According to the Nielson Company, Americans watch an average of five hours of television each day. If that’s too much screen time for your family, consider cutting back. Or turn off the tube permanently and spend those hours together. That’s exactly what one man and his family did about 15 years ago. When he and his wife decided to give up what he called “the national pacifier,” he said it was one of the most...

It’s the gift of L.O.V.E.  L stands for listen… pay full attention when your partner talks.  Stop what you’re doing and don’t interrupt.  O is for observe... make getting to know their likes and dislikes a priority.  V is for value… value them for who they are…what makes them unique.  And E is for encourage…build them up with your words and actions.  Four little letters that spell out lessons in love.  It’s the...

There’s no such thing as not having time. When we say “I don’t have time,” what we’re really saying is that we don’t choose to make certain things a priority right now, or, there’s something else we’d rather be doing. Think about all the demands on your schedule and take a look at the things you spend the most time on. The truth is we make time for the things we want to make time for.  But that isn’t always...

As we jump into another New Year, I’m guessing that you’ve already put the pedal to the medal and are driving into January very quickly. But before the days start speeding by, I want to briefly share with you a few things that I hope for you in 2013. First, I hope that your marriage blossoms. I so want you and your spouse to move beyond mere survival and have a flourishing marriage…a marriage filled with peace,...

This last day of 2012 is the proper time to remember those we have lost this year.  The list includes brave service men and women whose names we will never know; celebrities whose names we do know; and, of course, some of you may have lost those closest to you.   As we reflect on their lives, we remember the brevity of ours, and this should give us incentive to pursue our life to the fullest.  That means a life...

More than 2000 years ago, a young girl stretched out her hand for help as she felt the first pains of labor.  Her baby boy came into the world as she lay in the dirty stable.  Gazing into her new baby’s eyes, she felt a rush of love as her son wrapped his hand around her finger.  Throughout His life, Mary's son extended his hand to many. On the day His hands were wounded, he extended them to the world, offering...

My Type A personality and our demanding world have joined forces and resulted in one of my biggest struggles—being patient. Being patient with circumstances and being patient with people are things I have to work hard at.  My wife, Susan, is helping me with it. Susan was sitting across the table from me during a meeting with our team at work, and she sent me a text during the meeting. It simply said, “Patience,...