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Storm-Proof Your Marriage
Who anticipates a season of drought followed by brushfires that strip the vegetation from the surrounding hills? This is the reality facing many in southern California. After the smoke cleared people took a breath. Thankfully, the worst was over . . . until it started to rain. No longer able to absorb water, the barren…
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One Thing You Have to Know for Great Communication in Marriage
She looked across the room at me with a combination of horror and anxiety which, frankly, seemed like an overreaction. After all, we had been married for three months and all I said was, “Let’s move to St. Petersburg, Russia.” That sounds fun, doesn’t it? Why all the fuss? And, why is she so negative…
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Romance: Dangerous Territory for Men . . . But, We Can Learn from you with a little help
For many husbands, a conversation about romance is like being in a foreign country and trying to ask someone on the street where the nearest bathroom is. It’s embarrassing and awkward. But maybe your husband writes love poems to you like this? She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And…
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103 Words of Affirmation Every Husband Wants to Hear
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. These sad words, penned by Thoreau, reveal how totally, desperately, yeah, that’s right, desperately your man needs you . . . that I need you, Lisa. I wonder, sometimes, if most women really understand that. Do you…
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102 Words of Affirmation Every Wife Wants to Hear
A while back I was speaking and asked for a show of hands, “How many of the wives have had too much affirmation over the past month?” Laughter broke out across the room. No, haven’t had too much of that. If Lisa is any indication, women often have the feeling that life is coming at…
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5 Things Happy Couples Do Very Well
“Things are going well but, we’re more like business partners than man and wife. We keep it together but it’s like we’re hardly even friends any more.” I was sorry to hear it but, like so many marriages, they were just getting by. Life can turn into a grind, even for a great marriage. Our…
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101 Words of Affirmation Every Child Wants to Hear
When it comes to parenting, affirmation isn’t the only thing . . . and it isn’t everything, but it is vital to the healthy emotional development of our children. To maintain a spirit of positive affirmation in our home, I have to focus on this need because it doesn’t always come naturally. Do you recognize…
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Who Is Your REAL Accountability Partner?
What should you tell “her” about the struggle you’re having? Like clockwork, at the annual men’s retreat the topic will inevitably come up, along with strategies for taming the monster. Before long, the speaker is advocating “getting real” with your “accountability partners” – that group of a few guys to whom you tell all. Now,…
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When Christian Leaders Fall . . . what to tell our Kids (and ourselves!)
It was late. We were extremely tired and drifting off to sleep. We have teenage daughters so everything was perfect for starting a deep conversation . . . knock, knock, knock. But, this time was different. “Can I come in?” The pleading urgency in her voice roused us instantly. Something was seriously wrong. “Sure, honey,…
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The Lifelong Habit of Pursuing Friendship
Date night . . . there’s a place not far from our house, Diego’s ~ Spirited Kitchen, that Lisa and I find our way to on a semi-regular basis for a few moments away. We don’t often order much, maybe a little avocado salsa fresca, but we just love to spend time together. It was…
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The Beautiful Habit of Enjoying Intimacy
FOR THE HUSBANDS What guy wants to sit around talking about “intimacy”? That’s just wrong. It’s not even a ‘guy’ word, is it? But bring up the word and after the discomfort subsides, for most guys the auto response is “Oh, you mean sex”. But, she doesn’t mean sex. Really, you’re joking, right honey? She’s…
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The Habit of Cherishing Her
I’ll never forget those eyes, dancing above the rim of her glass the moment I walked into the room, the first dance of many . . . wild and wonderful. There are . . . things that are too Wonderful for me . . . The way of a man with a maid (Proverbs 30:18,19)…
FAITHFUL MAN® 