things, or otherwise escalate a solvable issue. When this happens, you both need to know how to take a step back, then take steps to…

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Sep 28
Love0

Why It’s Time for an Attitude Check-Up

By Self Reflection 2 Comments

Leslie and I (Les) once took a flight on a Cessna plane after a retreat in northwestern Washington state’s San Juan Islands. We began the flight nervous, having never flown in such a small aircraft. As we soared over the beautiful Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound, our fear dissolved. During that flight, something the pilot said caught our attention: that the attitude of the plane, not the altitude, was the single most important aspect of landing safely. The plane’s attitude is related to the position of its nose as it comes in for a landing. Too high or low, and…

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Sep 21
Love0

5 Ways Self-Awareness Can Improve Your Marriage

By Marriage, Self Reflection No Comments

Are you and your spouse self-aware people? If not, cultivating self-awareness can improve both your individual health and the health of your marriage. Being self-aware is all about bringing your very best to your marriage because when you each show up at your strongest, you can accomplish so much more together. Want to know more about how self-awareness can improve your marriage? Read on. 1. Self-awareness promotes empathy and understanding. As you and your spouse develop self-awareness, you’ll be more likely to demonstrate empathy and understanding for one another. We like to say that self-awareness leads to better love. That’s…

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Sep 14
Love0

Emotional Health in Marriage: What You Need to Know

By Relationships, Self Reflection No Comments

If you and your spouse want to be healthy individuals in a thriving marriage, you’ll need to pay close attention to your emotional health. Along with spiritual and psychological wellbeing, your emotional health can greatly impact your marriage. In fact, these aspects of your health can affect all your relationships, for better or worse. Spiritual, psychological, and emotional health combined are attributes that help us feel a sense of significance and individual completeness. They also help us nurture selfless attitudes and happier, healthier relationships. Essentially, if you neglect to become healthy and whole on your own, you’ll spin your wheels…

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Sep 07
Love0

3 Ways to Better Understand Your Spouse’s Personality

By Marriage One Comment

Do you want to know your spouse on a deeper level? Gaining a greater understanding of your spouse’s personality (and vice versa) is one way to create more closeness in your marriage. Our inborn personalities are in our genes, and those distinct traits make up the building blocks of who we are. At the same time, the differences in our personalities can get in the way of our harmony from time to time. Misunderstandings and miscommunications can create friction in your marriage. But the good news is, when you know one another on a more intimate level, you’ll have higher…

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Aug 31
Love0
How to nurture spiritual significance in your marriage

How to Nurture Spiritual Significance in Your Marriage

By Intimacy, Scripture 2 Comments

We often talk about spiritual intimacy and how to grow closer to your spouse through shared spiritual practices. But what if you haven’t yet established the building blocks of spiritual intimacy? If you’re seeking spiritual significance in your marriage, how do you find and nurture it? There are many ways that you can go about connecting spiritually, both individually and as a couple. In fact, establishing greater spiritual health as individuals may help you establish a stronger relationship with one another. Either way, there are quite a few habits the two of you can build to bring a stronger sense…

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Aug 24
Love0

5 Tips for Blending Your Family Peacefully

By Marriage 4 Comments

Have you remarried recently, and are you blending your families? Are you planning to get remarried? Remarrying when one or both of you have children can be a complex journey to embark upon. A third of Americans today are part of a stepfamily structure. When both of a child’s parents remarry, that child has two entirely different immediate families to fit into. And that’s only one of the many possible issues and points of friction that remarriage can bring. At any given time, any member of a blended family can feel a wide spectrum of negative emotions. It’s not uncommon…

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Aug 17
Love0

How to Know If You’re Ready for Remarriage

By Engagement, Marriage 2 Comments

In our last post, we shared nine reasons why you shouldn’t rush into marriage or remarriage. Whether you’re getting married for the first time or remarrying after divorce or loss, committing to life with another person is a major step and must be taken with caution. When it comes to remarriage, in particular, there are a few important factors that help determine whether you’re ready to move forward. Even if you’ve thought, prayed, and planned extensively for your remarriage, how do you know whether the timing is right? Today, we’re going to talk about how to know you are ready…

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Aug 10
Love0
9 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Rush Into Marriage (or Remarriage)

9 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Rush Into Marriage (or Remarriage)

By Engagement, Marriage 2 Comments

Getting married–whether it’s your first marriage, or whether you’ve been married before–is a major step in your relationship and your life. It’s a decision that will have a ripple effect on your future. Because who you marry so deeply affects the trajectory of your life (and oftentimes, those around you), it’s not a decision you should rush into. There are many reasons why you should approach marriage in a measured, cautious manner. Let’s look at nine of the top reasons why. 1. You’re feeling intense outside pressure. It’s common for unmarried individuals to feel pressure to marry or remarry. Pressure…

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