Resources

Question After spending years praying for a child, God gave us a wonderful little girl. Unfortunately, our precious daughter has changed our marriage in some unexpected ways that have become scary for us. Any suggestions on how to navigate these new waters? Answer A recent national survey showed that, after having a baby, 67% of couples see their marital satisfaction plummet.  I remember a headline several years ago that said, “Here Comes the Baby … there goes the marriage.

Question We were prepared for the birth of our first child but now, a year later, we realize that we weren’t prepared for all of the adjustments we would have to make and how it would negatively impact our marriage. Is this normal? What can we do to nurture our son and our marriage? Answer One of the best ways you can nurture your son is to nurture your marriage. Couples spend a lot of time and money preparing for the arrival of the baby and virtually no time preparing for

Question We have been blessed with a 6-year-old and two preschoolers, but struggle with finding time and creative ways to connect as a couple. Any suggestions? Answer Did you hear about the little girl who came home from elementary school and excitedly told her mom about the story of a Princess who fell asleep and was awakened by the kiss of a handsome Prince. At the end she asked her mom, “And do you know what happened them?” Her mom answered, “And they lived happily ever

Information from: The Blessing, by John Trent, Ph.D. and Gary Smalley We all want to have acceptance—to feel like we measure up and that we are valuable to someone. We yearn for approval, intimacy, and affection in our relationships. For most people, the quest for approval begins with our parents, and what happens in this relationship can affect how we view ourselves as well as our future relationships. We desperately want approval—we want “the blessing.” What is “the blessin

I don't even remember what the disagreement was about, but I do remember that it wasn't pleasant. My wife felt strongly about her perspective and I felt strongly about mine. We did the usual disagreement dance that most couples have perfected. I tried to help her see that I was right and she tried to help me see that she was right. When was the last time you were in that kind of situation? Yesterday? Last week? What did it feel like? Did it end on a positive note or a negativ

I'd been to London several times as a single student but this was the first time my wife and I had been there together. We were on our way to Amsterdam to begin a two-week tour of Europe and had two days to spend in London. That was the good news. The bad news is we arrived just three days before the royal wedding was to take place. London was jammed with people from all over the world. But even more interesting was the uncharacteristic spirit of enthusiasm and optimism in th

Being in a HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP means …If you are in an UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP …Loving and taking care of yourself, before and while in a relationship.You care for and focus on another person only and neglect yourself or you focus only on yourself and neglect the other person.Respecting individuality, embracing differences, and allowing each person to “be themselves.”You feel pressure to change to meet the other person's standards, you are afraid to disagree, and your ideas a

Question It’s been six months since the long-awaited and much-anticipated birth of our first child. We love the Lord, we love each other and we love our precious son, however, we’ve never had a harder time in our marriage. Is this normal and what can we do to make things better? Answer There are few things that produce greater joy than the birth of the first child. I still remember the indescribable and unspeakable joy I felt when I held my first child in my arms. Unfortun