The husband's challenge!

In Ephesians 5:25-33, there is an example given to guide husbands as they interact with their wives. The example is that of Jesus laying down His life in order to do what is best for His Bride, the church. The term "church" was not intended to refer to buildings or religious organizations. The term church here refers to every person who becomes a born again follower of Jesus. This is personal for every follower of Jesus. He is involved in your life and has a plan to accomplish what is best for you from an eternal viewpoint. He has paid a high price to free us from bondage to the kingdom of darkness and now He goes to a lot of trouble to walk with us and care for us and bring us to higher, better places in our relationship with Him and our service for Him. He watches over us and takes care of us. What a great feeling!

Likewise, husbands are to relate to their wives in the same way. Husbands should be loving, caring, and understanding as we relate to our wives. Husbands are not to dominate and control their wives, but instead we should love and cherish them with honor and dignity. We should lift them up.

I know some of you are already thinking of all the things you would like to do for your wife but can't due to some uncontrollable obstacle. Stop worrying about that and focus your thoughts on what you are able to do today and plan to do it.

Some are thinking of buying some extravagant gift. Do not get trapped into thinking that wives are only focused on gifts and material things. What she really wants is your heart. If you can't afford to buy things, don't get depressed about it. Focus on giving her love, affection, and kindness. Things come and go. Focus on what really matters...love.

At this point some might be tempted to respond,"but what about me?", but in God's plan, caring for the woman will bring great rewards. We are rewarded by the reciprocated love of the wife and by the blessing of God on our families. This is an opportunity to impact our children and grandchildren with a wonderful example that will fill our family line with blessing!

Like great men through the ages, we can follow Jesus and make a difference that will have a positive impact for generations!

                  

   For more ideas to help boost your marriage, order our book, I Still Do.

Fan the flame without breaking the bank!

As I said last week, it is critical for married couples to put effort into keeping the flame of love and connection burning brightly. Without this effort, married life becomes dull, boring, monotonous, and difficult. For many, the lack of this attention to the flame brings a sense of loneliness. 

So I hope by now you have a plan for a special get away to focus on escaping the daily grind for a couple of days and focus on your mate during that time.

If you are thinking that this is out of reach due to a lack of money, let me offer a few ideas to help you. First of all, I'm sure you have seen the ads, yes they are annoying but try to get past that, for Priceline.com. In the past 6 months, we have used Priceline several times to save money and to be able to stay in much nicer places than we could have ever afforded. In our experience, we have been able to stay in 4 star super nice hotels for just $50.00 per night plus tax. These were incredible places. Ordinarily, I would have never even called these places because the rooms normally rent for over $175 per night. But, thanks to Priceline, we were able to afford it.  

Why plan a special getaway in a Motel 6 when you could stay at the Hilton for the same price or maybe less?! Believe me it makes a difference!

The key to Priceline is to select the "name your own price" option, then select 3 star or better and the area you want , then put in your price and wait to see if they accept it. If your offer is refused, then simply raise it a few dollars and try again. Also, it seems to work better if you don't try to schedule your room too far in advance. I suppose they are more willing to accept your offer if they are looking at empty rooms for your requested nights and it seems unlikely that they will get them rented. The down side is that once you secure the room, there is no refund. This is not a problem if you plan well.  

Obviously, you could send the kids to the grandparents and plan a special time at home for free, but somehow the daily grind and undone chores and home maintenance issues have a way of distracting you away from your mate.

Remember, the key to this is to set aside time to remember all the good and loveable qualities about the person you married. This is a time to focus on lifting up and enjoying your mate. Put some thought and effort into it. Don't simply plan to go out to eat and sit in silence. Don't default to simply watching television. This is not a time to have endless discussions about problems and challenges. This is a time for long walks, affection, hand holding, eye contact, silly jokes, hugs and kisses, uplifting words, love notes, expressions of thanks, and other good things. Make sure to forgive any grudges you have been holding before you leave home!

Every couple needs to do some form of this at least a couple of times every year.

Begin to anticipate a renewed connection today!  

                  

   For more ideas to help boost your marriage, order our book, I Still Do.

Boost the connection in your marriage

One of the struggles of marriage is to keep that deep sense of connection and romance between husband and wife.  

Many couples fail to see the importance of fighting for this and eventually end up in serious trouble. Most of the time, they say things like,"We just grew apart", "We fell out of love", or We just weren't happy any more". Don't let that happen to you! If it is already beginning to creep in...take action as soon as possible!

The problem is that over the long haul, love gets squeezed by work, bills, childcare responsibilities, hurts and disappointments in life, illness, loss of loved ones, and a host of other real life events that drain the fun and pleasure out of a relationship if you are not careful.   

Long term marriages need regular doses of meaningful conversation, enjoyable bonding experiences, laughter, affection, and down times from the daily grind. However, these ingredients must be deliberately planned and added to your schedule...especially when life is tough.

Start today. Begin to plan a special getaway with your husband/wife. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Pick a date within the next month and commit to it. 
• Plan to go somewhere you have never been or somewhere you enjoy, but haven't been in a while. Keep it simple enough to pull off in the next few weeks. 
• Set a budget that is comfortable. I will have some budget helping ideas next week. 
• Plan on leaving the children with someone you really trust. Refuse to feel guilty, your children need their parents to keep the flame of love burning.  
•  Plan on having fun. Maybe you could try something adventurous like white water rafting, gem hunting, hiking, or something else that is out of your "boring routine". 
• Plan on doing something special for your mate.
• Plan to be extra courteous, extra affectionate, and extra pleasant to be around.

Begin to anticipate a renewed connection today! 

                  

   For more ideas to help boost your marriage, order our book, I Still Do.

Supermom

For several decades the term "Supermom" has been used to refer to the enormous weight of responsibility placed on Mom. This term generally refers to her ability to balance the many tasks that raising a family involves. The term actually was intended to call attention to the fact that Mom is a vital task doer in the family and should be appreciated and I completely agree.

However, "Supermom" should also be used to  recognize and appreciate the God given qualities that Mom brings to the family. God has blessed Moms with a powerful gift to shape and impact her children for life. Winston Churchill once said that he was the man he was because of the influence of his Mom. Abraham Lincoln credits his step mother with instilling in him a desire to learn. It's true that the hand that rocks the cradle truly does rule the world.

Mom's constant love, commitment, support, and encouragement plant a sense of value and worth deep in the heart of a child. This deposit carries that child through life. Mom's love creates a sense of well being and belonging that makes a child feel whole and valuable. The absence of that sends a person on a lifelong quest to fill that void and fills them with doubts about their worth as a person. The lack of Mom's love makes it difficult to give and receive love. Who could assign a value to the hugs, kisses, and lessons taught and role modeled by Mom? Priceless!  

Mom is so much more than a multi- tasker. Mom is a person gifted by God with a powerful gift of love to pour into her children to help them enter life whole and ready to face the obstacles they will face. Moms, don't get so caught up in all the tasks and responsibilities that you forget to do the most important thing...nurture your children. God has given you a special gift to give them.

        Happy Mother's Day!     

             

   For more ideas to help boost your marriage, order our book, I Still Do.

Tides

Many people become disappointed in marriage because they are unprepared for the realities that married life bring. This disappointment leads to a lot of time spent thinking and talking about how unhappy they are in the marriage. Too often, this leads to a decision to abandon the marriage to seek happiness...which is seldom found under such circumstances.

Life, like the ocean, has tides. These tides are marked by change and the need to adjust to the change like a sailor adjusts to the rise and fall of the ocean. Married life is filled with change. There is the change brought on by establishing homes, changing jobs, moving to a new community, pregnancy, raising children, aging of parents, anticipation of an empty nest, an actual empty nest, the marriage of children, the arrival of grandchildren, our own aging,and a myriad of other changes. All of this is further complicated by the ever changing landscape of the world's economy and unrest. Our lives are filled with seasons when we are riding high and seasons when we wonder if we will be crashed onto the rocks.

Our problem is that we expect to always be riding high. It is normal to want this, but it simply won't happen. The key is to stick together through the low tides so we can enjoy the high tides together.

Here are a few helpful ideas to help you through the low tides:

• Spend time enjoying the memories of the high tides together. Reminisce together. 
• Encourage each other to expect God to send more high tides.
• Refuse to waste your energy looking for someone to blame for the low tide.
• If you can do something to help change the situation...do it.
• Make an effort to be a blessing to your mate. Show them that you are the best person for them to ride the tides with.
• Refuse to look for happiness outside the marriage. There are tides there also.
• Put some effort into lifting up your mate. After all, you are in this together. Do all you can to pour love on your mate during this difficult time.
• Pray together asking God to change the situation.
• Don't forget to give your mate lots of affection and encouraging words. He/she needs it more than ever now.
• Focus on helping your mate rather than  yourself.
• Remember, this is just life and stuff. What really matters is love, faith, and family.  

             Love never fails! 

      

   For more ideas to help boost your marriage, order our book, I Still Do.

Take it easy!

Sometimes in marriage, one partner will develop a habit of being chronically critical and highly perfectionistic toward their mate. We have seen this take on many forms. Once we knew a husband who had strict rules for how the clothes should be folded and would re-fold the clothes if the wife had gotten it wrong...with a lot of negative words and attitude thrown in. We knew a husband who inspected the cleanliness of the house every day when he got home from work and nearly always scolded his wife as he "fixed the spots she missed." We have known wives who had constant complaints about the way their husbands dressed, talked, drove the car, parented the children, earned a paycheck, entered the house, and anything else imaginable. This is a habit that is very destructive to a marriage.

At the root of this behavior is a desire to control the marriage partner for power in the relationship. These people often say that they can't help it, but it is noteworthy that most of them are able to function around others without imposing all these rules. It is nearly always a ploy to keep their marriage partner working for approval and working to keep from rocking the boat. Another way of saying it is that these people can control the relationship by keeping their mate "walking on eggshells" around them.

Is your mate always stressed out about "setting you off"? If you are this kind of person, realize that you are operating out of fear and selfishness rather than love. Love is a servant not a master. Love is giving not demanding. Love encourages. Love attracts. Chronic criticizing repels.This becomes a habit, so it will be difficult to break, but with prayer and a solid decision to do so it can be done. Start by asking for God's forgiveness and help in changing. Then, ask for your mate's forgiveness and tell your mate of your intention to change.

If you are married to this kind of person, ask  God to give you wisdom, then begin a discussion about this. Let your mate know that you love him/her and want to make them happy without being manipulated into it. Explain how difficult it is to "walk on eggshells" and ask your mate to relate to you in love. Your mate will have to know that this behavior is no longer acceptable.

Many couples eventually divorce because of this type of interaction. Others may choose not to divorce, but will learn to live very separate lives with as little interaction as possible. This is very much like a divorce.  

This pattern of living always affects the children and extended family. The one who usually loses the most is the one who is demanding and difficult in their desperate attempts to control the marriage.  

Today is a great day to begin the process of change!  

Real Love is easy to be around!   

                      

   For more ideas to help boost your marriage, order our book, I Still Do.

Loose lips sink ships!

 

During World War II, the military coined the phrase, "Loose lips sink ships" to remind military personnel and civilians that talking about troop movements could result in a spy hearing and reporting the information to the enemy which could result in the destruction of U.S. ships and soldiers. In fact, they built a whole campaign around this slogan complete with posters and ads.
In marriage the same principle is true. Marriage is a relationship that carries the highest level of trust and vulnerability. In marriage, each person has a front row seat to every aspect of the person to whom they are married. Your mate knows you like none other. In other words, they know all the things you want to hide when trying to put your best foot forward. You trust your mate to be careful with this knowledge as you realize you need to be careful with this same knowledge about your mate.
Normally, this is not a big deal. However every marriage has periods of conflict, disappointment, frustration, irritation, and the like. It is in these times that people are tempted to share their side of the issue with family members or friends. This practice seems to be growing with the advent of social media which is encouraging people to be more open about everything.
The problem is that while most couples will tend to work through the problem, forgive each other, and make up heading once again toward "happily ever after," the people who know about the problem will be left with a bad opinion of your mate. They will have a very difficult time looking past the hurt shared with them.
Every couple is influenced to some degree by those close to them. If that group has their opinion of your mate polluted by the sharing of a stream of negativity, then naturally they will begin to encourage you to end the marriage or retaliate against your mate. Every time you go back to them with a complaint against your mate they will remind you of the entire list and build a case against your mate. If you refuse to follow their urging, you will eventually find yourself in a strained relationship with them. For these reasons, people outside the marriage should never be given intimate information about the struggles inside the marriage. It is bad for everyone. Here are some tips to help decide what is inappropriate to share:

• Never spread embarrassing facts about your mate.
• Never spread the details of an argument.
• Never spread anything that would make the hearer think less of your mate.
• Everyone has faults and weaknesses that the world has not seen, never spread those.
• Never say anything that you would not want told about you.
• Never vent anger at your mate to another person...talk it through to God and then go back to your mate.
• Never make cutting or demeaning remarks about your mate to others.
• Never, Ever post any aspect of an argument on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media. 
• If your mate is engaged in an addiction, violence, adultery, abusing your children, or illegal activity, speak to your pastor or a Christian counselor to receive support and guidance.

Loose lips sink ships and.... 

                 Real Love always protects!    

   For more ideas to help boost your marriage, order our book, I Still Do.

A better angle!

We are probably aware of the importance of having the right angle of sight  when making decisions about events. Many a first down, touch down, "safe" base call and home run have been impacted by the right angle of sight of the referee or umpire...or camera. It's amazing how the angle from which we view something can completely change our understanding of the event. It is important to find the right angle.    The same is true in all areas of our lives...especially marriage. If we see our mate from an angle of hurt, disappointment, anger, self - centeredness, or defensiveness, then we will be looking for the negative we expect to find. Guess what we will find...more disappointment that reinforces our negative theory. This is a cycle that has cost many a person their marriage. It becomes like the proverbial snow ball rolling down the mountain.
What we perceive is negative and hurtful and we don't have the benefit of the instant replay so we chalk up another "you're OUT" when maybe it was just our mate being different from us in their approach to life. Most of the time, hurts in marriage are not intentional. They are part of the need to engage the process of learning to live together in an understanding way.
Unfortunately, we can become so entrenched in our need to be "right" about our mate's flaws and so entitled to an apology and a promise to change that we lose sight of what's important...our mate. This can quickly become a tug of war that creates isolation, hurt, distance, pain, and loneliness in the relationship.
Many times we spend years thinking that our marriage would be fulfilling if only our mate would change into a better person, but maybe what we need to do is get a better angle to view our mate from...after all the only person I can change is ME.
He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it. Proverbs 11:27 NIV
I believe that we find what we look for. If we look for something disappointing, we find it. If we look for something to be thankful for, we find it. (also see Philippians 4:8). Don't you want your mate to expect good things from you? Don't you want your mate to believe that you would never intentionally do anything to hurt or disappoint them? Give your mate the same. Stop the negative cycle this week. Get a better angle of sight to your mate!