Marriage

How to be Happy with a Less-Than-Perfect Marriage

June 10, 2021

MY MISTAKE When I served as a minister to single adults, I’m afraid I made a serious mistake. No, I didn’t have an illicit relationship with someone or misappropriate funds. And I didn’t teach some sort of religious heresy. What I did was teach single adults how to build good relationships by understanding their past […]

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Being Married is Like Playing Poker

June 3, 2021

I’M NOT A GAMBLER I’m not much of a gambler. Never have been. It’s not that I have some moral stance against gambling. I’ve just never felt the need to unnecessarily risk money I already have on the slight possibility I might win more. But, one day I found myself watching a professional poker tournament […]

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Some Things About Growing Old Together…

May 27, 2021

THE ROMANTIC When people (particularly young people) are getting married, they post things on social media like… “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” “You will always be my forever friend.” “I look forward to growing old with you.” And I’ll admit that in weddings I officiate, I often challenge […]

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How to Love Two Spouses

May 20, 2021

No, this post is not about polygamy or sister wives. It’s just that sometimes it can feel like you’re married to two spouses at the same time; the one you fell in love with, and the one you didn’t. Let me explain by using a story from the ancient book of Genesis… A STORY Starting […]

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4 Simple Things That Will Improve Sex in Marriage

May 6, 2021

Maybe you’re in one of those rare marriages where sex is not a problem. Maybe you both agree on the when, where, and how of sex. If so, count yourself as fortunate. But most married couples wrestle with sex. (Pun intended!) WHY IS SEX SUCH A PROBLEM IN MARRIAGE? You’d think that something as fundamental […]

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Where is Your Home…Really?

April 29, 2021

I was driving to work one morning in a bit of a funk. It had been a long and taxing week and I was just feeling a little…blah! I had my favorites playlist on shuffle when a song pulled me out of my fog. Actually, it was the following line that captured my attention… “This […]

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Not Another Marriage List!

April 22, 2021

We’ve all seen them. They’re in the magazines that line the grocery store check-out aisles. They’re scattered throughout our social media feeds. They are written by academics, psychologists, and freelance writers. And they have titles that dare us to see how we measure up. What are they? They are those lists of characteristics that supposedly […]

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A Small Surprise Makes a Big Impact

April 15, 2021

In the spirit of full disclosure, let me say this is a post I need to take to heart as much as anyone. Just ask my spouse.  A STORY Not long ago, a friend of mine told me that in the spring he likes to go mushroom hunting. It piqued my interest because this is […]

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How to Spot an Immature Spouse

April 8, 2021

This is my wedding photo. When I look at this photo, I can’t help but notice how young and immature I was. I was only 21 years old. I was a country boy who had hardly been out of the county in which I lived. I had little education. I had never seen a wedding, […]

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UPS Can Clear Up Your Communication

April 1, 2021

IT’S NOT A LACK OF COMMUNICATION You’ve heard it a million times. “Communication is the key to a good marriage.” This cliché statement has caused many an eye-roll in marriage, but here’s the problem…there’s communication in every marriage. Even when you’re not saying anything, you’re saying something. It’s not a lack of communication that erodes […]

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