Simple Marriage

Online Solutions:
Marriage help that works.
by

The Virtue of Silence


Photo courtesy Amelia PS

The blog, The Art of Manliness, has skyrocketed. Recently there was a series of posts on Living the Virtuous Life like Benjamin Franklin. The following is one of the posts, for the others, follow the previous link.

Clearly, Ben was not referring to monastic solitude when he presented silence as a virtue. Instead, he had in mind the ability of knowing the appropriate time and words to speak. A gentlemen has always been judged by his manner of speech, yet our modern age presents a host of difficulties in this area that Franklin never faced.

Whether because of selfishness or simple ignorance, many men are drowning as they attempt to navigate the waters of proper communication. Here are four areas in life where men can apply the virtue of silence and make the world a bit more enjoyable for everyone. [Read more...]

by

The Power of a Family Maxim

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:13

In the thirteenth century a man named William Wallace became the instrument of freedom from England’s tyranny over Scotland. A very wicked king ruled England. A tragedy in the life of William Wallace launched him into living for this cause. Initially his cause was revenge, but soon his cause turned to something bigger than himself – freedom for a nation. When he challenged the commoners to fight for this freedom, they responded that the enemy was too great and that they might die on the battlefield. They also refused to fight for the nobles, the knights and leaders who had a vested interest in gaining more land for themselves versus a pure cause of freedom. Wallace’s response: “Yes, we might die. We will all die sooner or later. But we will die for a cause worth dying for. So that our children and their children might live in freedom.” This story was popularized in the movie Brave Heart (Sherman Oaks, California: Paramount Pictures, 1995).

Today we find many Christian believers living a status quo relationship with God that is more characterized as “business as usual” than a life demonstrating God’s power. Our focus is often more concerned with improving our standard of living than improving the Kingdom of God through our circle of influence. God has called each of us to live for a cause greater than ourselves – a life that is dependent on His grace and power to achieve things we never thought possible through our lives. This is His plan for your life.

The apostle Paul prayed that He might experience the power of the resurrection in his life. This power is available to you and me to live for a cause greater than ourselves. [Read more...]

by

Tired? Try the One-Day Sabbatical

Over the past few months, my 11 month old son has decided he doesn’t like to be alone all night long so he cries out in the middle of the night hoping his mother or I will come and see him. Needless to say, after many nights of this in a row, it gets pretty tiring.

This past week I came across a way to recharge the internal batteries. LifeClever, a blog with tips for design and life, featured a post written by David Moldawer entitled The One-Day Sabbatical. The following is a repost of David’s work with his permission. I hope you enjoy.

In academia, professors have the option of taking a year away from their home institution for the purpose of expanding their intellectual horizons. They might spend this time doing research in the field, teaching at another university, or writing a book.

For those of us working in a world without tenure and tweed jackets with patches on the elbows, taking a step back from our professional lives and finding a little perspective isn’t as easy. But it’s still necessary.

Luckily, I’ve found that the quality of a sabbatical leave can compensate for a lack of quantity.

Introducing the Amazing 24-Hour Sabbatical. [Read more...]

by

I’ve Turned to the Dark Side?


Picture courtesy SeenyaRita

A few weeks ago, my PC went on the fritz. And of course, it was right as I began a weekend slated solely for writing. After many failed attempts at rebooting, and failed attempts by the Helpdesk, I ran out and bought a Mac.

After some fumbling around with the different shortcuts and configuring of things… I’m sold. I now use Quicksilver every time I’m on the computer, I’m also moving away from the Big Brother that is Microsoft. Although I will still use Office due to one of my jobs.

I guess all that’s left before my complete indoctrination into the cult that is the Mac world is to pay homage to the almighty apple and give up my first born.

While I don’t think I will totally stray from the PC world, or give up my first born, I will proudly use my Mac for all the world to see. In fact, just hours after purchasing, I was approached by a guy in the coffee shop in which I was writing with questions regarding my new toy.

I used to be in the camp that sarcastically referred to Mac users as a cult vowing to take over the world. It looks as though I’ve joined the movement. Plus, my first born loves the little apple that lights up on the cover.

by

Marriage Lessons from MC Hammer

Now I know you’ve had the same experience as I have. You’re driving alone in your car, an MC Hammer song comes on the radio, what do you do?

You turn it up and sing along, of course!

This happened the other day and it got me thinking about his journey from humble beginnings, to fame, then to bankruptcy. After doing a bit of investigating into his story, Hammer’s story can actually teach us a lot about marriage and life. As his career rose and his fame grew, a backlash started regarding the repetitive nature of his lyrics and his apparent over-reliance on sampling other artist’s hooks as his own.

And probably most notably (other than Hammer pants), MC Hammer’s mismanagement of his money placed him among celebrity lore.

So what can us married folk learn from his journey? [Read more...]

by

Simple Marriages Spreading

This past Wednesday, Hayden over at Persistent Illusion, featured the Simple Marriage Project. The spotlight was on the 21 day complaint free marriage experiment, which has sparked a lot of energy and conversation with those who’ve joined in.

I am frequently asked how far along I am in the experiment, and while this info can be found in the Simple Marriage Community Forums, you can now also follow along with the cool little feature Twitter offers, located in the sidebar of this blog.

My complaint free experiment journey is an open book. I hope my journey in some way assists yours, should you tackle this experiment along with us. If you don’t, I’m not complaining.

Thanks to Hayden for allowing us to be apart of her work. Be sure to check out her blog as she has some posts I think you’ll enjoy.