Blending families is a labor of love, patience, and perseverance. Your combined family will need your persistent prayers to thrive. And your relationship must be shored up and well-supported to cope with everyday challenges. Mixing your new marriage, roles as parents and step-parents, and the unpredictability of children who may struggle with

“Snap out of it!” Maybe you’ve heard it from half-joking friends who just want you to be well. Or your partner said it in a moment of frustration. Perhaps you repeat it silently to yourself when the dread and panic start to rise again. Does it ever really work? Of course not. Most of the recovery and growth that we need to do requires patience,

The promise to love each other forever is a serious commitment. Some people get so overwhelmed by the gravity of it that their feet go cold for a while before they say “I do.” Others are so excited by the possibilities that they run down the aisle. Either way, nervous or gung-ho, you want your marriage to be blessed and healthy. You want it to

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”   Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)   Faith and fear are not friends.   We are directed to “fear not.” We are told to believe without dismay or despair. And we are commanded to “be

Life’s not really as bleak as it seems. Or as pointless. You know you’re not truly helpless. God is still good. You really do believe that. But the truth is that you feel so bad. And sometimes you’re too sad, too exhausted, lonely, hurt, and defeated to keep praying it away. So, how have you been dealing with your depression? Do you put on a

When you are suffering, you may pray for peace, for strength, for deliverance. Though you may not always know what to call the suffering. You might call it nerves or the blues. Either way, the pain and upset that weave through your thoughts and body sow discord in your sense of self and your most cherished relationships. You worry so much—you

Choosing life together after infidelity is an honorable goal. But it is not an easy one. Affair recovery takes time. Trusting God with your marriage until you can trust each other again will be unlike any other challenge you have ever faced before. Why is it so difficult? Because betrayal is a hurt that drove a wedge between you. At first,

Can you remember how exciting those long talks were when you were dating, as you studied and learned about each other? Remember how you listened so intently to one another, getting to know this person, their likes, dislikes, and dreams. Now, it may feel like you know everything about each other, and there is nothing to really talk about. Yet,

One big reason couples seek marriage counseling is communication, or more precisely, a lack of communication. In a previous blog, I discussed the first two horsemen of what Dr. John Gottman, relationship expert, has identified as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. These are ways of communicating that are detrimental to a relationship. The

We all have trouble falling asleep at some point. The reasons are endless as to what keeps us awake. It could be a stressful day, a problem we have not found the solution for, that soda or dessert we had with dinner, worrying about the kids, marriage or relationship problems, or something more complex, such as trauma. Whatever the reason,