How to Complain Without Criticizing Your Spouse

Many married couples are unable to resolve their conflicts because of one primary factor: they don't understand the difference between complaining and criticizing. This is such a crucial distinction to understand when we are trying to work through problems. All of us need the freedom to complain to our spouse. We also need to make sure our spouse knows they have the right to complain to us. In a healthy... read more

Technology Could Be Sabotaging Your Marriage

Addiction. It's a fairly off-putting word, isn't it? Combine it with other value-charged words such as alcohol, drugs or sex, and it becomes even more forceful. But have you ever heard the phrases "technology addiction," and "information addiction," or even the more widely used term, "internet addiction"? These phrases may not sound as offensive, but the words represent conditions that are causing very severe... read more

God Redeems Your Scars

James and Kyla seemed like the perfect couple. He was a successful architect. She was an ophthalmologist who put her career on hold to raise their children. They had a nice house in the suburbs and appeared to have a wonderful marriage. But when Kyla first came to me for a counseling session, she told me they were near divorce. She had fallen out of love with James, who seemed to value his work more than he... read more

When You Expect Your Spouse to Read Your Mind

When You Expect Your Spouse to Read Your Mind   By Ashley Willis   When Dave and I got married, I made a really silly assumption. I honestly assumed that the longer we were married, the less words we'd have to share. We would just know what the other was going to say before he or she ever said it. We would be so in sync that glances and body language would just say it all. We would pretty much be... read more

Physical Barriers to Healthy Sex

There are two dangerous extremes in our society today related to our bodies and sex. The first is the drive for physical perfection, which causes many people to pursue unhealthy extremes to try to make themselves more attractive. Related to this are spouses who hold their mates to unrealistic physical standards. Not long ago, I counseled a separated couple who were verging on divorce. The husband constantly... read more

Your Powerful Impact on Your Home Environment

I love the story in the fourth chapter of Mark's Gospel about a time when Jesus and the disciples encountered a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had been teaching along the water's edge. When evening came, He and the disciples departed in a boat for the other side of the lake. During the crossing, a furious squall erupted. Waves broke over the boat. The disciples feared the boat would capsize and they would... read more

Should a Husband and Wife Have Separate Bank Accounts?

Should a Husband and Wife Have Separate Bank Accounts?   By Ashley Willis   Money is one the biggest issues that couples deal with in marriage. And, one major decision that spouses often ponder is whether or not they should keep separate bank accounts or share their funds in one account together. Below are some important things to consider when making this decision. This first one will remind you... read more

How to Have a Marriage that Lasts

Marriage is a covenant. In the Bible, the word covenant means "to cut." You don't make a covenant, you cut a covenant. Every time a covenant appears in the Bible, blood is involved. Jesus said, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). That means sacrifice is central to the idea of a covenant. It is a sacrificial, permanent relationship. The... read more