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.
Parenting: Pornography and Our Youth
Pornified: 5 Facts You Must Tell the Next Generation As I write this, I am on a flight to Fort St. John, BC. Tonight I will speak at an area-wide Youth...
Marriage: Understanding the Emotional Turmoil of Mental Illness
HEADSPACE—Understanding the Turmoil of the Brokenhearted Someone in your world is hurting right now. No, they haven’t fallen and broken something. There was no ambulance or tow truck at the scene....
Marriage: Attracted to Someone Outside Your Marriage?
Q & A with Dr. Dave & Donalyn Currie—What if I find myself attracted to someone else outside our marriage? Dave: Wow, Donalyn, this is a gutsy question! I am really...
Marriage: The Masks We Wear—Who Are We Really?
I spoke recently at a single Parent retreat. The topic was “Masquerade” and our tendency to put on masks… to pretend to be someone we aren’t. Occasionally this is because we...
Marriage: What Happens When the Butterflies of Love Die?
I was meeting with a friend who was getting married in a couple of months. He and his fiancée have been dating for over four years and I was asking him...
Marriage: Getting Freedom from Porn: 1000 Days ‘All Clear’
We sat together in Boston Pizza for lunch that day. He is a man’s man – dark, chiseled and shaved head. Though his identity will remain private, if you knew his...
Parenting: Helping Kids Handle Peer Pressure
A Candid Q & A with Dr. Dave & Donalyn Currie “My son is entering Junior High this fall. How can I prepare him to withstand the negative influences that often...
Marriage: How to be a Great Spouse
Be a Great Spouse First and Foremost—Getting Your Relational Priorities Straight I stood in the entrance of my son’s home with him and two of his guy friends. It was moments...
Parenting: FAMILY FOOTPRINTS—The Non-negotiable Steps for Leading Well at Home
I grew up enjoying the childhood activity of ‘follow the leader’. Back in the prairies, it was especially fun to play after a fresh snowfall on our way to and from...
Parenting: 3 Things Parents Should Never Withhold from their Children
As I look back, I was at times a rather selfish and insecure parent. I was too often tempted, especially in the early years, to parent the children worrying about how...
Parenting: Responding to Your Child’s Porn Problem
Many parents believe that the character of their children will protect them from the dangers of the online world. Unfortunately the usual reality is that the online world bombards them and...
Parenting: The Ups and Downs of Summer Family Vacation
For most of us, we don’t get enough time together with those we love the most. Summer family vacations are designed to be great catch-up times to reconnect parents with kids....
Marriage: Five Roles of a Lifetime Valentine
What is a lifetime valentine? For me, it’s synonymous with success in marriage. It is best described as a satisfying, growing friendship for life. Let’s break that down. Satisfying means enjoyable...
Parenting: HAPPY EASTER—When the Resurrection Hits Home
“HAPPY EASTER.” We hear it all the time leading up to this season but to the average person on the street, what does it really mean? What is Easter really about?...
Marriage: Woodpeckers and Turtles—Do Opposites Attract or Attack (Take the Quiz)
Woodpecker-Turtle Quiz - Take it now! You’ve likely heard someone make reference to the celebrated book by Dr. John Gray, “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus”. In it,...