I was taught to communicate with love and respect. Those core concepts were drilled into me by my mother. She always made sure I knew that I wouldn’t always agree with everyone, but everyone deserved to be treated with love and respect. Now that I’m a mom I try to …

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Listening like Jesus is something I aspire to. I’m sure that like me you want to hear your spouse – you want to hear what he’s saying and hear his heart for various issues. But sometimes things get in the way. I try to listen to my husband, I really …

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Prayer & communication go hand-in-hand. I admit it. Far too often I open my mouth and say things I should have prayed about before talking about. I get excited (or angry or stressed…) and out pop comments that would have been better remaining in my thoughts. Or better yet between …

Prayer & Communication: Talk to God Before Talking With Each Other Read more »

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Words of affirmation are one way I show my husband I love him. I admit that this come naturally to me – I’ve always loved words! That could explain why I majored in communication in college. But you don’t have to be a logophile to make use of words of …

How to Speak Your Spouse’s Love Language — With Words Read more »

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Identifying feelings can be tricky. The ones we feel the strongest may not be the ones at the root of what we’re really feeling. I know after 30+ years of marriage that I need to take a few minutes and dig deep to uncover how I really feel before trying …

Identifying Feelings for Healthy Communication in Marriage Read more »

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No one likes receiving the silent treatment. And few of us would probably own up to using it. Those facts alone should tell us that this is a very harmful communication strategy for all our relationships, but especially for marriage. Introduction It’s the middle of an argument. Tension rises. One …

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Did you know that there are some daily habits that strengthen communication in your marriage? I have a love-hate relationship with daily habits. On the one hand, they are super helpful in organizing life and making life run smoothly. On the other hand, too many daily habits can be overwhelming, …

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Conflict is inevitable in marriage and fighting fair is a key component to handling conflict well. Over the 31 years I’ve been married, my husband and I have experienced conflict over just about every topic you can think of: finances, in-laws, parenting, sex, vacations, decision making…and more. We have rules …

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I’m sure you can relate that the power of words in marriage is often not realized until it’s too late. We say something that we immediately want to take back. But alas, we know we cannot. I remember many years ago when my husband and I were going through a …

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Expressing gratitude in marriage, even a Christian marriage, can be tricky sometimes. I mean, let’s face it, we don’t always feel warm and fuzzy toward our spouse. The little things get in the way, and we let ourselves get carried away by the day-to-day stuff of life. We forget to …

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