According to the National Science Foundation: People think an average of 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. 80% percent of those thoughts are negative. And 90% of those thoughts are repetitive. That’s why author Ted Lowe – founder and director of MarriedPeople.org, an organization dedicated to strengthening marriages – says one of the best things … Continue reading Changing Your Mindset in Marriage →

Despite what you see on commercials, Christmas isn’t about presents or a jolly old man in a red suit. It’s also not about food, festive decorations, or family get-togethers – even though those are all wonderful things. At its core, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. His story is the greatest ever told because … Continue reading Offer the Spirit of Christmas →

In 1984, Bill Goodrich attended a Christmas Eve service at his church. A choir of cognitively impaired adults from local group homes sang Christmas carols. The people around Bill thought their performance was beautiful, but Bill was troubled. A new Christian at the time, he spent the rest of the service asking the Lord why … Continue reading Caring for the Elderly →

As the old saying goes, “You can choose your friends but not your family.” You discover how true that is during the holidays. Spending time with family members who see the world differently than you do can be stressful. To fill this season with joy and peace instead of frustration and conflict, here are a … Continue reading Your Choice for the Holidays →

Relationships are the most rewarding experiences this side of heaven, but they also present a challenge. How do you restore peace and harmony to a relationship that’s struggling? Boundaries. God himself demonstrated why and how to create boundaries. In the Garden of Eden, He told Adam and Eve: Don’t eat from the tree of the … Continue reading Setting Boundaries in Your Most Difficult Relationships →

Good marriages are built on connection points. Money. Sex. Communication. And this one, which often gets overlooked: spiritual intimacy. As the label suggests, spiritual intimacy is when a couple is unified in their beliefs about God and spirituality. Couples who aren’t unified run into trouble. Like Maria and John. They didn’t talk much about their … Continue reading Spiritual Intimacy →

Many women feel overwhelmed. They’re busy from morning until night yet still don’t seem to have enough time for important things like devotions, exercise, friendships, sleep, or quality time with their families. My wife, Jean, did a great job of keeping our family and household in order during our parenting years. But some days the … Continue reading Making Time for What Matters Most →

My wife, Jean, loves decorating for Christmas. If you step into our garage, you’ll notice an assortment of nearly 30 boxes and plastic bins in the rafters. They’re filled with all of the Christmas decorations we’ve accumulated over the decades. I pull everything down and haul it into the house, so Jean can do her thing. I … Continue reading Sacred in the Simple →

Karen Wingate was legally blind from infancy. As a child, she endured eight surgeries that only marginally improved her vision – from blind to blurry. As an adult, she prayed earnestly for God to perform a miracle. Nothing happened. At age 55, Karen consulted with her retina specialist and discovered that her eyesight had further … Continue reading Seeing Life with New Vision →

Years ago, during my sophomore year at Cal State San Bernardino, I found myself in a difficult situation at Christmas break. I had nowhere to go. Both of my parents had died, and I wasn’t able to stay with my siblings or friends. I had to request special permission to spend the holiday on the … Continue reading The Gift of Community →