Navigating Stress and Depression Around the Holidays

Navigating Stress and Depression Around the Holidays
by I December 3, 2018

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. As I write this, Thanksgiving is coming up and, this year, my mother and daughter will join my wife and me, as well as an aunt who I rarely see. Others have also been or will soon be invited so we can fill the home with loved ones and enjoy time together for at least a few hours. Holidays can be a wonderful time to bring together the family that you don’t get to see every day. But, for some people, the holidays also bring stress, loneliness, or depression. To-do lists pile up this time
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You Reap What You Sow

You Reap What You Sow
by I November 18, 2018

I learned long ago the rule “garbage in, garbage out.” In other words, you usually get out what you put in. It is the idea of sowing and reaping. If all I plant is corn then that is all I will get. This concept can be applied to marriage as well. What do you want to reap in your relationship? Do you want a relationship that is meaningful, helpful, loving, caring and affectionate? Are you sowing what’s necessary to meet that goal? If not, perhaps you need to sow something else. In other words, change what you’re doing.
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Money and Relationship Manipulation

Money and Relationship Manipulation
by I June 8, 2018

Is money important to us? Does it influence us? Most people would agree that money is a powerful motivator that can be used for good or bad. It can help a relationship grow and feel secure or it can be used as a manipulative tool. The Bible teaches that love is the value we need to exude. Love is about relationship.
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Could Online Therapy Work For Me?

Could Online Therapy Work For Me?
by I March 12, 2018

Have you ever seen a man and woman together in a restaurant who are more engaged with their phones than they are with each other?  One of the curses of our day is that it’s easier to mindlessly scroll through our phones than it is to connect with the person across from us. At the same time, when used well, current technology can allow us to connect with friends and family across the globe, allowing us to keep our relationships strong. We can Facetime or Skype with a loved one and almost feel like they are right there with us!
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Quality or Quantity Time?

Quality or Quantity Time?
by I January 25, 2018

A number of years ago I planned a weekend getaway for me and my wife.  I booked a bed and breakfast and planned a tour of part of the Olympic Peninsula we had never seen so that we could enjoy some time together.  But in the days leading up to the event, a family in the congregation I pastored experienced a loss and I was called upon to lead a memorial service. We were still able to go on our trip, but we left later than expected, got lost on the way, and if all of that wasn’t bad enough,
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Faith, Hope and Love: A Mindset for Your Marriage – Part 3

Faith, Hope and Love: A Mindset for Your Marriage – Part 3
by I January 10, 2018

The greatest of these is Love. Our culture offers us many definitions and examples of what love is. For example, you may have heard, “Love means never having to say you are sorry.”  But love actually means the opposite – it means saying sorry when we have not acted in a loving way, and accompanying our words with a true behavior change. The True Meaning of Love The Bible is clear on its definitions of love. First, love is much more rooted in action and commitment than in feeling. On this point, it seems that our modern world has really
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Faith, Hope and Love: A Mindset for Your Marriage – Part 2

Faith, Hope and Love: A Mindset for Your Marriage – Part 2
by I October 23, 2017

Today we are featuring the second blog in a three part series by David Daroff MA called “Faith, Hope and Love: A Mindset for Your Marriage” on what it really means to apply those concepts to our marriages.  And now these three remain: faith, HOPE and love. But the greatest of these is love.  1st Corinthians 13:13 My dog presents herself at my side, eyes full of hope and expectation. She is trusting that I will give her a treat, or at the very least, some attention.  In psychology, we call this a conditioned response. This means it was not
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Faith, Hope and Love: A Mindset for Your Marriage – Part 1

Faith, Hope and Love: A Mindset for Your Marriage – Part 1
by I October 9, 2017

The Marriage Recovery Center recently welcomed David Daroff MA to our team and we are excited to have him on board! You can read more about David here, and today we are featuring the first blog in a three part series by David called “Faith, Hope and Love: A Mindset for Your Marriage” on what it really means to apply those concepts to our marriages.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  1st Corinthians 13:13   When you read 1 Corinthians 13, do you hear very many “feeling” words?  Let’s take
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