Blog

The Marriage Workout: How Muscles Work

Mon, 13 May 2013 05:06:25 +0100

I've been blessed with a bad memory. What? Bad=blessed? How do you figure? Last Wednesday, some out-of-town friends of mine, known as the Esther Melody Band, came to visit us from Nashville, TN. I hadn't seen them in 3 years, since I first met them at the GMA event, but I couldn't get time off during the work day to hang. During our time of acquaintance, I collaborated with them on a few minor projects, and we checked in with each other several times a year, staying pretty in-touch for people...

The Marriage Workout: Asking the Body-Building Experts

Sat, 04 May 2013 21:05:29 +0100

Welcome back to the Marriage Workout Series. This week, I decided that I was going to learn how to do pull-ups. So I got a pull-up tracking app. I needed to learn some technique for beginners, so I let the app direct me to youtube for "how to do pull-ups."And then, it was as if the clouds parted, and through the glare... I saw that I had found... Scooby. This 3,485-pound mass of muscle is a gem, with a fantastic voice-appearance mismatch to boost. I suspect his super-attractive hat is to dis...

The Marriage Workout: Exercise 1

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:03:08 +0100

Hans: I am Hans!Franz: And I am Franz!H&F: And we are here to PUMP... YOU UP! Welcome back Marriagelings!This week's muscle group: Grace and mercy. Contrary to popular opinion, these two muscles, although similar, are not exactly the same. They are exercised in the same spirit, but from different attitudes....

The Marriage Workout: New Series

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 04:20:39 +0100

39 days and counting. Til our cruise, that is! The first vacation my wife and I have taken BY OURSELVES since our honeymoon, and since we had our daughter (now 3 years old). Finally, we're off to a location that's not our hometown and that's also not occupied with parents (or their kids). Needless to say, we're pretty stoked. But I can't go on a week-long cruise to the Caribbean looking like a girly-stick boy who just came home from Junior-year English class... So I found some resources in...

"He Came to Set Us Free!"

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 21:13:56 +0100

(For context, read "Healing from Abuse: When Jesus Holds You."

I still go back to that lie I believed, unaware of how deeply it impacted me.

Healing from Abuse: When Jesus Holds You

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:42:56 +0100

(For background, read "What You Don't Know: Part 1.")

At the time, I was mostly stunned.

Stunned by the amount of sewage in my life.

What You Don't Know - Part 1

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 17:25:27 +0100

I never really understood the line, “what you don’t know can’t hurt you”, but I also never gave much thought to it. That is until I realized that what you don’t know can, and often times will, hurt you.

The Gift of Suffering

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:12:12 +0100

You've passed the point of no return. Last blog's cliffhanger left us on the precipice of being hurt in your marriage.

Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:26:59 +0100

Do you remember the moment you met your spouse, your first kiss, your first date, your wedding, the first time you made love, had a baby, bought a house, etc.?...

When All You Can Do Is...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:46:55 +0100

Have you been at that place of desperation in your marriage or in your life when almost all seems hopeless? ...

Matrimonial Legacy, Part 2

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:13:06 +0100

As many of you read, I recently lost my sister to a tragic car accident on Thanksgiving Day.

Life and Death

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:53:45 +0100

God has a way of changing our direction, and turning our minds toward the thoughts He wants, in His timing and design....

Marital Legacy: How Will Your Marriage Be Remembered?

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:12:47 +0100

Steve Jobs died on October 15th, 2011, only one day after the company he founded launched yet another revolutionary product into the world of mobile technology. He was 56 years old, a multi-billionaire, the founder of Apple, Inc., and one of the most iconic business personalities and inspirational technology leaders in the world. If you were to ask anyone who follows tech news what Steve Jobs' legacy looks like, and you gave them a small list of images to choose from, most of them would probably...

Disney On My Shoes

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 23:33:21 +0100

[The narrative I am about to relay to you has been repeated by millions of people throughout the U.S. and the world, except maybe for my final commentary (read to the end).] My wife (and her folks) and daughter and I had just finished a week long vacation in Orlando, Florida, spending 4 entire days at different Disney and Universal parks: Tuesday: Disney's Magic Kingdom (with baby) Wednesday: Universal Studios (just us) Thursday: Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (with friends, no baby...

Playing in the Toilet

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 22:10:48 +0100

It was Daddy's weekend. I was home alone with our 18 month old, trying to sleep in on a Saturday morning. Mommy was off on a well-deserved girls' trip with her friends, and it was my job to keep the child fed, bathed and entertained for three days, all by myself. Things were going well. She had gone to bed easily that Friday night, and I got several chores done after she was asleep. Saturday morning, however, I awoke to the sound of water. Have you ever awoken to the sound of something that...

Kids: The Great Marriage Apocalypse? Part 3:

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:43:54 +0100

Keeping Physically Intimate (The Marriage Bank) The representative from my office’s 401(k) investment plan came to talk about our portfolios the other day. He talked about different investment packages, which kind of companies they included, how they pay their dividends, and their respective percentages of return. He began the “diversify your investments” speech when it hit me: Marriages work the same way......

What Pornography Has Done to Us All

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This day in age, pornography has become more and more acceptable. Traditionally, men were the ones that would more regularly view pornography; therefore, women were the ones exposing their bodies. While the scale still falls to this side, it has begun to balance out in recent years, so that pornography is no longer simply men viewing women. In fact, homosexual pornography and child pornography are all on the rise. A few statistics for you, just to put things into perspective: "90 percent o...

Kids: The Great Marriage Apocalypse? Part 2

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 05:37:22 +0100

“This is supposed to be an amazing time, full of wonder and amazement at the new blessing God’s given us!” you exclaim, as you look at the bags under your eyes in the mirror, and wonder why you just yelled at your spouse for not loading the dishwasher “correctly.” So besides your parents and pastors telling you, “Everything changes when you have a kid,” (which is generic and practically useless), what are the real problems and how do I overcome them?...

Newton's Law Applies to You and Me

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:23:08 +0100

Newton’s law states: For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.We can easily accept that this applies to objects in physics. We have a hard time believing that this applies to us, especially in other realms besides the physical (e.g. Emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual). However, I hope that what has been lost will quickly be found....

Kids: The Great Marriage Apocalypse?

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:22:32 +0100

Part 1: Staying Spiritually Synchronized Wives: You’ve gone through nine months of pregnancy, morning sickness, cramps, swelling, weird cravings, difficulty sleeping (and waking), and getting very, very pregnant… And husbands: Hopefully you’ve gone through it with her as much as physically, emotionally, and spiritually is possible. You’ve prepared all the essentials: baby room, baby clothes, baby cleaning supplies, baby food, baby carriers, baby waste-disposal facilities, and probab...

How Knowing Your Past Ensures a Better Future

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:06:28 +0100

We have all heard the saying: “You have to know where you’ve come from before you can know where you are going.” I think there is a lot of truth in this, so I’ve decided to take an introspective and reflective look at where I came from and see what, if anything, I can learn from my past. As I do, I venture to guess that you’ll be able to follow me and learn from your past as well. Then, hopefully, we can all have a better future in knowing where we are heading....

Compulsive Spending in America: Don't Let It Weigh You Down!

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:38:17 +0100

Today we often hear about debt and compulsive spenders. But how much do we really know about these potential problems in today's society? Yes, we know that our government is out of control when it comes to spending, but what about everyday Americans? Are we compulsive spenders? What kind of people get into debt and can't seem to stop this urge to spend? Finally, what can be done about it?...

Marital Advice to Bring You & Your Spouse Success!

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:59:35 +0100

This marital advice article looks at four different groups of married or previously married couples to find what characteristics contribute to marital success and inversely to marital discord, in order to help you have a better marriage. The greater purpose of this article is to contribute findings that are beneficial to marriages to result in more marital success for all....

Relational Intimacy: Needed Now LIke Never Before

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 03:34:23 +0100

Today we face many challenges, but none are bigger than a lack of intimate relationships; I do not mean physical intimacy but relational and emotional intimacy, which is characterized by love and trust. This is the type of intimacy we truly long for and need in all our primary relationships: God, marriage, family, and friends....

The New Online Society: Social Networking on the Rise

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:18:44 +0100

There is a significant change taking place in our world today; it is the rise of social networking. Social networking is propelling exponentially and has changed the face of human interaction. Facebook now has more than 500 million active users and together these users spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. These stats are astonishing, considering Facebook only began in 2004. Additionally, there are hundreds of other social networking sites, each with at least thousands and...

Forgiveness: What It Is and Isn't

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:24:36 +0100

With all the problems in this world, along with the mistakes each of us make throughout our life, the need to forgive arises almost daily. However, forgiveness is often misunderstood and therefore, many times, it is not properly applied. So knowing what forgiveness is and isn't is of tremendous importance and can bring you and those you love to the light of a new day....

Our Story Part 2: From Tragedy to Triumph

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:51:33 +0100

By no means should the title of this post suggest to you that we have arrived. But, as I mentioned in a previous post titled Our Story: Reflecting on Reality, we have seen much good come from the suffering we have endured and even found our pain to be worthwhile. In fact, from a certain point of view, we have seen miracles....

Balance: A Relationship Must

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 03:59:15 +0100

Thankfully, balance is something that often occurs naturally in our world. You don't have to look very far. Your body constantly seeks to be at homeostasis, which is simply just a balance of your body's mechanisms. Likewise, in nature, we can see balance at work in how the honey bee feeds itself on the nectar of flowers, yet at the same time it pollinates the plant, giving life to another generation of beauty. Balance is quite fascinating because it is a wonderful, life-giving thing that ...

Our Story: Reflecting on Marital Expectations and Reality

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:59:56 +0100

Last time, I shared with you a little about our beginnings, so now, I'll take a moment to update you on what has happened in our relationship since reality has set in....

The Greatest Opportunity On Earth

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:39:57 +0100

What opportunity is constantly before us? In America, opportunity has become everything. Opportunity is why millions of people have left their native land to immigrate to the U.S. However, I suggest to you today that opportunity has been before many of them for years prior, and this opportunity is before many of us today as well....

Outdoor Lessons: Marital Commitment, Communication, and Intimacy

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:51:43 +0100

Whoever knew that three pieces of rock climbing equipment would mean so much to a marriage? One of our tenets at Rock Your Marriage is that a couple needs to be healthy and strong themselves before they can truly have a positive impact on other couples or their community at large. To promote this I have a few lessons for your marriage, taken from a recent couples climbing experience....

The Beginning of Lifelong Memories

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:59:46 +0100

To start things off, I figure introductions are appropriate--not professional introductions but personal/relational ones....