I'm Part of the Sexual Harassment Crisis (and So are You) By Dave Willis Like most people, I’ve been watching the news lately with disappointment and disgust over the unending accounts of men in power sexually harassing and abusing women. It saddens me, but it doesn’t shock me. The reasons why it doesn’t shock me is that nearly all of us have been part of the problem and so it will take all... read more
4 Ways to Prevent a Disagreement from Becoming a Fight By Ashley Willis When we come together in marriage, we become one, but it doesn’t mean that we are going to agree on everything. In fact, you can pretty much guarantee disagreements simply based on the differences that come with being male and female and having different upbringings. We aren’t going to see eye to eye ALL the time, and... read more
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After experiencing many life hurts of my own and helping many others deal with pain, I believe the worst part of being hurt isn’t the direct, tangible pain. The worst consequence of being hurt is the message within the pain which is often subliminal and less obvious. You’ve probably heard of the novel or movie “The Horse Whisperer.” I often refer to the devil as “The Hurt Whisperer” because of the... read more
Life is difficult for many, many people—some more than others—but there are five emotional facts of life that are true for all of us. The first is that life hurts. Period. God never promised us a pain-free life. He promised that He would be there to heal us and help us in every circumstance, but that still means we may experience difficulties like failure, sin, death of loved ones, abuse, rejection, and... read more
God designed men and women with particular needs they are unable to meet on their own. He created marriage, in part, to allow husbands and wives to meet those needs for each other. A woman's greatest need is for security. Her most secure environment is one in which she is married to a sacrificial, sensitive man. The Bible describes that kind of husband in Ephesians 5:25. Paul writes, "Husbands, love your... read more
If your marriage is like most, it began with good communication. You got to know one another by spending time together. You talked and talked and talked. Communication is the essential element to every great marriage. Getting to know another human being requires talking. It's how we fall in love. It's how we understand another person's heart. It's how we resolve problems and discuss needs. It's so... read more
When I married Karen, I'll admit I was looking for a good woman who would serve me. That's what I thought a successful marriage was: finding someone to serve you. That's because I was a chauvinist. I thought men were better than women. Needless to say, the idea of me serving Karen was the farthest thing from my mind. It was a shock to me that she would even expect me to do anything. In John 13, Jesus is in the... read more
Even the best marriage is going to have moments where one spouse does or says something to hurt the other. You can tell a lot about a relationship based on what happens next. When faced with a hurtful word or action, the other spouse has a choice. He or she can receive the hurt in frustration and bottle up their feelings. They can reject their spouse altogether and turn their heart away. Or they could become... read more
God created marriage to be a paradise, and the most important ingredient in a paradise is peace. Peace makes marriage pleasurable. But how do you find peace? There are four foundations of lasting peace in marriage. The first is prior agreement. Marriage is the longest journey in a person's life. If one spouse goes one way and another goes the other way, it creates conflict. When I used to do a lot of... read more
The best marriages are built upon a foundation of good friendship. Before anything romantic happens, friendship needs to be present. You have to have good will toward each other. That's what friendship means. There are seven steps to becoming best friends with your spouse: Be faithful. Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."... read more
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There are many people today living together without being married. A good question might be: "What's wrong with that?" Without addressing the moral and biblical angle of the issue, let me talk about intimacy and why married (committed) couples can enjoy much greater intimacy than those unwilling to commit. First of all, the primary reason people live together without being married is that one or both parties are... read more
Half of all families are blended families. They are also called step families. Where most marriages begin with a couple and then children come along later—the opposite is true with blended families. The children precede the marriage and are often antagonistic toward it. One of the first and most important secrets of success as a blended family is to protect and prioritize the marriage first. It is the nucleus... read more
