Fresh Ideas – Fresh Encouragement
Our blog is a steady source of relevant and practical help for doing family right. Anchored by Dr. Dave, we want you to count on us for support in maximizing your most important relationships – marriage – family – God.
Our blog streams all our marriage and family resources and posts are listed with the most recent items first. Scroll down to go back in time.
Marriage: The Kite & The Blender
The Kite & The Blender: Approach Extremes to Stress and Conflict The kite and the blender. To be honest, I see a lot of this between couples. Often, these two extreme...
Marriage: Preventing Your Own Divorce
Preventing Your Own Divorce: The Soft Heart Approach “I have yet to see a marriage fall apart where both hearts are soft toward God." Let it sink in. Then, read it again....
Journey Beyond Anxiety and a Life of Worry
Fear is a Liar: The Journey Beyond a Life of Worry Fear immobilizes countless people. Many lives are riddled with some form of incessant worry, heightened anxiety or foreboding dread. Fear can...
Marriage: Analyzing Your Online World
Media Moderation: Analyzing Your Online World Notifications nudge us every minute. Each beep, squawk, buzz and vibration on our device beckons us to return to our online world. It’s the big world...
Lifting Up Others—Tips on Being an Encourager
Lifting Up Others—Up Close and Personal Tips on Being an Encourager To ENCOURAGE by definition means to give support, to foster confidence and to bring hope. The breadth of its current usage in our...
Parenting: 7-Step Model for Kids—Healthy Internet Use
A 7-Step Social Media Introduction Model for Healthy Internet Use for Our Kids Our world is becoming more and more digital all of the time. We MUST equip and prepare our...
Marriage: Baggage in Your Marriage
Unpack Your Bags—Did you drag a trunk full of junk into your marriage? Communication? Money? Sex? For decades, these three famous challenges have been said to be the top three reasons...
Marriage: The Value of Honest Disclosure
Coming Clean: The Value of Honest Disclosure When I was young, say ages 4–8, my mother would warn me—actually more like threaten me (add mom’s cross tone of voice)—“Don’t you dare...
Recovery from Depression
Kickstarting Your Recovery from Depression Having personally walked through depression in 2001 and then coaching hundreds of thousands of people in over 120 countries online since 2003, the most powerful plan...
Marriage: The Love Formula
Appreciate the Formula of Love As the years go by, without the right attention, it’s not uncommon for a marital relationship to begin to waver—as in fade or grow apart. Routine,...
Marriage: The ABC’s of Hugging
The ABC’s of Hugging Hugging is one of the core expressions of connection between human beings. We have come to know that affection, affirmation, attention and appreciation toward a developing child by...
Parenting: Children Through the Eyes of Jesus
I was Jesus once. No, not in a dream or some fantasy game but in real life. It’s true. Work with me and don’t question my sanity too much, but for...
Marriage: Drop the “EDGE”—A Journey into Graciousness
Let’s be clear—I’m a recovering “edge-aholic”. I will be speaking out of a deep, insatiable and ongoing need to deal with my own lack of graciousness. I have often said when I’m...
Marriage: Facing Burnout in Your Family
What is Burnout? At the core, burnout starts showing itself with a person’s growing inability to emotionally cope and effectively carry out their normal life responsibilities. This causes us inner stress....
Parenting: Keeping the Connection through the Teen Years
Keeping the Connection through the Teen Years You and your kid don’t have to grow apart during the teen years. It is true that there is a natural drive for independence...