Bret Legg 
Question: How do you know if a person needs encouragement? Answer: If they’re breathing. In other words, everyone needs encouragement. Young or old. Rich or poor. Famous or unknown. Introvert or extrovert. If a person is breathing, they need encouragement.
This goes for your spouse. If they’re breathing…and hopefully they are…they need encouragement.
What is Facebook really saying about you? Facebook gives away a lot more information about you than you realize. More than just your profile. More than just the pictures you post. More than just your likes and dislikes. More than just what you’re having for lunch and where you’re having it. There’s a lot more that’s freely being shared about you on this platform. What is Facebook really saying about you?
Here’s a marriage riddle for you. (As if marriage wasn’t perplexing enough.) How is marriage like Facebook, makeup, and toothpaste? And the answer is not that both spouses need better profiles, wife’s need to use more makeup, and husbands need to use more toothpaste.
To find the answer, think about this. When people first start using Facebook they work hard to get the right profile and pictures on their page. They think through what to post and what not to post. They carefully craft each post, knowing that others will be reading it.
I have a confession to make. As a guy, it’s a difficult confession to make, but here it goes…one of my favorite movies is “Under the Tuscan Sun.” There’s just something about this movie that captivates me. (And it’s not just Diane Lane.) Maybe it’s because it’s a movie about disappointment and rebuilding. It’s a movie about life’s ability to deliver both discouragement and unexpected surprise. It’s a movie that reminds us that when you think the good stuff is over, it’s really just beginning.
Last night I learned of the suicide of Robin Williams. I was shocked and saddened by the news. I’ve always been in awe of his ability to riff and improvise on the spot.
It’s confusing when someone with so much to live for can’t see a reason to live. It’s jarring to think that someone could be so bright on the outside and so dark on the inside. Yet this is the reality for many people.
This is also the reality for many marriages.
No, this isn’t a post about raising your IQ, as in your intelligence quotient. (I’m not the brightest bulb in the box, so I wouldn’t feel qualified to write about that anyway.) This is about raising your IQ, as in your impact quotient.
We all want to make an impact in this life.
I’ve just realized that I failed to post the last Normal Marriage Class audio from back in March of this year. So sorry to have left this one off, since it not only finishes a conversation about dealing with in-laws but also deals with the issue of sex in marriage. So go back and listen to this blast from the past. If you would like to hear the entire series, click on the Normal Marriage icon in the right side bar under “Teaching Series.”
I hear the word “partner” used a lot these days. People use the term when they’re married, but they also use the term when they’re just living together.
I know the term “partner” is an attempt to be politically correct and inclusive, but to me the term “partner” seems a little demeaning. I want to be more than just a partner. I want a marriage that’s more than just a partnership. Why?
When I was out for a walk the other morning, I found a small Batman action figure facedown in the middle of the road. It had been run over and was scarred and marred. I picked it up and set it to the side of the road so the child who owned it might find it. Then I walked away a little sad. Why?
I know it’s sort of a loaded question, but are you taking care of your spouse? Before you get offended, think about it for a moment. How would you answer that question? What first comes to mind?