Got any special plans for Valentine’s Day this year? In this season, we often feel obligated to demonstrate feelings of love by purchasing things like candy and flowers, or even more expensive gifts. And while there’s certainly nothing wrong with giving and receiving gifts, there’s a lot more to real love than hearts and flowers. Love is powerful. It is …
A caterpillar hatches and eats non-stop for days. Then it spins a sac around its body and undergoes radical change, emerging in just a couple of weeks as a different creature. This transformation–from caterpillar to butterfly—is nothing short of a miracle. At Marriage Dynamics, we offer marriage courses that inspire transformation in marriage. What happens during a nine-week Dynamic Marriage …
Christmas is one of the most romantic times of year. At least that’s how it appears on Hallmark holiday movies and all the recent knock-offs. The plots are similar. Key characters are lonely. But there is a prospect for romance, either new or rekindled. Then some great challenge threatens to end the would-be couple’s relationship. But in the course of …
Now that Santa is in the rearview, we get down to the business of making that list and checking it twice. “What list?” you may be asking. The list you are composing–mentally, electronically, or on paper–of your top priorities for this new year. So what’s on your list? You might want to include one (or more) of these ideas to …
Are you ready for Christmas? Gifts bought? Wrapping done? Packages in the mail? It may seem like this extraordinary year has dragged on and on, and yet in other ways it has flown by. And now Christmas is almost here again. This season is all about connection. Because God connected with us in human form when he sent Jesus. And …
A legacy is something passed from one generation to the next. Often, we think of legacy in financial terms. But legacy is about more than just money. Over the past 25 years, generations of couples have participated in marriage courses and workshops offered through Marriage Dynamics Institute. And as lives and relationships change—as couples find joy, meaning and purpose …
When was the last time you called time-out? Perhaps your team needed to regroup before a big play. Or your toddler refused to follow directions. Are there times when conversation with your spouse starts as a discussion but turns into a heated argument? Maybe you found yourself thinking. “Somebody needs to call time-out.” Relationship expert John Gottman suggests how a …
When your marriage isn’t going well, should you look for marriage counseling? Or is it better to find a good marriage intensive, like a weekend marriage retreat? According to one veteran marriage therapist, both approaches serve useful purposes. But a marriage intensive can help speed up the counseling process. I tell my clients a marriage intensive will often allow them …
Question: How do you respond when you feel offended? Do you assume the worst and turn the offense over and over and in your mind, replaying the incident and reliving the hurt? Do you catalogue other offenses committed by the person in question, adding fuel to your resentment? Maintaining healthy relationships requires a willingness to forgive when we are offended. …
When you hear the words self-care what comes to mind? Perhaps you envision an aromatherapy candle burning, soft music, and a massage. Maybe you think of an early morning run, a quiet walk in the park, or a Saturday afternoon curled up with a good book. Self-care is the idea of taking responsibility for your own physical, mental, and emotional …
