Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Marriage Health”
All married couples face challenges and for those with one spouse (or both) in the military, those hurdles can seem insurmountable at times. Deborah Timson, Marriage Dynamics Institute’s executive director, understands this very well. Her husband is Bill Timson, who served for 9 1/2 years in the Marine Corps. Here’s their story: The Early Years Bill and Deborah met in …
The words we speak are powerful. You may be familiar with an illustration about bullying that has been widely circulated around the internet. A teacher instructed her students to take a piece of paper and crumple it, stomp on it, and really mess it up—everything short of ripping it. Then, she had them unfold the paper and try to smooth …
Balancing marriage and parenting is not for the faint of heart. For most of us, bringing home our first child introduces a whole new kind of love into our lives. Holding that newborn baby for the first time, we know we’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe and warm and happy. Yet we soon discover that bringing that little …
A happily married friend recently shared that when her kids were growing up, she asked her husband, “What in the world are we going to do together when they leave?” They began brainstorming for activities they could do together. He loved to go fishing; she had no interest. She loved seeing plays, but they bored him to tears. He enjoyed …
Defensiveness is a natural reaction. Everyone has heard a cat hiss or a dog growl when they sense a threat. Maybe you’ve even been the unfortunate victim of a skunk’s smelly defense mechanism. The Indonesian mimic octopus has quite an impressive defense system. This remarkable creature fools potential predators by impersonating other animals or objects. It can change its shape, …
Do you have trouble understanding what your spouse needs to feel loved? As soon as we were old enough to understand it, most of us were probably taught some version of “Do unto others as you’d have done to you.” The Golden Rule, as we call it, is a wise biblical principle to keep in mind as we deal with …
Our bodies require maintenance to stay healthy. Gardens need maintenance to grow. Cars need maintenance to run well. A business needs maintenance to be successful. Why should it be any different for marriages? Many couples have premarital counseling before tying the knot, which is great. But you’d never expect four or five workouts at age 22 to keep a person …
Thoughts on oil changes and marriage… When life is busy, it can be a pain to take time to get the oil changed in your vehicle (or to change it yourself, if you’re so inclined). But we do it anyway, because regular oil changes are necessary to keep the engine running well. Why is it so important? Because the oil …
Learning to Include God in Your Relationship You’ve probably heard it. Two’s company, and three’s a crowd. If someone says those words to you, you’ll probably get your feelings hurt. If you’re not up to snuff on idioms, it means if someone is having an A to B conversation, you can C your way out. In other words, they want …
Does this story sound familiar? You met the man or woman of your dreams. You went out for coffee or a meal and couldn’t believe how easy they were to talk to. The two of you began dating, and you felt so alive when you were with them. As time went on, you began to imagine what it would be …
