By The Encompass Outreach Group Just about every marriage faces issues at one point or another. While these issues can lead to arguments and fights, they usually result in the couple working together to resolve them. But, what happens when a person that is part of the couple refuses to participate? When a partner is unwilling to participate in the marriage, it can aggravate the existing issues, making them even worse and harder to resolve. Here are some ways to improve your marriage even if your partner refuses to participate.
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By Jenny Hamilton Maintaining a lifestyle of eating healthy food and exercising regularly we all know is good for us. However, it probably ranks #1 as the most common daily battle we regularly wage with the “easy to say, hard to do” things in life. We make excuses constantly for why we didn’t stick with our workout plans or diets. We do the same when tending to our relationships. Healthy relationships are like gold! They are what keep us going--mentally, emotionally and even physically. Yet often, to our own detriment, we believe things that are not true -- and we make excuses. Have you ever told yourself this?
By Kermit Rowe The finale of Encompass Connection Center’s recent Valentine’s Day virtual Gala, attended by 126 supporters and beneficiaries of our 16-year-old relationship ministry, featured staff member Jenny Hamilton and her husband, Mike, doing a touching rendition of the wildly successful worship song “The Blessing.”
It led me to think deeply about the blessing of holy matrimony, and what the Bible says about it. Obviously, the blessing of having my wife Nancy in my life the past 40 years quickly came to mind. She has been a constant blessing. But I also know that the word “blessing” is used so loosely in today’s culture, that its true meaning can easily be cheapened or even lost. By Kermit Rowe I like to call it “The Flip.” It is as unnatural as it is powerful. But if a couple can make “The Flip,” then the future growth of their relationship and happiness takes an upward trajectory.
What I am speaking of is a change of focus in our relationship. If we are honest, when we enter a relationship with a significant other, we do so with the expectation that this person will make us happier in our life. We love them, but a big component of that love often is how that person makes us feel. But what if we changed our approach, turning to a divine truth to transform our relationship and home? By Lavern Nissley So, how’s that for a blog post title just over a week before the day of love? Yet, it truly reflects my heart on the emphasis of singling out one day a year for an inferior type of love that has a truly bizarre origin.
Go ahead, please click through to hear me out. Then watch the brief video at the end about a Virtual Date Night we're planning for couples February 14, 7-8 pm. Seth and Lisa Perdue are Encompass board members and have a compelling marriage story that they shared for Fellowship Church, January 27, 2019. As they indicate in their story, it is only with the help of God that they are still together, having navigated one of the most challenges hurdles and couple could face. By Lavern Nissley
I watched a hush fall over the waiting area of the License Bureau as an elderly couple slowly crossed the huge distance from the door to the clerk. Holding each other for stability, him with a red-tipped cane, her with a handful of documents, both with eyes forward, they seemed to reflect decades of memories. A picture of lasting commitment. Who was this couple? And why did they attract the attention of all in the room? |
HostsLavern & Ronda Nissley are co-directors of Encompass. Married since 1978, both enjoy coffee, riding their tandem bicycle and working together to build strong relationships. TOPICS
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